diy travel journal

We travel to the UK in less than a week! Then Italy a week after that! I'm so very excited!

I've been spending an inordinate amount of time on stationery websites lately. Blogs about stationery, websites selling stationery, photos of other peoples' artistic stationery. I stumbled on the Seaweed Kisses blog and her description of how she uses her Midori Travellers Notebook. "What's that?" I asked myself, and followed the link to a shop selling them. That website provided even more journaling inspiration, and before I knew it, I was obsessed with having a new travel journal for this trip! The website provided several options, but I knew Hugh would judge me for buying ANOTHER notebook/journal. I have several in current use, as well as multiple waiting to be used. I have one Kikki.K journal I bought months ago that still has the wrapping on.

Also, I've had travel journals in the past, and haven't used them, or have used them for the first two days, then not the rest of the trip. Do I really need another unfinished journal sitting around the house?

I also love the idea of "smash" journals, or commonplace books as they were known in the olden days. One notebook that I can put everything in. Clippings, to do lists, thoughts, etc.

So I decided to use one of the three journals that I am currently using (and is super cute to boot), and turn part of it into a travel journal. Here's what I did!

First of all, ya gotta have a map of the world, just in case you forget where you're going or where home is. I googled world map pics, and printed this one out. Then what? Why, washi tape treatment, of course! Also, every good travel journal provides an area for your packing list. Some even include suggestions of ten or so common items to pack. The Moleskin travel journal assumes very little, printing only "toothbrush" on its packing lists. Clean underwear be damned!

Then I wanted a monthly calendar spread.

And pages to devote to scheduling each day of our trip. Not that I plan to schedule every moment! Hugh and I are both definitely fly by the seats of our pants-ers.

I wanted an expenses spread. I have absolutely no idea how to budget for this trip, so I'll record how much I end up spending, and maybe that'll give me an idea for future trips.

Then planning pages for each city, which I get to fill out now! Yay!

I also did a page for addresses, and an envelope stuck in to hold stamps and other bits, and more envelopes throughout. I'm pretty proud of how these two turned out!

For a while, I've been wanting a way to print out little daily photos for my daily journal. I thought about getting a Fuji Instax camera, which is basically a modern-day Polaroid camera. Then I was looking at a new Polaroid camera that has a bit more functionality than the Instax. Then Hugh was like, "Why don't you just buy the Fuji Instax printer, then you can print photos off of your phone?" Uh, the what-what? Off my phone? Why yes, that is actually exactly what I wanted. So I bought one! It arrived yesterday and I love it! It's only little, so I can bring it on the trip. And it prints any photo off of your phone or Instagram or Facebook accounts. The photo printed below (which is still in the processing of developing there) is from Valentine's Day 2013.

Letter for Sara

I'm quite proud if this envelope I created for Sara! Most of my attempts at mail art are pretty pathetic.

On the edge of the photo is the new rocket ship pen holder Hugh bought me the other day. Love it!

Outgoing mail: Ross's birthday

Bakker Burke collectibles

There's a store down the road from here that sells random junk and furniture, and I like to stop in there periodically to treasure hunt. I recently learned that it's called Bakker Burke Collectibles (I don't recall ever seeing a sign on the front). I headed over there to pick up a date stamp I had clocked on a previous visit. The stamp only covers the years 2000 up to 2011, but at 50 cents, the price was right. I also grabbed another stamp that said "Munro Bros." for another 50 cents. Cool!

A Day Out and About

Hugh told me about a cafe in our neighborhood located in a disused train station. Then I read about it on the thousands, so I decided it was time to check it out. It's called the Loose Caboose and the menu is timetable-themed. And though the building itself is no longer used as a train stop, the railway is still in use for commuter trains, which stop outside the cafe every 15 min. I sat at a long wooden table and had a latte and the soup du jour, which had lots of ingredients, the only one of which I remember was bacon. It was tiz-asty. It's a really cool cafe, and the food was good, but...it's a new place and they don't seem to have quite worked out the details yet. Hugh's sister went there another day and had a similar experience to me. It was just kind of unclear whether you're supposed to seat yourself, when and where to order, that sort of thing. I'm sure they'll fine-tune everything soon. Also, the food is on the pricey side for a cafe, but it's really tasty and well done, so it's justified. Basically, it's the sort of cafe to go to if you want to relax a bit, are looking for a fancier lunch, and have some cash to burn. In other words, if you're not me. I'm happy to let my man take me there for brunch, though!

After lunch, I headed up to Hindmarsh Disposals to check for free vinyl records (they often have a box with free records and books in front of the shop). I was looking for cool record covers for a project I was planning (and have since abandoned). I grabbed a few, then headed for the tram.

I love the cover of this "Songs of Norway" album! The colors are great. Too bad they put red marks across the ones they're giving away.

The tram is free from the Entertainment Centre through the city to South Terrace, so it is my preferred mode of public transport ;-) I had received an email from kikki.k offering $10 off any purchase (no minimum spend!) and I had a wish list to work from. In the end, I bought a book of assorted stickers and some brightly colored ink pads. I've already used the ink pads loads for my scrapbook, and I just love these sailor-y stickers!

Paper-making

We get so much friggin' junk mail!! (And very little actual mail. Boohoo! Send us letters!!!) Junk mail fliers actually litter the streets of our suburb. I got to thinking. I mean, we have a fireplace that we use occasionally to heat our cozy little flat, and the junk mail comes in really handy for kindling material. But it's getting warmer now. I was reminded of an old paper-making kit that I had in high school. I think I used it about 3 times, but always really enjoyed it. Surely, if I had a kit, I could turn all this junk mail into beautiful, craft-worthy paper??

A quick check on ebay and Amazon. Looks like there's nothing cheaper than $30. Hm, what to do, what to do?
 
Oh right, in the same "do it myself" spirit that I've been relishing for the past few months, I could make myself a kit! And of course, there are several youtube videos out there using simple materials. Now I just need to acquire two matching wooden picture or canvas frames (craft store), a staple gun (Hugh's dad?), and some nylon screen for windows (surely, the giant hardware store up the road will have some).

Envelope for Holly

Hm, making an oversized envelope is harder than I expected. Still, finding the paper turned out easier than I expected! I was reading my copy of madison that I got from the Show, and there was a rather inspiring article about Hillary Clinton. Holly got to see Hillz at the AIDS Conference in D.C. this summer, and she was really enamored with her. I don't blame her. Her advocacy for gender and health equity are right on the money. Even if she retires from politics this year, as she has been planning, I'm eager to see what she does next. The article quoted an old friend of hers as saying that maybe Bill and Hillz would relax and take up gardening and cooking. Somehow, that doesn't seem likely.

Letter for Holly

Holly's birthday is coming up and I wanted to make her something nice. Aparna suggested recording a video for her, but I can't think of what to say. We'll see. Anyway, I decided to write her a letter as well, since it is eternally my (unrealised) goal to send more letters. I used large index cards, though, and I don't have any suitably-sized envelopes. I have loads of tutorials for making envelopes, so I'll have to locate some nice paper.

My workstation (complete with snacks)

Washi tape

Lately, I've become slightly obsessed with washi tape. Hmm, more than slightly obsessed. Also with scrapbooking. I've been scrapbooking since high school, collecting magazine clippings that I like and pasting them into a sketchbook. Like Pinterest, except not digital. After my forays into mail art this spring,* I've been wanting to start a scrapbook that's more like a journal/diary and incorporates bits of mail art. I.e., I can paste in the scraps of garbage I keep picking out of gutters. Turns out, someone has marketed this idea (they're called Smash books and you can pretty much buy the whole thing. Where's the fun in that?)

So back to tape. I keep peeking around in every shop trying to find decorative tapes lately, but I don't really expect to find any. I wouldn't even know where to look back home or in London or Edinburgh. But that's not really the problem; there are loads of websites to buy from. The problem is cash flow. Of all the things to be spending my money on at the moment, washi tape ranks fairly far down the list. So Pinterest in my new best friend! Last week, I found loads of tutorials for making your own decorative tape, and today, I stumbled upon FREE digital washi tape from A Vegas Girl at Heart. She even gives a tutorial for adding them to your digital photos with free software! Amazing! Check it:

*I still can't get used to the seasons here. In March through June, I was in the northern hemisphere for spring. And now spring is springing in the southern hemisphere. I've pretty much decided to be as confusing as possible when talking about the season ;-)

Retail therapy

I woke up in a bit of a funk today. I've been sleeping really late for weeks now. I'll wake up at a decent hour, struggle to find the motivation to actually get out of bed, and stay in there for another hour or two. I guess I'm depressed, but I haven't actually felt down until today. And it's stupid what sparked it.

Yesterday, I received an email inviting me for a job interview. This is the third interview I've been invited for since moving here, which is awesome. It's for a job that, in the description, sounds perfect. I would be using and developing the skills that I want to use and develop, working to improve health among disadvantaged groups. But it's in Alice Springs. Alice Springs is pretty much in the center of Australia, surrounded for hundreds and hundreds of miles by absolutely nothing. There would be no job opportunities whatsoever for Hugh.

I don't know why I'm even worrying about it. The university makes it clear that they will not hire temporary residents. They have no intention of sponsoring candidates for visas. So I'll go to the interview, do my best, explain that I can't work for them longer than 6 months, and that'll be that. I guess I'm just in a funk today because the whole thing reminds me of the unsustainable position I'm in. I came into this knowing it would be like this, that I wouldn't be able to start a career here until I somehow become a permanent resident. I willingly chose that path, so I should buck up and remember that I don't actually regret my decision in any way.

Anyway, I couldn't bear the thought of sticking around in the flat, so I went in search of retail therapy, in the form of used knitting needles at the Salvation Army store. It is conveniently located next to an office supply store, and I've been meaning to grab some basic supplies for paper crafts.

It ended up costing more than I expected, because apparently double-stick tape is exorbitantly expensive. I mean, $7? That's outrageous! In fact, everything at the office supply store was more expensive than I thought it should be, and I can't tell if that's just because everything in Australia is more expensive than back home, or if this store is just taking the piss. But I had fun, then I came home and started designing my new scrapbook. And I feel fine now! Funk banished.

Recipe Cards

Mmm, what a lovely, lazy Sunday. I slept in way too late, and now I'm lounging around in my pj's reading magazines (you rock, Becky) and discovering AMAZING things on the internet.

Back story: I tried to find cute recipe cards for a gift for a friend, and I looked ALL over U-Village. I started at Williams-Sonoma, an upscale cooking store.

"No, we don't have them. You could get index cards from Office Depot."

Index cards?! Does she really think that Williams-Sonoma customers would settle for index cards in place of recipe cards?

I next went to Crate and Barrel, a home store that has a large kitchen section. They recommended I go to Williams-Sonoma. I tried a few other, non-cooking stores, including Barnes and Noble, then went to a smaller cooking store. Finally, someone with recipes cards. Except that they were the most boring recipe cards possible! Argh!! Do people not write out recipes anymore? I consulted Martha Stewart (dotcom), and she told me to print my own! Even Martha couldn't recommend a place to get cute recipe cards.

In the end, I went with some cheery, red index cards (le sigh), embellished by me with some sticker borders (which were also surprisingly hard to find! Am I just clueless? Actually, I know the answer to that question is "yes.")

But I just did a search for recipe cards (well, a few searches), and the almighty Internets have smiled upon me this once, and blessed me with this and this:





















SO CUUUUTE!! MUST OWN!!

That second website led me to this website, where I found these:


















And of course, now I'm very upset that I don't have enough money to buy all the amazing, adorable things in the world that I want.

Le pout. ):0(

I stink. Must shower.