Sheena's how to guide for Travellers Notebooks.
Hi There Magpies, Sheena here again x
This month over my 2 posts, I plan to share with you my latest travellers note book plus the thoughts and the processes that I go through before I even open the journal and how I actually fill it in.
Now there are lots of ways to use a Travellers Notebook but I “do what it says on the tin” so the advert goes & I journal my travels in TN’s. Specifically I tend to journal one trip or city break in one or two notebooks then add them inside a Travellers Notebook cover.
Travellers Notebook – Berlin.
After I booked my trip to see the Christmas markets in Berlin last December I started to gather what I thought I would need to document the trip. So I purchased a Travellers Notebook and cover, plus some papers and embellishments from Christmas ranges from the shop. I find my journals get bulky really quickly so I try to keep all embellishments as flat as possible. I really find wash tape useful so was pleased to get some Christmas designs to use in my book.
Whilst I was away I wrote a brief diary of what we did and where we went each day. I tended to take this out and about with me so I could add to it when we stopped for a cuppa or a meal so it didn’t feel like a chore at the end of each day. I also collected leaflets and business cards from places we visited. I also do Project Life so I’m a paper magpie everywhere I go collecting tickets, brochures etc normally and on holiday I’m no different.
So as well as collecting “free” paper I also make a few purchases including guide books, key rings, badges and anything else small that catches my eye. I tend to only purchases portrait postcards due to the shape of the travellers notebook or else I end up cutting them up.
Once home I group each days diary and paperwork on a 12×12 bag so for this trip I had 5 bags and I find this really helps me with the journalling process. I also gather together scrapbook tools I think I will need. Plus a few stamp sets to add titles, dates and make my own embellishments. I usually journal using a biro type pen so it doesn’t show through onto the next page of the journal.
Then I am ready to make a start.
I take the notebook and bag/day one and spread out the contents. I try and get it into an order to help the journal flow. I generally find it takes me a while to get actually start the first day as I want to create some continuity within the pages and seeing what I’d like to include helps me do this.
These are my Day 1 pages.
I’ve left the first page blank at present as it will be a title page which I will complete at the end. I also prefer to start with double spreads so Ive started with the date and wash tape on the left hand page.
All my photos are either 6×4 portrait colleges or small stickers printed from my phone which I will discuss more later this month.
To add interest Ive created a couple pockets, one to take tickets and leaflets and another a city map. I try to break the journalling up into easy to read sections with words cut from leaflets as headings or stamped titles. To include lots of photos I use colleges to help get a feel for a place.
Day 2 pages.
You may now be able to see the repetition I am trying to create. Both days start in the same way. I’ve created a pocket to hold tickets and postcards. Also I have a fold down element taken from a postcard in both days. By limiting my supplies you also get a feeling of continuity as papers are used repeatedly and stamped embellishments recur.
For my next post later this month I will share more days from my Travellers Notebook of Berlin plus talk about how I sort my photographs and choose which and how to print them.
I hope you have enjoyed finding out more about my TN process and we would love to see how you use Travellers Notebooks over on our Facebook group.
Till next time x
