Lady Falcon Travelers

This week the Lady Falcon Traveler's Notebook group hit the 1500 member mark. A festive occasion, one that calls for a festive celebration of the group. What better way to celebrate this than by a giveaway. At the moment the admins of the Lady Falcon Traveler's Notebooks are thinking about what would be an awesome giveaway for you guys, so stay tuned for what we come up with. It'll be announced some time this week, or at the latest the beginning of next week. However awesome 1500 members is, this post is supposed to be about the 2016 weekly photo challenge we are hosting at the Lady Falcon Traveler's Notebook group. I first made it with some 50+ prompts, but since we are now 7 weeks into the new year, I removed a few and have reduced the prompts to 45. Here they are, 45 planner, Traveler's Notebook related prompts. Open to your interpretation, let your imagination take you by the hand and show us your planners, your Traveler's, your tools of the trade, your messy weekdays and what have you. Anything goes, as long as it's PG-rated =) To make it a bit more interesting, the admins of the Lady Falcon group will select a photo each week for the groups banner and at the end of the year, 2 winners will be selected. Prices are yet to be determined, but will no doubt be awesome! One of the winners will be the photo that was most liked by the group members (got the most likes) and the admins get to choose the other winner, which will be the picture they like the best. So be sure to tag your photo #weeklyphotochallenge2016 and post it in the group.  You can of course also post and tag your photo's on IG, however to be eligible for the prizes, you have to be a member of the group. To start you all off I made some pics of a few travelers I have in use at the moment, my little planner pile.... Some of these are used daily... and some mainly live in the bookcase next to my computer... Some go with me everywhere... And some stay at home mostly..but all of them are dearly loved and part of who I am, since parts of me get poured onto those pages... Yes call me a nerd, that's Okay...I wholeheartedly admit to being just that =) Hope you enjoyed and I hope you join us with the challenge and who knows, maybe you will be one of the winners at the end of the year! xx Monique  

In my last blogpost I referred to my suitcase with Traveler's Notebook inserts.... This suitcase belonged to an aunt of my mother and she took it with her on every trip she took. She loved Traveling. However the suitcase is now not very practical anymore and I wouldn't want it to get damaged from traveling. With that in mind and my collection of Traveler's Notebook inserts and other journals that I've been keeping and collecting over the years, I thought it very fitting that they should stay in the suitcase.   So here it is, a short but picture heavy post. These are by no means all the inserts and journals I have, some live on shelves others in drawers and I have quite a few Traveler's keeping inserts as well But here we are, a few booklets in a suitcase from somewhere in the 1950-60s It's been around a bit and so have some of the inserts in it. I do like the look of this colorful chaos The suitcase is mostly closed to keep the booklets from gathering dust. But I sometimes open it to look through it Mostly for no reason at all. Maybe just browse through a few, get a feel of the paper. Remember some things and some people. And gather ideas that got lost in time, buried under layer upon layer of days going into months going into years.... I wish I could keep every memory alive all the time, but I can't and that's OK. I have my suitcase and every now and again I can take a little peek at them. I would love to know what you use to keep your notebooks, let me know in the comments =) Have a great week. xx Monique    

Just a quick post with a video of my updated Traveler's Notebook Planner setup for January 2016.

I also made some adjustments to the insert listings on Etsy and added a range of lovely designer covers to choose from for you notebook covers or folders. I hope I made the ordering process easier, by removing the separate listings for each size and style and have condensed the insert listings to:

• MOTP-WOTP combo insert, with either a listing for a design cover or a listing for a plain card-stock
• WOTP or MOTP insert, with either a listing for a design cover or a listing for a plain card-stock
• Bullet journal insert, with either a listing for a design cover or a listing for a plain card-stock
• Notes Insert, plain/grid/lined/dot-grid/cross-grid, with either a listing for a design cover or a listing for a plain card-stock

I now also have the folders with either a listing for a design cover or a listing for a plain card-stock, with or without pen-loops. All the diary styles are shown here on my Diaries explained page and you can also find the color options for the diaries there.   And just because I'm so happy with these I'll post the larger files for the cover options here, you can get them in any combination, just let me know which should be the front and which the back of the paper! Aren't they pretty...  a true spring collection. Now you can still get them in the plain card-stock covers. I updated those colors as well, so there are more options available. Hope you enjoyed the video and if you have any questions, please let me know. Have a great day xx Monique    

It's been rather a busy few weeks these past weeks. To relax a little I like to work in my art journal. At the moment I have 2 art-journal Travelers. One is Regular size and the other is A5. Today I want to share with you my oldest TN in use. It looks lovely, marked with all things life has thrown at it. Still as strong as ever. It's the same saddle leather I usually use, maybe even a little thinner. Its lovely brown glow does not come from any dye, well apart from the acrylic and ink add-on's....It's just oiled veg tan leather... It has been in constant use for over 2 years. First as my husbands work TN, but from the moment he switched to A5 I claimed this one as mine. I made a few more like this back then, "oil dyed" and with the closure coming from the back in stead of the spine....wonder what they look like by now. As you can see the art journal TN cover has the tannery stamp with the size of the hide and as luck would have it...it spells Joy! And a joy it is working in this one! I'm definitely still very happy with it, even after these 2 years have gone by. As you can see, my original bookmark has now almost completely shredded. Wonder what happened to it. However this gave me a reason to add 2 extra bookmarks with beads and now it all looks happy again. I use it as an art-journal and currently also have 1 full journaling insert in there, because I'm not ready to retire that one to "the suitcase" yet... I will probably do that once the new insert is almost full... Don't worry, photo's of "the Suitcase" will follow in one of the coming posts...=) Around the Art-journal I have a little folder, with some extra bits and some freezer paper to put between wet pages, to stop them from sticking. My art journal insert is nearly full... just a few backgrounds to dabble with left and a few empty pages.... almost time for a new one.... probably a junk journal again because I like the haphazardly way those inserts are made and the fact that all pages are different. I love making those inserts and have made quite a few over the past years. Also make for a great way to use up all those drop sheets used to protect the table top from getting covered in ink and paint. Although I like having a little paint on my table... Anyway, I'm ready again to tackle the rest of the year. Do you currently have an art-journal? I would love to see yours. Have a wonderful week, xx Monique  

Well, that is, it's easy enough if you go with all the defaults, but to make it your own and have all the bells and whistles you saw in other shops, that you really thought were awesome....That ain't easy... However being a former IT admin, I do know a bit about these things. I've build a website before and dabbled with html and style sheets and stuff, had several blogs and know a little bit of scripting, so I should be fine... However it looks like it's going to be a lengthy process. I'm doing it all next to the up and running Etsy store, which is going great, which in turn means there not all too much time to spend on things like setting up my own store front... I finally managed to get it all up and running last week and filled the store with all stuff I had already made, like the Turquoise Traveler you see in the picture below. I was so happy and proud to have it all listed and have my own store...the first of my goals for 2016 already accomplished and it wasn't even 2016 yet... Now this store is going to be the face of Morgan Le Fae's Trinkets and I want it to have a touch of me, the things I like and cherish. Things that speak to me. I've now been making Traveler's Notebooks since 2013 and have feel I have developed a unique style and approach to things. I like to work with you to make you the notebook you want. In this new store I will also strive to have things already made, develop my brand and style and grow, both personally and professionally. I have been working on my new type of inserts for the store, the Falcon Files. They will soon be available ready to go in the new store. Still working out the kinks in the early birds and since this also has to happen alongside the thriving Etsy shop...it may not be next week. However I'm happy with how they are turning out so far. The new store will not only have already made items, you will also be able to purchase custom made Travelers and other items, just like you were used in the Etsy store. I hope to be able to get these up and running in the next month. I hope the ordering process will get a lot easier, because the options the new store front offers are better to shape to the Notebook possibilities. Until then all is still available in the Etsy store. I also love that I now get to make and design a storefront with pretty pictures and I already started to take some of the quotes I collected over the years. Quotes that I felt are appropriate and somehow speak of the way I feel about my Traveler's Notebooks. I've set up a coupon code for 20% off in January 2016, celebrating the new year and new beginnings, a fresh start. You can find it both on Etsy and in the new shop, just click on the [Get Discount] button. I hope to see you there sometime and I hope you check back often to see how the store will change over the course of this year. I know I am very excited about things to come and have a gazillion ideas I want to implement... however the days still only have 24 hrs, so I'll all have to be one by one. Have a wonderful and fabulous 2016 and I hope you are as excited as I am about the things the new year will bring. xx Monique  

I get that question a lot: How many inserts does your Traveler's Notebook hold. Specially when talking about a Regular sized Traveler. I always feel a little lost with this question, because I know there is no straight forward answer. It all depends on the thickness of the inserts. That's why I thought I would write a blog post about it and try to show you what I mean. I do have a standard respons, because generally speaking this is what it comes down to. However it all depends on the inserts. I Usually say, my Regular Size (RS) cover allows for 3-4 inserts, that's booklets, folders and such and my XL RS, being 20 mm wider, will allow for 6-8 inserts. However, like I said, it all depends on the inserts, not all inserts are the same. You have your folders, plastic zipper pouches, leather wallet inserts and booklets. Now most things are fairly straight forward and it is clear that a folder will get thicker when you put stuff in it and so does a zipper pouch. A leather insert has a thickness of it's own and mostly that seems to be clear. It's the booklets that cause the confusion. Not all booklets are equal...there's even a difference between a booklet that hasn't been written in and one that is full. This is something you should take into account when looking for inserts. Also my inserts, the Falcon Files, are about 60 pages. Looking around on Etsy and elsewhere, I have found most inserts are about 40 pages. Fieldnotes booklets are 48 pages. Midori inserts and Moleskine cahiers have about the same number of pages as my Falcon Files. This all makes it difficult to compare. So I'm not going to do that, I'm just going to give you a real life example. My own Regular size Traveler. This is my Little red Dragon, my journaling TN at the end of December 2015 and all inserts are full. I have a leather wallet insert, A Midori Plastic zipper pouch, with stuff, A journaling insert, the Arrows dot-grid free Falcon File printable, this one is completely full, A folder with pen-loops, decorated as time passed and with stuff...stickers, bills etc. My miscellaneous booklet, been with me since march 2015, half full, And to show that it really is a wallet that wraps around the inserts, here's the back, with bits and bobs in it. I'm counting 5 inserts in this Traveler. making it rather full, but I still feel it is doable. I've got no inserts sticking out at the end and I can still hold it with one hand. Any more however would not do. Not with these inserts and not when they are full. As you can see in the below picture, a full insert can get rather bigger. This isn't even an insert with lots of photo's and ephemera added in. In the picture below you can see 2 new unwritten inserts. Both have the same amount of pages and both are new, however the middle one is made with Tomoe River Paper. The Tomoe River paper is thinner, making for a thinner booklet. Now since I want to start using the Little Red Dragon as a planner again and keep the personal size as a wallet plus bullet journal, I made 3 new inserts all from Tomoe River paper and added them to the Traveler. Measuring again, these three new inserts replacing the 2 previous inserts now give me a 5 cm high stack...1 cm less then it was before. Now I know with use this will grow again, but for now I'm fine with this. Below you see the new inserts I added. I have to blame Janet for the angels, but I'm pretty chuffed with these covers. The first insert is a modern style MOTP-WOTP combination diary, which is 72 pages. The second is a dot-grid journaling insert, with 60 pages. Followed by the Miscellaneous insert for this year, 64 pages. With birthdays, a Password Tracker conversion tables, a menu planner and an index listing in the back I hope you see what I mean, when I say, there is no simple answer to that simple question. I can say 3-4 inserts, like most do and yes, that would be true....depending on the inserts...and depending on how you plan to use them. I know I will probably be best off with 2 booklets max, or perhaps now, with the Tomoe River paper, 3 max...however those are 5-6 inserts and not 2-3.   I hope you found this informative. Have a wonderful weekend and a fabulous 2016! xx Monique  

I've been making lot's of TN's with pockets lately. Hand stitching pockets on Traveler's Notebooks is quite different from hand stitching wallets with thinner softer leathers. However I feel I've mastered the craft by now, so next I'll be making messenger bags...I've got one commission already for a messenger bag. That'll be one for my daughter... the prototyping can start....but first I'll show you what I've been up to these past weeks. Painted TN's are a thing I love to do and I love how people come up with ideas for their own personal Traveler's Notebook, unique to them. Like this Steampunk lady  Personal Size Traveler's Notebook. As I learned yesterday, this was inspired by many little snippets of interest in the life of the lovely lady this is going to. Steampunk, Outlander, Vampire diaries etc. I love that, not only do I have many similar interests, but I love that people will tell me things about their life and that through this I get to touch on a person's life for just a brief second and get to know them, just a little bit. However not all TN's I make are painted, most actually are "merely" dyed. Like this very cute English bridle A6 Traveler's Notebook with pockets, white stitching and a pen-loop. Making all those wallet inserts and Traveler's Notebooks also means I've gained quite a bit in speed with the hand sewing, which made it possible to add just a stitched edge to the store. Something I didn't do before, because it took so much time to sew it all by hand. I now feel the sewn edge is a viable and lovely decorative addition to any Traveler's Notebook. Last but not least and already at its new home is a Thor themed Traveler's Notebook, which I did with a stencil technique that doesn't leave any feathering, but just clean crisp edges. The Thor themed Traveler's Notebook is like the Enterprise themed Traveler's Notebook from a while back and the "JOURNEY" Traveler's Notebooks from last year something I will be exploring further in the future, specially since I'm going to try and start adding ready to ship items to the shop, since all items now are made to order. Which is in effect, like a friend said, as if my shop is always sold out... Hope you enjoyed my notebooks and do stop by the shop or if you want something custom made, drop me a line. Have a great day, xx Monique

Never Reblogged anything but I have to share this with you...specially the photobombing kitty in one of the photo's =)

I needed a new diary for my Personal size Traveler's Notebook, since the old one was only to the end of September ... Somehow it escaped me that October had already come and I still didn't have a new diary for my every day carry .... What is a girl to do in a situation like that.... I already had an idea for a new style diary, I just never came round to actually making it. Making new templates always takes more time than you would anticipate. Which of course is the reason I've been putting making the new diary for my EDC off. However now I could no longer do that, it was now, or just use one of the existing templates I really wanted the new design, because I wanted it to go with the new paper I now offer as covers for my inserts ... So I made myself a new lay-out. Building on the modern style I already offer, changed a bit, added a bit, went for a bit of color and now I have a super cute Grunge style diary ...and combined with my new paper... I'm so loving it I glued a little owl to the inside of the cover, just to get me started...   I really like this style diary and will definitely develop the design a bit further and make it in all other sizes as well   But for now I'm quite happy with how it looks. This diary template, for oct-dec in personal size is availabe in the Lady Falcon Box folder, which you can find via the free printable templates page. I also added a page to this blog with information about my diaries and the different styles there are. This to make purchasing the right diary for you easier. I also have new listings in my Etsy shop where you can choose your diary template, size and cover. This way I won't need to add a listing for every template I have (listed and non-listed), to the shop and the shop won't get too crowded with loads of listings where you would never be able to find what it is you want... I hope you enjoyed this and do check out the templates explained page =) Have a wonderful weekend xoxo Monique Here are a few of the new listings for printed inserts. Choose your size and cover and leave me a note with the appropriate template: Week on two pages: WOTP Diary inserts, Printed template of your choosing, Traveler's Notebook Insert, Several sizes WOTP Diary inserts, Printed template of your choosing, Traveler's Notebook Insert, Several sizes, designer cover Bullet journal inserts, cross-grid, dot-grid, grid or lined: Bullet Journal inserts, Printed template of your choosing, Traveler's Notebook Insert, Several sizes, Designer cover Notes inserts, cross-grid, dot-grid, grid, lined, or plain: Notes inserts, Printed template of your choosing, Traveler's Notebook Insert, Several sizes, Designer cover  

For quite some time now, I've had angels on my mind... even from before I went on holiday in July. Early July I received an question from Janet to make and paint a set of 3 Traveler's Notebooks using a gorgeous image of an Angel standing in water under a stormy sky. It took me some time to get myself to work on it...obviously there were the standard set-backs...like my camera dying on me and the repair man taking his time...but then there was also some definite procrastination involved, due to fear of not doing it justice....especially since I felt it had a deeper significance to Janet. Now I love drawing and painting angels, but drawing and painting on a canvas is something entirely different to drawing and painting on leather. The leather has to be wet when painting and that makes it very susceptible to dents and impressions... However, I got past my fear, got up the nerve and started the painting and now here they are... 3 lovely angels, flying in the face of stormy weathers, coming through heavy waters and emerging as a figure of beauty on the other side. The Traveler's Notebooks are 3 different sizes, an A4 An A5 and a Regular size Traveler's Notebook I gave Janet the pictures of the proces to making these Traveler's Notebooks and she wrote 2 blogposts about them (here and here), so I think I will just refer you to her blog for the additional images and I will leave you with this funny picture of me juggling my brushes while working on a painting =)... yes I know I should take better care of my brushes... and the mess I make while painting... Thank you for watching and I wish you all a wonderful week.

Well maybe not so winding, but long it is, the road I painted on a custom requested Traveler's Notebook. Before I went on holiday I got a request for a custom traveler's Notebook with a picture of a gorgeous view of the milky-way in the sky and a road leading toward a soft sunset in the far distance. The view of the milky way was so beautiful, I wished we could see the stars here like this, but I'm afraid there's a bit too much light pollution going on in our crowded little country. The Traveler's Notebook is well underway to its new home so here are a few pictures of it. It started out looking like this. and I had every intention of making photo's while I was painting it...but failed horribly. That's the trouble with getting all caught up into the painting... I also made several other TN's, but I'll keep those for later. In the mean time there is a little treat for those that like to make their own inserts. I made a cute dot-grid insert with some doodled arrows I had in my media stash.  I have no clue where they came from, but they were in my free to use folder. Therefore it's available from my free templates folder, which you can find via this page. And since I needed a new journaling booklet, I printed one for myself and made a booklet. I love how I can now print my own decorated papers and make my booklet covers with them. With the A3 printer, I even had paper left over to make a cover for my next personal size diary and make one of my bookmarks with leather tabs, to match the cover. Next I will use it to make folders...the sky is the limit as they say, so here are a few more images of the lovely milky way TN. I really like how he turned out. I'm off now to go and work on my special project with angels (ssst don't tell anyone, it's a secret) and I hope I will be able to show you that next time.... I hope you enjoyed this and I wish you a lovely weekend.