Fauxdori Newbie

Hello world! I can't believe I'm sitting down writing a blog post-- it feels surreal after being away for so long. Where have I been? The short answer is that until recently, my work schedule was so hectic that I didn't have a lot of extra time for blogging. We all know that blogging takes time! But now that my work situation has changed, I'm giving it a real, conscious effort to get back into the swing of things. But that's not what I want to talk about today! Today I wanna talk about my newest DIY project, so let's crack on.

So guess what-- I made myself a Fauxdori! If you're not sure what a Fauxdori is, it's a faux version of a Midori Traveler's Notebook. This video by Cori at The Reset Girl is a really great beginner's guide for newbies like me! I wasn't initially impressed with the concept when I first saw these online, but the more I see people using them, the more I realized the practicality in them. I have a big 8.5" x 11" leather notebook that usually houses all of my creative ideas & "brain dump" but lately I've found that I can't be bothered to drag that around with me in my purse. This means that a lot of valuable ideas have been falling through the cracks. I thought a Fauxdori would be a great alternative way to corral my creative brainstorming while I'm out & about until I can transfer them to my big journal at home.

There are some truly GORGEOUS choices available for purchase on etsy like here, here, & here, but unfortunately my bank account is lacking this week (& I'm an impatient person, so I obviously can't wait til payday). So I decided to take a shot at making my own.

I bought a 1/2 yard or 2 different fabrics, 1 yard of Pellon stabilizer interfacing, & a pack of round cord elastic. I already had rivets, charms, & the supplies for the inserts in my stash. Altogether with sales & coupons, everything cost me about $8.00! Holla!

This was a true blind date with this craft because I've never created one of these before. I couldn't find a decent tutorial that was really helpful on YouTube, so I just looked up the dimensions of a standard Midori insert on etsy and created my own pattern. I'm proud to say that everything turned out really well without incident!

I decided to dress it up by adding a little crystal at the top of the spine and a tassel on the strap. I can swap these out whenever and it gives it a little something extra. :)

Instead of ordering & waiting for raw inserts to come (again-- impatient), I decided to just whip up some of my own with some scrap supplies & copy paper. Then I took the covers to my local Office Depot and got them laminated with 5mil lamination for a little extra stability.

I'm SO excited to start using this little beauty and hoping that my ideas don't get lost anymore! Do you have a Midori or a Fauxdori? I want to see it! Link me up!

Until next time,
E

Products used on inserts: Paper: Echo Park (Creative Agenda- 'Positively'), Studio Calico (Abroad COllection- 'First Class') Colorbök (orange heart pattern), Recollections (graph). Stickers: AC Remarks (black alphas), Heidi Swapp (words), MAMBI (soft spoken), Teresa Collins (black heart), Studio 112 (black tile alphas), Craftcake Designs (lightbulb). Embellishments: Maggie Holmes for Crate Paper (yellow bow clip), Planner Society (bow from July kit), Heidi Swapp for Project Life (card from My Favorite Things), Scotch (gemstone washi), Glitz (triangle washi) We R Memory Keepers (black design washi)