by Richelle Naegle

This year, I decided that I needed to keep a diary, but I’ve never been much of a journal person. Recently, we’ve brought in lots of cute travel journals, and that’s kind of where my inspiration came from. I got a lot of travel journal ideas from just looking at the products. I think the hardest part of the whole process for getting started was deciding which journal I wanted to use. There are so many options to choose from, from great companies like Simple Stories, Heidi Swapp, Crate Paper, and Webster’s Pages. I started by considering what is the functional difference between them? What makes one better than another? And what’s the difference between a planner, a travelers journal, and Journal Studio?

Shop our discount planners and travel journals

So, here is what I figured out. Planners have dated calendars. I have seen recently that some people use them to track memories. Instead of using it as a to-do list calendar they are using them as a done list. I think it’s a super great idea, but wasn’t quite what I was looking for. With regard to travel journals (also referred to as pocket travelers) vs. Journal Studio, I couldn’t really find a difference. They are the same size, and the inserts are similar. In fact, they come with one that is blank and one with either lines or grids printed on them. The components are pretty interchangeable. So when choosing your planner and inserts, I suggest picking the ones that make you happy based on taste.

Most Popular Travel Journals

Here are some of our best sellers. They’re hard to keep in stock, for good reason!

• Soft Lila Suede Pocket Traveler by Webster’s Pages
• Buffalo Plaid Traveler by Webster’s Pages
• Carpe Diem Typewriter Floral Traveler’s Notebook by Simple Stories
• Journal Studio Rose Journal Kit by Crate Paper
• Last, but not least (and featured in this blog post), the Journal Studio Stripe Journal Kit by Heidi Swapp

Continue reading “Travel Journal Ideas” »

Did you know that CraftDirect is an international company? Chi Lozano is one of our employees in the Philippines, and she happens to be a savvy paper crafter. She used her electronic die-cutting machine to make a Harry Potter-themed birthday party for her 1-year old son. When she showed us her work, we loved it so much we asked her to take our readers on this adventure. Enjoy:

Welcome to Hogwarts

This Harry Potter inspired party-themed celebration is nothing short of magical. And there’s no better way to send your guests off to the wizarding world than by escorting them onto the platform 9 ¾ platform to the Hogwarts Express!

As the guests entered the Great Hall (aka our living room), banners from Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw houses swayed as the cold wind filled up the room.
Continue reading “Harry Potter-Themed Party Decor” »