Using the Midori as an Art Journal

Hi everyone!

I've recently been using my Midori as an art journal instead of an everyday planner.

If you remember, I converted to a Midori a while back and thought I could ditch the Filofaxes and use it as planner and calendar instead. I also used it as a journal. I was wrong because I missed the customization of the rings. So I went back to using a Filofax and the Midori sat unused for a few months. 

Lately however, I started using it again, this time as an art journal, inspired by so many people. Because I can't draw to save my life, I use the tools I have at hand - washi tape, stickers, sticky notes, etc.

Here are a few examples of what I have done. 

I used a perforated insert as a Book of Quotes, Poems and Lists. 

A Favorites list. 

A list of "Things I'm Grateful For". 

Another plain notebook is an Art Journal.

I used a kraft paper insert for the first time and I'm loving it.

This spread is all about coffee and cakes. (:

A spread as a tribute to Jane Austen's heroes and heroines. 

I also use the kraft insert like a scrapbook. 

And a 'Memories' list. 

As you can see, my journaling is quite benign and I just journal about anything that strikes my fancy. 

And more recently, a super simple spread with the tools used to make it. 

Lastly, I also have the lightweight paper that I use as a traditional journal. Of course I can't show you what's inside except for one blurry page. (:

I'm starting on a second insert. 

I've been enjoying what I use it for so far. I don't use it everyday. I only write in it when inspiration strikes. And that takes the pressure off needing to fill it up. It's very liberating! 

What do you all use your Midori for?

Thanks for visiting!

And the winners are . . . !

After drawing names from the literal 'hat' here are the winners. 

Congratulations to BRENDA and KATHERINE!

I decided to draw a third name as a consolation prize winner. MAIRA, you will be getting some planner goodies as well!

Please email me your address details and I will send your package next week.

Thank you so much to everyone who wrote in and participated!  I received a total of 34 entries.

Please expect more posts in the coming weeks. My next post will be about using my Midori Traveler's Notebook as a journal/art journal. 

Thanks for visiting, and until next time!

Join me on Instagram

Hi everyone!

I've been absent here for a little bit because I've been having some Instagram fun due to some friends' encouragement and motivation.  I will be posting about things I hope you will still be interested in, which is why you're here in the first place.

This blog will still be up and running and will be a forum for content.  There are just some things you can't say on Instagram.  My next blog post will be about how I organize my life using a color-coding system.

I'm also participating, for the first time ever, in Daily Challenges. I'm doing one for both the Filofax AND the Midori. Ambitious? Oh yeah!  I'm still keeping up with it but it's only Day 6 so we'll see. 

Here they are, in case you want to join in the fun. 

This is the one for the Midori Traveler's Notebook.

And this is the one for a Filofax or any ring-bound planner. 

If you're on Instragram, come and find me.

I'm 

@thestoragestudio

(No big surprise there, huh?)

All for now, thanks for stopping by!

Menu Planning

Hi all!

One of the more frequently used sections in my planner is the Menu section.  As a wife and mother, I try to provide a well-balanced diet for my family, i.e., more variety, less repetitions.

I used to do this daily but found that planning the menu weekly was more efficient and saved more time.

Here's how I do it!

I use this image as a template for the week.  I resized, printed and laminated it so that all I have to do is slap a sticky note onto it and just replace the sticky note weekly.

Daiso sticky film is the perfect size.
Flyleaf with Post-Its for notes.

 Tabs at top and bottom help me to find the template easily

I have a few pages of dishes that I know we like.  I categorized them by entree, soup, salad, etc.  No recipes in here.  If I need to look up a recipe, I go to the Home binder, or the good ole internet.

Two pages of entrees:

Beef, Pork and Veggies

Pork and Fish/Seafood

Followed by:

Appetizers, Salads/Dressings and Soups

Pasta and Desserts

These all used to be in my Home binder but I moved them in here because I do sometimes change what's on the menu mid-week and it was just easier than pulling it out of another binder everytime.

I even remind myself to do it every Sunday night (along with bathing the dog) so I don't forget.

This has been working well for me for a few weeks now.  Since I started doing this, there has been less stressing about what to prepare each day.

I would love to hear what menu planning tips you may have!





Thanks for visiting!

Flyleaves: You Can Never Have Too Many

Hi everyone!

Here's a topic I don't think I have elaborated on very much.

I love flyleaves!  My planner is chock-full of them!  I use them for so many things -- as dividers, to stick notes on, sticky note storage, etc.  Should I need to purge a few pages though, I re-evaluate which I don't really need and they're the first to go.

I have quite a few in my planner now and I thought I'd show you how I use them:

1.  Sticky Note Storage

      I use a fold-out flyleaf for lots and lots of stickies for quick notes.  They then get filed into where they belong within my sections, or tossed out when they're no longer relevant.

There's also a flyleaf with sticky notes right next to my meal planner so I have someplace to write quick notes.

2.    Week Divider

       I do sometimes use just a plain divider using the dividers below.

I prefer accessing the week from the bottom so I cut them slightly longer and punch so that a little bit peeks out at the bottom.

You can juuuust about see it peeking from the bottom  (:

Sometimes though, I want to see my whole week at once and use a folding flyleaf instead.  I made this out of plastic book cover material with a tab on the bottom for easy access.

Flyleaf with tab.  Folds in and holds reminder stickers.

Folds in and out from the left side and holds more stickies on the back.

FF tabbed divider edged with washi

The Blog section also has a divider for stickies.

3.   Divider

      I use a flyleaf as a divider for the To Do section which is within the Notes tab. (I'll be writing about how I use to do lists soon as I have them scattered everywhere.)

Flyleaf with tab at top for the To Do section

I also sometimes use discards from Project Life dividers.

And I think that's it.  I  like having a few scattered around, almost in every section, because there's always a use for them.  I love flyleaves!  (:

How about you?  Do you have flyleaves in your planner?  How do you use them?

Thanks for visiting!

More Dividers

Hi everyone!

I previously showed you some dividers that I made in this post.  I made more recently and thought I'd share them with you.

Like before, I printed these off the web since I couldn't find scrapbook paper that I liked, and there are very few sources for scrapbook paper in Manila.

The above are the same front and back.

I particularly love the look of quotes in my dividers so I made some for the black Kate Spade planner. The quotes on these dividers are black and white on the back side but the polka dots are colored on both sides.

I still want to make some pink polka dot dividers and some with black and white images.  I couldn't find what I want online, surprisingly, but a friend are sending some my way all the way from Texas.  (Yay!)  I'll show them to you when they get here.

Thanks for visiting, till next time!

Traveling with the Midori TN

Hi everyone!

My previous post was about traveling with the Midori TN for the first time. Here's how the Midori fared on the trip.

When I went back from using a Midori to a Filofax as my everyday planner, the Midori was just sitting around doing nothing.  Then I started using it again as a Book of Lists and Quotes.  I have a section for quotes in my Home Binder and everyday planner, so I thought I'd write them in the Midori and 'immortalize' them and make the pages pretty.  Since I can't draw to save my life, it's stickers and sticky notes for me.

Section for Quotes and Poems

Section for Lists

I used the refill with perforated pages. And I used a Pilot Plumix medium italic pen because it makes my handwriting prettier.  It's a joy to use with the Midori's high-quality, fountain pen-friendly paper.

Pilot Plumix Medium Italic nib.  Writes 'almost' like calligraphy.

While planning our weekend vacation, I decided to use the Midori as a Travel Journal, wallet and passport/ticket holder.  It was great for that!  It's' the perfect size to hold tickets, boarding passes, itineraries, and even bills and coins.

Here's the order in which I set it up:

1. Grid notebook for notes pages on places we wanted to see, restaurants we wanted to try, gifts we wanted to buy, our itinerary, and our mobile phone roaming info.  I used Cathy_Vee's dashboard for Post-Its.
2. Refill with perforated pages as Journal.
3. Plastic insert to hold stickers.  The zipped side held currency.
4. Kraft folder for tickets, boarding passes and passports.

Grid notebook held notes for the trip

Zipped pocket insert as wallet.
Credit card holder for cards.
Kraft folder for travel documents.

And of course, it's perfect as a Travel Journal.

I used Smash Pad cards, stickers, washi tape and sticky notes to decorate and document. I also stuck in tickets to shows and my $1 casino refund (I spent a grand total of $10, and that's HK$!  We're not gambling folk!)

The Filofax didn't see much action this weekend and stayed in the hotel room the entire time.

All in all, it worked amazingly!  Whoever invented this thing is a genius!  It was a real workhorse in a pretty little package.  I'll be sure to continue to do this for future trips.  It was so convenient, easy to use, and pretty to boot.

If you're on the fence about getting one, but have no immediate use for it, think about it as a real Traveler's Notebook and it will serve its purpose pretty well.

(I had fun collaging so there wouldn't be too many photos for you to scroll through.  Let me know if it's something you find better to read/scroll through.)

Thanks for visiting!