Midori Monday : a huge list of Youtube videos

Just in case you were in need of inspiration, or you're wondering what the heck a Midori traveler's notebook actually is, or you need a Midori fix... the lovely Kate Bernasconi made a list of over 100 (!!) Youtube videos about Midori's and Fauxdori's. Here you go, enjoy!

Take a picture Thursday

Photography as a hobby is not new to me. In fact, my dad has always been an amateur photographer and even had his own dark room for a while. And in 2009, I did the Project 365 challenge, where you take one picture every day for a year. I used a simple point-and-shoot camera for it, and although I had quite a few days where I had no idea what to take a picture of, I managed to finish the year and was very happy to take that very last picture. Recently, I got a DSLR, the Nikon D3200, and I'm in the process of learning all there is to know about ISO's and F-stops and all the other fun stuff of 'coming out of automatic', watching far too many Youtube videos on photography and taking horrible test shots indoors because the weather is too icky to go out. But, the other day I caught the morning light when it was still dry, and took some pictures of the scaffolding we still had up from having had some work done on our bedroom wall, both inside and out. The scaffolding was up for weeks, and just in case I'd miss it now that it's finally gone, I had to take some pics.

Fauxdori journal flip-through

When I made my 'Fauxdori' (a DIY version of the Midori Traveler's Notebook), I knew I wanted to use the inserts primarily as a written journal. Eventhough I've always included writing in my Art Journals, sometimes even with big sections of the journal being used for just written journaling, I missed having a journal where the emphasis is on writing.


So I made myself a little journal, and off I went....  strangely enough, without even thinking about it, I started writing in English. Even when writing about getting my passport at the Dutch Embassy in London, I only write a few words in Dutch here and there. Not really sure why...


Of course I could not  just keep a plain journal with writing only, I had to include washi tape, Pogo printer pictures (mostly of  the Fauxdori itself) doodles, notes on scrap bits of paper and daily ephemera. Being part of two Midori-groups on Facebook (an international one and a Dutch one) has only made my love for the simple yet perfect system grow more and more every day.


So, with apologies for the tripod not wanting to do its job today, here's the flip-through. Enjoy.

So I wanted to replace my paper beads on the Fauxdori....

...with one of these....

 but which one? I narrowed it down to these few:

 and then finally decided this should be the one:

It feels heavy and bulky, but it looks lovely on the brown of the leather. Love it love it love it!

(now.... I've got a proper Midori on my birthday wishlist, who knows what bead I'll put  on that one....)

My DIY Midori Traveler's Notebook

Sometime last year, I first heard of the Midori Traveler's notebook (Midori through a video Leslie did in making her own knock-off. I liked the system, it's very simple and clean and refillable, but right then, I had no time or even space to make one. I'd put it on the 'when we move I will..'-mental list I had been keeping.

Then sure enough a month or so ago, the Midoris started popping up in my Youtube list of suggestions. I suppose it had something to do with the Filofax videos I'd been watching, the two, although different systems, seem to go hand in hand rather well.

I rewatched Leslie's video, watched a couple of others including Ray Blake's, and ordered some leather on eBay..... which... of course... was not really suitable for this kind of project. It was far too thin and certainly not stiff enough, but I wanted to try and see if I could actually make a Midori style notebook, otherwise known as a Fauxdori.

I managed to, and filled it with notebooks, but I was still unhappy with the way the leather was curling up as you put the book down. Something had to be done about it. Google took me to this site and soon I was doing my own little experiments. I dunked a piece in hot just-boiled water and some washing-up liquid. Did not do much. I tried cheap perfume, thinking of urine used in the leather industry in the past. Didn't do anything other than making the leather smell of cheap perfum, duhhh... Glue worked, but left it feeling rough. Then I thought of Vanish Oxi Action, a stain remover you add to your washing powder. That did the trick!

So here it is, my Fauxdori:

Journal keeping.

Whether it is the Art Journaling tag, or my current Filofax obsession, I'm not sure, but I've been thinking a lot about journal keeping.


I got my first journal when I was a little girl, a few days before my 10th birthday. I started writing in it immediately and have since filled about 30+ diaries and notebooks with my (almost) daily writing. I stopped keeping a written diary as such when I discovered Art Journaling, but even my Art Journals are a chronological document of my life. That's almost 30 years of journal keeping in one way or another.


This morning I was reading Dispatch from LA and saw this video about a gentleman who's kept a journal since 1947. It's amazing just how much he's got in there, and that he's able to go back and find when exactly he met someone, or did something. Mine are not that detailed, and I certainly never had the discipline to keep up daily writing.

Filofax Friday #1: initial set-up

A few weeks ago, I started noticiting more and more videos on Filofax planners on Youtube. First Rhomany did one, and then Courtney did one, or the other way around, I forgot... They started me off watching many, many videos on the wonderful world of Filofax, and in the end, I just knew I had to get one...


After much research and keeping my budget in mind, I had my eye on a Finsbury on Amazon, so I ordered it. It was set to 'shipped' quickly, but a week later and just as I was about to contact the seller asking why my Filofax was taking so long, I got a note saying that sadly it was no longer in stock, but I could order another model for just £12 extra.... Hmmmm... fishy!!


So off to Staples I went and picked up the purple Saffiano in personal size instead!


In the video, you'll see me go through my Filofax, explaining things along the way. Enjoy!





For now, I'm happy with this set-up. I like the sections I have, and how I'm using them so far. I do not colour-code, but who knows, I might find myself using the same colours for the same items over and over and hey presto!, I'm colour-coding! We'll just have to wait and see what happens, as things have a way of developing on their own, so it seems.


And before I forget: this is where I got my little box of sticky notes, and the idea of Ta Da!-lists came from Mellamenia.


There. I think that's it for now. I'm sure you'll be seeing lots more Filofax Friday updates in the next few weeks.