Building Your Book of Shadows - Faux-Dori

If one has heard of the Midori traveler's Notebook, then you know that you can easily turn this type of journal into a Book of Shadows. If you have the funds, all you need do is purchase a starter kit and you're off and running. The downside is these books can be rather pricey, ranging from $25 and up for just the notebook (with one insert), and about $6 for each additional insert. This cost can build up over time. Here I can offer a more budget friendly option.

You will need:

*Decorative place mat or other sturdy material

You can find nice looking ones at Dollar Tree for $1 ($1.25 in Canada). I suggest the thinner, almost thick card-like place mat, they'll be easier to work with.

*Elastic Cord

Found in the sewing section of Walmart for about $2-3

*Paper of your choice

Shouldn't be any bigger than 8.5x11

*An awl, thick needle or something similar

To poke a hole in your mat

1) Take a piece of paper and center it on your place mat. Measure about a half-inch around the outside of your paper on the mat and mark it, then cut along this measurement.

2) Fold your place mat in half.

3) About a half-inch from the top edge of your place mat, along the fold, mark a dot. This is where you will make a hole for your string. Do the same on the bottom side of the mat.

4) Take your awl/needle and poke a hole in the mat where the marks are. If you want to be able to accommodate much more pages and sections in your book, make one mark on either side of the center hole, again, about a half-inch from the edge of the mat and maybe a couple of centimeters from the center hole. Do this both on top and on bottom.

5) For one string, thread the elastic cord in through the top hole and out the bottom hole. Tie a knot in the string out the bottom hole. Pull the string taut (but not so hard that it may damage your paper sections), Cut and tie the top string so it's secure. 

For multiple strings (I'll give an example for three holes on top and bottom), thread your cord in through the top right hole and down to the bottom right hole. Thread it out the bottom right hole and back into the bottom center hole. Pull it up and out the top center hole, then through the top left hole. String it down to the bottom hole and tie a knot to secure. Pull and adjust the strings so they are taut, but not so tight they will damage your paper sections. Cut and tie the cord secure. 

You have just made a Faux-Dori (a Midori knockoff). The image below shows a swatch of leather I purchased. I shelled out about $25 for it at a craft store, because I wanted a leather cover. You do not have to do this unless you want to. The cover is up to you.

Now comes the tedious bit. Its time to make the "signatures" (booklet sections to go into your notebook). You can make it with as few or as many pages as you like. I like to give myself lots of room to work, so one I made has signatures of 10 pages, folded to give me a 20 page booklet.

Fold your pages into signatures of however many pages you like. Thread the folded pages into the string in the book so the cord sits on the fold.

Threading signature into book

Signature sitting in book

Here's the fascinating part of using a "faux-dori" for your BoS. If you have excess elastic cord OR thinner stretchy string, you can tie it around your signature, thread the string that sits outside that signature into another signature, then threat THAT through the string (instead of one signature) and you have two booklets sitting in one string. Mind Blown!!!

Two signatures, one string

You can keep doing this almost indefinitely, adding more and more sections to your book. And because its the size of a standard notebook, you can take it anywhere.

Four signatures, one string!!

If you like, you can add another stretchy cord to your book as a closure. You just find the very center of your book, poke a hole in it, thread the cord in from the outside and tie a knot, being sure it's tight enough to keep your book closed. To this you can add charms or other decorations if you like:

Faux-Dori with a tree of life, star and triquetra charms

And that's it. Your traveler's notebook of shadows