Those little notebooks

[CropCircleDancer]

I have been entranced recently by minimalist wallets, little notebooks and trick wallets. Lots of stuff on the internet. They are really cute, and a great way to use recycled paper. Anyone else?

[Tradd]

When I saw "those little notebooks," I have to admit I though of Moleskine notebooks, which I admit I'm addicted to! :)

[CropCircleDancer]

Oh, I would love trying to make one. Mine are, of course, more minimalist!

[Tradd]

I see blog posts of people "hacking" their Moleskines - everything from adding an elastic loop to hold a pen, to making one into an iPhone case!

[razz]

Trying to figure out what exactly you are referring to, any links?

[puglogic]

Curious here too, CCD. Sounds cool if I knew what they looked like...

Tradd, I am a Moleskine junkie as well. Not sure why -- I'm usually not susceptible to brand marketing. But they're cool :)

[CropCircleDancer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaP3vXiioJk&feature=related

[herbgeek]

I didn't watch the whole video, but it reminded me of the Pocket Mod http://pocketmod.com/. I also found another utility http://myreckonings.com/PlansUnfolding/ that could put any 8 pages into a Pocketmod format, and another one that could shrink a regular document PDF into Pocketmod size (you need to use 24 point font for it to be legible at the smaller size)- this utility is on the Pocketmod page.

So for travel, I have a little pocket sized book that contains my packing list, some yoga exercises, some other stress relief tips (breathing exercises), and contact phone numbers or addresses. I've also made customized booklets for particular trips that would contain reservation numbers and the like on various pages. Its really handy to have all the information I might need in just a tiny booklet that can fit in even the smallest pocket or purse.

And I'm a Moleskine junky too. Though since I'm frugal, I usually use the Picadilly knockoff versions.

[KayLR]

CCD---I believe what you've got there is a gazingus pin!

[puglogic]

Oh my gosh. That's cool.

[Bastelmutti]

I just learned how to do this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-stitch_bookbinding

Looks impressive, but it's really quite easy, and you don't need to use leather, you can use cardboard for the cover. The cool thing is that it uses no glue, so when you're done with the paper inside, you can cut the threads holding the book together, put together new paper for the inside, resew and re-use it!

[Gwyn]

I discovered bookbinding through scrapbooking and have enjoyed playing with those kinds of things even more than the scrapbooking. So many options and it really can stretch your concept of "book," too. They're especially fun ways to document a trip or special outing in a neat way.

I always "hack" a moleskine lookalike for my travel journals, too. Great fun and a great way to use of scraps of stuff from other projects.