I have this journal in the smaller size that I purchased a few years ago. They were so small and perfect for taking in our backpacks for nature hikes. Now I'm trying out the bigger size and I wanted to point out that although the "Retro Green" color looks like a deep teal on my computer and phone screens, it is actually more of a forest or hunter green.

FYI, when I ordered the smaller journals for my boys before I was able to remove the charms without cutting the cords. I just had to untie the knots and remember how the cords were laced. I replaced the charms with some others I bought at a craft store, including some I had woodburned with their names.

First I will say It's very nice aesthetically. But that's mostly it. I was very disappointed that the cover is not real leather at all, that was the main reason I bought it. (My son has a microscope, I checked, lol.) For the price I obviously should have known, but I was in a hurry for christmas and saw it had great reviews so I thought I was getting a great deal. But I should have researched a bit more thoroughly.
If you want real leather, this is not it. I will say though, that if you don't care and want a well made, nice looking journal then this will suffice just fine. (Also I assume the "cut outs" are for pens. But I'm not sure exactly.)

I love this vintage journal. I ordered the large size, dark green color. It is large only relative to the smaller sized journal and is more of a diary sized journal than a full sized notebook, but that is what it meant to be, a durable, personal sized vintage type journal. While it is made from imitation leather, it is high quality and has the feel and durability I would expect from a genuine leather product but at a reasonable price. This journal has a wonderful hand feel to it, from the soft suede feel of the cover to the lovely light brown tinted paper with a vintage appearance and feel. I write in mine using fountain pens with different colors of ink as well as sketch on occasion. I like that the pages are thin enough to feel like pages not craft paper, yet they are thick enough that the ink doesn't bleed through so I can use both sides of the page.

I love the method of closure, where The cord with the sun token wraps around the journal. I figured out that when I wrap the cord in a particular way, and use the anchor token as shown in my picture, I can tell if someone has been peeking in my journal as I always wrap it a certain way that seems difficult for others to copy exactly. I am not sure if this is the original intention for the sun and anchor tokens, but it works for me and while it doesn't lock, it can be used to close your journal in a way that you can probably tell if it has been tampered with. I could't find any other obvious use for the anchor token as it is obviously meant to be on the outside of the journal and is too short and bulky for a bookmark. I still have no clue about the reason for the slits in the cover that I have seen some call a holder for credit cards. I couldn't use the slits for a pen holder and it makes no sense to me that a vintage journal would have a place to hold credit cards. The best I could figure for the slits might be to allow the book to close easily without bunching. I bought vintage paper refills for this as well and wrote a separate review for that item in addition to this review. Overall, I find this vintage journal more than meets my expectations and I look forward to writing in it every time I pick it up. I give this vintage journal a solid five star rating and will buy it again.

For a 7 year old kid who's found some interest in pirates and treasure, this journal is very authentic. He's written in it a few dozen times now, and, although he won't let me read it, i'm sure it's all about how awesome I am for buying it.

The pages feel more on the parchment side, which adds to the vintage feel, and the cover completes the whole look in a great way.

Definitely a cool journal to have, even for decoration.

I am a journal junkie. I purchased this along with a pocket travel journal and was pleased with both. This one is very nice and the price couldn't be beat. The feel of the journal is very nice though it is not real leather. For the price though you can't expect it to be.

I wanted a journal that I could use for a project I am working on. This has the feel that I was looking for as I didn't want a plain old notebook. Sort of inspires me to write the story I'm working on.

The binder is good and also allows you to use a few types of paper. You can order the refill for this or could even go with plain old lined paper designed for small binders such as Mead 6-Ring Memo Book Refill, College Rule, 6HP, 6-3/4" x 3-3/4", 80 Sheets, White, 1 Pack (MEA46534-84926). Though I will say adding standard white notebook paper takes away some of the style this notebook offers.

I liked this journal enough that I ordered two more to give as gifts to friends.