Set-up for my Regular Size Midori (+ re-stock of Special Edition Blue Pan Am!)

Happy Friday! Fridays have been pretty lucky for us around here - we had the Emeraude de Chivor arrive a few Fridays ago, and now, just through our doors is another shipment of the Special Edition Blue Midori Covers + accessories. You can see everything here, but specifically the leather cover here. It's a decent sized shipment this time, but they've been flying off the shelves, so I wouldn't wait too long if you're interested.

Our first shipments went fast! And we didn't have too many accessories, so we tried to place a limit on how many you could get at once. However, we've got some better stock this time, especially of the accessories, so take a look at what you'd like! We're expecting one more shipment in late September, and that will be about it, unless we luck out into another after, so I think now's your best chance in terms of stocking up.

I held off on the Pan Am refills until now. I'm personally more of a graph person, but I can't resist how the plain insert's inside cover has these helpful hints for airplane safety. We've been selling out of our earlier shipments of the Blue Midoris because of limited supply and so much anticipation, but we had a customer return one without the packaging, so I finally got mine! I've had a few weeks to break mine in, and so I thought to celebrate our latest shipment coming in, I'd let you know how I'm using my new Regular Size Traveler's Notebook. For the longest time, I was a passport size user, and I used it as a memo book/wallet, just to keep track of small notes and thing. I think it took me a while to figure out my system and how to utilize it most efficiently to fit my life. Since I've moved over to the larger Regular Size Midori, I am seeing why more people prefer this size. I'm still using the Passport Sized one, primarily as a wallet and to put small notes I need I need to remember, lists, it's more convenient to just tuck in my bag on the go, but I'm finding I'm using my Regular Size one more and more.

I know some people use their Midori as a journal, and they include bits and pieces from their daily life, or as their daily agenda - if you're interested in that, you should check out Instagram for Midori shots! However, I'm a bit tamer: I am using the Regular Size Midori to do a bit more of the planning and brainstorming for the shop and the blog. The organization of having all the shop stuff separate from everything else has been pretty helpful. I keep three inserts in addition to the the Zipper Pocket - one calendar, and two inserts.

I use my calendar insert (monthly) to organize what's going on with the blog and the shop (events and things). It's great as a visual look at when and what I'm posting and what's happening in the shop. Most of the time the blogging feels a bit reactive, I blog when new things come in, and sometimes it's a bit of a surprise to us, and when life happens with the family, but I'm trying to be a bit more organized about it all. Here's August so far:

I'm using the other two inserts to do brainstorming and planning for the blog and for the shop. One of the inserts I use it to plan out ideas that I'm going to write about on the blog or bigger picture ideas that may one day work themselves somehow into the business. We have plans for swabbing and displaying inks in the shop, getting the website cleaner and more organized, new product lines to research or bring in. The other insert is for notes on the logistics of the business, ordering, new products, customer stuff. Daily stuff that may need to be referred to, but probably won't need to be kept for very long (hopefully!). I separated all the logistical stuff into another insert, since it is more just information and notes, and not really so much ideas that I may look at later.

However, one of my favourite things about this Pan Am edition is the Pan Am Zipper pocket. It's meant to match the blue leather and the Pan Am edition, but it's also just a really cool version of the zipper pocket even aside from that. It's great that it's not a consumable, but that you can use it for as long as you have your notebook, and of course you can even use it in a different Traveler's Notebook. The front zipper pocket is the same as the clear standard version, except it's blue. The back has something that looks a bit like a boarding pass, but it also has a spot to slide in loose tickets or papers.

The back has pockets for cards, and on the other side of this back flap is also the same sleeve/pocket to slide in loose papers and notes. This is really my favourite accessory because there are so many spots to put so much - receipts, photos, notes, stamps, loose change...

This is the zipper pocket accessory on my passport Midori, which had to double up a bit. The paper is also very good for fountain pens in these inserts, so I also use it to write out quotes and things when inspiration strikes.

I'm still breaking this Midori in and also figuring out the balance between the Regular and the Passport size, so I think there may be another post to come on how it's all working out for me. I don't think I will ever go back to using just the passport size, but who knows!