Traveler’s Notebook

Stella – Foxy Fix Perfect Fit Cover

| cristina

I am in love!! Last month Foxy Fix released a new leather called Stella – it’s the same leather as Rowena, but it is grey instead of brown. And it is absolutely gorgeous! I ordered a perfect fit cover for my Hobonichi cousin – A5 size.

And it feels amazing! Smooth and soft!

You can customize the perfect fit cover – I chose white stitching and yellow elastic.

For the inside, I chose the criss-cross pocket. You can see my Hobonichi Cousin Avec inside, which I labeled with some monthly tab stickers from Studio Calico – I love being able to quickly flip to the right month!

The Hobonichi Cousin Avec has same A5 format as the Cousin version, but it’s split into two volumes (January-June, and July-December). I prefer it because I can only carry one volume around with me.

This is what the back pocket looks like.

Now, is this really a perfect fit like the name claims??

I tried my perfect fit cover with these 3 notebooks:

The cover I bought is for the Hobonichi Cousin, and you can see that with the Avec version there is some extra room. The Leuchtturm1917 A5 (hardcover) fits pretty well, even though it is a snug fit to insert the back cover into the pocket. Foxy Fix also sells a model of perfect fit covers specifically for the Leuchtturm1917 A5. I wish there were a slimmer version to fit the avec, but as it is it’s not too bad at all, I like having the option of using my cover for all these notebooks!

Overall I am thrilled with my purchase! These covers come in a variety of leathers and colors if you want to try something different. Save 10% off your first order with my Foxy Fix Referral.

This post uses affiliate links at no additional cost to you – I purchased all items in his post and by using my affiliate links you will help me bring you more reviews.

2017 Weekly Traveler’s Notebook – Catching Up

| cristina

I haven’t posted my weekly traveler’s notebook spread in ages! The truth is I stopped documenting in this format over the summer, when some very stressful events, including a death in the family (my father-in-law), occurred. Then in the fall we moved and I have been super busy with life. But I love this form of documenting too much to quit, so I am now catching up. I also started documenting 2018 in that format, so keep an eye out for a post on what I’m using this year too. 🙂

OK, here we go – this is from July:

Most of the stamps I use are from Sakuralala – they are just perfect for the small TN format! She has put her shop on hold since her move to Japan, but I hope to see some new products soon, since they are always fantastic! In the meantime, I have no shortage of stamps among her earlier releases so I am really happy to work on these spreads. Luckily I am keeping daily journaling in my Hobonichi so it’s very easy to remember the events I need to include.

I also use stamps and stickers and other things from Studio Calico – mainly from their Planner and Documenter kits.

Each week I start from a roll of washi tape from my stash, and that is the starting point for my color scheme.

This process is so much fun, and I love that each week can be totally different from the previous one. Each week I fall in love with what I am creating, and I feel like it’s my favorite ever. 🙂

This was the week my father-in-law got diagnosed with cancer… I couldn’t embellish this week as usual, so I went with a black&white scheme.

As you can see in this photo, I use pigment inks for all of my stamping since it has the least bleeding; I love these little VersaCraft cubes and own 35 colors of them. 🙂 I also use Distress Oxide inks quite a lot (they are a hybrid of dye and pigment, and ghost just a bit more than straight pigment inks), but I love the colors too much – the only issue I have is that they take longer to dry, so I often end up smudging them because I forget to let them dry! 🙂

This week I went a bit crazy with tape and stickers, so I kept the stamping at a minimum. 🙂

And that’s where I am at right now. I caught up 5 weeks this week so I am happy, but this has brought me to the end of August, so I have 4 months to go still!

TN 2017 – Week 26

| cristina

Hi there! I’ve been quiet lately, and the main reason (other than a crazy busy life) is that I’ve been catching up on my Project Life album. I have fallen horribly behind, but lately I’ve gotten back to it, finished up 2016, and started 2017. I also have an upcoming move coming up, so I will stay quite for a little while longer, but in the meantime here’s a spread I made in my traveler’s notebook from earlier this summer. 🙂

The stamps I used here are my favorite ones for traveler’s notebooks – from Sakuralala!

Foxy Fix Coconut (July Special)

| cristina

Hello! I just received some very happy mail today so I thought I’d share some pictures of my latest purchase with you. For the past couple months, Foxy Fix has offered a couple of monthly special items: single notebook covers, of a couple of different leather types, and available in 2-3 sizes (out of the 9 they offer) at a deep discount. Also, these items ship in only 3-5 business days  (vs 20-30 for their couture items).

If you’d like to get 10% off your first order above $50, use my referral code to sign up for an account (at no additional cost to you).

The July specials are Sugar Coconut and Boss Babe Cambridge leathers, in sizes #2, #3, and #5. The specials this month are stitched and have a pen loop; they also come with secretarial adhesive pockets, a jump band (to fit two additional notebook inserts in the cover), and  a dot-grid notebook insert.

The prices are $30 for the #2 (normally $43 with pen loop and dot-grid insert; stitching is $5 additional), $33 for the #3 (normally $46 with pen loop and dot-grid insert; stitching is $5 additional), and $40 for the #5 (normally $54 with pen loop and dot-grid insert; stitching is $5 additional) – so it’s really a nice deal. As such, they have been very popular so they are currently out of stock, but they said they would restock them once more before July is over (likely this week). And then there will be new leathers and sizes for next month’s special!

I chose a #3 (A6 size) Sugar Coconut. You could add personalization to the front cover, so I chose a gold foiled embossed tree (for $6 additional), since I am currently planning to use this notebook for Christmas. 😉

This notebook came with pink elastics, but I’m planning on changing mine to red if I end up sticking to my Christmas theme. 🙂

Like most orders, they also sent me a free leather sample – I got the Moccasin Sandstone, which is in fact my very favorite leather! You can see all my previous Foxy Fix purchases (including the Moccasin Sandstone) here.

If you’d like to get 10% off your first order above $50, use my referral code to sign up for an account (at no additional cost to you).

Traveler’s Notebook 2017 – Week 24

| cristina
Here’s a look at how I put together a weekly spread in my traveler’s notebook. First, I pick some washi tape from my ever growing collection (this one is by Aimez le Style), and select ink colors that match it (I used Distress Oxide inks for this spread). Then I stamp the dates and the week number, like I did here using the 365: Old English alphabet set.
Next, I select some stamps from the HST – My Motivation and HST – Summer Home sets to decorate my spread.

Finally, I stamp more images from all the Sakuralala stamp sets (365, Hello Small Things, and Years) that coordinate with what happened that week, and write the journaling.

I love this form of documentation, and I love that I can start with a blank canvas each week!

Traveler’s Notebook Title Page

| cristina

I am using the blank weekly memo traveler’s notebook for my daily documentation this year, and since each booklet holds 28 weeks, it was time for me to set up a new notebook. I decided to make a stamped title for both booklets, with the year (2017) and the months contained in each notebook (Jan-July, July-Dec.).
The Hello Small Things – Typeset stamp was perfect for this! The typewriter stamp added an interesting image to the page, and the typewriter alpha stamps fit perfectly in the bookplate at the front of the notebooks. I used Distress Oxide inks for the stamping.

I shot a video with the stamping – you can see how handy the cube acrylic block by Sakuralala is for stamping alphabets, and how I saved some time by stamping in both notebooks at once:

And now I am ready to fill in my notebook with the rest of the year!

Happy Fourth

| cristina

Happy Independence Day to all my friends in the US! I celebrated doing some stamping in my traveler’s notebook. 🙂

I had so much fun with the new 365: U.S.A. stamp by igloo*dining*! First I stamped the map of the USA, then I laid out all the landmarks around it, and stamped the line to connect the landmark icons to their locations.
 
Finally, I stamped the landmarks all around the USA map. I chose colors inspired by the US flag. This turned out to be the best way to decorate the week of Independence Day (July 4th)!
 
After this stamping was done, I started decorating my spread as I normally do, using other stamps from the 365 collections: and 365: HIKARI and 365: Trip Guru.

All the stamp was done using  Distress Oxide inks. So fun!! 🙂

Sakuralala 365: FRIENDS – Cat & Dog

| cristina

The two latest stamp sets at Sakuralala are cat- and dog-themed, and I find them 100% adorable!
I used the 365: FRIENDS – Cat stamp to embellish this spread in my weekly traveler’s notebook:

With the 365: FRIENDS – Dog stamp, I made a 12″x12″ scrapbook page:

These stamps are just too cute!

Here are some more details.

So fun!

I also shot a process video of this page, you can check it out here:

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Foxy Fix Moccasin Sandstone

| cristina

Nearly a month ago I received my latest Foxy Fix notebook cover. And it is my absolute favorite!!
Unlike my previous 3 covers, which were couture with pockets, this one is a single, #3 size, with stitching and gold foil embossing on the spine.

Here is the inside:

The single notebook cover comes with only one elastic, but they also sent me a jump band that I can use to fit two additional notebooks.

The moccasin leather is super soft, and I couldn’t love this notebook more! It’s also a great size –  it’s size #3, which is A6.
Here’s my round up of Foxy Fix notebooks:

Left to right: #6 Sugar Grapefruit, #3 Mocassin Sandstone, #1 Mocassin Tiger Lily, #0 Sugar Lemon Drop (this color is discontinued).

I use the #1 as my wallet, and the #0 to hold loyalty cards, etc. The #3 holds a notebook for everyday notes. And the #6 is holds my traveler’s notebook inserts.

All notebooks except the Moccasin Sandstone are couture (i.e., they hold 4+ inserts, and come with reinforced spine for these leathers). I love that look, but I found out that the couture is a tad too big for my taste – the single size suits me much better!

I chose foil embossing on the spine of all my notebooks: gold on all, except for the Tiger Lily, which has silver.
If you want to make a purchase at Foxy Fix, you will get 10% off your first order (above $50) if you use my referral link.
I haven’t decided yet what my next Foxy Fix purchase will be, but I am eyeing a Moccasin Raven (black) – even though I always opt for color, the softness of the Moccasin leather may push me over. And today, Foxy Fix launched ring planners!  So many pretty options!

And you can read about & see more pictures of my first purchase (#0 and #1 sizes) here, and my second purchase (#6 size) here.

New Sakuralala Stamps – 365: FAMILY and 365: CELEBRATION

| cristina

Hello! I am so excited to share the latest stamps released by Sakuralala! There are two sets, and they are by Igloo*dining. They are called 365: CELEBRATION and 365: FAMILY, and I had so much fun using them!

In this traveler’s notebook spread, I used both stamps. On the right page, I had fun with some stamping celebrating my mom’s birthday.

And here’s what the final spread looks like in my TN:

These stamps are fantastic for cardmaking also. Here’s two cards I made – the first one is an anniversary card. I loved this stamp so much that I kept the card simple, letting the stamps shine.

I used Zebra Sarasa Clip gel pens to color a few accents. It turned out so well, that I decided to do the same for the bride’s dress, and also gave some silver accents to the groom.

I love how the colors pop against the kraft background!

Next, I made a colorful card with some watercolor accents. I shot a video of the stamping process. I apologize for the not-fancy background: I shot this in a break at the office, propping my phone up on an open drawer and stamping on the floor. 🙂

After stamping, I added a few more touches to my card: I colored in the girl, and added some gem embellishments. I love how this card turned out! So playful and happy.

I know I’ll be using these stamps over and over, they are so versatile and fun! Have a great weekend!