The links below may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small compensation at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here. 

My traveler’s journal is my never-leave-home-without planner. It is literally my brain on paper and I use it constantly to keep track of so many areas of my life. After keeping a bullet journal for years, I was so happy to discover traveler’s journals that would allow me to keep different “subjects” in separate notebooks… all in one planner. 

I have four notebooks in my traveler’s journal– one for HOME & FAMILY, one for HOMESCHOOL & COMMUNITY, one for WORK, and one for PERSONAL & COMMONPLACE. I also have switched to a two-year calendar in my traveler’s journal, rather than always writing the calendar pages in my notebooks myself. (Though some especially busy months, I will still create my own calendar pages).

After shopping around for traveler’s journals online, I decided to make my own cover for two reasons–

1. Most of the quality options I found were expensive or had a long wait to receive the product
2. I wanted my traveler’s journal to include pockets for little papers and pens

I made my first traveler’s journal cover 2 years ago and loooooved it. After 2 years of wear, however, it was time for a new cover, so I made a new one this past week to start the new year fresh and shiny.

You can find a full, printable tutorial to make your own traveler’s journal in my Etsy shop. Only basic sewing skills are needed and the cost of materials is small, especially if you can pull from a fabric stash.

Why a Traveler’s Journal?

1. It’s completely customizable. You can use it however you like, add whatever flair you like, embellish it with doodles or stickers or journaling supplies.
2. It’s refillable so can be used year after year. The great thing about a traveler’s journal is that when a notebook is full or irrelevant, you can simply take it out and slip a new one in. This is great if you like to have a fresh start at the new year too (I definitely do!)
3. It’s inexpensive. The cost of notebooks is small, and besides that all you really need is a pen. Making your own is very reasonable too.
4. It fits individual preferences & needs. You can add three notebooks or five. Make one dedicated to drawing comics or nature journaling. Make a gratitude or memory journal. Or, like I have promised my kids, use them in homeschool for narrations, spelling, math, timelines, etc.
5. It’s the perfect size to tuck in a bag and carry with you. My traveler’s journal comes with me everywhere. I love that it’s not full-size or fun-size. It fits in almost all of my purses/bags that I use on a regular basis.
6. It can be filled with blank, ruled, or printed notebooks. I prefer blank notebooks over ruled, but you can use either one. You can also purchase notebooks for traveler’s journals that are printed and ready to go. (I like Juniper Grove for these).
7. It’s perfect for people who want a little more organization/options for bullet journaling. Don’t want to put everything into one journal? That’s what the traveler’s journal is for. This helps not only to distinguish subjects between notebooks, but also means they will last longer.

DIY Traveler’s Journal

Recommended supplies for Traveler’s Journals ::

• Etsy Sewing Tutorial to make your own
• Moleskin cashier journals — lined
• Moleskin cashier journals — blank 
• Blank notebooks bulk
• Juniper Grove journal inserts (really great options here)
• Pilot G2 Gel Pen (Favorite pens!)
• washi tape
• Magnetic Bookmarks
• Post-It notes in all sizes
• Noted Post-Its (these are so helpful)
• Leather journal cover (I just figured I would add this one if you wanted to completely skip sewing and buy a cover. Ha!)

Filling the pages :: 

Putting the first marks on the pages can seem really overwhelming, so I have found that making a plan on loose paper or post-its helps me to figure out exactly what I want to use each notebook for, what specific pages I want in each notebook, and then of course, the order that they are included. 

After I get the page numbers in, I can use my notes to create a table of contents for each notebook.

In addition to writing in my own lists and charts and such, I also like to print off resources that I reference often at 50% and tape them into my notebooks. You can do this with any kind of checklist, printable, calendar, etc that you like to use. Here are some of my favorites that are available for free on my site: 

• Kitchen Essentials Checklist
• Freezer Inventory
• Seasonal Menus (Fall & Winter, Summer Lunch, Summer Dinner)
• Everyday Menus (Frugal Dinner Ideas, Adventure Day Menu, Lunch Tray Ideas)
• Best Kids’ Book Authors
• Treehouse Schoolhouse Nature Study Seasonal Calendars
• Reading Lists & Plans
• Seasonal Reset Questions

I hope this been helpful. Remember that even though there are some incredibly beautiful traveler’s journals and bullet journals online, ultimately the purpose is that your journal will add value to YOUR life. In other words, as long as it works for you and helps you, it doesn’t have to look any certain way.

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The links below may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small compensation at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here.

We are just a couple of weeks away from Christmas, which means my little sewing workshop is open and in full swing! It’s time to pull out my sewing machine and fabric stash and get busy DIY-ing gifts for family and friends.

I did some sewing over the weekend, including making another infinity scarf (my collection is getting pretty big!), and sewing another couple of zipper pouches (also a big collection of these).

My husband was so helpful as to get the kids out of the house a bit so I could record step-by-step videos of how to make each of these simple projects. You can watch the video below or scroll on down to the process pictures and skip the video.

I love making both scarves and zipper pouches for gifts because they’re so easy to make and so easy to customize! You can also find even more DIY gift ideas in this post. 

How to Sew An Infinity Scarf in 10 Minutes

You’ll need to buy some jersey knit material for these scarves. The knit is great because you don’t have to worry about finishing the edges since they do not unravel.

Plus, if you get them to cut the fabric to the right length, you won’t even need to cut it again at home!

JoAnn’s and Hobby Lobby both have so many options of knit fabrics. You can see a few of my favorite scarves in the picture above. I love the versatility of the solids and love the fun pop of color and patterns with the prints.

Of course, I also just love how my scarves help to keep me warm in the winter too! 

Good news! You can make an infinity scarf for less than $10 and in less than 10 minutes.

One cut. And one line of stitching 20 inches. And that’s it!

10 Minute Infinity Scarf Tutorial

Materials Needed

• 1 yard jersey knit fabric
• coordinating thread

Supplies

• Sewing shears and/or rotary cutter
• Cutting board (optional)
• Sewing machine (I have this one)

Method

1. Fold the fabric in half and cut a piece 28″ x 20″ (unfolded 56″ x 20″) —see picture below.

To make a scarf for a child, cut a piece 20″ x 15″ (unfolded 40″ x 15″). Follow the directions below. 

2. Sew the short sides together (opposite the fold) to form a loop.

3. Flip the loop so the right side of the seam is facing out. Stretch it a bit and the edges will roll in. Fold it in half widthwise and loop it around your neck twice. And you’re done!

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More Quick and Easy Projects:

The post How to Sew An Infinity Scarf in 10 Minutes! appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.

The links below may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small compensation at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here.

This week I have been chatting with my friend Sarah from Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls about low-tech fun for kids– you know, for when we want them occupied and happy and **cough** quiet, but don’t necessarily want to default to screens.

With five kids in ten years, I’ve definitely had to learn how to keep the kiddos quiet and busy in church, at restaurants, waiting in the doctor’s office, on car rides, you get the picture. 

Want to know one of my go-to, top-secret (not really), best ideas?

Make a quiet book with interactive pieces, removable toys, colorful activities, and pages that can be taken out and given to multiple children. 

My kids’ quiet book is almost ten years old and is still going strong. This project does not involve very complicated sewing, but it can take time to put together the pages. The great thing is, though, that once the pages are done, they can be enjoyed for years to come.

Another idea to make the process of putting together your own quiet book is to make it a group effort! Making a quiet book is a great thing to turn into an exchange party. Everyone makes ten of one page, then gets together to exchange pages so that each person goes home with ten different pages.

What a great idea for the holidays! 

Quiet book ideas are really limitless, but keep scrolling and I’ll show you all of the pages in our quiet book and the materials we used, including one page based on one of my children’s favorite board books!

If you’re new to embroidery, but want to incorporate that into your book, I have a few simple tips to get you started.

Quiet Book Ideas ::

The Construction

The size of my book is 12″x12″. Big enough to keep kids engaged and small enough that I don’t mind adding it to a large tote. 

The pages are all cut from white cotton flannel. I cut each 12″ square out and then ironed mid-weight interfacing on the back to make them more reinforced. At that point, I added the design/activity to the page. Two completed pages were placed on top of each other, wrong sides together, and attached with bias tape to finish the edges.

I used 2 grommets in each page and 2 book rings to form the completed book. The book rings are nice because they make it easy to take a page or two out for sharing when more than one child wants to play with the book.

The Cover

The cover is made from cotton fabric and corduroy that i had on hand. I did not add any interfacing because with the bulk of the pages it wasn’t necessary. The edges are finished with white bias tape, just like on the pages.

The inside back side of the cover has a small pocket to store loose parts as needed. I found that I often needed to store the magnetic stars in there to keep them from falling off and being lost.

I sewed a simple strap with a magnetic closure to make it easy for my son to open and close the book himself.

The Pages

“Buckle Up”

{cotton fabric scraps, embroidery thread, assorted buckles}

This page is one of my kids’ favorite pages right now. Buckle. Unbuckle. Buckle. Unbuckle. Repeat again and again.

“Big Red Barn”

{felt, embroidery thread, plastic buttons}

This is another favorite page. It was inspired by this one. The animals inside the barn are finger puppets. The flowers and the butterfly are buttons that I sewed on. The butterfly slides back and forth on the string.

“Noah’s Ark”

{felt, velcro, small animals}

This is a fun page for older preschoolers/young children who want something more to play with. Lots of animals fit inside that little ark.

“Beep Beep”

{felt, cotton fabric scraps, embroidery thread, plastic buttons, pipe cleaners, elastic, ribbon, zipper}

Little robot inspired by this one. The arms are fabric tubes with pipe cleaners inside so they will bend and stay in place. The legs are tubes with elastic inside to stretch. The zipper creates a fun little pocket and the remaining buttons and ribbon are tactile fun.

“Blast Off”

{embroidery thread, ribbon, wooden decorative pieces, safety pin, magnets}

One more page inspired by Homemade By Jill. The spaceship is a wooden decorative piece found at the craft store. I hot glued a safety pin to the back and slide the ribbon through. The ship “blasts off” up the ribbon. The planet and stars are also wooden decorative pieces. The planet is fixed down with hot glue, but the stars have magnets on the back so they can be taken off and put back on again.

“Gone Camping”

{fabric scraps, zipper, felt, embroidery thread, stuffing}

Don’t ask me why I put a bear and a fire inside the tent. It seemed like a cute thing to do. But as a camping family, this one always makes me chuckle. No fires inside tents, kids! The bear, fire, and moon all have a little stuffing inside to make them more three-dimensional.

“The Shepherd & The Angel”

{cotton fabric scraps, felt, velcro, iron-on adhesive, Christmas finger puppets}

I made this page after I finished all the others because I wanted a page that would help me to tell the Christmas story to my toddler son. I found the finger puppets at Hobby Lobby in a little set for a couple of dollars. I glued velcro to them and made the hilltop scene.

“Away in a Manger”

{cotton fabric scraps, velcro, iron-on adhesive, Christmas finger puppets}

This is the second half of the set that I found at Hobby Lobby. Again, I glued velcro to the backs of the finger puppets and made the manger scene using fabric scraps and iron-on adhesive.

“The Little Blue Truck”

{felt, embroidery thread, velcro, animal stickers}

When my oldest was a toddler, Little Blue Truck was his favorite book. My husband and I had it memorized and could (and would) recite it in the car, no book needed. I used one of the pages in the book to create this scene. It’s my favorite in the book.

The truck is made from felt and I gave it more details with a fine-tip sharpie. It has velcro on it, too, so it can be moved down the road.

The animals (there used to be a page-full) and flowers are stickers which I glued to felt and then cut out. I glued the rough side of velcro to each of them so they could be rearranged on the page.

“God’s Promise”

{felt, embroidery thread, stiff felt, velcro}

I bought stiffer felt to use for the rainbow pieces on this page. Don’t forget ROY G BIV when making your rainbow. (I know there’s no P, but my choices were a limited). Each rainbow piece has two velcro pieces so they will stick to the felt.

“Wallet in my Pocket”

{old pocket or cotton fabric scraps, mid-weight fabric, ribbon, button, elastic, plastic cards}

The pocket was actually cut from an old pair of shorts that was in my scraps pile because I liked the print. I made a simple wallet and attached it to the shorts with the ribbon because I didn’t want it being used apart from the quiet book.

“Hanging Up the Laundry”

{felt, embroidery thread, stuffing, ribbon, flannel scraps, small clothespins, pipe cleaner, mid-weight fabric scraps}

This page is the one that has suffered the most loss over five years. The tops of the clothespins kept being pulled off and I stopped putting them back on. The basket used to be filled with clothes, but all that’s left are the pants. However, it would be simple to refresh the page.

The clothespins were glued down to the page. The sun has stuffing inside to make it more three-dimensional. The pipe cleaner serves as handles on the basket. The clothes were cut from flannel so I didn’t have to worry about finishing the edges. You could use felt for the clothes, too, but I wanted something with a print.

Hope you enjoyed a peek at our quiet book. Comment below and share if you’ve made a quiet book before, or if you have other good low-tech activity options. Find more simple crafts and DIY here.

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