29 Jul 2012

your filofax week #15

This week's Filofax week is from Imy at Imy's World (if you haven't ever visited her blog, I suggest you click through to it now! It's one of the blogs I subscribe to and read - some posts over and over - and she does amazing videos too!). Also, she is lovely, so I'm really happy to be featuring her Filofax this week!

Here is what she had to say:


Thank you Paperlovestory for letting me feature on your blog, it is so beautiful and cute, I feel so privileged to have been given the opportunity to do this! 
I have just changed from pocket, to personal to compact all within the space of 2 weeks and 4 Filofaxes!!! 
I am in the Regency Compact in brown!! I love it!!! 
But at the moment I am doing a "calling of the dog" for my diary, which is something Plannerisms came up with! It's when you use the diaries you are considering choosing for a week or more and keep them all updated but gradually whittle them down to the perfect one you want to use! 
That's why I have two formats!!!
The little hearts are to count down the days until icclewu comes down to stay!!! Yay! Very excited!! 

I can assure you all that the pleasure is all mine! You'll see why I say this when you see the lovely pictures.

Also, she has also done a video on this Filofax and its contents. I recommend you watch it (after all, her video on her black Amazona was the reason as to why I found myself wanting one too)!





Isn't her writing so cute? And those tabs at the top (a post on that is coming up as I, too, bought some of them!)...! I'm totally loving how filled each day is but yet, how organised it is! And the side and top tabs add another level of organisation. I'm so happy that she loves her Regency as much as she does :) It feels awesome to have found 'the one' when it comes to Filofax organisers, as I have felt with my Osterley.

What do you guys think? 

27 Jul 2012

blog 2nd anniversary!

Today is my blog's 2nd anniversary. 


To be honest, I never thought I'd make it this far. I love blogging, I love the Filofax community, I love sharing ideas and thoughts with you all; and I love connecting with other bloggers and readers too.

It's been an enjoyable two years. Here's to another year of regular blogging.

Thank you to everyone who has ever read my blog posts. I know that, in the beginning, they were a bit raw and my writing was quite poor; but I'd like to think that they are a bit easier to read too? I've learnt a lot in these two years but the biggest thing I've learnt is that I'm not the only geek who enjoys organisation, stationery and time management!

Enjoy your weekend and I will see you on Sunday for the obligatory Filofax Week post.

25 Jul 2012

filofax spot: supernatural

Once again, I've spotted another Filofax in yet another American TV drama...


No idea of the model as this was the best shot I could get of it (it was shown for less than a second) but it's of the personal size judging by the ring spacing... and that's all I've got!

Have you seen a Filofax in any movies or TV shows recently?

22 Jul 2012

my filofax week #14

This was my week. Again, not really any structure (this will be quite a common theme for the next month or so) but here it is. 


Just like the previous few weeks, I've tried to jazz it up by adding colour, stickers and other stuff that wouldn't look out of place in a journal instead.

How has your week been? Would you like to be featured? If so, drop me an email at fadingskylines [@] gmail.com and I'd be more than happy to feature your week. After all, I love peeking into other people's Filofax weeks, and I'm sure my readers would love to see someone else's too!

19 Jul 2012

the me binder: vintage rose Finchley

Due to the lovely pastel pink colour of my Vintage Rose Finchley, I opted to use it as a 'Me Binder' instead of as my daily Filofax. 

Anyway, here is how I organised it. It is still a work in progress so more things will be added in due course. These pictures were taken back in June, so they are a bit old but nothing has changed since.



Once you open it, there are some cards which I may use once in a while but not regularly enough to go into my daily binder or my purse. 

And on the right: the first tab, Personal. I've yet to change the sticky out bit of the tab to say that but I will soon.


And the first leaf: Addresses I have lived at. I thought it'd be fun to record all the addresses I've ever lived at. I'm hoping to add in a seventh once my parents move soon!


And then overleaf of that are basics such as height, Chinese name, Chinese zodiac and star sign. I will be adding sheets to this of other details such as passport number, expiry date, etc. once I stop being lazy!

Next, my 'Health' tab.


And the first page consists of Vaccinations I have had and their dates. I've lost the dates of my HepB jabs so I need to see a doctor to obtain the dates.


And overleaf, medical history such as reasons for hospitalisation (none so far, fingers crossed), medicines I'm currently on. On the right, I will be recording my weight every week just to make sure I don't gain too much (I've put on about 2kg since starting uni three years ago and I want to lose it!).


And then the next tab: Careers. Details for my CV go in here, along with research into some companies I have looked at too. 


And the fourth tab: Shopping. This will contain lists of things I can't live without in terms of life, beauty, etc. I'm hoping to add a wardrobe inventory list here too.


And on the first page: the Kindle. I'm interested in getting a Kindle but before I could purchase one, my mum bought one for me! She hasn't officially said so, but I'm thinking it's kinda like a graduation present.


The tab after that is Finances but I didn't need to change the title of the tab.


And last, but not least, my Passwords tab.


I have colour coded my passwords and have also made use of a set of A-Z tabs.


And here is how they look. I have opted to use old diary sheets for this and if I split each day into three, I have ample room for 12 passwords and logins on each page, as you can see.


To conclude, this is currently how my 'Me Binder' looks but it will, undoubtedly, change as I change as a person too and that is the beauty of using a Filofax: you can tailor it to suit your needs and chop and change it as you see fit, whenever and wherever.

17 Jul 2012

laduree macarons

A bit of a random post; but a necessary one because these macarons are just SO good!

I mean, just look at the packaging:


And upon opening:


A leaflet that comes with it. It is stamped with the date that the macarons were bought too.



This box was to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Laduree.


These were the ones I chose.


And a closer look:

From top to bottom: salted caramel, coffee, lemon and lime basil and
strawberry marshmallow.

From top to bottom: Salted caramel again (yes, it's that good), mint, vanilla and lime marshmallow
If you're ever in London or Paris, these macarons are a must-try. When I do get them (once a year or so), I get them from Harrods as I get Harrods card points (kinda pointless but you can save them up to spend it on something - in my case: more macarons!). If it's your first time trying them, beware; as you might get overwhelmed from the number of flavours you could choose. Unless you get the box of 32 or whatever it is, you might end up being spoilt for choice (as I was as I get the box of 8!).

15 Jul 2012

my filofax week #13

Not the most interesting of weeks, I'm afraid!


It's mainly been planning things and writing in things that I have done/need to do.

I've added two notes on Saturday and Sunday - something private (I pixelated the note to myself that was there) and I noted that today, I will be taking some more notes. That is because I have been selling on eBay and Amazon and have a lot of that admin to tackle today.

Also, in other news, my mum bought me a Kindle. We originally ordered it on Tesco Direct but they cancelled it a few hours after (due to security issues, allegedly. My mum's card has never been declined; nor has it ever had problems...perplexing?!). Because my sister was going into town for an eye test, she bought me one from town instead :) 

Obviously, the cheapest model was the one of choice because I don't need the 3G, the physical keyboard or even a touchscreen. I'm only going to be using it for reading and so, it would be silly to pay the extra money for other features which wouldn't be used! I may do a review of it in a few weeks once I've got to grips with it. Alternatively, I may not as the internet is pretty much saturated with Kindle reviews!

How has your week been?

13 Jul 2012

another washi tape use: labelling of tabs

I've always found Filofax paper a bit dull in terms of colour and so I sought out ways to jazz it up. And this what I came up with: to use washi tape. 

Here is an example of a tab I've added colour too. Note that I only added a splash; I didn't cover it excessively as I didn't want to go too overboard.


And then page titles. Washi tape on washi tape!


Another example:


And yet another one; I added mini chevrons to fill in the resulting gap at the end:


And one more example. This time, I only used a little to write in the month and year; and then I wrote the title of the page a bit more decoratively instead.


What other uses have you come up with for washi tape?

10 Jul 2012

osterley: a plum surprise

Please excuse the poor pun in the post title!

I thought it was time to reveal the beauty that is my personal plum Osterley. The story behind this is a bit longwinded but I will try my best to shorten it but have the main details still present. Basically, I was after an Amazona in almond originally and having finally located one in the Conduit Street store, it arrived in my hands a few days later.

However, that one had a faulty ring problem and so I was offered the Osterley as an alternative. Of course, I said yes and chose the plum colour as I wanted one of these too and was torn between this one and the Amazona. The faulty rings really swung my lust in favour of the Osterley, though, and here it is in all its glory!

The colour seen in this picture is pretty much how it is in real life too. I love how the colour is dark but not too dark, and that it is colourful, but not too colourful. Therefore, it is professional looking, yet classy and sophisticated. I like. Wait, no. Make that, I love.


Upon opening it, you're greeted with a mix of textured leather and smooth leather. Personally, I love this mix as it adds another dimension to the Osterley. Also, it lies flat out of the box! 

On the right hand side, there is space for four cards (I've utilised this space to hold my spare mini-note pages and plasters at the moment); plus a flap under that (where I have put my NHS card and paper bit of a UK driver's licence.



This was my week a few weeks ago. It was my last week in student accommodation and as a university student. I'm currently in the process of figuring out what I want to do with my life and have applied for a few jobs in a sector that I am interested in. Fingers crossed I am successful for the one I want most! I also went to Wimbledon that week and got stickers as a momento.


And the week after. You can see the lists I have yet to write and stuff I need to do on the right. And on the left, I have written in my timetable for each day. With little to no structure with a lack of job or study, I decided to devise my own. I am going to perfect my Mandarin, re-learn programming and coding and also write a story or novel - just for fun (it's not my aim to have it published!).


This is the clasp and the button is a copper colour. It's delightful. Trust me.


And the pockets at the back: currently housing an Evian water voucher and some proof of postage receipts. I also have a purple Uniball Signo pen in this pen loop (with a Muji erasable in blue in the other loop). There is enough space for another two cards and also a full length pocket too. 


Here is the side view...


And here is the view from the top. Can you see all the coloured pages, which I had decorated with washi tape?


So, this is my Osterley. I am in love and I can't see myself using another Filofax now. The Affair was wonderful but I think I much prefer this leather feel than the lace. Moreover, The Affair was so big in comparison and I like having the option of stuffing my rings or not.

What Filofax are you lusting after at the moment?

8 Jul 2012

my filofax week #12

Unfortunately, this week has been very boring - but I'm guessing all of us will end up having a week like this a year.

It was my 'life admin' week where doctor's appointments, eye checks, etc. were all done now that I actually have time for them all. This explains why so much has been pixelated out!


I hope next week proves to be far more interesting. At least, I hope so! But my weeks are becoming more like journals at the moment, as I am mainly relaxing after a pretty hectic last year at uni (sob)!

How has your week been?

6 Jul 2012

i added to my muji erasables collection...

After using some Muji Erasables for a month, I grew to love them more and more so I ventured out to complete my set as I only had the two blues and a pink. So here is the completed collection:


And the closer look at the colours.


And here is how they look on paper:


And overleaf. You can just about vaguely see that there is something written.


And rubbed out. The 'y' left behind is because that little patch was wet and it doesn't seem to rub out when it is wet (understandable really).


I'm actually in love with these pens... well, as much in love with an inanimate object as someone could be!

4 Jul 2012

muji pack of 12 gels

Having used Muji gel pens for 5 years now, I think I can safely call myself a Muji pen veteran. I first came across them in Hong Kong when I was 16 and the 0.5mm gel nib had me at 'hello'!

Back then, the gel pen sets had 18 colours; not the measly 12 the current ones have but the prices have lowered in line with the reduction in colours so the price point still seems quite fair. Anyway, this review is for the 12 colour set. 

First, I thought I'd show you how they look in my pen pot - they look a bit lonely without the other pens in there with them!


And this is how they look when all laid out in their full glory.


And how they look when put to paper...


And behind. No show through on Oxford paper!


So, what do you think? Have you tried these pens? What is your opinion on them? Overpriced or worthy of the £££ for somewhat minimalistic-looking pens? If you don't use these, what is your pen of choice?

I currently have pen envy for all you Lamy owners. I want one but I don't know where to start on what variations there are, etc.

NB: Photos updated October 2015.