Traveler’s Notebook

Happy Mail This Week: Foxy Fix

| cristina

I ended this week with some awesome happy mail (on top of more happy mail that I received on Monday – a TN cover and some goodies from Freckled Fawn, and a bunch of new stamps from Sakuralala): a traveler’s notebook cover by Foxy Fix! All pictured here:

This was my second purchase from them – you can read about my first purchase here. I ordered this cover even before receiving my first two 🙂


This time, I purchased a #6 size (which is the standard size for traveler’s notebooks).

I chose Sugar Pink Grapefruit leather, with light pink stitching, light purple elastics, a pen loop, and secretarial pockets with card slots, and embossing with gold foil both on the spine and on the front.

So I am now the proud owner of three notebook covers by Foxy Fix:

You can read more about how I use the two smaller ones as my wallet in this post.
In the meantime, I made even more clay charms using this clay charm kit – including a charm to match my newest Foxy!

The colors are so much prettier in real life… and the textures! Mocassin leather (the blue one) is the softest, but the Sugar leather of the other two is very smooth.

I’m already plotting my next Foxy Fix – in size #3 this time… Oops! 🙂

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.

My Latest Obsession: Foxy Fix Review

| cristina

Hello! I have fallen down the rabbit hole of a new obsession: notebook covers from Foxy Fix! I love these so much because you can personalize them by choosing the leather type and color, stitching color, elastic color, size, pocket configuration, width of the spine, and you can add embossing to the spine and/or cover. Lots of choices!
For my first order, I chose to get two of the smallest notebooks: a size 0 Sugar Lemon Drop – this leather was just discontinued! – and a size 1 Moccasin Tiger Lily.

I am now using these two notebooks as my wallet (more info below)!
These are both “couture” notebooks – currently Foxy Fix is facing high demand so they limit how many they put up for sale (so if you go see their website it’s likely you’ll see all couture items sold out – but no fear: check back on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 AM PST and they will be back in stock).

I placed my order on February 17th. The production window is 10-20 business days, and mine were in fact shipped on the 10th business day. The notebooks come wrapped up in fabric bags, and they also include a leather sample with your box.

I got this Sugar Pink Grapefruit sample… which I took in fact as a sign, because I have placed a second order for a notebook in this color even before getting this box. I love this color already!

I chose not to have any writing / design on the front covers, but I had my initials added to the spine (in silver foil on the turquoise notebook, and in gold foil on the yellow one).

For size comparison, you can see the “passport” notebook cover I handmade a while back (you can find the details here). What I find unique in the Foxy Fix notebooks is the reinforced spine (it comes automatically with some types of leather – including the Moccasin and Sugar I bought – and is optional on others). They also offer two widths: 1.5″ (wide) or 1″ (compact). I chose compact for both and I think this is already chunky enough for me.

I had fun adding some charms to my notebooks! I made most of these using this clay charm kit (I had lots of fun with these!!).

I also chose to also get a pen loop with both notebooks. I like to position it on the side as you can see here).

And here you can see the difference in sized between the #0 and #1.

I’m using these as wallet, and bought these credit card holders on Amazon to hold all my credit and rewards cards.

I’m so happy to have these colorful notebooks in my purse!

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.

Sakuralala Shop Reopened!

| cristina

Hello hello! I haven’t been posting any projects I’ve made lately using Sakuralala stamps because the shop has been closed for renovation, but it is now back online and full of new products!
I find these stamps to be the best for traveler’s notebooks (TN) and planners, I know I wouldn’t be able to document using TNs without them!

Here are some recent weekly TN spreads I made using the Sakuralala stamps.

I LOVE combining different stamp sets to document my daily life. Here I used the new 365: My Town and “Hello, Small Things! – Say Cheese” sets.
I combined them with these sets that I use all the time: 365: Daily, 365: Emotions, 365: Nippon, 365: Food, 365: Activity, 365: Me Time, 365: Fukuro.

Here you can see some images from the 365: My Town and “Hello, Small Things! – Say Cheese” sets.

And in this spread I used the new YEARS – AUTUMN stamp set and the Hello, Small Things! – Autumn Home.

I also used the 365: Emotions, 365: Food, 365: Activity, 365: Hikari, 365: Aki and 365: Family and Friends.

These YEARS stamps are so much fun to use since they have several images that can be combined together.

Tip: since clear stamps are very flexible, you can bend the stem of the flower to give it different shapes.

This deer from the Hello, Small Things! – Autumn Home stamp set is my favorite!
Have a great end of the weekend! 🙂

Traveler’s Notebook Documentation – How to Get Started

| cristina

It’s been a while since I posted about the new form of documentation I have become obsessed with over the past four months. 🙂 Seriously, I am so in love with traveler’s notebooks!
When I was starting out, I searched the internet for suggestions and tips on what supplies to get to get started, but didn’t really find all the information in one place. So now that I’ve been at this form of documentation for over four month, I thought I’d post a recap of my tried and true supplies, so if you’re also looking to get started you’ll see what worked for me.

I use a weekly format for daily documentation, and a monthly format to have all events at a glance (trips, dinners out, doctor’s appointments, birthdays, etc.).

My Favorite Supplies
Notebook Inserts and Cover
I use weekly and monthly inserts by Midori, and a Webster’s Pages notebook cover.

You can fit four notebook inserts in the Webster’s Pages notebook cover. The inserts come either dated or undated. I started in March with the undated weekly memo format, which I used happily for 15 weeks. I called this “horizontal” because the days are in horizontal blocks.

Then, I recently switched to the dated diary weekly insert, which is vertical. (I couldn’t find the 2016 version online at my usual shopping places, so I am linking you up to the undated version instead).

I am only 3 weeks into using the vertical format so I cannot pick a favorite between the horizontal and vertical formats yet… I love the horizontal very much, but I am warming up to the vertical format. Stay posted for a comparison once I’ve used the vertical insert more. 🙂
One thing I did enjoy and I miss in the dated version is stamping the days in the undated insert.

Pens
I mostly use Hi-Tec C pens for journaling (I love the fine tip!), but Le Pen pens also work great, even though they are a bit thicker.

Stamps
Gotta have stamps!! I mostly use stamps by Studio Calico and Sakuralala – I love that they are made especially for planners/traveler’s notebooks so will fit perfectly the small daily boxes. I love using stamps to tell my story!

Ink
I use pigment ink exclusively (I love dye ink in general but it will bleed to the back page). I use either VersaCraft or Color Theory inks. I love that both kinds come in bright colors.

Washi Tape
I love using washi tape as a starting point to pick the color scheme for the spread! In a few short months, I have amassed quite the collection, and I am showing no signs of stopping! 🙂
My favorite places to shop are Amazon (check out my latest buy) and Sakuralala, but I also occasionally shop on Etsy.

Embellishments
I occasionally add stickers to my spreads, almost exclusively from the Studio Calico planner kits. OK, and now here are two examples of my documentation in traveler’s notebooks.

Weekly Documentation

The journaling here was done with a gray Le Pen.
In this weekly memo format I typically journal my daily documentation on the left, and use the right side to add photos and/or general observations about the week. In this particular week we were traveling so I added a lot more photos than I normally do (1-2).
The washi tape and the chipboard embellishment are from the Finch add on. I also used several phrases from the Summer Vacation stamp set, as well as the  Urban Summer stamp. The “hot” and “humid” weather stamps are from the Patch planner add on kit.

Month at-a-glance

I used a  Hi-Tec C pen for the journaling. The “love this life” stamp is from the  from the Finch add on kit, and the “slow down” is from the Annette add on kit. Other stamps used: Urban Summer; Let’s Chill; Summer Vacation.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post! Are you a traveler’s notebook fan or a newbie? Either way, I’d love to hear from you!

Traveler’s Notebook Mini Album

| cristina

Hello there! I have a fun new mini album to share today – made in a traveler’s notebook! It’s no secret that traveler’s notebooks are my latest obsession, so when one of the class in the Mini Book Library at Studio Calico was about TNs, I jumped right in! (Enrollment for the bundle is closed right now but will open up for the August class, in a few weeks.

{cover stamps: Annette add on, Mega date stamp, Let’s Chill stamp; charm from Scout Planner kit}

This ended up being a pretty big notebook, so I only took a few pictures of my favorite pages, and you can check out this video to see a complete walkthrough of the album.
I used stamps and washi from Sakuralala, several supplies from Studio Calico, and alpha stamps by Elle’s Studio and Kelly Purkey. I linked most supplies below, at the bottom of this post.

{{{note… this is my very first video, so please be kind! :)}}}

Here are some of my favorite spreads.

(alpha stamp by Kelly Purkey). papers from the Savannah Scrapbook kit

(alpha stamp by Elle’s Studio Other stamps from Stephanie’s mini book kit)

 

(washi tape from Scout documenter kit; alpha Fukuro stamp; stamps from Annette add on and Let’s Chill)

(Aki stamp set)

(Stamps: Urban Summer stamp and Daily Grind)

(gold circle from Scout documenter kit)

I had so much fun putting this album together! And I have everything documented just a few weeks after my trips!

Supplies from Studio Calico:
Pool Party Documenter kit
Pool Party Planner kit
Savannah Scrapbook kit
Scout Planner kit
Scout Documenter kit
Stephanie’s mini book kit
Annette add on
Mega date stamp (currently in preorder)
Let’s Chill stamp
Urban Summer stamp
Stamp from Daily Grind (April 2013 add on, sold out)
Webster’s Pages traveler’s notebook cover
Washi tape from Finch add on
Neon Zing embossing powder
Tim Holtz distress inks

Supplies from Sakuralala:
Aki stamp set (365 collection)
Fukuro stamp set (365 collection)
Shoukei 019 new leaf washi

Note: I am on Studio Calico and Sakuralala’s creative teams but I purchased all the items linked here myself. If you use the affiliate links in this post, I’ll happily get a small commission, buy more supplies and share more projects on my blog. 🙂

Sakuralala Team 365

| cristina

With all the excitement about my mom’s visit and a few health issues on top of that, I have not been updating my blog with some FANTASTIC NEWS. (In fact, the best way to stay on top of what I’m up to is follow me on Instagram).


I joined Team 365 at Sakuralala!!! Sakuralala is an awesome online shop that has everything you need for planners and traveler’s notebooks. I love their washi selection, and the 365 stamps are the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen!

I have become quickly obsessed with traveler’s notebooks since giving them a go in March, and I love this form of documentation! I use a monthly traveler’s notebook for keeping track of dinners out, doctor’s appointments and trips, and a weekly trawler’s notebook to document the everyday (I do this on top of Project Life). And it just makes me so happy! Here are a few examples.

Monthly spread for March:

Monthly spread for April:


Weekly spread in April:

The washi tapes are all from the Sakuralala store, and the stamps are mostly from their 365 collection. So fun!

Traveler’s Notebook

| cristina

As promised yesterday, I wanted to show you a bit more of what I am doing in my Traveler’s Notebooks.

So far I’ve only been using the little passport-sized one for note taking on the go, but I started playing a bit more in the larger, red one.

The red one is to big to carry around for me, but it is perfect to use at home with my stamps.

I started by making a log for my exercise, which is one of my 2016 resolutions.

{Stamps by Studio Calico, mostly from past Documenter kits}
I find that having a visual reminder/motivation works well for me, and I am happy each day to check off my workout. Hoping this lasts!

I’m also really excited to be using the Mega Date Stamp in my notebook! This stamp is back in stock but is selling fast (and likely won’t be restocked), so if you’re thinking about it, don’t wait too long!

DIY Double-Sided Leather Traveler’s Notebook Cover

| cristina

Today I want to share a little DIY project I made last month – a double-sided leather traveler’s notebook.

I am not going to post a step-by-step tutorial because in fact I followed the instructions by the excellent Christine, with just a small change –  rather than a regular size traveler’s notebook, I decided to make a passport-sized one. This is my first traveler notebook and I made it with the purpose of carrying it in my bag when I go to work meetings, and I wanted something more compact. The bonus is that from 2 sheets of letter-sized leather I was able to make 2 notebooks, one for me and one for my mom. 🙂

Now… I’m not gonna lie – it took forever to put together (mainly because I didn’t have the right tools to thread the elastic!), but it was worth it – I love how it turned out!

The notebook is double sided, and even though when I bought the leather (these are pretty much the entire color option at Michaels) I thought I’d be using the aqua for the outside, I ended up falling in love with the texture of the brown leather and chose that instead. 🙂
I have two notebooks in my journal.

The notebook on the left was made by me, while the one on the right is a Midori passport – I bought it after the fact, and it turns out that the notebook I made is spot on!
I used yellow copy paper for the notebook made by me and I love the pop of color!


I chose not to bind the notebook and it’s really quite freeing to know I can just get rid of a page if I mess up.

Here’s a closeup of the stitching, which I did with my sewing machine but turning the wheel by hand (I didn’t trust my sewing skills for this project!):

The stitching holds the two pieces of leather together pretty well (in fact the only change I would make in Christine’s instructions is to skip the fabric interfacing step – I found it didn’t really stick properly in my case).
The pretty charm was given to me by my mom a few years ago and is by Thun.

This passport size has been working really well for me, and it made me take the plunge and purchase a full sized traveler’s notebook as well – I would love to try my hand at scrapbooking in that size, so stay tuned… 😉