I think I mentioned this in one of my Happy Planner / Life Lately blog posts, that I might do a little feature on my analog bags. Well, here it is! Yayyy!
I actually currently have two dedicated analog bags at home (okay... maybe four if we count my crafting grab bag and a small one for life essentials!). Each one has its own purpose and makes it so much easier for me to carry my hobbies from one room to another.
For this first post in what is I think will be an Analog Bag Series (haha! I hope I will follow through these plans I'm blogging about! hahah!), I'm sharing the one that gets the most use, my journal bag.
The Bag
My first analog bag is a pink Sunnies tote bag.
I actually got it for free when I purchased some Sunnies Face lippies last December while we were home in Manila. I ordered through Shopee because I had vouchers to use, and they were offering the tote bag as a freebie. It ended up being cheaper than buying directly from the physical store which, strangely enough, didn't include the free tote bag. Weird, huh?
I'm definitely not complaining though, I absolutely love this bag that I brought it back here in Saudi. Obviously. haha.
What's Inside?
My Happy Planner
Of course, my Happy Planner comes everywhere with me. It's the planner I use every single day and the one you've probably seen countless times here on my blog.
It gets so much blog exposure already that I don't think it needs another introduction. Haha!
My Bee Happy Journal (cover)
Next is one of my favorite handmade pieces, my Bee Happy journal cover.
This was actually one of my Brand Ambassador projects for Bee Happy. I transformed one of their eco bags into this journal cover, and I still use it regularly.
It also holds some very sentimental little charms:
A pink macramé charm from my friend Faithy for my birthday two years ago.
A monogram charm from my cousin.
A flower bookmark that I received in a swap from my crafty friend, Ev.
That's one of my favorites about this journal cover, apart from it being repurposed and from my fave crafting store, I also added bits of gifts from special people.
Inside the cover are my two most-used journals:
My Social Media & Design Team Planner - a Flying Tiger planner gifted by Ms. Lala of Mommy Guide Inc. last Christmas. This is where I keep track of all my design team deadlines, blog posts, and social media schedule.
I Carry Two Pen Cases!
Yessss, hahaha! I have two pen cases in this small tote! hahaha!
My Paper Mate Pen Case
This one is probably my favorite because it transforms into a standing pen holder whenever I open it. It's such a small feature, but it makes journaling so much easier.
Inside are mostly my beloved Paper Mate InkJoy pens, which have been my go-to pens ever since I discovered them years ago.
My DIY Bee Happy Pen Case
Another Bee Happy Brand Ambassador project!
I turned another Bee Happy eco bag into this pen case. It holds all the pens and supplies that don't fit in my main pen case, or simply don't get used as often. I use them for my Flying Tiger journal.
But there are still some favorites hiding inside.
Muji Pens
During our long layover in Abu Dhabi last month, I wandered into Muji and I just had to get a few pens. haha!
They reminded me of the time I went through a huge Muji obsession back in Manila years ago. After using them again, I remembered exactly why I loved them, they're so smooth and reliable. Definitely one of those underrated pens out there.
I've already told myself that on our next trip to the Philippines... or maybe Japan... I'm buying every color. Haha!
Disney Colored Pencils
These were pasalubong from my friend Kaye after one of her Japan trips back in 2022.
They're too cute not to keep with me.
CutterBee Scissors
This has to be one of the most recommended crafty tools I've ever received.
Years ago, one of my crafty friends told me these were the best scissors for fussy cutting. Another friend immediately agreed and then shared the heartbreaking story of accidentally leaving hers in her carry-on luggage. Airport security confiscated them, and she was genuinely devastated.
I became curious.
When I finally tried them, I completely understood the hype.
So when I found a pack of four on Amazon on sale last year, I immediately bought it as backup stock. Haha!
Now one of them permanently lives inside this pen case.
So yes, if you love fussy cutting, these scissors are amazing.
Other Little Favorites
Also tucked inside are:
A crochet flower paperclip from my crafty friend Dr. Grace.
A few Stabilo felt-tip pens.
Some Bible-safe highlighters that another friend recommended because they don't bleed through Bible pages.
My Xiaomi Zink Photo Printer
I also keep my Xiaomi Zink photo printer in this bag.
It's the printer I use for printing tiny photos for my Happy Planner, memory keeping, and journals. Having it in the bag means I can print photos wherever I'm journaling without having to run back to my craft room.
My Bee Happy Stamp Punch
And of course, my trusty Bee Happy stamp punch comes along too!
I use it often enough that it has earned a permanent place inside the bag.
Why an Analog Bag?
You might be wondering why I even need a dedicated journaling bag when everything is already at home.
Well, it's because I don't journal in just one place.
Sometimes I'm in the living room while watching TV.
Sometimes I'm sitting in the bedroom.
Sometimes I'm waiting for something to cook in the kitchen.
And of course, sometimes I'm in my craft room.
Instead of carrying journals, pens, printer, and supplies one by one every single time, I just grab this bag and move to wherever I feel like journaling that day.
It's basically my little portable analog workspace.
Until the Next Bag!
Thanks so much for taking a peek inside my journaling bag!
This is just the first post in my little Analog Bag series. Next time I'll be sharing my watercolor bag, which holds all my painting essentials (and hopefully inspires me to watercolor more often!).
And if I'm brave enough to clean it up first, maybe I'll even feature my old crafting grab bag, the one I used to bring during our Bahrain weekend staycations. We hardly do those anymore now that we live much closer to Bahrain, so that bag has become a bit... umm, messy. haha.
We'll see if I can tackle that one soon!
Until next time, happy journaling, happy crafting, and thanks for reading!
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