my filofax week #24

I've been in London recently so my week is a bit blanker than usual! And I'm heading to London again tomorrow, so yeah, a lot of travelling to be done and a lot of train times and travel details to note.

Even though my week has been dull, I haven't compromised on colour :) 

How was your week? :)

my martha stewart x avery x staples drawer organisation

I acquired some Martha Stewart for Avery at Staples stuff a few months ago and only got round to blogging about it last month. I never revealed how I used the StackFit drawer that I bought, but that was because I hadn't sorted it out yet! After a declutter, it is now organised and in full use. 

Here it is:

Currently at the top is a credit card statement - I had to pixelate out most of it due to it being sensitive information! This is a perfect example of how I use, what I have dubbed, the 'in-tray'. Stuff that needs to be sorted, filed away somewhere else or utilised soon are put here for ease of access. This involves letters, statements like the above and other things (such as my graduation ticket!).

And now, a picture of the drawer:

At the top left are some craft stuff - flowers and birds that have a pattern to them, next to that at the top is a Laduree macarons box which I have used to hold paperclips, drawing pins, a rubber, a stamp and key covers. Next to that on the right are some spare Filofax notepaper. Most of this pile has been paper that was cut down to size by yours truly.

At the bottom left are some Rilakkuma stamps and bottom middle are more drawing pins.

Finally, there is a comb, some sticky notes, a glasses wipe and another rubber.

The red bit you see is a shoe-box lid. I used that as a separator.

Though not the most interesting arrangement, the key features for me are as follows:

- a shoebox lid - make use of recycling! 

- compartmentalise - I used a Paperchase box (top left) and an old macarons presentation box; but you can use literally anything here.

- arrangement: make it look like it is pretty and you will want to open this drawer over and over again. I am still trying to find a way to make it pretty and functional but that might take me a while...

So, have I tempted you into getting a StackFit drawer too? ;)

a use for washi tape: resolutions page

Thinking about another use for washi tape, I thought of using it for a 'resolutions' page. This would make washi tape also an ideal use for a 'goals' page where they are regularly changing. 

Here is mine in use:

At the moment, it's mainly to cut down on snacking and to increase physical exertion.

However, if you were to use washi tape for your goals page, you could write something like 'lose 2lbs' and then once you have, you can peel off the washi tape and use a new piece for a new goal.

Not only does this mean that the page looks pretty and more interesting (I separated each point using felt tip pens too), you can also remove goals once achieved. Obviously, some of you may prefer to check off goals achieved in order to find it a bit more motivating; but for me, my goals are ongoing ones or ones that aren't that big a deal so I don't mind using washi tape.

Moreover, you can stick the tape of a cardboard insert instead of normal paper - as normal paper is thin and may tear when upon removal of the tape.

What do you guys think? Do you think this could work for you?

guest post: Mai's setup!

Today, I have a post from a lovely reader called Mai on how she has set her planner up. I don't know about you guys but I love seeing other people's planner setups and when it is as cute as this, it doubles the pleasure ;) Anyway, enough of me; here is her planner setup!

----

Hi, I’m Mai [Hi Mai!!!] from the lovely Southern California, and here is my weekly planner.  I don’t actually own a filofax.  Eventually I will one day.  Until then, here’s my Mead weekly planner designed by the popular textile designer, Thomas Paul.  I just love how it’s colorful and yet simplistic at the same time.

Inside I added a personal touch to the front.  Yes, that’s a pokemon ball on the bottom left.  A fellow craftster of mine hand-sew it from felt.  All the random and colorful papers in the pockets are note cards and scrap paper that I use to write notes on.  They do come in handy.  Now on the right is what I use as a decorative cover sheet.  Isn’t that a beauty?  I am a big tokidoki fan.  What I originally wanted to do was make my stationary into note sheets.  I had the stationary for years, but sadly in this technological world nobody writes to each other the old fashion way anymore.  After cropping the paper down to size, I realize it makes a cute front cover.  The front plastic piece makes not only a great protector, but a cool frosted look.  Unfortunately, the tokidoki stationary doesn’t exist anymore. 

I can change the tokidoki sheets to change up my planner’s look.

So here’s one of my week.  Both my boys’ birthdays are in September.  I promptly took the day off from work and brought the boys to Disneyland with my sister.  Anything in red indicates that the bill is due.  And I have a huge amount of pens lying around my desk at work, so I really have no indicator of color (except red).  I just use the one I see closest to me.  If you look closely, you can tell that I’m a knitter and crocheter.  I’ve been setting goals each day to make a certain amount of stuff.  My sister and I are going to sell our craft goodies at Anime Expo next year.  Never too early to start!  Also, I made a book club at work.  So on the bottom right, I indicated the books that I’ve read or currently reading.  I don’t favor any particular subject, SO DON’T JUDGE ME.

Unlike Angela, I’m not as decorative on the weekly planner itself.  That would probably change in the future as I just bought an extensive amount of washi tape.  Most of what I write in my planner is usually work related.  I’m second in command in the office and as of late, my boss lady has been out of the office for her quarterly boss ladies meeting.  This means I’m the one in charge of the office for the days she’s out.  Good news, I do A LOT of staff games.  Bad news, I have to deal with corporate politics.  I have a sign on my desk that says “I don’t get paid enough to care.” That sign gets pointed at on a daily basis…Sorry, I’m ranting.  I did note a historical moment where Friday the space shuttle Endeavor flew around California before landing on LAX.  Sadly, it was not close enough to me so I just saw a little speck.  Dumb broker I work for was like, “I don’t know why this is such a big thing.” THERE’S A SPACE SHUTTLE ON TOP OF A JUMBO AIRPLANE AND IT IS FLYING!  Seriously, how often do you see that?  Actually, never.

On the notes section, I’ve made a wish list.  Christmas is coming up after all.  I’m a Doctor Who fan (I’m a big fan of anything time traveling, but I’m going to be realistic and I don’t think my husband will buy me a DeLorean).  I’m going to have to do a lot of nagging, whining and pleading to receive the last item on the list… On the other note, check out that washi tape decorating on top of the note paper.  I got inspired by Angela :D

Last but not least, I printed the awesome custom insert Angela made and I added a bit of color to it to make it look awesome.  I’m telling you, washi tapes are the best.  Personally I don’t like scrapbooking, but I LOVE scrapbooking supplies.  My to-do lists are basically my weekly cleaning chores and groceries that need to be bought.  If I don’t write it down, I won’t do the chores.  I hate cleaning up, especially after three boys (that is including my husband).

Thanks again Angela for letting me guest post for your blog!  My planner is forever changing due to new inspirations.  I’ll leave with one last note: my planner weighs 418g.  Oh and don’t forget to follow me @maizahn on twitter. Thanks a bunch!

-----

What do you guys think? I love how colourful and creative it all is. I also love the Mead inserts! I particularly liked the joke about cleaning up after the three boys hehe but my sense of humour is peculiar like that! And I love her Christmas wishlist - it reminds me that it is time for me to write mine (and not receive anything on it cos I write unrealistic things... like a footballer's name or something silly!).

more homemade inserts

Having seen other people make their own inserts, I wanted to try this myself. I wanted inserts where I could plan my meals every week and also my outfits for the week but I didn't want to use normal plain paper I felt that it wasn't sturdy enough. This is because I was planning on using an erasable pen so that the inserts could be microwaved each week/fortnight and then used again, and again, and again (idea of microwaving from Ray at My Life All in One Place).

My dilemma then was to seek out some card that was thick enough but not too thick. My solution? Well, when you get a new pack of paper inserts for your Filofax, it normally comes with a thin sheet of card doesn't it? Like these:

I personally prefer to use the 'Plain Cotton Cream' pieces of cardboard (as they don't need a slight trim to cut them down to size). Next, I holepunch them and stick them together, with the blank sides facing outwards and so it ends up like this:

I then hopped onto Photoshop and made my own inserts and this was the end result:

I'm still trying to figure out why they printed out wonky. Maybe it's my printer? That's what I think, personally? And the design wasn't perfect so the text came out pixelated. I think that next time, I will be sticking to more traditional fonts and crossing my fingers to ensure that they aren't as wonky.

All in all, it was a fun process and I think I will be making more of my inserts in the future, especially ones with cuter designs and more feminine colours!

my filofax week #23

Can you believe this is the 23rd Filofax week on Paper Lovestory? I can't believe it's lasted this long. It also gives me a reason to get creative every night to decorate my days and it keeps me away from the laptop for a bit each night which is good.

Anyway, before I show you my week and elaborate on what went down, just thought I'd say that if you'd like to be featured, I'm open to that possibility :) Just email me at paperlovestoryblog[@]gmail.com and we can discuss it or just send in a picture of your week, maybe a little bit of text to explain it and remember to let me know of your blog/twitter link(s).

Because I can't start work til January due to a health issue, my days are a bit dull so I brighten it up by adding stickers, (loads of) colour and use of washi tape. I've tried to keep busy each day by having at least one task designated for that day and so far so good. I've enrolled in a few online courses from American universities and they start tomorrow which should keep me busy for the time being!

One last thing: have a look at the Filofax Heavyweight Champion Contest if you haven't already :) Guaranteed to make you go 'wow' at some of the Filofax weights discussed. Talk about a (planner) obesity epidemic!

How was your week? I know mine doesn't look 'professional' so once work starts for me, expect to see less of the stickers! Washi tape has come in handy for highlighting important info though so that will be staying, as will colour. I need colour in my life :)

filofax heavyweight champion!

So, I thought I'd try something new. I've never done this before so for all I know, I may get no responses! I still want to try as I think it could be fun and interesting.

Talking on Twitter, a lot of us struggle with the weight of our Filofax organisers. So my idea was born. A heavyweight contest! Now, I don't have any prizes, this is all a bit of fun as I realise that this can be easily rigged ;D

Anyway, all you have to do is send in a picture of your Filofax organiser on some weighing scales with the weight clearly showing. You can do this through a Flickr group (already created - Filofax Heavyweight Champions) or you can email me your picture and I can upload it :-)

Rules:
- only weigh your main Filofax that you use (but feel free to weigh others - just specify which one is your main)
- don't add any extras to it - be as honest as possible; after all, this is just a bit of fun
- you have until November 14th to get your entry in and the winners will be announced on November 15th.
- I know it won't necessarily be fair as we all use different sizes (Compact, A5, personal, pocket, etc) which is why there is no physical prize.
- you don't have to weigh a Filofax - if you use a binder of another brand, feel free to weigh that as your entry

Here is mine to start us off ;D

I'm currently using my personal Osterley (though I have moved some inserts into my Deco, which, for the time being is used as my 'away from home' binder) and here is how much it weighs:

Couldn't find the digital scales so had to use these old-ass analogue ones.

About 520g! My shoulders must be strong as an ox to have to carry this bad boy around in my bag every day. Which is why I will be slimming down to a Slimline :)

How heavy is yours? Upload it to the Flickr group and post a link here or just, stealthily, upload it ;)

ebay seller tips - as requested!

A reader recently asked for some more specific tips for selling on eBay. Therefore, these tips assume basic knowledge but I will reinforce the more important of those points anyway.

1) Describing the Item
Be as accurate and detailed as possible. There is a form that you can fill in (e.g. if you are selling clothes, you can fill in the 'brand name', 'size', 'material', 'condition') and then a description box. Any flaws? Point them out.

2) Listing the Item

Try and list an item so that the auction ends on a Saturday or Sunday evening. These are the evenings where more people will be online compared to weekday evenings. I prefer to end mine on Sunday evenings personally, but either are usually fine.

If you are going to list an item for more than 99p (I always do - I always list at the bare minimum I am willing to part with my item for), wait for a free listing weekend. I have saved a lot this way and although it may seem mean/greedy/whatever for listing at a higher price (because you love that item but you never use it, and therefore, you're listing it at a high-ish price), remember, this is your auction. And even though no one might buy it the first weekend you list something, wait for the next free listing weekend and re-list it. It's all about the right place and the right time.

3) Postage and Packaging
If you have no idea about the cost, look on the Royal Mail website to get an idea. eBay have capped the maximum sellers can charge for postage in some categories so be wary of that. Remember to factor in a few pennies for packaging too (I usually add on 50p to the postage price for this).

If your item is over £46 (I think it is, but I usually use the figure of £40 to be safe), use a service that will reimburse you with the compensation if the item gets lost in the post. First and second class won't give you that compensation but special delivery will. Also, consider always using a trackable service. My items are always sent by recorded delivery or special delivery and the reasons for this will become clear later.

4) Communication

Credit: PSD Graphics

Let you buyers know when the item is dispatched. If they ask a question? Answer in a timely manner.

5) Returns Policy
Consider adding this into your description. Personally, I only accept returns if I've been inaccurate in my item description as I am a private seller, not a business. Therefore, I am as accurate as possible - I list all flaws and take plenty of pictures.

6) After Sending The Item

Did you overcharge on postage? If so, consider doing partial postage refunds. I always do this. I take into account postage + 50p for packaging, and then I figure out the difference between what they paid and my total cost. I would reimburse them this difference.

I always keep proof of postage and always track it a week later to see if items have
been delivered. 

7) Lost Item?
If the item is lost, you'll need to file a 'lost item claim' with the Royal Mail or the courier you used. You'll have to refund the buyer too. Fortunately, this has never happened to me but it can happen - especially with the Royal Mail being the unreliable mail carriers they are in the UK.

8) Unhappy buyer?
Is this partly your fault? Is there a fault you missed? We all make mistakes, and if so, accept the return. However, if you have clearly specified the fault or if there is nothing wrong with the item (apart from the fact they no longer want it), then stand firm. You were honest and did nothing wrong.

9) Paypal and eBay Disputes
Some buyers are quite cheeky. I sold an item once and the buyer then opened a Paypal dispute, saying that their card didn't authorise payment for the item. This was two weeks after they had received the item! All I needed to do was submit evidence that the item was received and Paypal would let me keep my money. Because I used recorded delivery and because I did not send a 'prohibited item', I was able to prove that it was received and so, Paypal sided with me.

This is also why you need to take detailed pictures and be honest in your listing.

Please also bear in mind that some buyers are quite sneaky. Because Paypal tends to side with the buyer most of the time, you need to do everything possible to protect yourself as a seller.

10) Consider Your Site Preferences

This is how mine is set - however, these settings are all down to personal preference.

Mine is set so that I only accept bids from UK buyers. I prefer not to post outside of the UK on eBay because using a trackable service can add to the already expensive postage abroad. You can do this from the 'Site Preferences' link and just go to 'Buyer Requirements'.

This is personal choice at the end of the day - allowing overseas buyers can mean that your items go for a bit more. For me, personally, I didn't see this as a risk worth taking because I have had problems with overseas buyers in the past. I hate to tarnish them all with the same brush through these settings but one bad experience was one too many for me.

So these are top 10 eBay tips. I've been selling for the past five/six years and have a lot of experience as a private seller selling stuff I don't need/want. Any other questions, feel free to ask. I hope this has proved useful :)

the future of Filofax - an open letter to Helena Bloomer of Slam PR

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that I got a bit 'ranty' a few days ago with regards to Filofax and a certain PR company. Now, I have nothing against PR companies - far from it; it's actually an industry that interests me from a career point of view. However, I am against the direction Filofax is going. Whether this direction is driven by the PR company or by Filofax themselves is another question in itself; either way, I still feel this 'open letter' that David Popely has written has a point and I agree with it.

It is mainly in response to Filofax trying to refocus their target market on the fashion sector. Don't get me wrong, I love fashion and I am a recovering shopaholic but I think this new focus is flawed. Fashion is fickle (I can back this up through personal experience) and for Filofax to do this means that they will alienate their loyal customer base.

I buy Filofax organisers and refills for their functionality, not because they are 'fashionable'. The collaboration with Temperley London is fine with me. I get that they want to tap into the fashion market but to refocus the WHOLE BRAND towards fashion? Are you kidding me? And then to give out free Temperley organisers to fashion bloggers? These organisers are one of the most expensive binders Filofax do (in terms of price only; quality is negligible) and they are giving them out for free? We are the ones paying for the binders and their refills year in, year out and they are using this money to give organisers to people who won't care about Filofax next month? Nice to see our loyalty is being rewarded.

Anyway, I digress. This letter reiterates why we, as Filofax fans and loyal users, are annoyed and will most likely boycott the brand if nothing is done. And I think we will be doing so within reason too. All too often, we have complained about paper quality, ring mechanism problems (I have had several of these, this year alone!) and leather quality decreasing and none of these have been addressed. Giving binders out to fashion bloggers is, I think, the final straw and from now on, I pledge never to purchase from Filofax ever again. I have the binders I need (and more) and I can make my own inserts or use the ones over on Philofaxy.

To end this post, I have pasted the letter as written by David Popely and I urge you, if you also have a blog, to do the same. The more coverage we can gain can only be beneficial to us loyal users and our motive is a good one: to save a brand we love from committing such a mistake where we no longer stay loyal and consequently, contribute to the demise of Filofax.

Dear Ms Bloomer

This letter is a response to the interview recently conducted with you by FeaturesExec Media Bulletin, and is being posted simultaneously (more or less) on a number of blogging sites in the UK, the US and beyond.

What binds us together as bloggers is that we are all members of an international community and website devoted to all things Filofax, and are all passionate about personal organisation, and the Filofax brand in particular. We have read, as a community, and with increasing disbelief, your comments concerning the Filofax brand, and this is our response.

We note from your comments that, as a result of a ‘usage and attitudes study’ you have conducted, you have been led to the conclusion that the distinguishing features of Filofax users are that we ‘like to write notes’, and that we are ‘very interested in fashion/stylish accessories’. We can assure you this is not the case in either respect, and that we find being pigeon-holed in this way to be demeaning and insulting in a way you most probably cannot understand. We are a community whose passions are for good organisation and a flexible, functional system to underpin that organisation. Some of us, perhaps a minority, have considerations of fashion, but all of us care that our systems of personal organisation assist us in the lives we live and the tasks we undertake.

In short, if all we wanted to do was to ‘write notes’, it is highly unlikely we would invest in relatively expensive binders, refills and systems such as your client provides. We wonder just who you have asked to participate in your ‘usage and attitudes study’. Whoever they are, we can assure you they are unrepresentative of your client’s core customer base, many of whom have been loyal customers for over twenty years and now feel ignored by your client.

We want to suggest to you that the direction you are taking your client in is ultimately going to prove fundamentally damaging to their business. The fashion ‘business’ is notoriously fickle and fast-changing, and you seem to have convinced your client that ignoring and alienating their loyal core customer base will bring dividends in terms of a new, fashion-conscious, high-spending corpus. We want to suggest to you, and by extension to Filofax themselves, that when the fashion ‘carousel moves on, your client will be left neither their newly promised client base, nor the client base you have led them to abandon. Do you really think this is smart business advice?

You say in your interview that you consider your brief with Filofax to ‘make (your client) fashionable again’. We would suggest to you that your client’s products, if they were ever ‘fashionable’ at all, were so because they fulfilled a function and a need which was perceived to be important to their customers. We now have growing evidence of a lowering of standards of manufacture in Filofax binders, of poor paper quality in refills, and of a lack of willingness to listen to your customers’ opinions. Several of our members, on voicing opinions similar to these, have been invited by Filofax (or whoever runs their Twitter feed) to communicate those opinions directly to your client. This has been done, and no further comment or reaction from your client has been forthcoming. We would like to know whether this is really the kind of public relations you wish for your clients? Or are you merely concerned with putting fashionable, well-heeled ‘bottoms on seats’ at London, New York and other Fashion Weeks with the aid of free give-aways of ranges of binders priced beyond the reach of the average core Filofax user and similarly poorly manufactured? We would suggest that your ‘fashion focused press office’ would be better employed communicating with the loyal, core customer base of your client, the majority of whom, it now seems, are on the point of abandoning your client’s brand in favour of providers who will listen.

We write as concerned individuals and not as representatives of the community to which we belong. However, it is worth noting that many of us have a very high annual spend on Filofax and related products, and we suggest that Filofax is in danger of sacrificing this loyal customer spend in exchange for something far less reliable in the long term. 

In conclusion, we have every confidence that these opinions will be ignored as ‘unfashionable’ by your ‘attitude studies’ and ‘fashion focused’ executives. However, we care enough about the Filofax brand to communicate these opinions plainly to you, and to hope that Filofax will one day return to the business in which it flourished for over seventy years, of providing highly functional, attractive but reasonably priced, personal organisation systems to those who need them, which is an increasing number of people in the societies in which we live.

review: Oxford notebooks part II (Office Book and Black 'n' Red diary ranges)

So here is part II of my Oxford notebooks review. If you haven't yet, please have a read of Part I :)

Continuing the reviews...

4) Office Book Range

This range is aimed at the business individual but the bright colours and basic with subtle design quirks (such as the curve at the left hand side, the line in the middle, and the subtle 'office book' text). 

Here are a few notebooks from this range:

From left to right: A Recycled one, a metallic polypropylene covered notebook and a  polypropylene translucent-covered notebook (all A4 in size)

From left to right: a blue A6 pearlescent soft cover notebook, a baby pink A5 pearlescent
soft cover notebook, a purple metallic polypropylene covered notebook (in between the
A5 and A6 size) and a blue pearlescent soft cover reporters notebook.

One thing I really liked about the notebooks were that some of them had bookmarks (this one below is the one in the middle in the first picture). Although the picture on the bookmark doesn't really fit with the design of these notebooks at all (a more simplistic design may be more appropriate?), I like the concept. The pages aren't perforated which makes the bookmark double handy. However, removing the bookmark is easy but putting it back is a bit of a chore (due to the high quantity of rings)!

The picture below is the bookmark in the A5 notebook. Again, my feelings about the bookmark is the same.

And finally, the notebooks stacked up together.

The colours in this range are clearly more muted and with the different materials used for the covers, you can choose one that suits you more. Also, the bookmark is a really good idea, especially if you're planning on using these notebooks for university lectures where going to your next blank page is made easier.

Overall, I like the design (minimalistic!) but I don't really like the bookmarks as much. 

5) Black 'n' Red Diary Range

Last but not least! The Red and Black diary range. 

First, the 'pocket' size. Upon opening the front cover, you're greeted with this fold out year planner:

And here is a look at how the pages look:

I really like all the extra space for notes and also the QuickNotes section at the bottom of the right hand page. 

Onto the larger, and the thickest of the three. This has a day-per-page layout. As you can see in the picture below, there is also a year planner for 2013. There is also one for 2014 at the back too.

Another look:

A section for meetings, to-dos and other work related things:

And another QuickNotes section.

And finally, the thinner diary which has a week on two page spread. Notice how Saturday and Sunday are given considerably less space.

And another QuickNotes section:

And the diaries stacked up on top of each other: 

From top to bottom: pocket sized, day per page and week to view spread.

At the back of the diaries, there are various maps and the like. 

All in all, I like the design and feel of these diaries. They are professional (as they are definitely aimed more at business personnel than your average joe - i.e. me!) and the paper quality is of a high quality too. I like the space they left aside for notes and the like and the amount of space for every day seems reasonable. There are clearly a range of products with at least one fitting your needs (with the different layouts they have) and this is definitely an appealing things about this range. 

Although I do like these diaries, I'm not sure I'll be migrating from my Filofax anytime soon. The day-per-page layout is one that would serve its purpose as a journal if one desired (as it is very heavy!) and the week to view is also good for, say, a student. 

This is a range that is close to my heart because the lab book I used at uni was a Black 'n' Red one!

And finally...

Here is another look at how pens write on the paper!

Notice how there is no feathering, no bleeding and no showthrough!

Thank you, once again, to Oxford notebooks for kindly sending me these samples to review. Which range appeals to you most? The paper quality is excellent across all of the ranges so no need to base your choice on the paper!

my own custom made inserts

Having an extraordinary amount of plain cotton cream and white Filofax notepaper, I took to making my own inserts a few months ago. I've since tweaked them so that the maximum space was utilised. I hadn't planned to release these inserts but Imy mentioned that she'd quite like to see them so here they are.

The 'Paper Lovestory range of custom inserts' isn't as wide as the 'Ray and Steve range' and the colours I've used make them more 'girly'.

Here is a picture of some of the ones I designed all printed out and ready for use...

Introducing them in more detail, along with download links if you so wished! They are in the PDF format so you can press CTRL+S to save them to your computer (or CMD+S if you have a Mac). Please do bear in mind that they are a tiny bit girly in design (but not overly).

Please note that these are all hosted on an external subdomain I own. So they are from a safe source.

1) Lined notepaper - there are two versions

Ruled notepaper / / download
Dotted line notepaper / / download

2) Coursework planner / / download

3) Blog post drafter - a detailed way to plan blog posts / / download

4) Blog post ideas list - for when you have that idea on the bus/tube / / download

5) Expenses tracker / / download

6) Survey record sheet - if you do surveys for vouchers and the like!

large version / / narrow rule version

7) Jobs applied for / / large version / / narrow rule version

8) Books list / / download

9) To-do list / / download

10) Christmas present planner / / large version / / narrow rule version

11) eBay seller's record / / download

And then, I made some for my own personal use (no pictures though!):

a) bucket list
b) work outs
c) size guide - because, if you're a woman also, you'll know how annoying it is to be one size in one store and a different size in another!
d) money matters

These are all designed to be printed on Filofax personal sized paper. Cutting the paper down to size can be annoying/time-consuming, but it is so worth it for the cost you save. I used to go through cotton cream paper like there was no tomorrow and now, I can get by with using good quality 90gsm/100gsm white paper.

* I'm not anticipating much interest with these, but please do NOT re-distribute these. Thank you! *

your filofax week: jessi's #22

This Sunday, I am featuring the week of @quellajesska - a lovely, lovely girl on Twitter. She understands our love of stationery and she's just so friendly. Though she doesn't have a blog, this post was so well written that I think she should start one ;) I am not one to peer pressure though!

Anyway, here is her post and her week! Thank you so much, Jessi, for sending your week in :)

----

So, this is my Personal sized Slate Domino - from where this week’s Filofax week comes.  (Thanks for giving me this opportunity, Angela!) (Also, really sorry for the horrible pictures - my camera cable is lost in the bomb site that is my room, so I’ve had to use my phone’s camera and then email the pictures to myself)

Before we go any further, I should probably warn you that I lack Angela’s artistic skills with washi tape (and, actually, even more distressingly, I lack washi tape itself - really need to resolve this next pay day) and beautiful handwriting.  I also graduated from Warwick this year, and have spent this summer working and not doing all the admin stuff I should be doing in preparation for my Masters, so my weeks are basically increasingly urgent glorified to-do lists. 

Anyway, this is my week.  I use week on two pages cotton cream inserts.  I’ve repurposed the document wallet that came with my Filofax (I have no idea if it ships as standard - I got a very good deal from Viking) to use it as a diary place marker and I’ve printed off lots of my favourite Bible verses that I cycle around.  I really need to laminate and then punch them, but I own neither a laminator or a Filofax punch.  So, yeah, that’s my DIY bodge job.    And, so, because of this, my week is in two pictures.

I really need to pay my fees for my MA (damn you, lack of student loan) but since my parents are contributing part I need their bank details, so ‘PAY FEES!!!’ has been scribbled on every week for the past month.  You probably can’t tell, but I marked in pink trips to my boyfriend’s house.  The past few weeks have been a bit rough, and I really need reminders like these to cheer myself up at the moment.  And 11th September was my friend’s birthday, so the blue was a reminder to send him a text.  And then on the right hand side is my favourite Bible verse (and pretty apt at the moment) written in English (I found the image somewhere on line) and then my messy scrawl in Italian underneath.  I’m not bilingual by birth, but I did my undergraduate in Italian so it holds a very special place in my heart.

The second half of the week holds lots of scribbles about when my Mum is working.  She‘s a nurse with two jobs and since my Dad works away a lot, I often have to do the school run so I write it in so I don’t double book myself!  I’m also ridiculously forgetful, so everything I need to buy has to be detailed, or else, quite simply, it doesn’t get bought.  You can also just about see that L is going to Sheffield on Saturday - my baby sister is flying the nest! - hence the good luck card earlier in the week.

As you can see, I have quite big, scrawly handwriting, and even though I would have loved a larger sized Filofax, I couldn’t justify the extra expense.  So, I was originally planning to cram everything - life and MA - into here.  But, then, about a week ago, this arrived from my new university.

A planner, exactly like the ones I used to use at school.  And it’s also a fair bit bigger than my beloved Filofax, but still small enough for my bag. 

I’m wary of spreading my life over two systems, but at the same time I think it could work - there are so many birthdays in my family, and I’ve always got some appointment or other.... not to mention that I envisage having a LOT of work to do this year, that maybe Filofax for my life, and planner for MA work could work.  Thoughts?

So, yeah, that’s me, really - thanks for having me. :)

I don’t have a blog, but I’m an aspiring adaptive rower and general chatterbox and lover of all things stationery, so if this appeals follow me @quellajesska

----

So there you have it :) Apologies for the picture quality - we are onto this matter to try and get higher quality ones sometime this week :) Thanks again to Jessi for sending this in. 

Personally, I love peeking into other people's Filofax weeks - it's intriguing to see how different systems work for different people. 

Would you like to show off your Filofax week one day? It doesn't have to be next week and you don't need to write a certain number of words - a few is fine. Let me know either on Twitter @paperlovestory or via email paperlovestoryblog [@] gmail.com

my "new" filofax amethyst slimline deco

The Deco is a model which has always seduced me but the big clasp was a worry. What if it broke? What if it was damaged or scratched? These worries were enough for me to hold off on purchasing one. But, when this Slimline Deco popped up on eBay and with the price staying low enough to tempt me, I took the plunge with ten seconds to go and was shocked to win it with a bid within my pre-determined budget. (I always bid on eBay with a maximum in mind and I never go over this!)

Anyway, my reason for this purchase? Well, last week, I was in London and found that my Osterley was extraordinarily heavy! I had to slim its inserts down and got it down to 10mm in height, but having so little in such big, 23mm, rings didn't look or feel right. This is when I knew I had to go down to a Compact or a Slimline. I always thought a Slimline would be too small; but an, apparently, new and unused Deco for this price? Worth an experiment!

So here it is:

Upon opening it... There is a pen loop to the left and look at the suede! Filofaxgasm. Srsly.

And the back - there is a slip pocket.

And how it looks from the top (with the inserts that it came with):

And a closer look at the rings - look how little they seem! I love this.

I find this Deco fitting for my Minimalism challenge. It will most likely be my portable Filofax and my Osterley will be the one that stays on my desk. I'm going to try two diaries (simultaneously) for 2013 I think; one in the Deco and one in the Osterley, and see how that works. I'm going to plan the set up of the Deco soon and hopefully, there will be a post on that if the set-up works.

What do you guys think? Do you think 11mm is too restricting? Do you think this will work for me (feel free to say no!)? Will I need to upgrade to 15mm? Stay tuned ;D

P.S. Because of this purchase, I have realised that I have no definitive need for some organisers. Could one of my barely used/new organisers suit you?