How to Change the Elastic for Midori Traveler's Notebooks

We've been missing the elastic on our display Passport Brown Traveler's Notebook for the shop for a while now, and finally, in a spurt of inspiration and productivity, I replaced it. I think the elastic broke because people who aren't familiar with the Traveler's Notebook try to put the elastic back on the cover vertically, like a Rhodia or Leuchtturm elastic, rather than horizontally, which stretches out the elastic, and it snapped. Every time I notice this, it gives me pause and reminds me about just how unique this Midori Traveler's Notebook system is, and why it's become so popular with so many people who need an everyday notebook and planning system. I figured since I was opening up the repair kit, I might as well try out some of the other elastics, since the kit comes with four elastics and one new metal nugget enclosure. I have a Regular Size Blue and a Passport Camel, and Jon has a Passport Black.

I replaced the elastic that closes my Midori with the orange one - blue and orange, one of my favourite combinations! This one is super easy - you just pull out the old one from the hole, and you put the ends of the new one in, and tie a knot.

There are instructions to do this on the back that are very easy to follow (I looked at the pictures...), but here are a few colour photos.

You will need:

• Your Midori
• A repair kit which comes with four elastics and the little end cap that holds the elastics in place
• A hammer
• A pair of scissors (not featured in photo due to a lack of organization on my part)
• Around 15 minutes, especially if it's your first time. After that, you could probably do it in around 5 minutes or less.

I used the leftover notebooks-holding elastic that I cut, but I'm not sure that's the best move (sorry, Jon). The elastic is a bit bouncy, so it doesn't just stay where you want it. It might be better to use some thin rope, or else weigh it down with a charm or bolt.

Even though you may get a cleaner cut by cutting off the excess before you hammer it down, I don't think I'd recommend that, because if the elastics pull loose with the ends to the knot cut so short, the whole thing will come undone, and you'll need to start over with a new elastic. And you're done! New elastic, new you ;)

I'm loving it! I love the pop of colour on my blue Midori, and I also really like the hint of red at the bottom of Jon's passport Black. Because the elastic closing the TN is so easy to change, I may even consider changing my blue Midori's elastic to brown, for something a bit more subtle.

***

As always, we've been busy around here, packing up orders, saying hello to visitors and new folks trying out pens in the shop. We just got in our latest Field Notes' order, including the winter special edition Snowblind, which changes colour from white to blue when you hold it in sunlight. I don't know how they keep coming up with these ideas, those crazy folks at Field Notes. I made my first Chinese-style steamed fish dinner last night, which also involved my first time gutting a whole fish in the kitchen sink. Let's just say next time will involve a sharper kitchen knife, which I would've known had I watched the Youtube video before I did the deed. Here I was thinking this is one of those things that just come instinctively to Asian women in the kitchen. I meant to write this blog post yesterday, and I wish I could say I had a good reason why I didn't get it up, like we just got a big shipment in of something exciting, or I was fixing someone's pen, or I was re-organizing all of our shipping supplies, but it's really because I got in a box of washi tapes I'd ordered online the night before, and left it on my table. Caleb had pulled the box off the table in the morning, and I spent 85% of my expendable time looking for this one lost roll. I found it in Caleb's "tool box," which (joke's on him) might actually be perfect vessel for holding washi tape rolls. Every cloud has a silver lining.