Traveler's Notebook Process - Silly Selfie

I do not usually take selfies but I was feeling rather bored last Valentine's and decided to play with a few Snapchat face filters. And took this shot. I knew I had to put it into my traveler's notebook someday. I need to be brave enough to take more selfies and include them into my memory keeping.



Hope you enjoy this video featuring a rather silly selfie :-)

Traveler's Notebook Process - Cameron Highlands

My husband and I took a mini vacation and went up Cameron Highlands to enjoy the cool weather, beautiful scenery and food. Of course I had to journal about the trip in my traveler's notebook, especially after a friend printed out an Instax photo on her printer. I think I need an Instax printer too! 



Hope you enjoyed the video and thanks so much for watching!

Channel: PlannerBug
Direct link to video: Traveler's Notebook Process - Cameron Highlands

Distress Stains Part 2 - Mixed Media Techniques

Hello, everyone! I'm running a mixed media series on my channel and am starting off with the Tim Holtz Distress Stains in a three-part series. I am a huge fan of all things Tim Holtz and absolutely love his Distress line.

 

I hope you enjoyed the video and gained some little tips on how to use this fantastic product!

YouTube: PlannerBug
Direct link to video: Distress Stains Part 2 - Mixed Media Techniques

Distress Stains Part 1 - Mixed Media Techniques

Hello, everyone! I'm running a mixed media series on my channel and am starting off with the Tim Holtz Distress Stains in a three-part series. I am a huge fan of all things Tim Holtz and absolutely love his Distress line.

 

I hope you enjoyed the video and gained some little tips on how to use this fantastic product!

YouTube: PlannerBug
Direct link to video: Distress Stains Part 1 | Mixed Media Techniques

Journal With Me Traveler's Notebook - Chamil Garden Embossing

I recently received my Chamil Garden Flower Season Ep6 order last week and I am so in love with the sweet, little stamps. Not only are these stamps very pretty, they are so delicate and came wrapped very lovingly. I did an unboxing video last week but today, I decided to use them in my traveler's notebook layout.

 

I hope you enjoy the video and thank you so much for watching.

Do let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

YouTube Channel: PlannerBug
Direct link to video: Journal With Me Traveler's Notebook - Chamil Garden Embossing

Journal With Me Traveler's Notebook - Happy Ever After

I'm back with another Journal With Me session in my traveler's notebook. My husband and I recently had a photo taken when we were attending my mum's birthday party. We don't take many photos together as he doesn't quite fancy having photos taken and I'd much rather be behind the camera. What a combination!

 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video and thank you so much for watching.

YouTube: PlannerBug
Direct link to video: Journal With Me Traveler's Notebook - Happy Ever After

Journal With Me - Olive Traveler's Notebook Love

Okay, the obsession continues. So I did a video about a sort of unboxing of my Olive Edition traveler's notebook and here I am today, journaling in the olive traveler's notebook. I am so completely in love with the texture and unique shade of this leather piece. I can't really place the colour. It's not a straightforward olive.

 

I hope you enjoyed the video and thank you so much for watching!

YouTube Channel: PlannerBug
Direct link to video: Journal With Me - Olive Traveler's Notebook Love

Olive Edition Traveler's Notebook - A Quick Look

I was lucky enough to snag an Olive Edition Traveler's Notebook at CzipLee (a stationery store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) just last Monday as they restocked a second batch. I didn't intend on getting one at that time but I just happen to ask if they had any available, and there was. So I decided to get it there and then.



So here's a video "unboxing" of my Olive Edition. I am so in love with it now. The shade of olive is so unique and beautiful. It's always different in different lighting. And the leather feels more suede-like than my Camel.

I hope you enjoyed the video and thanks for watching. Do let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

Do you have the Olive Edition yet?

YouTube Channel: PlannerBug
Direct link: Olive Edition Traveler's Notebook

Traveler's Notebook Process Video - Ace Hotel Photo Booth

Hello, everyone! I'm back with another new video and this time I've decided to journal about the photo booth fails at the Ace Hotel when I visited Portland. The camera started clicking with barely and warning and all 4 shots came out a little funny.

I hope you enjoy the video and do leave me a comment should you have any questions or feedback.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

YouTube Channel: PlannerBug TV
Link to video: Traveler's Notebook Process - Ace Hotel

Traveler's Notebook Process - Weekly Insert

Surprise, surprise! I'm back with another traveler's notebook process video and this time in my weekly insert. I have been thinking of uploading two to three videos per week because I'd like to cover other crafty things I enjoy too, namely cardmaking and scrapbooking.

Let me know what you think about more videos and what you'd like to see too.

Hope you enjoyed the video and thanks for watching!

Youtube > PlannerBug
Direct link to video > Traveler's Notebook Process - Weekly Insert

Traveler's Notebook Mixed Media Layout - Lego Batman

The husband and I watched Lego Batman around the time it was released in Malaysia and of course, I had to do a layout in my traveler's notebook. The movie was awesome! It had so many funny jokes and pop culture references that my head couldn't keep up after a while. But still a fun watch!



On a side note, my insert is getting really, really chunky and I haven't reached the middle yet. It's a little worrying. I'm prepared to remove the staples in the center spine if the need arises.

Anyhoo, have you watched Lego Batman and what did you think about the movie?

Hope you enjoyed the little process video and thanks for watching!

YouTube > PlannerBug
Direct link to video > Traveler's Notebook Mixed Media Layout - Lego Batman

Traveler's Notebook Flip Through and Updated Setup

It's been absolutely ages since I last uploaded a video but I wanted to film my latest traveler's notebook setup. I'm using it as a creative journal and am starting to enjoy it more. I never used it regularly before because I was trying to set it up as a planner but it didn't work out for me.
As a journal though, I'm free to stick all sorts of things inside. Even doing mixed media when I feel like it.

I hope you enjoy the video of this flip through and do let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. Thanks so much for watching!

YouTube > PlannerBug

Direct link to video > Traveler's Notebook Flip Through and Updated Setup

Printables for Your Traveler's Notebook

I have been very happy using pre-made traveler's notebook planner inserts and you can view a more in-depth comparison in my video here. But I thought of listing down several fantastic online resources that offer free printables as an alternative.

• My Life All In One Place - Ray offers quite an extensive collection of free printables for nearly all requirements. I'd recommend starting here if you're looking for planner inserts.
• MsWenduhh Plans - Wenda shares many wonderful printables. I am already a fan of her printables for ring binders and am so happy that she has started offering them for traveler's notebooks too. She even has an extensive tutorial on how to print, cut and resize the inserts to fit into your traveler's notebook.
• Morgan Le Fae's Trinkets - Not only is Monique very talented in custom-making unique traveler's notebook style leather covers but she also provides a few free printables that you can use. The link to Dropbox can be found in her post but it takes a while for the templates to load so do be patient.
• The Mint Green Polkadot - I've been following Andrea's blog since she started and really enjoy her art work and creativity. She offers only one traveler's notebook printable but it's a really good one for bullet journaling if you're into that.

If you're looking for paid options, there are loads on Etsy and I cannot finish listing all of them. The one I see many folks recommend is DIY Fish Inserts and she has an extensive range of the Life Mapping system.

What do you use in your traveler's notebook and how do you like it? Do let me know if I have missed any more resources out (non-Etsy) as I'd love to add the links to this post so it can act as a reference in the future.

Midori Traveler's Notebook

I'm not particularly superstitious but thought I'd better not post the usual blogger interview today just in case the featured person is. I don't know much about urban legends and rather than dwell on the bad juju that may befall us, I'll just show you what has been occupying my time lately.

I came across the Midori Traveler's Notebook (MTN for short) on many Instagram photos and YouTube videos before but it was largely ignored because I didn't think it could work as a planner. A couple of weeks ago, I met a friend who uses an MTN as a planner and after playing around with hers for a bit, I decided to grab the last brown one that was available in Kinokuniya at that time. Don't worry, Kinokuniya restocks MTNs more frequently than Filofaxes so you haven't missed the boat.

The system is a bit of an odd one. It's basically a rectangular piece of leather with elastic strings looped through the middle to hold different notebooks together. You can get notebooks in different formats and insert them between the elastic to create a collection of notebooks. I think it's a lot easier to see how it's done rather than describing it so I'd highly recommend going through YouTube for tutorials on how to set up an MTN.

The standard MTN set (regular size) comes with a cotton bag (but it's rather small especially after you've stuffed the MTN), a leather cover (the main MTN leather piece), a blank notebook, and 2 spare elastic strings.

There are quite a few accessories to help you customise the MTN. I got the kraft file and the zipper pocket to stuff in different stationery. I use four notebooks; an undated monthly calendar, a dated 2015 weekly diary (horizontal), a grid paper notebook and a blank paper notebook that came with the original set. I also got what Midori calls connecting bands, but these are basically just large rubber bands and you can substitute with the 2 spare elastics that comes in the set so you don't need to buy extras.

I don't know what it is about the MTN that draws me in. I love handling it and love the larger pages (compared to a personal sized Filofax). I was also pleasantly surprised that the leather lies completely flat. I'm not sure why I thought it would be too stiff and that it wouldn't.

And speaking of the leather, can I just say how much I love the leather cover. It's about 2.5mm thick but is very pliable. The front is treated with vegetable tannin and many folks have complained that there's a white residue and that it smells chemical-like. But I think mine has been aired quite well as it sat on the display shelves in Kinokuniya for about a week and hardly has any residue or smell. All I can smell is the leather. The inside is untreated and has a distressed quality to it.

The elastic spine seems durable and I've yanked it many times but it hasn't frayed or broke. There is tin clasp on the top that holds the elastic and a bookmark string. But the clasp is flexible enough that it lies on its side so it doesn't poke out when I lay it on a surface.

My biggest concern and what held me back from getting one before was whether it will work as a planner. I watched many setup videos and several I watched multiple times to decide how to set mine up. Majority of what I've seen online use DIY Fish inserts for planning but I didn't want something that I have to print, cut and bind myself because my printer is really old and doesn't handle printing too many sheets well.

Instead, I got the 2015 horizontal calendar notebook (split by 6 months per notebook) and the undated monthly one, which is closer to how my Filofax is set up. I also have a grid notebook for notes, and a blank notebook for random creative things.

As the MTN pages are longer and wider than personal sized Filofax pages, I find that I can fit everything from household to work into the WO2P calendar. At least I don't have to compromise my preferred weekly view. This is probably one of the main reasons why I feel "at peace" using the MTN as a planner because I do not have to split things up into two Filofaxes.

Those who follow my blog will know I'm a big proponent for loose-leaf binders and I still am because I think it's a really flexible system. But the Midori format is relatively flexible in its own way and I like that I can just remove a notebook and take it with me when I'm out and not want the bulk. It's also a lot easier to archive an entire notebook compared to loose-leaf pages.

The Midori Traveler's Notebook is understated, elegant and simplistic in nature.The more used the leather is, the more aged and beautiful it gets. I must also mention the Midori papers are a joy to write on. What else can I say? It's love, true love. Who would have thought that some string and a piece of leather can bring me so much joy? I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops for the rest of the year :-)

Do you use a Midori Traveler's Notebook or a similar fauxdori? Do share in the comments below as I'd love to receive more inspiration on how you use yours.