In my obsession with planners and journals I came across the Midori Traveler's Notebook. Around about the same time, I'd gotten this really cute bible at a thrift store, but it reeked of smoke and the print was too small. So I thought I'd make my own Bible-dori. Here's the outside:
I got multi-coloured elastic at the craft store.
This is what it looks like on the inside:
Scrapbook paper & washi tape with pocket on the inside, and it holds 6 books. I made the books using blank copy paper and scrapbook paper. Here are the books out of the Bible-dori cover:
I made little holes with a Crop-a-dile eyelet and snap punch, but you could use an awl if you wanted to. Then I threaded the elastic to make four bands to loop the books in:
On the right, you can see the elastic I used as a fastener to keep it closed.
Here's the outside:
I connected two books together with rubber bands before inserting them:
Rubber band at center of each book:
I should also mention that you can use any kind of paper; I just happen to prefer blank paper. Also I used a corner rounder to finish off the edges. I keep the Bible-dori in my purse and this is how I use it:
Book 1: Groceries and errands
Book 2: To do list
Book 3: Notes, quotes
Book 4: Ideas
Book 5: Expenses: I write down everything I spend.
Book 6: Appointment calendar: this is just for scheduling, so I know what I'm doing.
Folder: made with scrapbook paper and washi tape, it holds address labels, stamps, and stickers.
The great thing about the traveler's notebook is that you can switch out the notebooks once they're full or rearrange however you want. The Bible-dori went thru three evolutions before I was happy with it this way. The traveler's notebooks come in different sizes; the Bible-dori is a bit bigger than the traditional "passport" size.
I showed the Bible-dori to my nephew and he thought it was a cool idea. So I made him one:
Larger field notes size.
I got a piece of leather from Michael's craft store. I used the same elastic that I used for the Bible-dori and painted it with a gold paint marker. The coin on the elastic closer thingie is from a jingley-belt I had with lots of different coins on it.
Here it is open:
I made a folder with a manila envelope and taped it with duct tape.
Inside of folder and the TN holds 4 notebooks:
I got these notebooks in a pack of three at the office supply store. I had to trim them down with a rotary cutter about half an inch to fit the notebook. Here's a book secured in elastic:
Here's what it looks like with just the folder:
Everything out with just the leather cover:
Outside of the notebook:
It already has a nice "Indiana Jones" scuffed up look.
This past weekend, Mum made her Cursillo. So I made a paper-dori (scrapbook paper) traveler's notebook for her and two others from our church who were attending. Here they are:
These were passport size.
This was Mum's:
Inside: I thought it fitting to use crown graphics!
The music thing on the right is a folder.
I put three little lined notebooks in:
Butterflies are a theme for Cursillo:
I calligraphed some quotes for her.
Back of notebook:
Here's the other passport size one I made:
The inside matches Mum's.
This was a larger one that I made:
Gold metallic, textured paper that I put thru the laminator to sturdy it up. It was 8 1/2" X 11" that I folded over.
Inside without the notebooks:
Inside:
Folder made with scrapbook paper & washi tape.
She likes graph paper, so I made notebooks with graph paper, cut down & then made scrapbook paper covers for the booklets:
I've been working on some traveler's notebooks. This is essentially a HINT as to the theme of my new traveler's notebook. It's SO AWESOME & I'll have a blogpost & video coming up. In the meantime . . . here are a few videos.
Doc Johnson even rapped about it ( a bit of language in this one--but rightfully so!):
Doc Johnson was also brilliant in Equality Street with Ricky Gervais.
This is a new Booksmith journal I created around the theme of ferns, and includes the first story of Fernie's World, a new series. It is also a Traveler's Notebook and comes with:
*4 inserts/notebooks: one lined, one drawing paper, one "eco-printed" green dyed paper, and a Junk Journal insert with a combination of lined, ink-stained, fern-imprinted, ledger and music paper. Paper is all 32 lb. paper and is fountain pen/rollerball friendly.
*The first chapter of Fernie's World is included as a booklet
*An ephemera packet: cards, fabric, lace, washi tape, music paper
To construct the journal, I combined The Adventures in Booksmithing course along with The Hollow Back Binding course. To learn how to make your own Booksmith tomes and a whole lot more, here's a link to her FABULOUS online classes: Nik The Booksmith's Booksmithing courses. Here's a link to her Nik The Booksmith YouTube channel for more tutorials and inspiration.
Here's Nik The Booksmith's Fern journal of AWESOMENESS:
FERNIE'S WORLD
Chapter 1
Fanny was unintentional in her pursuit of ferns. It was her nature--and curiosity of Nature, that led her into the woods with her father, a botanist, and her older brother, William. Her father was more intent on the measuring and preserving of botanical specimens with their proper Latin names, and William was more interested in the artistic rendering of the landscape. Initially it was to stay out of the way so that Papa wouldn't leave her behind with Nurse and her younger siblings. She was not to touch any of the plants with which he was working, and she was not to stand in William's view.
On a hot, sunny day by Queen's Brook, as Papa collected and William sketched, Fanny grew weary from the heat. "Fanny," said Papa, "Fill the water flask for us, please," as he handed her his field flask. She followed the path down to the creek and filled it. At six years old, she was happy that she could be helpful in such serious, scientific endeavors, if only to bring water. She took a long drink, refilled the flask, and brought it back. "Here, Papa."
Papa took a drink and handed it to William. She was delighted that they could forgo the social propriety of cups, and be "heathen Barbarians" as her mother called them when they were out in the Wilds of Nature. As Papa wiped his brow, he said, "What did you notice at the creek?"
She knew he was asking a botanical question, but she was more impressed with the frogs that had jumped into the water with several "Plops!" at her approach. "I saw several Amphibia of the Animalia kingdom," she answered.
Papa laughed. He looked down affectionately at his daughter with her damp forehead and flushed cheeks. "Perhaps you will find something of botanical interest in the shade by the brook," he suggested.
As she settled on a large boulder with a mossy patch, she noticed that flowers weren't growing in this part of the landscape. In fact, it was cooler and darker and somehow greener. She brushed her hand through the lush moss and gently rested her cheek against it. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath of the earthy fragrance about her. No flowers here with their wafting, sweet scents.
She opened her eyes and stared intently across the creek, waiting patiently for the frogs to reappear. As she did, she took notice of the ferns; how beautiful and abundant they were! She felt a slight breeze and watched as it rustled through the ferns to make them sway and dance. How delightful!
"Papa!" She called out, forgetting to be quiet for the frogs. "What is the botanical name for ferns?"
Papa smiled and called back, "Pteridophyta!"
She sat up and ran back to her father with gleaming eyes. "I suppose," he said, smiling and reaching into his field satchel, "You will be in want of a proper sketchbook."
Today is a most auspicious day in which we celebrate the birthday of THE John Morgan. Years ago, I had a chance opportunity of a phone interview for a sales position for John Morgan Seminars, and John Morgan took a chance on me. To say that he has been one the greatest of influences in my life is not hyperbole. As we are firmly planted in the middle of our second decade of knowing each other, I am forever grateful for his role in my life, as a boss, mentor and friend.
Here's a video that gives more backstory of his illustrious career:
In honoUr of his birthday today, because birthdays are a BIG deal in the House of Morgan, I thought I'd do a retrospective of some of the many posts related to John through the years. He was a great supporter of my blog and writing, and I always pay attention when he says, "I think you've got something there."
I included a lot of family photos, which I won't share here. I also included some of his birthday-related blogposts. Here are a few pages:
Photo of him and his dad.
John & his mother in a photo booth:
Looks like a Tim Holtz photo strip. That's one
of his tiny paper clips holding it to the page.
Photo of Steve Martin that John took at one of his shows:
So I signed it a la Steve Martin.
Last page:
Magnolia May was really John's idea! So I
had to have "her" sign his book.
The idea for this is that friends and family can sign The Birthday Book, so I included a pen loop and (NON-fountain) pen:
Back cover of the Birthday insert:
John is wearing one of his granddaughter's
hats, taken at her birthday party.
Second insert: I have notebooks & journals filled with notes I took over the years for John Morgan Seminars. I've often read them to him, but he's never seen them. So I included a few pages in an insert for him:
I copied the entries onto parchment paper:
The third insert is Radio-themed from his days in radio:
Inside has a pocket made with a photo of him when he was a DJ at KCMO (Kansas City). He rode a bull for some radio stunt:
Inside the pocket is one of his blog posts, Friendship,
printed onto parchment.
Here are a few pages with quotes and stories:
John had Gary Owens (from Laugh-In) record some
"drop-ins" for his show.
Center of insert:
Newspaper article from DJ days at KCMO.
Back of insert:
He was "Chuck Taylor" in Wilkes-Barre for 2 years and
told a lot of corny jokes. E.g. "Today's secret word is
PEANUT BUTTER. Spread it around." Hahahaha
Back cover of Radio insert:
I included one of his Grasshopper Notes journals:
For inspiration and a few laughs, you can subscribe to John's YouTube channel. His podcasts are short, 2-3 minutes recordings of blogposts from his Grasshopper Notes site. Hop on over there and give a listen and be sure to wish him a HAPPY Birthday! :-)
And now, here is a collective of a few past birthday posts over the years:
I got an email from my friend Doug O'Brien asking if I knew anyone who would be interested in working in sales for John Morgan. Can I stay home in my jammies and not go anywhere? I replied back. I was out in the wilderness with 2 aging dogs, trying to figure out what to do with my life. Enter John Morgan.
Our first conversation lasted an hour, and I felt like I'd met an old friend. I had. Over the course of almost 2 years, he has been my boss, my mentor, my coach, my cheerleader, favourite blogger, and my dearest friend. I don't know what I would have done if John hadn't come into my life. He has given me the means to support myself without having to have a soul-sucking 9-5 job. I get to stay out in nature or go out into the world if I need to. As long as I have a phone & internet access, I can pretty much go anywhere & still work. How cool is that?
Beyond teaching me about sales and radio, he has taught me a tremendous amount in the hypno-world. I would never have done Virtual Massage without his guidance. It was his idea, and we worked together over the phone. He was also a student of Dave Dobson's and has a way of simplifying complex ideas and at the same time, making it entertaining.
Reminds me of a story . . .
"Remember when Dave said you have to climb out on the skinny branches?" he asked me.
"Skinny branches? What?" I replied.
"You have to risk climbing out on the skinny branches to get the best fruit."
It's a lesson in sales, it's a lesson in life. It's an ongoing lesson for me--risking. I like to think I'm getting better at it.
Dave & John on their last visit. I love that impish look on Dave's face. John didn't know he was giving the finger until he got the photo back. I'm just impressed that John's eyes are open.
Dave was supportive of my work with John and thought it was a good match. I have to agree. Words can't express how grateful I am for our friendship. So I will end with a quote:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOHN!
- - - - -
I sent him a package last week. Birthdays are very special in the House of Morgan. John says that everyone's birthday is reflected on a clock twice a day. And when you notice a special date on the clock, you can say a wish for that person. So 4:16 is John's birthday. I am not often awake at 4:16 a.m. but I can notice the clock in the afternoon. I made something for John with a graphic that had "John 4:16" on it. I ended up not using one, so I cut it up and put it on the outside of John's package:
I was not prepared for the response from the gal at the post office. She said, "That's my favourite quote from the Bible. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them." And then a man standing behind me said that was one of his favourite quotes, too. Post Office Gal said, "We should put more scriptures on packages."
I nodded. I'm not really up on bible passages. I sort of recall a wrestler with a John 3:16 tattoo, but not 4:16. I didn't have the heart to tell her it wasn't a scripture because it had such great meaning to her. So I said, "Me, too!" And now it is.
- - - - - - -
Today is John Morgan's birthday. Loyal readers of this blog know all about him! Over the course of almost 11 years, I have peppered in stories of our conversations. He is one of the funniest people I know, with a dry sense of humoUr and quick wit. It is because of him that Magnolia May was born, when we were on the phone and I got a delivery from a planner company.
"I can NOT listen to you BLATHER ON about another planner . . . UNLESS YOU DO IT WITH AN ACCENT!" And so I went thru the unboxing with him, ooh-ing and ah-ing with a few Southernisms thrown in. In honoUr of today, here's the first video of MM:
And as John says, ALL THE BEST!!! :-)
- - - - - - - - - -
I will end this special Birthday Blogpost, with a re-post of Mum. I think she was his biggest fan and used to print out his blog posts and send them to friends and family via snail mail! She used to say, "The world would be a better place is everyone read John's blog!" One year, I made a Grasshopper Quotes book for her, which she LOVED:
Every year, on holidays, her birthday & special occasions, Mum gives the edict: "I don't want any gifts. Only consumables."
*SIGH*
So this year for Mother's day, I gave Mum a book I made for John Morgan for his birthday:
I did it with Picaboo, a GREAT company for creating photo books.
John has a Grasshopper quote-of-the-day thingie that you can sign up for. So I took the first 500 and put them into a book for him. Here's Mum reading:
I think she was laughing at: "It's flattering when someone asks for your advice; it's world-changing when you take your own."
"Life doesn't have an undo button."
When I look at these photos of Mum, I can hear her laugh: WOO-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOO! It's a fitting way to end, as John has brought a lot of laughter to all those who know and love him. So, dear John, may today be filled with MUCH LAUGHTER and MIRTH! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
