Review on Blue Stone Embossed Leather Journal: 120 Pages Of Unlined Luxury With Clasp - Brown Edition by Susan Park

Please note that one of these comments are intended to be complaints. I paid a bit over $10 and I got a book that looks a lot nicer than what I could have made myself with twice that in material costs and a lot of time spent.As is noted in the product description, the embossed pattern on my journal differs somewhat from the image. Especially on the back cover, the embossing is not quite as crisp and consistent as I might have liked, but overall, it's nice. There are some minor imperfections on the inside surface of the leather, but that's the nature of the material. There is also a bit of inconsistency in the way the pattern wraps around the closure flap, but it's not really a problem in my opinion.The paper is slightly textured, and the sheets are different. It adds to the effect of the book in my opinion. The stitched minding seems more than adequate to the task, and there is room to add scrapbook-style inserts and embellishments without interfering with closing the book and clasping it shut.The clasp works. Honestly, I expected it to be worthless. It's functional, though. The metal probably isn't particularly robust, but it seems sturdy enough to do the job at hand.The stone on the cover is secured in place by a leather disc and stitching. It appears to be a synthetic cabochon with a slightly irregular cut, but as the description says, the stone may vary from what you see, and I think it looks cool. I would note that the stitching wrapping through the inside of the front cover can make it slightly awkward to close the flap to clasp the cover shut, but it's not a major problem. Just be aware that you'll need to pay a bit of attention to make it work.I gave this 4 stars out of 5 because it exceeded my expectations. Had it absolutely blown me away, I would have given 5. In my opinion, it's a good value for the price I paid, and I'd recommend it for anyone who wants a unique scrapbook, journal, or steampunk costume piece at a reasonable price.