Traveler's Notebook Thursday...wooo hooo!

Hey there!  I am really excited about my post and project today!!  Are you a planner person?  I am!  I love lists. I love keeping a planner.  I love writing in my planner. I love decorating my planner. I have a stack of planners on my desk right now.  I have been on the quest for several years now to find the perfect planner.  I have tried many different kinds and because my planning needs have changed over the years, so have my planners and style.  My most recent discovery has left me feeling pretty darn good about my quest for the perfect planner though.  I have been using (and loving!!) the Traveler's Notebook style of planning.  Ever heard of it?  I had not.  I stumbled onto it one day while I was You Tube-ing.  Traveler's Notebooks were kept once upon a time by traveler's to document their travels...makes sense, right?  They took and added pictures to their "journals", they would sketch and make notes and tuck in souvenirs.  They were basically a catch all for their adventure's.  I love that concept and am using it for my planner and to document my daily happenings scrapbook style and keep tabs on lots of other things in my life.  I thought I would share the beginnings of one of my Traveler's Notebooks and how to make one of your very own here with you today.  If there is enough interest I'd also like to start sharing some of my scrapped pages here with you (all Stampin' Up! style, of course!)  Here is the cover of one of my Traveler's Notebooks:

They measure 8 1/4" x 8 3/4" when open.  Perfect size book to scrap your day, make some notes or glue in a souvenir or two!  I've dressed the outside cover of this one up using the Bundle of Love DSP, Daisy Delight stamp set and Brushworks Alphabet stamp set.

I love the gold highlights on this paper.  I used a Gold Faceted Gem on the center of my daisy to pull all of that gold together.

Close up of that sweet daisy stamp...I am hooked!

Ok, you can purchase these Traveler's Notebooks already assembled or if you are feeling spunky, you can make your own!  I am going to give you a brief walk through for that process, but if you have any questions at all please feel free to contact me and I'd be happy to walk you through it or answer any questions!

I started with Crumb Cake card stock, but you could use any cover that you'd like.  DSP would be pretty, but I like the sturdiness of the card stock.

Cut your cover to 8 1/4" x 8 3/4".  The 8 1/4" side will be the height of your book.

Score in the center at 4 3/8".  Fold on your score line creating your book cover.

Ok, on to your book pages.  This part takes a while, but is worth the patience and effort.  Cut the 

8 1/2" side of paper  down to 8 1/4"   Now score at 5 1/2" (on the 11" side).  Fold it into a book shape and tuck it inside your cover.  Once inside mark the edge of your cover on the first page and trim off the excess, so that you can no longer see it sticking out.  Repeat the same process for as many sheets of paper as your would like to be in your book.  I would caution the thicker your paper the fewer pages you will get in there. I used a copy weight paper and was able to comfortably get 15 pages in my book.

These are all of my pages cut and tucked one inside the next and so on and so on...I used a swing arm stapler to bind my pages into a book.

I ran a strip of washi tape down the inside center of the book to hide the staples and keep them from catching on anything.

There you have it!  A Traveler's Notebook just waiting to be filled with lots of goodies!  I plan to use this one to track my day to days!  I am going to take one picture each day and lightly scrapbook it in here!  I am really excited about this project!

I keep several of these books going at once.  I have a calendar, a scrapbook, an art journal, one book for the house, one book to track exercise, one book for general notes and to do's!  The possibilities are endless!  I keep all of th books I am working on in the actual Traveler's Notebook cover and this is what that looks like:

This little guy is full of my daily going on's and keeps me on track!

I keep 6 separate books in here and have lots of stuff tucked in it!

It is fully decked out with lots of stickers, washi tape and tons of pictures!

It's a fun project that tucks neatly into my bag for easy carrying.

Here are the goodies that I used to make my new Traveler's Notebook today:

Product List

Daisy Delight Photopolymer Stamp Set

[143669]

Window Shopping Clear-Mount Stamp Set

[143265]

Brushwork Alphabet Photopolymer Stamp Set

[141772]

Berry Burst Classic Stampin' Pad

[144083]

Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

[120953]

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

[100730]

Bundle Of Love Specialty Designer Series Paper

[144143]

1-1/4" Circle Punch

[119861]

Daisy Punch

[143713]

Gold Faceted Gems

[144141]

If you have any questions please email or leave me a comment!  I'd love to discuss this fun process with you!  Hope that you have a great day!  I will be back soonest with more to share!