I WANTED THE CARD-SIZED TRAVELER'S NOTEBOOK SO I MADE IT MYSELF.

because there was no way i was going to be convinced into paying $100 for it.

this past march, traveler's company announced that they'd be releasing a limited-edition card-sized traveler's notebook set at the low, low price of... $98. i understand the appeal; it was tiny, portable, cute. but not cute enough to spend $98. i shrugged it off, unable to figure out a use for it anyway. consumerism about japanese stationery nowadays is ravenous, and it wasn't like i'd be able to get one before they quickly sell out anyway.

but then i came across videos like the one by paperful where they set up their cover to act as a portable anti-scrolling kit, and as someone with ADHD and unhealthy screen time stats, the idea gave me an itch to have my own cover. not enough to pay double the retail price that scalpers are asking for though, not when the size was small enough for me to believe that i could easily make my own without it looking too terrible.

so i made my own.

i could have paid $20-30 to have an etsy seller make me a copycat, but everything pictured i already owned (besides the ereader: xteink x3; i got it on sale for $60) so it was a no-brainer. i would say less than $20 worth of supplies was used to make this.

it was actually pretty easy, and a fun time sink! it's just that the spine's holes are sloppy and a bit unstable b/c i didn't have the right tool to make neat holes at the time. next time i make one, i'll want to use a leather hole puncher.

i plan to use this as my anti-scrolling kit when i'm out and about. so far, i'm liking it. the size is cute and so nice to hold. i don't feel much resistance when i take it out of my pocket, even though i'd be keeping my actual phone in my bag. i just ordered a plastic card folder for $5 that holds up to 10 cards so i can make it my wallet too, and i'll get even more use out of this.

(update as of 9/03: the card folder is perfect. now i feel like i need nothing else for this kit. except maybe a pouch to hold random small ephemera, but that's not necessary atm.)

if anyone wanted to try making one themselves, i measured out the piece of leather and it's about 16cm x 10cm, with the booklets being 13cm x 10cm sheets of paper folded in half. i used elastic strings from an old traveler's company repair kit i had laying around, but you could use any elastic cord of your choosing.