My thoughts on Midori Travellers Notebook.

I have for some time, had a curiosity over a Midori Travellers Notebook. I have watched videos on YouTube from Poketfullofvintage, Rhomany's Realm, MissVickyBee and Raven Ink and have enjoyed looking at their set ups but always thought that I didn't need one in my life. I know a lot of people love them but here are my reasons for not getting one myself:

1. The size. From looking at other peoples to me they just looked too narrow. I am so used to an A5 size or larger. I knew that I could make a larger fauxdori if I bought the materials and followed a tutorial but I don't feel that I am ready for that yet.
2.  I don't feel like I need a journal to be transportable. I don't take my journal out of the house, if I do it is on holiday and a larger journal is fine to take with me. That being said I don't journal that much on holidays as I find that I am too busy doing holiday type things!
3. What do you do with the notebooks when you have finished with them, they look really small, do you bind them together at the end? I just feel that the journals inside are so small and not very substantial, call me silly but I feel like I would want something 'more'.
4. I like changing covers and journals, I find this motivates me. I don't know why but it does, I love the feeling of starting a new journal.
5. Price! I just can't justify the price of it at the moment.
6. Everybody already has one. I don't like following the herd especially when I am this late to the party, I don't want to 'copy'.

I explain all of things in my video this week:

OK so at the very start of this post I mentioned that I have always had a curiosity for them. So after a lot of thinking and researchI now have one. I have been thinking about getting one for a while, I love to journal, I love journals, I like trying new things but all of my reasons above kept on coming to me. Do I want one, do I? I ummmed and ahhhhed for a while. Something kept on pulling me towards them, maybe it is all those people on YouTube selling it to me, I don't know. So anyway I decided to feed my curiosity and take the plunge just to see for myself what it is all about and put my mind at rest. So introducing you to my new Fauxdori...

I bought a Fauxdori from Ebay and I have to say the photos of the item that the seller put up do not do it justice (if you are interersted in purchasing one yourself, she has lots not just this one so go to their ebay here). I decided on a Fauxdori as I just couldn't justify the spend on something I wasn't sure as to whether I was going to like it or not so I thought a Fauxdori would suit me just fine. Who knows, maybe if I love it I will treat myself further down the line. I had also thought about making one myself but when I looked into the cost of the materials it came to about the same as just buying one so I thought I would let someone else make it for me!

I am still having a play with it and getting used to how it works and everything. I currently have two concerns that I want to iron out. Firstly the elastics seem very strong or tight and have cut into my notebook a little bit. I don't know if I have too much in there or not. I currently have three in there. I see so many people have really stuffed ones and I am not sure if mine will be able to take it or if I am just being silly. I don't know if the elastic will continue to cut into the paper and also the leather is also alot smaller so you can see the edges of the notebooks peeking through Is that how it is supposed to be? I am not sure if I am just being fussy or not! Anyway as I said it is all things that I need to play and work with and sort out. Any tips and advice would be gratefully received!

So I went with the travellers notebook size and I have been journalling in there already. So far the size hasn't been an issue for me and it is actually a lot wider than how it appeared in other peoples photos. It is not the A5 size that I know and love but I do like it. A few more days and I will probably be well and truly there. I have journalled, stuck snaps in, doodled and it is working OK so far!

I haven't put my elastic on properly that holds the books round the middle as I want to find a nice charm to go on there. I have seen other people put charms on theirs and so now I want one! 

I decided to make myself a folder. I remember seeing other people on YouTube show theirs and after a day or two I realised that this is something that I would really like to do too. I didn't actually watch any tutorials I just sat at my desk looking at my fauxdori and scrapbook paper and the idea came to me. It was really quick and easy to make and it just has a little tuck where I am storing cards with washi tape and some instagram snaps ready for adding to my journal. I even punched a teddy bear in it which I think looks really cute as you can see the paper design underneath, I love it!

So there we are folks, there is an introduction to my new fauxdori and why until now I haven't bought one. I am not sure if I love it yet but I do like it. I am going to continue to use it and see how I go. I am sure I spotted Mr B covetting it himself and I am thinking of buying him one for Christmas, he too is a journaller and I am sure he would like one. If you missed his video on what he journals about you can catch it here.

Do you have a Midori? Let me know what you think about it and if you have any blog posts or videos on it I would love to see as I am soaking up anything midori at the moment! Until next time, happy journalling!