Midori Traveler's Notebook Setup 2016

Hey all! I'm finally finally finally getting around to this long-requested update on my Midori Traveler's Notebook! I really have no excuse, except the usual -- life happened. (How many times have I said that here?) Seriously though, a lot of stuff has happened since last year when I first got it. We moved, and now I'm pregnant! Those are huge life changes, so I guess I really have an excuse, huh? 

Anyway, if you've been reading this blog, you would know that I got my Midori Traveler's Notebook last year. It was my husband's Valentine's Day gift to me. I did a massive post on my setup then, so it's about time I did an update, since it's a new year and all. Actually, the first part of the year is over, so I've been using my book for more than a year now. Okay, enough of my rambling. Here we go. 

The great thing about the Traveler's Notebook is that you can keep using it over and over. The only thing you have to change are the inserts, which come in little books that you can archive. I've been using mine pretty consistently since I got it, and I've gone through several inserts since. The first half of 2016 has been crazy, so it was only a few weeks ago when I finally did my setup for the year. I posted it on Instagram when I did (follow me there @julliennelia).

Making a mess today. I'm updating my Midori Traveler's Notebook with some new inserts for the second half of the year. I've laid out all my supplies to decorate them. I'll be changing how I use it too. The goal is to make it work better with my Erin Condren Life Planner. #creativeplanning [Thanks for my new alpha stamp box and ink pads, @dromeng! 💙] [Sources tagged!]

A photo posted by Jullienne Lia B. Yerro (@julliennelia) on Jun 29, 2016 at 1:15am PDT

I'm using a combination of old and new inserts. Some of my books haven't been filled up yet so I'll keep using them until I can't write in them anymore. I'm using three inserts from Planners and Journals PH, while the rest are original Midori ones (the company is now known as Traveler's Company) from Scribe Writing Essentials. I have a total of six inserts, making my TN ridiculously chunky, and I like it that way. Here's a list:

• Midori 004 - Technically not an insert, but an accessory. The pack comes with three pockets that you can stick to your cover. 
• Midori 001 - This is a lined notebook with a kraft cover.
• Stark white, blank notebook from Planners and Journals
• Midori 018 - Free Diary Weekly that gives you a week on two pages with blank dates and a gray cover
• Midori 005 - Free Diary Daily that gives you a blank day on graph paper with a kraft cover
• Kraft folder from Planners and Journals
• Card holder with zip pocket from Planners and Journals

I used the same supplies I used to decorate last time. Here's the rundown:

• Washi tape from Fully Booked and Hey Kessy
• Kelly Purkey Best Days clear stamps from Life Documented Manila
• Kokuyo Dotliner adhesive tape from Scribe Writing Essentials
• Wooden alphabet stamp set and colored mini stamp pads that were gifts from friends
• Jenni Bowlin for Ranger Fountain Pain Raised Felt Dye Ink Pad from Lasting Impression PH
• A mix of Project Life cards (Coral Edition, Sunshine Edition, and Kelly Purkey Best Days from Life Documented Manila) and Simple Stories journaling cards (from Lasting Impression PH that I forgot the name of -- sorry)

Whew! Okay this is turning out to be a long entry, so please bear with me. Here's a walkthrough of my now worn and well-loved TN. The leather has a lot of scratches now, but that's the thing with traveler's notebooks -- they just get better with age.

This year, I got myself an Erin Condren Life Planner, which quickly turned into my creative planner. I liked the space, and the pages just give me a nice overview of what my days look like. Now how does my TN fit into this setup? Well, since it's very portable and the EC never leaves my desk, it has become my on-the-go, jot-things-down-quickly kind of planner. It has also become my in-depth journal -- it has the kind of space for lengthy writing, unlike the EC, which is all squared up like your usual everyday planner. Because of this, I now use minimal supplies with the TN. I still use stickers sometimes in my journaling, but mostly I use washi tape, a Becky Higgins Project Life date stamp that I found in Fullybooked, and my favorite erasable Pilot Frixion pens from National Bookstore (because I make mistakes all the damn time).

Okay let's open it up, shall we? The inside front cover is where I stuck two of my three Midori pocket stickers. One holds my Spring 2015 Starbucks card that I use for cutting washi and a pink paperclip. The other holds some journaling cards with a minty blue paperclip. On the right side is the transparent card holder with a large see-through pocket. It has Post-It page flags, some cute picnic page flags from Daiso or Japan Home or Saizen (one of those lol), a baby seal magnetic bookmark, and an Instax pic of Ginge, the street cat that we've been taking care of.

On the string bookmark, I still have the brass charm I got from the Bead Shop. I use it to mark the current week in the weekly insert.

The other side of the card holder has a slot with an old Figaro coffee card in it. I wrapped washi around it so I can have my tape on the go without having to lug around the rolls. The second slot has another Instax pic, this time of the husband and me on top of a Project Life card with gray hearts that I love. The pic documents one of the special moments we had this year so I like to carry it around with me. The third slot still has the kokeshi (Japanese doll) page flags that I will never use, but I love having them there.

The other side of this spread is the cover of the kraft folder from last year. It still works and it still looks cute so I didn't change it.

Inside the kraft folder are orange Post-Its, some cute bookmarks I got for free from somewhere that I intend to journal, bits of paper, metal clips, magnetic cupcake clips, Midori mushroom clips, and a hipster guy bookmark. 

The first insert tucked into the kraft folder says Today, and it's my weekly planner.

Inside, I stamped the first page with "Did" because it has all my day-to-day chores, to-dos, bills, trackers, and all other boring life stuff. The baby seal magnetic bookmark keeps some financial stuff I jotted down last year private. 

Here's the first week of July. Like I mentioned above, this is my jot-things-down planner. I don't worry about making my handwriting pretty or doing any designs. I do try to decorate a bit with washi, but mostly I write down what I need to remember and that's it. I just use skinny washi tape to fill in the hours.

      

 Here's the second week of July. I love the concept of what the planner community calls "tipping in" stuff. I remember back in high school I used to do it in my filofax -- I taped whatever was interesting on whatever page. When we go grocery-shopping, I stick our grocery list right on the weekly page with washi.

I can pull the list up and still see what's underneath, which I think looks so cute.

The third week of July (which is the current week we're in) is still the same. I put my to-do lists right on the hours. 

I didn't write down anything on the back of the this insert, so I use it as a place to stick my random notes/Post-Its on. This, for example, has the numbers and other details for the clinic I needed to call for lab tests this week.

After the first insert is the back of the kraft folder. It holds pages from these cute notepads I found at H&M that say "to do Today, to Buy, to Remember" which are perfect for lists! I just fold those up when I'm without my TN and I need to carry them in my bag, and then I stick them into my TN afterwards to track. I also have more metal clips, and magnetic cupcake clips on it. 

I made the back of the kraft folder into a sort of dashboard to hold my Matryoshka (Russian doll) sticky notes. Next to it is the back of the transparent zip folder that contains a mini envelope labeled "Stuff" for random things I find that need containment, and a journaling card that I love so much that says "Life is Beautiful." 

Showing through the back of it is another favorite journaling card that says "Enjoy Today" plus a card that I stuck more Matryoshka sticky notes on. The other side is my second insert, which is my pregnancy journal. I decorated it with a Me and My Big Ideas arrow page clip from the Hello set, a journaling card, washi, and stamps.

I keep a bunch of things in the transparent zip pocket. It actually holds a lot! I have stickers in there, journaling cards that I stuck some sticky notes on so I have them with me when I need them, a spare black Midori rubber band (to hold inserts together), and the cards my Paper Stone stamps came with so I can refer to them when I want to use my stamps. 

   

This is the first page of my pregnancy journal. I just used my wooden alpha and clear stamps, my black Jenni Bowlin ink pad, and a Versafine ink cube in Habanero. 

Here's my current week. I just write down how I'm feeling, my symptoms, my cravings, and other things I want to remember about my pregnancy. It's nice to track it by the week because when you're pregnant, things change so much every week.

The next insert is my journal. I don't write in it daily -- I just write in it when the mood strikes, or there are days when I want to remember. That way, there's no pressure for me to keep up with it. 

The first page of the journal insert. I made it into a catch-all for all the memories I want to remember or thoughts I want to put down on paper. 

Here's one page. I like being able to stick random memories in it, like this tea bag wrapper from the husband's first box of tea (he's a recent convert). I also decorate with stickers and washi, and mark the date with a date stamp. 

Here's last weekend's entry. I just wanted to remember how much of a family weekend it was. On the other side is a journaling card containing a reminder for myself this week. I haven't written about it yet, but I stuck the card in there already. 

I just attached the card on the page with washi so I can still write underneath it. I love doing this. 

The last insert is my brain dump of sorts. It's my creative planner where I take notes on everything, that's why it says "Do more of what you love." This is an old book from last year that I haven't filled up yet so I'm still using it. 

I stamped "Made" on the title page, intending it for blog ideas, events, creative projects, shopping lists, and making things in general. This is mainly why I like to keep planners. Aside from me being a relentless memory-keeper, I also like jotting things down because otherwise I wouldn't remember them.

Here's an old page from last year. The left page has my blog ideas, while the right page has a shopping wishlist. 

Last year, we went on a trip to Cebu so this was also where I listed down itinerary options. 

Here are my notes when we moved last year on the left, and then my outline for a seminar I did at a university here on the right. 

Here I have a list of Halloween costume ideas from last year and a new page I started recently for blog ideas. 

Of course there's a page for my baby wishlist. I only just started thinking about it so I'm sure this list will get longer as the months go by. 

And that's it! The back cover of the planner has the last Midori sticky pocket, which holds a few pages from a little Bleach Catastrophe notepad and a gold paperclip. 

See how scuffed it is compared to last year? It has lots of character now, brought about by lots of use/love. <3 

I love this chunky, pretty thing! The bit of overflow on the sides doesn't bother me at all. I like it thick and full of books.

I'm so happy I'm finally done with this! Again, sorry it took so long, and thanks for going through this extremely long post! I have a lot of planner pics on my Instagram (@julliennelia) so if you would like to see more, follow me there.

Do you use a Traveler's Notebook or are you interested in getting one? Let's talk in the comments!