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Happy Halloween, everyone! And just like that, the fun part of the fall holiday season has begun. But be careful…don’t blink for too long or else it will be 2024 before you know it! 😂
For this month’s post, I really wanted to talk about my 2024 planner lineup. But, like many other excited planners, my vision keeps changing. 😁
Earlier this year when I was in love with my a6 Leuchtturm1917 EDC (which I’m still in love with), I thought a6 was going to be my 2024 plan. But then…SQUIRREL! Over time, I got distracted by the Hobonichi Cousin, Midori Hibino, Sterling Ink’s line, Traveler’s Company and so many other brands. I did end up buying some 2024 planners…which I destashed this month as soon as I received them.
But then I saw something quite stunning in my Instagram feed that burned in my subconscious. It beckoned to me. So I started thinking about a new idea for a 2024 lineup.
What did I see that excited me and had me switching lanes? It was this beautiful custom planner cover from Jackie, also known as @quoththecrow:
She had hers customized via the Truly Yours service at Baum-kuchen. Here’s her unboxing video so you can see how lovely the Baum-kuchen packaging, quality, and care are.
Naturally, I did a search on both Instagram and YouTube to find out more. My head was filled with visions of Baum-kuchen customized planners!
These gorgeous custom planners were renting too much space in my mind. I had to get my own.
Never heard of this service before? Here’s Baum-Kuchen’s video on how this came about!
So that’s what this post is about. The experience of ordering my new customized planner covers! Knowing my audience, I’m sure you’re all just as excited as I am about what I’m waiting on. And as soon as I receive them and finish outfitting my 2024 lineup, I’ll show you all the glorious details.
I’ve ordered 2 custom planner covers from Baum-kuchen, a twin set, one in Standard and one in Passport. They arrive (most likely) in early December. Soooo excited, I can’t wait! Just in time for Christmas…and 2024!
The experience I had with Baum-kuchen was truly one of a kind. I worked with Kei and Kei was wonderful, accommodating, and very sweet.
Want to get your own? Here are some basic rules I’ve learned through this process:
Only Traveler’s Company (“TRC”) planner covers can be customized if you’re ordering online. If you’re in the area (California), you might have some other options available to you, as they offer live workshops.
You can purchase a new TRC cover from them to customize or you can send in your own. In my case, I’m buying one size from them directly and I sent in one used one.
You can order up to 2 customized covers in a single order. Each customer can have 1 outstanding order at a time.
It takes 4+ weeks to complete a customization request fully, and that clock starts after you’ve gone through the design stage.
Take a look at their website to get an idea of what you can customize. (Note: everything says “sold out”, but that’s because you can’t just order customizations directly. You must go through a design process with their team first.) In a nutshell, you can add embossing, patches, charms, painted stripes, brass embellishments, stitching, and leather pockets to your cover. There are folks who’ve asked for one-off customizations as well. The Baum-kuchen team will do their best to work with you on your vision and guide you through it. They’ve done over 500 of these!
It helps to have example pictures of what you want. This will alleviate confusion. I included pictures from Instagram posts to show the exact placement of some of the embossing I asked for.
There are rules on where they can put certain customizations. This was not always the case but has changed over time. For instance, I found out you can’t have a zipper pocket put on the back side of a TRC cover anymore, as it will cover up the closure string hole, and that violates Baum-kuchen’s contract with TRC. Also, stitches can’t overlap. Therefore, you can’t have pockets with the same stitching placement on both sides of the same cover half.
Some of the leather pockets and rivets are The Superior Labor branded, as this customization service is in conjunction with their brand.
Baum-kuchen doesn’t always have every item in stock. For instance, I’ve heard that the nude leather sells out quickly and gets replenished only during specific times of the year.
It can be a pricey service. However, it makes sense if you think about the fact that this is all hand-done. Plus, the time it takes to go back and forth to mock up your vision (and all the additional time when you change your mind! 😂). Most of the pricing is listed on their website so you can get a pretty good idea of what it will cost you. Some costs not listed on their website include: stitching (just plain stitching without pockets) and shipping both ways.
There are “off seasons” where Baum-kuchen does not do any customization work. Luckily, my timing was during their on season.
At least one customer did a thorough YouTube video of what she learned about her customized Passport-size covers. I highly recommend you watch this video if you want to customize a Passport-size cover, as Jasmin touches on what she didn’t like about the placement of certain pockets, something other planners haven’t covered in their videos.
So how exactly does this work? Baum-kuchen has a special email (trulyyours@baum-kuchen.net) that you must contact to get the process started. You’ll describe what you want (as mentioned above, pictures help!). Then there will be a back-and-forth that results in a mock-up of your design. It’s important to be detailed and to spell out which item you want on each part of the cover (front, inside left, inside right, back), and where exactly you want it. Here’s one of the mock-up images Kei created for me (note: this is for a future order):
Once you confirm the design is correct, you’ll be sent an invoice. Once you pay it, no changes are allowed. Then you’ll send in your own used cover(s) to be customized (depending on your agreement), and/or patiently wait for your cover(s) to be completed and shipped to you.
Right now the process is estimated at 4-6 weeks to complete.
What did I order? You’ll see it in a future post! Hint: I’m a goth girl at heart.
*I was not compensated for this review. This is my true experience and opinion working with Baum-kuchen. I am biased, however, as I’m very much in love with the TRC, The Superior Labor, and Baum-kuchen brands. ☺️