Begin Your Bullet Journal – Don’t be Afraid to Start

May 24, 2018 6 Comments

If I could open up a drawer of all planners past, there would be an excellent collection. You’d find all different kinds of planners. I tried them, and I didn’t use them. I liked the idea of them, but then I’d neglect them for a month or so and have all these blank pages in the middle of my book. Then I faced a with a problem. Do I tear out the pages? Do I leave them blank? Usually, I would abandon the planner altogether. I found the bullet journal system and haven’t looked back. Here’s my advice to you as you begin your bullet journal.

Bullet Journaling is Versatile

Starting a bullet journal can be daunting and overwhelming. Maybe you’ve thought these before:

Where do I start? (If you haven’t watched video on the original Bullet Journal by Ryder Carroll here’s the link begin here, so you understand bullet journaling’s foundation)
What should I include?
I’d like all the collections, but what do I do with them? Where do I start?
Everyone has pretty lettering and how do I get that?
I need all the fancy on my pages.

The critical thing to know is that your bullet journal will morph with you. If you need to track appointments, start with a Future Planner of some kind, a Monthly Log or Monthly Calendar and a Weekly log. That’s it! Once you are comfortable with your journal, that’s when you start customizing. My journal has morphed into an art journal/art therapy notebook. MommaBearLife.com explains this concept in her blog post. Check it out!

Future Log: 1 month to a page - large goal planning areas & space for lots of to-dos

Recap: Where to Start:

Future Log – somewhere to put future appointments and plans
Monthly Calendar / Log – overview of the month
Weekly Log – if you don’t know how much you need, start here, if you have a lot to plan or keep track of on a daily basis, switch out with a daily log, you can also use the space to write a journal entry

Minimal monthly welcome page wreath with calendar

Begin Your Bullet Journal: Follow a Set Format to Start

Begin your bullet journal with the basics. Start with your monthly calendar in a log format which is simple, straightforward and easy. Start with weeklies and work in dailies if you need them. Find a simple, easy-to-create format for your beginning weeklies. Set aside 2-5 minutes every day to plan your day or the following day to make it a habit. Eventually, you’ll become comfortable with the style of a bullet journal and morph it into your own personal style.

I don’t have a lot of plans per se in the day both when I was beginning a bullet journal and even today. There are things I to do, but I don’t have an exorbitant amount of appointments I need to meet and tasks done weekly, rarely on a set day. So using weeklies has been my go-to planning style. If you are a lot busier and have tasks that need to get done on a specific day, use a daily log, either one page or part of a page for each day when setting up your bullet journal. If you use dailies, the needed space will expand and compress based on the day.

My Inspiration

I started watching planning videos with Alexis at strangecharmed.com and found my way over to Kara at Bohoberry.com. Clark Kegley and his method of journaling also profoundly influenced me. Quickly adapting many ideas from these inspirational entrepreneurs and others and created a style to fit my needs. I started my own YouTube channel, and I love going through the planning process with you! Follow me on YouTube. To inspire you, I have a new series in the works creating headers for collections and other pages, and I am very excited to share it with you! Follow along!

Need to Track Something Instead of Appointments?

Ani over at TheAniKay.com said that she started slow – with just an exercise tracker. Then eventually added more things in, she’s recently switched to a digital planner, and I love seeing the evolution of her planning journey.

My very first and most important recommendation if you are considering bullet journaling – choose the most important thing to track for you and track it. Need to track appointments? Start with a weekly or monthly calendar and add the dates there. If your goal is to lose weight – by all means jot it down! Start with that and add the other stuff in later.

We Manage What We Monitor - handlettered quote #change #habits #handletter #quote #handlettered

Unfinished Projects Bullet Journal Spread

Creative Outlet

In desperate need of a creative outlet? Choose a drawing or doodling challenge, map out a week at a time with seven boxes and doodle one thing every day. Start small. Do not try to do everything at once and do not expect perfection. My bullet journals have at least one mistake per spread, and it’s one thing I’ve learned to accept. Sometimes a whole spread, but the benefits to me of this little book for me outweigh any mistake. Begin your bullet journal adventure without a lot of frills, and begin your bullet journal for you.

Who I am & what I like to do, a definition of me, Bullet journal Collection

Collections

My VERY FAVORITE thing to track in my bullet journal are collections. Collections in your bullet journal are where you can get into a lot of fun. These are things that are uniquely you. Books read, books to read, movies watched, movies to watch. Oh, the possibilities are endless (my ultimate personal favorite is my 10-minute task list). But here’s the deal: Don’t start with everything.

My collections have come out of need. Check out AsARye.com and her array of collections starting the year. Take ideas from sources and turn them into something that works just for you. By the way, I recommend crediting anyone who you reference, they will love it for one thing, and it’s just nice.

Random thoughts and great ideas bullet journal spread idea tracker brain dump

What if You Don’t Want to Mix Them?

So then there’s the age-old question of ‘I don’t want my collections mixed in with my monthly and weeklies – where do I put them?’ A simple answer for me is in the back of the book. One idea is to start on the back page and worked forward, so your planner and your collections meet in the middle.

In March, I started a separate book for my long-term collections and enjoy it. But that is because my journal has evolved with me, don’t try to start too much all at once. Beginning a bullet journal is an ongoing process, it is not going to all happen at once.

Moving to a New Bullet Journal - in the middle of a year

All the Fancy – Begin your Bullet Journal Simply – the Fancy Will Come

There are gorgeous spreads out there, some that are jaw-dropping. I can tell you, mine did not start out that way, and not all of mine end up picture ready (I have quite a few planner-fails under my belt). The pretty lettering and the gorgeous spreads took time; I had to get used to planning out my days before I could use bullet journaling as a hobby. And it took lots of time and lots of practice.

Though I have studied fonts and writing styles for nearly my whole life, I still forced myself to learn the fundamentals of brush lettering so I could make the ‘pretty’ letters on my own. It’s still developing, and I know this: it won’t come overnight, and it will require time, effort and patience.

November Called for Structure

I love the bullet journaling system’s versatility, and you can make it adapt to your needs. For a while, I needed a very structured week/month – see November – Plan with me. I had a theme – it was 12×12 boxes. Really. That was my November theme.

Whimsy Defined December

December was all about free-flowing spreads; there were lots of sketches, lots of open spaces. December was A Christmas Story-themed.

January Used the Best of Both (in my opinion)

My yearly theme is Grow. I fully intended to do flowers and other growing items like leaves all the way through, but sometimes you have to go with what comes to you. That’s my tip now. Don’t try to force it. January’s theme was all about transportation. But I used essential elements from both November and December to have structure and art. Each page uniquely reflected a new mode of transportation. I tried out new ways of creating as well. (Watercolor with markers? Yes. – I show you how I do it on my YouTube Channel). I think the combination of November’s function and December’s form created a cohesive feel that met both my planning and my artistic needs.

January Review - Whats Changing in my Bullet Journal next month

The point is when you begin your bullet journal, it seems scary but if you start with my recommendations of a future log, monthly calendar, and weekly log and then the pages won’t stay blank for long, and soon you’ll find a unique style that fits you. In the meantime, you are welcome to use any inspiration you need from me.

February

The second month of the year tried too many things, and it flopped. Many of these tried-and-not-yet-true details didn’t even make it to the blog (yet), but I learned a lot from them. I hope to revisit some of the ideas, tone them down, and use them later.

March Gave Birth to Two New Journals & April started a Color-Trend

As mentioned above, in March I separated my planning journal from my long-term collections journal. At the rate I was going, I’d start a new journal every six months. The books in my bookcase tracker would hardly have enough time to gather dust before I flipped to a new book!

Hoping to slow the speed at which I flew through the pages in my notebooks, all long-term collections claimed a new house; I have to say, I like it. In April, I started color-coordinating my designs. It developed into a whole Pinterest board (one of my very favorites), and I love it.

April Monthly Plan With Me, I limited my color palette to create a greater stretch of creativity. Love the results! The circular April Monthly will be available in the Chocolatemusings.com shop!

Condensed May + Traveler’s Notebook

Conserving more space (because I didn’t need it), May’s spreads took up all of 10 pages, two of which are welcome pages. Two weeks to a spread works well for my free-spirited summer-itis. Keeping a condensed version of my standard planning style keeps me in the habit of planning and journaling and keeps my conscious guilt-free as I’m not leaving blank pages or too much empty space.

June has a few month-related collections, but the planning is very minimal. That’s what happens in the summer, and I am pleased because I know that when I need more planning space, I add it back into this little notebook and when I don’t need as much space, I consolidate.

May Monthly Layouts & welcome pages - ombre watercolor fades using Crayola Markers - Plan With Me

Sometimes I want to have a template and print it rather than creating it over and over. That’s where my traveler’s notebook came into play. I built one for about $12 and use it for collections or lists and change them out regularly. Over the last couple of months, I’ve used my Alphabet inspiration booklet insert to create new typefaces and practice styles. It’s available in my shop!

What’s the point?

The point is this little system is entirely up to you. Do what suits you best, find your style, experiment, let yourself have fun and know you can change it. Don’t get so stuck on making it perfect or doing too much. The evolution of my first bullet journal to now is eye-opening and utterly fantastic. The bullet journal notebook is the first planner I’ve fully completed, and I look forward to creating many more. I hope you bite the bullet and begin it.

The ultimate point is to begin your bullet journal and put aside your fears of starting. I promise the hardest thing is to make that first mark in your book. Once you do that, you’ll never look back, or maybe you will, and smile because it’s a grand adventure.

Remember to plan your life, so you live beautifully.

~Tricia

My Muses #3: Favorite Reasons for Habit Tracking & May Mid-Month Habit Check

May 17, 2018 1 Comment

Favorite Reasons for Habit Tracking, Creating Habits & Favorite Quotes for My Habit Tracker

I’m going to combine two topics this week. Usually, I post a mid-month habit-check for my accountability and hopefully providing a little inspiration for you too! I decided to combine My Muses (favorites) with my habit check this month. Here are a few of my favorite reasons for habit tracking, creating habits, and favorite quotes to use in my habit tracker.

-Gretchen Rubin

Why I Track My Habits

Every month I post my progress on forming habits. To date, I think I’ve posted just one true habit success story- “dishes aren’t a dirty word anymore” (FYI, it’s still a success). Other than that at a glance and in comparison to other’s progression, my habits seem to go nowhere. Just looking at the data, there’s little progression. But that’s not how I see it. I’m still trying, and that makes all the difference. I know I am trying to make a positive change in my life. This is why I track my habits. We manage what we monitor – one of my favorite chapters from Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin. To paraphrase: monitoring doesn’t require change but often leads to it.

I know I write a lot about not making improvements or lack of progress, the truth is: creating a habit is hard. If it were easy, there wouldn’t be more than 30,000 books on Amazon with the word ‘habit’ in the title (with more added all the time). I’ve read a few, and many have helped me in my journey here are a few of my favorites:

Other Habits in “the Works”

Right now I am working on decluttering my house using the KonMari method, and if that’s not a change of habits, I don’t know what is. If I don’t change my shopping habits, I could end up where I was before I started. And I never realized how much stuff I have! Getting rid of it is exhilarating and completely exhausting, but what’s more amazing to see the other members of my family follow my lead, that payoff is thrilling.

If habits weren’t hard to create or break, there wouldn’t be a need to track them. (Do a search on Habit Tracking at Pinterest – it’s a fun rabbit hole – I’ve got a board dedicated just to tracking with all kinds of tracking ideas). Round, Square, linear, weekly, box grid, dots, patterns, there’s a lot of variety in tracking methods.

Percentage calculator for monthly habit trackers

Success Rate Percentages

Want to figure percentages in your habit tracker at the end of a month? I’ve done the calculations for you, so you can quickly jot down how you did.

Gretchen Rubin says in her book Better Than Before, “It’s simple to change habits, but it’s not easy”. And I couldn’t agree more!

The principle of getting up at 5:30 in the morning is simple, and the reason is genuine. It’s so I can have some much-needed time to think, write, and read before the chaos of the morning starts, but getting up at the appointed time is difficult. Well, as you can see below (personal #5), I’ve not succeeded in many instances (just once so far this month). I keep it on my habit tracker because I want to form this habit, even though I know I am not ready to commit to the actions needed to create the pattern (yet).

creating habits, mid-month habit check, sometimes it's the journey not the speed, favorite reasons for habit tracking

One thing I love on my habit tracker is a good quote. January 2018 featured one of my favorites – Sometimes it’s the Journey, not the speed.

Habit Tracker Quotes

Here are some other great quotes for your habit tracker. I love finding inspirational quotes from Brainy Quote. Goodreads surprised me with a fun quote database. If you’re on twitter, check out @Inspire_us for some great and inspirational quotes, they influence my feed for good.

I hope you’ve enjoyed a snippet of my inspiration my favorite reasons for habit tracking and some resources I enjoy using on a regular basis. If you have any resources you use, drop me a line below in the comments! I’d love to hear about them.

Question:

What’s your favorite quote to use in your habit tracker?

~Tricia

Expecting Perfection

April 26, 2018 3 Comments

Expecting Perfection

Here’s some inspiration from #homwork from the lettering community aficionado. This #homwork assignment was to letter a phrase elegantly that was kind of dirty or ugly. My expression was “Expecting Perfection Always”. A little about the creator of #homwork: she inspires thousands of people to use their imaginations and create something unique. That’s what my monthly challenges are about as well! Create your own works, be your own self, but expecting perfection is not a requirement.

Become a Master

To become a master of a craft or skill, it takes 10,000 hours or roughly 10 years of practice. That’s what I’d always learned, and doing a light bit of research confirmed that 10,000 hours is the consensus to become a master. Whether it takes 1000 hours or 10,000 hours, we are not perfect in just a few tries.

I think we get stuck with expecting perfection at all times, but until we have put in those 10,000 hours to become a master, we need to give ourselves a little slack. And After those 10,000 hours, we will be a master of our own craft, and I believe it is at that point we will know that mistakes still happen. But we will have spent the time to know when to scrap our work and when to continue because it just needs refinement.

Why are We Not Equal?

We are willing to allow others to make mistakes, but not ourselves? Or forgive someone else when they’ve wronged us directly?
Why don’t we give ourselves that same break? That is a question I have asked myself for a very long time. Longer than I care to admit.

I believe that life is a journey and in that winding road of life, there are setbacks and lots of mistakes. Don’t get lost on NOT being perfect, instead, focus on learning from mistakes. My favorite mistakes to learn from are the mistakes of others. 🙂 That way I don’t have to make all the mistakes. If they outright tell me what mistakes they made and what they learned – even better!

Life Changing Magic of Tidying – Experiment

April 22, 2018 7 Comments

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – Experiment

Anything that promises true magic grabs my attention. Not the hocus pocus, you’re a frog kind of magic, but the kind that promises a more fulfilling, better life. I’ve avoided this book successfully for the past two years. I heard whisperings of it from several people I followed and chalked it up to mere hocus-pocus. It wasn’t until my home reached a breaking point of clutter did I consider reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Sometimes I wish I weren’t so headstrong and stubborn

Are this book’s methods too good to be true? I plan on finding out.

Decluttering by Category - Bullet Journal spread & tracker

Book Review

FYI – I don’t like book reviews. I don’t think it’s fair for someone to pour their heart out in book form, and then I leaf through it, reading it one time and calling it good or bad. Since I regularly read self-help books – conventional rating systems don’t work for me. I decided that my book reviews would have a qualification assigned to each ‘star.’

My Rating Qualifications:

Did I take notes?
Would I tell a friend about it?
Would I re-read it?
Did I buy the book? OR If I got it from the library, would I check it out more than once?
Did it motivate me to make a change?

I have to be honest – the fourth question needed qualification – I don’t know that I will be buying an extreme amount of books in the future after reading this book. So I had to add an extra part to the question – if I check out the book more than once from the library.

With those questions in mind:

My book review is 4 3/4 stars with this note: I’ve only checked out the book once from the library, but I did get the 2nd book by the author, a companion, expanded version of this one called Spark Joy and started reading that one too. I guess that I will probably check it out again in the future. (Read Amazon Reviews here – it looks like theirs is similar to mine)

Experimenting on the Word

Have you ever heard of experimenting on the word? Let me explain if you haven’t. After reading a book that claims to change your life – you can’t rely on just the words; you have to do the things that it tells you to find out if a book is life-changing or not. I’d like to see if this book changes my life as it proclaims. The best way for me to see if it does it to try out its methods and see if what it claims is true.

Current Living Arrangements

Let me tell you why I picked up the book in the first place. We live in a three-bedroom house, and I have three children. Their stuff is everywhere; my things are everywhere. The baby still sleeps in my room, despite being 14 months, there is just no room for him in his sibling’s rooms. His crib is in the nook in my bedroom (thankfully we have that alcove). My husband and I took over the dining room with our desks. (In a house this small, is a separate dining room essential? We have an eating area already.)

I am not going to debate opinions on sleeping arrangements with children – that’s not what this blog is about, and there are lots of different viewpoints out there. Let it suffice to say that the stuff in our house reached a breaking point. Either our house would break or I would. We want to move to a new home soon with other options like a fenced in backyard, or even one with just a backyard at all. We are not at the point yet where we can move. It’s coming, but not yet.

It Called to Me From Way Over There

My goodness, there’s lots of background story with this one. Anyway, when I took the kids to the library the other day, I wandered around the library and finally had to ask a librarian to find this book. FYI, it was in the parenting section. I brought it home and looked at it for a couple of days. Then I started reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. At first, I thought I was going to take notes. I’m a terrible note-taker when reading, I try to write only the important things. Well, I end up recording everything, and I end up with incomprehensible notes or pages and pages filled with sloppy word-for-word sentences that have no significant meaning.

Book notes - the life changing magic of tidying up - The KonMarie Method of decluttering

Reading the Book

I started with this method of note-taking and soon filled a spread in my bullet journal. I didn’t want to fill more pages, so I decided to go back and re-read it if I felt so inspired and take the notes that are important. So I set down my pen and paper and started reading the book. The book took me about two hours (ish) to complete. I brought it to the park while the kids were playing and then couldn’t get my nose out of it long enough to fix dinner.

Perhaps this book wouldn’t appeal to all, but I LOVE organizing. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is more than organizing. It’s a way of life. In the past two years of avoiding this book, I read silly memes referencing this book and tossing things they didn’t love (like bills, their husband, the noisy dog, etc.) but they were still stuck with all their stuff. I desired some way to get rid of stuff and a lot of it. If we are moving sometime soon, I don’t want to pack it all and take it with me.

It’s Appeal

I’ve glanced sideways at a minimal lifestyle. You know, toured Ikea’s 240 square foot house and briefly thought about living that type of lifestyle and had no idea how even to start. I’m not saying that is the goal by any means, but willingly getting rid of the unnecessary stuff in my life taking up space and keeping only what I love is exceptionally appealing.

After finishing that book promising magic, I wanted more. Not more stuff, but more of her words. But I let it sit for a while, days, so I could spend some time thinking about what I read and if I was ready to jump in with two feet. This method of life-cleansing is not one you dance around. It is one that you jump in both feet and submerge yourself.

Did I Undo the Effects Before I Started?

Before starting on my closet containing years of memories and clothes I used to love or thought I liked, I went on a fun girl’s day shopping trip with my friend. Sounds counter-productive, doesn’t it? I felt so too. But before I knew it, my cart quickly filled with finds, and I had more than 20 pieces to try on plus a new purse. In the dressing rooms, I thought about what I read. Instead of taking home half of my cart, I thought about each item and if I loved it. I ended up buying three things, and I was very excited to wear them. Already different from previous shopping trips.

My Husband Says It Makes Sense(?!) Economically

I talked to my husband about the book and described to him some of the methods used in the book. Like saying thank-you to your clothing for being there or teaching you valuable lessons of personal fashion (some clothes just aren’t for you!). The act of thanking them allows you to let them go. When I presented the concept to my husband, his economics degree supported this concept.

He said, “it makes sense that it is hard to let something go because of ‘sunk cost’ or that you have spent so much time and energy and money on that one thing that you keep it just for that reason.” So many people have held to businesses long after they should have, kept dusty memorabilia in their homes from trips taken or not able to let go of those gorgeous shoes that they wore once because they spent money on whatever artifact is now occupying their home. My husband suggested that saying ‘thank you’ was breaking the psychology of keeping that item because it was a ‘sunk cost.’ I tried it, and it worked.

The Wait, the Anticipation

Due to schedules and appointments, I waited another couple of days before I could sort out my clothing. I have to admit that I was getting more and more excited to go through it though. So finally one day after work, I came straight home and started on my ‘little project.’

Marie Kondo suggested that it would take six months of your life to sort through your whole house. I don’t doubt it. This morning, hubby made the bed (thanks hubby!), so I could start efficiently on the project and pile all my clothes and sort them there. Pretending like Marie was there asking me if I loved an item, and thinking hard about not what I was getting rid of, but instead what I was keeping, the donation bags grew fuller and fuller.

KonMarie Method - decluttering and sorting through all the stuff - real life experiment

No Before, but a During and an After

Like many things I start doing, I forget to take ‘before’ pictures and realize after I start the project. I cleaned out my closet. Gathered every article of clothing I possessed, each handbag, every pair of shoes and all the socks I owned. From just my closet, I stuffed three 45-gallon bags, and I threw out a big box of trash.

Two hours passed, more like flew by. I ended up with 20 shirts and about ten pairs of pants and shorts, and I was happy. I kept only things that gave me joy. There were items in the back of my closet that made me feel sad because of experiences in past jobs. I liked the feel of the fabric against my skin, but my heart was heavy every time I saw it hanging in my closet, and what’s more, I could never bear to wear it again. I can’t say how good it felt to say thank you and goodbye.

It Just Might Be Magic Afterall

I cannot wait to start another category. I do feel like I kept too many socks. What can I say? I love me some fuzzy socks.

The goal is to keep it up for six months and see where I am at that time. Is anyone else willing to go on a binge house-cleaning/organizing spree with me? I’d love to have some friends.

I created this layout before reading the book, thinking to do a little at a time. Now I know that it is not the most accurate way to track progress with the KonMari method. But I like crossing things off, so I’ll use it anyway and make perhaps some other trackers as well.

Results:

I reduced my closet to 1/4 its size, I love finding pairs of socks. I don’t miss any of the clothes I never wore anyway. The shoes that hurt my feet? Gone. The worn out handbag? Gone too.

Total Number of bags taken for donation: 4

Number of Trash/Recycled Bags: 3

In the coming weeks, I’ll share progress and reports of how this little experiment is going. Even if it doesn’t last, I’ll be glad to get rid of stuff. But I’m hoping that it produces the magic that it promises.

Will you join me? I’d love some friends along this journey. Do you have any advice? I’d love to hear about your experience. I created a couple of printables you can print, complete, and hang up or add to your bullet journal or planner. Click on the image below to view it in the shop.

How to Turn a Ring Planner into a Traveler’s Notebook for $12

April 15, 2018 3 Comments

Traveler’s Notebook

So, I did a thing. I’ve wanted a Traveler’s Notebook ever since Kara from BohoBerry.com introduced them on her channel. If I logged my hours looking at different options, well, I don’t even want to know how much time I’ve spent. That’s why I didn’t record my hours. (Watch the video on her channel here).

I could never convince myself to just to buy one, without testing it out to see if I liked it. I create my own pages sometimes, and especially for my blog, it is easier to use printed templates than it is to recreate it every time (trackers which are big and cumbersome on a page).

Separation of the Journals

This month, I separated my long-term collections from my planning journal so I could keep the collections for a more extended period and hopefully stretch out the planner journal longer too. (Read the post here.) But how great would it be to have a financial planner insert, current travels insert, maybe an art journal or a doodle calendar insert?

I had pushed aside the thoughts of buying a traveler’s notebook and thought I was past it. Until we ran some errands today and stopped at Hobby Lobby. That store and Michael’s are the bain of many well-crafted financial spread trackers. I wandered down the tote aisle, and I found a planner tote. Had it been black and white, I would have bought it. I thought I was safe, but then I turned around.

But it Has Rings!

Then I found a planner (with rings) that was on clearance for $10 when it was usually $40. Remembering a video that I had seen a while back from Alexis (strangecharmed.com) on how she removed the rings from a binder and used it for her disc-bound system. Even though it’s a how-not-to video, I followed what she did, and it was perfect. (Watch that video here.)

The Process Before & After

Alexis’ process of removing the rings worked perfectly. I didn’t even have to hammer as she did (probably because my planner was more cheaply made than hers). I didn’t have the little discs on the outside, but they were glued on the inside to some cardboard. They were quickly removed with a pair of pliers.

Once the rings were removed, I still needed to thread the elastics through. I thought about poking a hole through the outside and feeding the elastics through those holes (and it would have been easier if the holes went all the way through the cover). But I didn’t want to poke holes if they weren’t already there.

How I Threaded the Cord Through

This is where it got a little complicated. I measured the cords (and actually measured them way too long to start). There needed to be a way for the ties to go through one hole and out the other. I found some bamboo skewers in my kitchen drawer with a pointy end and fed it through the hole.

Well, that worked, but how do I get the laces through? I tried to tape them to the skewer. The tape came free in the middle while I was lacing it. Again, hubby to the rescue! He got a tiny drill bit and drilled a hole through one of the skewers so I could thread the stick like a needle. It worked perfectly.

Now for the Rest

So I pushed the skewer through the slots again and pulled the cord through. Yes! I had one elastic for my notebook. Well, I tend to go over the top with everything I do. I wanted 6 inserts because I’m crazy. I tried the needle trick again, but it got stuck in the wrong place! Hubby suggested I tie the one already pulled through to the others and just drag them. It wasn’t the prettiest solution (the knot was too big), but it worked.

Tie It Off

After consulting my friend, Patti, (asarye.com) who has a ‘real’ traveler’s notebook (by the way it is GORGEOUS check it out) on how tight the bands were, I tied them off and added my journals. For $12 and a little finagling, I think it worked out great! I love the black and white stripes on the outside and the polka dot on the inside.

How I’ll Use It

I added one A5 notebook to the inside. I could comfortably fit two notebooks (without any inserts) if I wanted. Or I could just have one journal and {up to} 5 inserts. It looks like I’m going to have to get designing some inserts! One other amazing thing about this cover is now I can take my journals from Ampersand By Kiki B out and about with me – they will be all snug in their cute, striped cover.

The Result

I am super thrilled with the way this turned out. Loosening those top ‘buttons’ I thought was going to be the hardest thing, but that turned out pretty easy with the mini-screwdriver. Hubby was a fantastic help and threading the laces through using the skewer was such a good idea!

My only concern is that the inside will tear as the bands are slightly tugged on, I will have to think about that!

Question:

When you’ve said ‘I did a thing’ what did you do?

If you’ve bought a traveler’s notebook – where did you find yours?

Remember to plan your life so you live beautifully and don’t be afraid to try something new and find your inner muse.

~Tricia

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Supplies Used:

I found the cover and elastics at Michaels for about $12 and I had the other tools at home.