What am I taking for my travel/ holiday journaling to Turkey?

Hello Dear,

I might have been neglecting this blog for a bit... Mostly cause I was not in the right head space and I have been a bit busy... With a bunch of things and coping was a bit hard... Anyhow, let's talk about happy things: crafts and travel.

In a few days I am flying to Turkey for two weeks. It's July which means it is hot as hell in Turkey. (Hotter than it is at the moment in the Netherlands, we haven't had rain in weeks!) I will be in Istanbul most of the time probably. (Clearly no planning is being made, cause that causes stress and I NEVER get an answer to my questions. Or rather the answer always will be: We will see when the time comes. Which triggered anxiety for me last year, this year I am not asking. I even told people I am meeting I will let them know! Even if it for a few hours in the evening, I hope to see people!). Plus my cousin is getting married and moving to Turkey! She's not just moving to Turkey, she's moving to Istanbul! She's born and raised in Delft, which compared to Istanbul is a tiny lovely little village! That is the reason we are going, the wedding of my cousin.

I would have skipped Turkey in the summer... I do not like the heat. (I either will love or hate hell. Depending on which version of hell I will end in... Either it will be very hot or it will be freezing cold). What will make it bearable is the notebook I drag around with me. I have been doing it since I was little, small notes in notebooks. I used to bring pens, papers and stickers with me, I would keep bus tickets, pieces of paper, pieces of news paper, anything that I could stick in my notebooks.

Plus, one year I even bought notebooks for friends visiting and we made it for each other. Oh and we even made one for Megan! I miss her! I would have visited the friends in England instead of going to Turkey if  there was no wedding! (Although from what I understand they're in the same hemisphere as me, so it's really hot there too) I also have notebooks from friends! So making these things have always been part of my travels.

Let's focus on the subject again: What will I take with me?
Last year I spend a month (I wanted to get back home after 2.5 weeks, the whole I am on holidays feeling had dissapeared and I got annoyed by every little thing), and had decorated the pages in an A4 IKEA notebook to take with me. I took some little things extras with me (paper, stickers and such).

This year I am taking this with me. 

A make up bag filled with craft supplies. 

A notebook (11x21 cm) from Flying Tiger Copenhagen. I bought it cause I though it would fit in the travelers notebook... but it did not, so I am using it separately.  I can' t tell much about the weight of the page, but the pages are beige/ off white with green stripes.

I ended up decorating the cove with a flower stamp from AliExpress, the bee stamps from Pandura Hobby and also the bee stamp from Craft Sensation as well. I coloured in the flowers and bees with the Art Creations Watercolouring set (Royal Talens). I rediscovered my wax seal stamps again, so I decided to add my first letter to it. The wax I used is a red one from Xenos, the letter stamp is from AliExpress :) Oh and I also coloured some of the hexagons with a gold pen.

I added a ribbon around the notebook, in the back I taped it down with washi (later adding plastic tape on it so it would not come off) so I can close the notebook.

Plus a little golden Nijntje/ Miffy doll I recieved from de Postengelen (I still need to do a blog post about this!) 

As for the inside, I have done some things in it:

- I added 2 ribbons (and 2 charms)

- I added some triangle pockets to the inside, both the front and back

- I put a little pocket for my Istanbul Card (Travel card for public transport) in front cover inside.

- I put some little envelopes and window bags

- Added a triangle ruler (I completely forgot the English for this...) and a alphabeth stencil in the back pocket

- Decorated some pages

- Made some lists

This is the inside of the front cover, as you can see I just cut a triangle from a page and stick it on the sides with some double sided tape. You can also see a pocket with the card in it, I forgot the card when I went a few years ago, so since last year I add a little pocket for the travel card for Public Transport. Back home it is on my wall.

I added two ribbons, one in the front and one in the back. I covered it up with washi tape and a butterfly sticker. Which makes it sure that you don't see the ugly tape I saw!

Same idea as the front cover inside, but in the back. This time I ripped the page, I added some stamping on it and some stickers and Tadaa. The triangle is very handy, I have it in my regular bullet journal as well! I decided to add the alphabeth stencil to it (I think this was given by a friend when I studied fashion... Since it was a gift I hoarded it...), so I could make my dates/place names the same!

These are the envelopes and window bags that are in the pocket in the front. What I want to do with these is simple: write down my anger and frustration or bitching on a piece of paper and hide it in the envelopes. Put a sticker on it so nobody who takes a look in it will be able to read it. Cause sometimes that is needed! The window bags are for small things I can show case, like a piece of paper, bunch of recietes, a flower...

I decorated the first page with some stamps, washi tape, stickers and some vellum paper that had the quote "The adventure begins". I got back later to add some watercolourig to it. This is the first page next to the cover and usually I add information here, but I am sure I have enough pages for 2 weeks. 

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On the next pages I decorated a little and added some little lists. The left page has the flight information on it. Usually I print it out and stick it in the notebook, but this time I wrote it down, so it is not bulky right away!

The right side has little lists of what I will take with me for craft supplies, clothing and presents.

The next pages I decorated with some stickers and added washi tape. Then added the watercolouring inspired by the colours on the washi tape! I have added my address information, my ID information, my medicine list, my to do before going on holiday list and lastly phone numbers on it!

The pages after that is UNDER CONSTRUCTION, which basically is little lists of what I want to see, do and buy. Oh and the possible cities I will visit. Istanbul is where we live, Bolu is where we are from (where I can visit the grave of my grandparents) and Kocaeli is where my sister moved to, so I want to see her new place and new city to visit. It will be weird not to visit Bursa... So weird. I still have museums to visit there....

The next page is a calender for after I have been/ seen places. I have filled in the first couple of days simply because I know...

I skipped a few pages, I might need them... Then I decorared the page of our depart and also the day of the henna night (which is the Turkish (Islamic?) version of a Hen night. Instead of booze and fake penis tiaras with terrible dancing it is less terrible dancing and singing to get the girl to cry her eyes out cause she's leaving the family house... Oh and the girl gets Henna on her hand. The logic behind the Henna night is: To ward the evil, bring luck to the couple. It is also believed that the Henna will make the girl a devoted wife and mother to her new family. (I never thought to research this... I should at some point).

The pages after that is empty, till you get to about 3/4 of the notebook. That is where I have started a "will you write something for me" pages. Which is where I let people I meet and are interested in writing something for me write or draw.

Than the last pages are filled with addresses of my penpals/ friends. I might not end up sending a card this year, depending on time, but I will have the addresses with me to share some postal love if need be. Plus I like having addresses on paper!

That was the notebook, these are the extras I am taking with me. Firstly I got this gorgeous insert from my friend Nina. That will be where the notebook will live. The insert has some things in it:

- Paper, randomly chosen, stopped myself when I thought I had enough. I can't take all of it with me!

- Washi tape wrapped around business cards (pefect size to put it in the insert) again randomly chosen so I can use them. In different colours and patterns. 

- stickers in all sizes, randomly chosen of course!

- vellum paper with quotes, random, but careful of what is written on them. Which means I took the useful ones.

- butterfly dies, random, not too much and only little ones.

- double sided tape! Paper, for photos from Hema. I can bend it and won't have to worry about the size of it.

- tiny post its

- clear plastic tape

- labels

insert

 washi tapes, address labels, plastic tape, post-it

Stickers, vellum quotes, and dies. 

Papers, washi sheets

Stamps and inks

-Acrylic block

- JoyCraft ink pads: 

warm winter colours and sprangled

- Stamps:

 2 from AliExpress, 

Craft Sensation stamps and 

Studio Light Summer Feelings 

Watercolour palette Art Creations from Royal Talens 

and additional watercolour brushes from Sostrene Grene 

Pencil case 

with what you see in this photo... 

Extra's:

Glues and such

some washi rolls... 

I fit this all in an old make up bag. To be honest I don't use make up, but it's a handy bag for antyhing. I've put my tooth brush, tooth paste and toiletry in a smaller bag! I think I have enough things with me. More than enough inks, but I reaaaally wanted to take them with me! This way I won't loose any inks :) 

Anyway, it's late, I am going to do some stuff before bed. Tomorrow I plan on getting my luggage packed and ready for Thursday. 

Bye bye!