Meet Sharon from Mallory Journals
From her home in the North Warwickshire countryside, Sharon Highway creates beautifully crafted leather journals that are made to be treasured for years to come. Lined with everything from vintage maps and atlases to Italian and Japanese papers, each piece is thoughtfully bound by hand and finished with carefully chosen details.
In this interview, Sharon shares her journey into journal-making, the inspiration behind her distinctive designs, what a typical day in her binding room looks like, and why making is something she can’t imagine ever stopping. She also talks about running creative workshops, her plans for the year ahead, and the advice she’d give to anyone just starting out on their making journey.
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So let’s get things started, tell us about yourself
I’m Sharon Highway and I live in North Warwickshire, just outside the Cotswolds, near Chipping Campden, Chipping Norton, Moreton-in-Marsh and Stratford-upon-Avon. It’s a very inspiring part of the country with beautiful scenery and a vibrant creative scene.
I trained as a City & Guilds upholsterer through evening classes, which took me seven years. When my son went to school, I began making curtains and doing upholstery, alongside making bags which I sold.
In 2012, our lives changed completely when my husband was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour. I needed something much easier to make in the limited time I had, and that was the beginning of my journal-making journey.
The first journal I ever made was from a piece of upholstery leather for my husband. I’m self-taught, and it took months of experimentation to work out how to bond beautiful papers to leather. Once I mastered that, I discovered that maps worked incredibly well – and they’ve since become my unique selling point.
What would you say your biggest inspiration is when coming up with new designs?
I’m inspired by beautiful papers and colour combinations. I use Japanese Chiyogami, Italian papers, Indian cotton, maps and atlases, and I love pairing them with my leathers (I have over 20 colours!). I also enjoy adding ribbons, cords, elastic, beads, buttons and charms – it’s about bringing all those elements together in a way that feels special.
Where do you work from?
I work from home in a dedicated binding room on the top floor of my house. I love that I can leave everything set up and just close the door at the end of the day. It can get very messy during my busiest periods – usually May, June, July and from October through Christmas! I always listen to the radio while I’m making.
I store my completed Journals in my dining room. I use wooden wine boxes to make a bookcase. And these are the same boxes I use for transportation to Art Fairs and then use them to build bookcase displays on my tables. I love them, but they are very heavy when fully laden and it’s a real effort to load them into the car and out again at the event!
Can you talk us through a typical working day?
Making a journal is a two-day process. On day one, I cut the leather and paper roughly to size, glue them together and weight them down overnight. I usually work in batches of up to ten. The following day, I make the signatures (the booklets), cut the cover to its exact size, bind everything together and finish it off with a gorgeous cord and bead closure.
What is your favourite part of what you do?
I don’t have a favourite part of the process, but I do just love making journals – I get quite twitchy if I haven’t made one for a week or two! It’s like an itch I have to scratch. It’s also very mindful, which is what keeps me going.
You mention that you find your craft very relaxing, but what do you to to take a break from making journals?
Yes, making journals is very mindful for me. When I want to relax away from the bench, I love reading – I read most days. My current favourite author is Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling under another name), her Strike series of books are so well written. Currently reading The Hallmarked Man. I also enjoy sewing, cross stitch, and learning new skills like European marbling, which keeps things feeling fresh and exciting.
Sharon’s beautiful journals were presented to two very famous authors. Cressida Cowell, author of the How to Train Your Dragon series, and Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher novels. Sharon was even told that Philip Pulman, author of His Dark Materials, wrote in Lee’s journal which was filled with lovely messages from other famous authors upon Lee’s retirement!
What notebook, sketchbook or journal is your favourite you’ve ever made?
Without a doubt, my A5 Golden Dandelion Journal. It’s made with pale blue Italian leather, lined with cream paper illustrated with golden dandelion clocks, and finished with a cord and golden wooden bead. I’ve always loved blue, and the cream and gold combination is just beautiful. I’ve been binding this journal for over ten years and it’s still a bestseller.
You run lots of incredible workshops – how did that start, and what do you enjoy about them?
I started running workshops in late 2025, which was a big leap as I’d never taught anyone before! I’d been asked about them so often at events, especially post-COVID, that I decided to give it a go.
I did a workshop about how to run workshops, tested everything with friends, gathered feedback and tweaked things before booking dates with local arts hubs. I was incredibly nervous during my first paid workshop, but it’s getting easier and it’s going really well. I’m hoping to continue running them throughout the year.
What are your plans for 2026?
2026 is already filling up with workshops and art events. I’m registered for Oxfordshire Artweeks and Warwickshire Open Studios, both of which I’ve taken part in for many years. I’ve also applied to several art fairs and festivals, and I’m waiting to hear back on some of those.
Alongside this, I co-organise a Christmas Fair in Shipston-on-Stour with two other friends. 2026 will be our third year, and after welcoming 27 artists in 2025, plans are already well underway.
A big personal project for 2026 is practising European marbling. I did a two-day course last summer and was instantly hooked. My aim is to use my own marbled papers to line my journal covers – I’m hoping to have a few finished by the end of the year!
What advice would you give to a maker just starting out this January?
I’d suggest creating a range of items, listing on Folksy and getting your social media going. There’s lots of helpful advice and blogs on Folksy about listings and promotion. It’s very user-friendly and doesn’t take up too much time. Social media is important these days – I use Instagram and Facebook, though I know others do very well on TikTok too.
Treat yourself to 10% off Mallory Journals with the code FEBMM10
Shop Mallory Journals on Folksy
