On-the-Go Card-Making Made Easier This Holiday Season

I made a commitment…

…to a lot of things. One was to make holiday cards for friends and family this year.
I made that commitment with the best intentions. But, without fail, the moment you declare you will be committed to doing x, y, z, here comes Obstacle.

If coming up on the end of our first trimester at school, inheriting four bulletin boards (with two needing to be swapped out ages ago), the beginning of our hybrid model, and parent conferences weren’t already enough, my home life went haywire with some family illnesses and even my sketchbook was acting out.

Okay. So maybe that bulletin board commitment was actually pretty fun. Let’s stay on topic, shall we?

Work is work…and I’ve found there’s not much I can control when it comes to illnesses these days. I even had Covid-19 myself last month.
Yup…

But, that sketchbook thing…I can fix that.

I use a Tomoe River Notebook with a dot grid that I just happen to like since I’m so used to using a Hobonichi Weeks Planner which is very similar. I don’t say this notebook is the best option for ALL media types. Even with pencil, a few too many swipes with an eraser may have you looking for some tape if you’re not careful. But, as a fountain pen aficionado, I am a creature of habit and I have always liked the feel of the paper.

The notebook comes with a plastic cover and is very streamlined. I loved that when I got it in my hands, it was like Aladdin’s genie of the lamp. A TON of paper…itty-bitty book. Still, when I would tuck anything into the notebook to take along, whatever it was would wind up falling out. Sometimes, in the bottom of my tote and sometimes, I wasn’t so lucky with that because everything would get crunched down into the bottom of the bag…including my cards. Annoying. Waste is not fun…neither is it comfortable to be so close to a deadline without having a plan. Again, very teachery concepts. Use all the scraps. Plan ALL the things. So, I decided to address it.

It’s obvious this obsession with lettering isn’t going anywhere any time soon….neither are all my responsibilities…and the notebook has become a must-have-with-me-at-all-times kind of deal. While I’m down with having a place to work and I do have my own space in my home, I don’t always have the luxury of working there. I envy those who have set studio hours and accompanying studio they go to all the time. But, I make on-the-go, so my everyday carry has got to work kinda like a mini-studio. Wherever I set up, that’s where I’m working. The set up has got to be quick, stocked, and given to a nomadic lifestyle. The notebook needed some modifications. What my notebook needed was a real notebook cover.
My old standby habit for notebooks that I know I’m going to use for the long haul is stalking Chic Sparrow for a notebook cover. They’re pretty pricey. So, I don’t stalk unless I know I’m going to be wearing that baby out…and they have to be able to take it. Chic Sparrow has a line of Traveler’s Notebook-Style covers that I find beautiful, practical, customizable, and DURABLE. I have used them for planners, journals, sketchbooks-usually all at the same time because you can put multiple notebooks (called inserts) into one notebook depending on the size. I’ve tried a few variations of TN’s by a few different manufacturers. But, the moment I got my first Chic Sparrow notebook-and that notebook was a Mr. Darcy, Buttered Rum? Honey hush. That was all she wrote. With a Mr. Darcy Buttered Rum Weekly Calendar Cover and my Hobo Weeks, I’ve had planner peace for years. I even had a small semblance of sketchbook peace too since I could sketch a little at the top of a journal page.
But I was looking for a larger size and feel for this notebook. This is what I found…

Did you notice it’s grey?! Like a dreamy pencil drawing! It’s yummy! Every time I look at it, I just want to draw.

Plus, now I can carry a few cards at a time in either the pocket at the front or back. Right now, I carry pencil boards in the back….another thing that wouldn’t keep with the notebook alone that bothered me. The elastic band does a great job of keeping things tucked in too. For instance, the pen loop is super-sized. I technically can put one of my Pentel’s in it. But, its not the best fit. That’s okay since it’s more suitable for a clutch like one of my clipped Kaweco’s and they’re good for blocking things in before you get too detailed anyway…a detail I typically skip, but I know is sound workflow. 😬

But, I’ve done an entire wall drawing with a clutch. Again, likely not sound working practice…but it’s that time thing again. It’ll get ya every time.

As you can see, I have an extensive enough pencil collection.
While there will be stickers (what teacher doesn’t have stickers?), I’m not going to cute this one up like I’ve done with some of my other TNs. No coffee cup or feather charms or anything like that. Maybe a pic or two of my kids. But, it’s strictly lettering and drawing in this one. I’ve even been thinking that I can photocopy a page or two of some lettering books that I have, but don’t get to read…or some passages I want to remember…or quotes I want to get around to lettering some time and carry those in my cover too. After all, some reading on-the-go is better than none!
So, with one less obstacle, I embark upon this commitment again.