3 Reasons Why You Need Pretty Pocket Folders

You know when you find that special item that just makes sense? It’s like…where has this been all my life? Or…finally someone came up with the perfect things that I have needed! Well, that’s what I felt when I first made these folders. They just make sense. There are so many little bits that life offers and that we have to pass up because there is nowhere for them to go. But often they are the little reminders that take us back to a special time and place. The ticket that reminds you of your first concert. The receipt from the ice cream store that you first went to with your boyfriend. The drink coaster from the cool pub that you recently discovered. All of these seemingly insignificant bits make up the pieces of your life and who you are. But without a purposeful place to put them, they often get lost or left behind altogether.

However, when I travel, I now find that I grab those maps and brochures because when I get home I am going to put them in my pretty little folder for safe keeping. Then one day, when my granddaughter is flipping through my journal and asks where this bookmark is from I can tell her it came from a bookstore in Italy on my 25th anniversary trip (and then continue to draw on that little tweak of my memory and tell her how we had climbed the 66 arches in Bologna and after making our way back down we dipped into this little bookshop on such-and-such street where I bought an Italian fairy tale book and they tucked in this bookmark as a freebie)!

If you find yourself nodding here, then I encourage you to read on to find out the 3 reasons why you need one of these pretty pocket folders…

1. You like pretty things

Not only are these pocket folders pretty, but they will help to keep all your items visible and arranged in an organized way - and that is pretty too! Now, when I am out and about, I look for all the pretty things because I know that I have a special place to keep them all. And I love looking back through these folders as reminders of what I have done in past days.

2. You will have all your important ephemera in one place

Last spring Hubby and I went on our Bucket List trip to Italy. Of course I created a personalized journal to document the entire experience. But it was these folders that took it from just a journal to a beautiful display tool! Every event that we attended, every shop that we entered, every restaurant that we ate at and every tourist station that we inquired at yielded maps, business cards, drink coasters, receipts, pamphlets and brochures. Well, I grabbed them all! Having a place to tuck all these reminders of the little things (and big things) on our trip made it all worthwhile. And now, when I share my travel journal with friends and family, all of the ephemera is in one place neatly organized and prettily displayed. And that’s what a girl wants, right?

3. Your friends will all be asking where you bought it

Not only will you be organized, but others will be looking over your shoulder when you whip out your little pocket folder to produce the movie tickets you have safely stored for this moment. Not only will they be impressed that your tickets are not crumpled, but they will feel a little pang that you have something so cute to store them in. And then they will want to know where you got this lovely folder. Of course you will tell them at rePaperedShop!

So, do not be hesitant to collect the things that tell your life story any longer. Even though Marie Kondo may say otherwise, collecting gives us a sense of belonging and history.

Your future generations will thank you…

Traveler's Notebook Set Up 1

I love paper. And notebooks. And journals. And piles of it all.

So it comes as no surprise that I am always playing with different ways to configure my traveler’s notebook.

Here is a look at one way to customize your notebook…

Recycled Paper TN Folders

New folders have just been uploaded to my shop!

These folders have been handcrafted from recycled shopping bags. These colourfully designed bags from Rocky Mountain Soap Co. make a perfect folder with two layers of pockets to hold all your pics, docs or whatever you need to keep track of!

Each folder is 8 in tall and 4.25 in wide in order to perfectly fit into a traditional Traveler’s Notebook, as well as one of the book covers you can find in my shop.

I had fun coming up with the design for this one. I was trying to create something that will allow you to hold many paper items as well as organize them visually. After carefully measuring and folding, I run each folder through my trusty vintage sewing machine to secure the edges and complete the look.

Don’t miss out on these fun and colourful folders. Grab one before they are gone!

Cutest Ever Library Pockets

Do you remember when you were a kid and it was Library Day at school? If you are like me, it was the best day ever! Not only did you get a break from the seat work in class, but it was so exciting to browse shelf after shelf of stories that would take you anywhere you wanted to go. Now, I may come off a bit nerdy here, but as much as I enjoyed a good story, I was also intrigued by the little library pocket at the back of the book. It always looked so perfectly important there, all official and organized, protecting the card holding all the names of the previous readers who enjoyed this very story. I used to check the pocket to see if anyone ever left something in the there (no, but I was always curious and hopeful) and every once in a while I would store my bookmark in that pocket until I started reading the book.

That little pocket made enough of an impression on me that I still hold the memory as an adult. So now, when I am creating items for my Etsy shop, and my goal is to make useful and beautiful things, the idea for a library pocket pops into my head. Even though the ones you’ll find in library books (only the old ones of course as now everything has gone to a digital scanning system) are so cute and tiny, I decided to make these ones long and sturdy.

This past spring, Hubby and I went on our Bucket List trip to Italy. There were 6 stops on our adventure and for each one we had collected all kinds of paper to keep us organized on track - and that was even before we left home! We had AirBnB reservations, train tickets, event bookings, restaurant suggestions, maps, itineraries, and ‘must do’ lists for each destination city that we were to visit. So, in a moment of need mixed with nostalgia, I had the idea to make a long library pocket to hold all of the pertinent pieces for each of the 6 towns on our list.

I simply adhered one pocket in my travel journal every few pages (left blank for documenting the daily goings on while on our actual trip) to not only indicate the order of our trip, but to store and keep handy all of the important papers that we had to produce when we arrived at the next town on our list. Then, when needed, I knew exactly where to go to find the address for the AirBnB. It turned out to be a brilliant idea!

Each of the pockets is fashioned from recycled shopping bags. Not only does this offer a unique and varied characteristic to my journal, but the shopping bag paper is much sturdier than regular paper, making it durable and able to stand up to me reaching in to pull things out and then return them over and over again. And in a world where recycling is a household word now, I figure I am doing good by the environment to use up these pretty bags!

Perhaps you are not going on a trip anytime soon but you are intrigued with this library pocket idea. No worries, there are many other uses for them as well. They could be used in a baby book to hold birth stories or hospital information for new moms. They could hold love letters or pen pal letters (I know people still do that kind of thing because I’ve seen it on Instagram). They’re great in a scrapbook to keep archival documents that are too fragile to be glued in or that need to be read on both sides. And, if you love making lists, they could even hold the weekly shopping list on your fridge for you!

So, if you are interested, I’d love for you to go check out my Etsy shop at rePaperedShop.

I’d even love it if you were to leave me a comment here telling me your idea for how to use one of these lovely long library pockets. Or, perhaps you’d like to share your memory of the good ‘ole Library Days from your childhood - I’d love that too!

Storing My Project Life Traveler's Notebooks for 2018

In recent years, the Project Life format for documenting one’s life has morphed from a variety of pocket page sizes to traveler’s notebooks. More and more, scrapbookers are turning to the traveler’s notebook format to tell the stories of their lives in pictures and words. This leaves the question of how to gather and store a collection of these notebooks.

My solution was to create book covers from vintage books to house the monthly notebooks that I filled in 2018. Take a look below…

I can imagine not only my own family flipping through these books for years to come, but hopefully future generations as well. Each of my notebooks is going to be protected by these lovely covers and make an attractive display on the shelf.

If you are interested, check out the book covers currently in my Etsy shop called rePaperedShop.

How are you storing your traveler’s notebooks?

3 Ways I Plan to Document in 2019

The excitement of a new year is heightened with all the plans to be made!

I just love how everywhere I look people are declaring their goals, insights, changes, and ways to make their lives richer. My life is pretty fulfilling and yet I have been making plans too! There is just something about the opportunity for a fresh start.

Of course, I will be documenting my way through 2019. In 2018 I almost exclusively used a Traveler’s Notebook format for all my scrapbooking and enjoyed it very much. However, I found that I did not always fill a notebook for each month and yet I felt I should be. I mean, who wants to waste all that lovely space in a notebook, right? So I am making a few changes for 2019 and thought I would share with you the 3 ways I plan to document my life this year:

1. Traveler’s Notebook

   Ok, so I did say that I did not fill a notebook every month last year, but that does not mean that I am abandoning this format altogether! I still really enjoy this format and treat it much like I would a traditional 12x12 page layout. I cannot give up the hands on cutting and pasting and moving bits of paper and photos around! The traveller’s notebook is staying but I am refining it’s purpose a bit (as you will see below).

2. Pocket Pages

   I have worked in pocket pages in the past, so this is not a new format to me. However, as of late, I had abandoned this method of documentation and replaced it with the Traveler’s Notebooks. But something has been missing for me. I enjoyed creating pocket pages in the past and have a strong desire to use them again. So, the plan is that I will document the everyday goings on of my life (the shorter stories) in pocket pages and then use the Traveler’s Notebooks for the longer stories.

3. Planner / Bullet Journal / Bujo

Once again, I have attempted this format in the past, but failed miserably. I did learn a lot though, and spent a considerable amount time researching the different methods and techniques that one can use (they are endless!). One of the things that tripped me up last time was that I chose a formula and felt that I should stick with it all year (type A personality here). I got bored. So this time I am going to be more flexible.

I designed the first few pages of the planner (cover shown above) just to get January started and then left the last half of the notebook blank so that I can play around with what and how I want to document. This is exciting to me. I am going to build it as the year unfolds. I will try different formats and formulas to see which ones I like and do not like and which ones to continue the next month (or let go). If it takes me all the way to December before I can say that I am happy with what I created, then so be it! I will have explored and learned so much along the way.

So here we go!

What are your plans for 2019? How will you be documenting? Please let me know in the Comments below as I am still looking for new ideas!

Seattle 2015 Travel Journal

This was one of the first travel books that I ever made. I ended up with quite a few shares on Pinterest over on my previous blog SeriousPlay. I guess that may have been my first inclination that others may also enjoy my books and what I create. 

So I am sharing this travel journal as my first  project here on the new website. Seems fitting.

Click through the gallery below to view the entire travel album...