Customizing My Traveler's Notebook

I recently customized my camel passport traveler’s notebook (TN) with leather pockets, as I did before with my olive regular traveler’s notebook. I sent both to Baum-kuchen in LA for them to go through the Truly Yours service and loved how they turned out! I wanted to share more details about what the process was like and how I decided on the customization options.

Camel Passport TN (Wallet)

I had previously used the camel passport TN as a wallet, but with a separate wallet insert inside. It was a really convenient size to toss in my everyday bag while running errands, but using the insert meant it got bulky with extra cards and receipts rather quickly. After pondering for a while, I decided to use the BK gift card I received for Christmas last year to send it through the Truly Yours service for customization.

I asked for this cardholder pocket to be placed on the front cover of the TN so that I can use it for my commuter card. Granted, it’ll be a while before I’ll be taking the train again to work, but this way I don’t have to carry a separate cardholder anymore every time I take public transit.

I also added two BK brass rivets in the corners, which have a lovely BK clover design on them in the center.

Inside the cover on the left hand side, I decided to go with the passport vertical pocket. I’ve been keeping my two most used credit cards in the card slot, and placing my ID and some cash in the open back pocket.

Another reason I chose this pocket is that I really like the embossing (“the journey is the destination”) that comes with the pocket.

On the right side, I chose the passport wallet pocket to store additional cards for things like health and auto insurance, and other rewards cards for stores I frequent. I was able to fit two cards in each card pocket comfortably, and a few more in the open back pocket.

I’m also planning to keep receipts in the back pocket as needed. Alternatively, I can store the receipts in the main string in the middle of the cover, like I would with a notebook.

Note: The pictured texture of the leather (with some visible lines) is how the pocket arrived - the lines are a part of the natural variation within the leather.

To start any Truly Yours customization process, you need to send an email to info@baum-kuchen.net with an idea of how you’d like to customize your notebook. It doesn’t have to be a new cover from BK - both this camel TN and the olive TN in the next section were previously purchased by me from another store (Maido) before getting customized!

After I emailed info@baum-kuchen.net with my chosen designs - I sent my own sketches along to help with communication - I received an invoice. Once I made the payment, I got the confirmed design schematic over email as well to ensure the accuracy of my customization requests. Wakako, the founder of Baum-kuchen, was wonderful in carefully walking me through the process in detail. The customization itself took about a week and a half (from shipping my TN to receiving it back in the mail), but please note that I’m also located in California, so the shipping back and forth didn’t take too long. In my opinion, patience will pay off with any Truly Yours process - the unboxing experience is very special, with your TN lovingly wrapped in BK paper. It made me fall in love with my TN all over again.

Olive Regular TN (Travel)

The camel passport TN was not my first Truly Yours experience - I had previously gotten my olive regular TN customized for travel purposes. I got the olive TN customized way back in fall of 2018 when the process took a bit longer - I believe I received it back within a month. As you’ll see in the pictures below, I’ve used it a lot since then, and the natural leather pockets have aged nicely over time.

Since this was my very first customization, I decided to keep the front of the cover simple and only add two rivets to the corners. I had some wear and tear on the front cover by this point and wanted the worn look to show through. I’m currently keeping just one small brass charm across the front string (also from BK!) and enjoy the simplicity of how this cover looks on the outside.

Inside the olive TN - I went for the cardholder pocket on the left hand side to hold washi samples and other ephemera in the open back pocket. As I took this TN with me on various trips, the cardholder slots sometimes doubled as my wallet, as I’d only bring my ID and my most frequently used credit cards. Again, similar to the camel passport TN, I could stuff a few bills in the open back pocket in case I needed any cash, but doing so still kept the TN relatively slim and not too stuffed.

This large pocket on the right hand side was perfect for any brochures or paper ephemera I found during my travels - I’d simply set it aside into the main pocket, without having to worry about it falling out of my cover. The extra card slot also came in handy when I wanted to keep business cards from restaurants or sightseeing spots separately from the other, larger pieces of ephemera.

Although I haven’t taken this TN with me to travels recently, I’ve been using it to store a personal notebook inside for decorating and journaling. The Kitta washi tape sets fit perfectly in the cardholder slots and I’ve been using the right hand side pocket to store everyday ephemera and the Traveler’s Company writing board.

Overall, I loved both Truly Yours experiences and felt that customizing my TNs gave me a renewed love for the leather covers that already had a special place in my heart. Given that each customization - each pocket, sewing service cost, shipping cost, etc. - can add up, I recommend spending some time thinking about whether or not customizing your TN would be the right choice for you at this time. Personally, I’m not planning to customize any other traveler’s notebook covers I own for the time being, as I have no particular need for a different setup (especially when I’m staying indoors so much these days).

I hope you enjoyed reading more about my thought process as to why I customized these two TNs the way I did! I wish you a good rest of the week, and I’ll see you back here with another blog post soon.

If you enjoy this blog’s content, then please consider supporting me with a cup of coffee!