CakeDori FauxDori – An Affordable Alternative to a Midori Traveler’s Notebook

I love to journal and keep my thoughts in one place so I’m always looking for ways to keep all of my journal and sketch books together.  I have always been intrigued by a Midori Traveler’s Notebook style system and just didn’t want to splurge on it so I decided that I would try out a fauxdori (faux midori) and see if it was something I would like.  Last year I created my own DIY Fauxdori and have been using that up until I picked this one up from Cake Paperie.  The concept of a Midori style Traveler’s Notebook is that you can insert various printables, inserts or books and it makes it easy for you to update and remove your inserts with ease.  This system is especially great for those who use journal books or diaries as they can remove each book and replace with a new one while storing, keeping or archiving their filled books.  I have searched the internet for an affordable alternative to the Midori and decided I would keep with a fabric styled one until I found a leather one I loved.  After months of combing the internet, I came across the Cake Paperie store on Etsy.  I wanted to share with you details and my thoughts on the CakeDori FauxDori in case this is something you may be interested in picking up for yourself.

Cake Paperie is an Etsy shop that offers many designs in different fabrics for you to choose from.  The owner – Gretchen, is not only personable but she answers questions quickly and working with her was great.

Be sure to check out my video embedded below or click here to watch directly on YouTube.

My Cake Paperie CakeDori retails for $28.00 and is completely handmade.  This fabric dori was a perfect choice for me as it sports gold and black which are colors I truly love.  It’s only missing purple! 🙂  I ordered the Large Dori which is 8.5″ x 5.5″ and will fit the large sized Moleskin Cahier Journal.  Without additional inserts, I can fit a total of 6 books comfortably in this notebook and they will stay in place without any overhang.  The traveler’s notebook is adorned with a gold elastic closure and a cute gold heart charm.

Each Cakedori comes in three sizes (upon availability) – Pocket, Regular and Large.  The pocket size is similar to that of the passport that you can get for Midori and the Regular would be that of the regular sized Midori Traveler’s notebook.  These notebooks are made of double sided fabric and are sturdy to hold your notebooks and inserts easily.  Each notebook is double edge stitched and has an inner stabilizer to keep your notebook sturdy so it will last a long time.  There are a variety of fabrics available in different prints so you are bound to find one that will fit your style and need.  The edges of the fabric will fray over time and continue to do so a bit – but it provides you the “lived in” look that traveler’s notebooks usually have.

Each notebook has a closure adorned with a cute charm.  The charms will vary slightly depending on what Gretchen has available but she does her best to provide equal or better than what is pictured.  On the inside of each notebook are two elastics.  Since they are stitched side by side instead of up and down like a normal notebook, you can easily hold six notebooks easily.  While each notebook only comes with two elastics, you can certainly request to add more.

Dimensions for the notebooks available:

• Pocket size will hold up (6) 5.5×3.5 inch notebooks. $24.00
• Regular size will hold up to (6) 8.5×4.5 inch notebooks. $26.00
• Large size will hold up to (6) 8.5×5.5 inch notebooks.  $28.00 (Large size fits large Moleskine, Studio O and May Designs notebooks)

Note – the traveler’s notebooks do not come with inserts or books on the inside.  I use Moleskine journals in mine and they fit perfectly

Shipping was fast and reasonably priced.  I didn’t get a chance to capture a photo of the bubble mailer, but it was a padded bubble mailer (a really pretty gold one) and packaged neatly and nice.  Inside the padded envelope was a cute paper package wrapped with twine.  My notebook was sent via USPS Priority mail and came with tracking and insurance for security purposes.  After it shipped, it took approximately 3 days to get to me.  If you are purchasing from another country, it will ship International First Class and in a padded mailer.

If you are looking to get into traveler’s notebooks or just want something cute to hold all your small notebooks or journals together, I think this would be a great find for you.  At the moment, my cakedori houses my brain dump notebook which is where I hold lists and ideas: wishlists, video and blog ideas, quick notes, etc., my mini/travel sketch and watercolor book and quotes, etc.  This book is something I carry with me which makes accessing things on the fly easy.  Many of my friends use their fauxdoris or traveler’s notebooks as their daily planners as well – so the options are endless.  When I get my leather traveler’s notebook (I’ll be sure to post when it arrives), I may be using it more as a daily planner – we shall see.

Do you like to journal or are you a notebook addict like myself?  Do you think this is something you could make use of?  Stop on by the Cake Paperie and check out what Gretchen has for traveler’s notebooks and she releases new designs and prints Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.