30 September 2012

Date for your Filofax - 7 October 2012


New York



Sao Paulo



London



Paris



We are going to run another conference round-table voice chat using Skype.

I'm sure we are gradually getting to know each other's voices, but I will make a point of going 'around the table' to get everyone to introduce themselves this time.

So...When, Where, What, Who and How?

When? - Sunday 7 October from 11am (US East Coast time), 4pm London time, 5 pm Paris time etc.  See the clocks at the top of this post to see roughly what time you should be on line.

Where? - an on-line chat using Skype.

What do I need? - just a micro-phone and some head phones(in ear phones work fine) and a free Skype account. Using headphones reduces 'echo' on the call.

Who - All of you... connect up with Philofaxy and we will attempt to get as many of us linked in to the audio conference as possible.

How -
  1. Connect to Philofaxy by firstly searching for Philofaxy in Skype, I will then add you as a contact.
  2. Then  'Start Chat',  I will then add you in to the chat room. 
  3. Then if you request it, I can add you to the audio conference as well. But if you just want to chat via keyboard that's fine. That way it's slightly less hectic for me! 
Come and join in the fun, even if you only pop in to say hello...

As with previous round-tables there will also be a parallel text chat room going at the same time as the voice conference.

If you need any assistance setting up Skype, please pop a comment in this post and I will try and help you get one line. Skype is free for computer to computer calls....

Here is my post on how to improve your Skype audio with headphones or a headset.

Hope to be chatting with you on Sunday 7 October 2012

29 September 2012

Web Finds - 29 September 2012

Well here we are again, what a week it has been too... I hope you have had a good week. If you missed Tuesdays Webfinds they are still available to enjoy.

Want to unwind? Go and grab a coffee, tea or something a little stronger and enjoy the following posts.
  1. The future of the planners industry? - Plannerisms
  2. How the Planner Industry Feels About Digital - Plannerisms
  3. guest post: Mai's setup! - Paper Lovestory
  4. Meet up in Hamburg - wer hat Zeit und Lust? - Filomaniac
  5. Filofax® Family Organizer Review - Simply Stacie
  6. Yep, still got a Filofax Rio as a wallet - The Crazy Suburban Mom
  7. Filofax enabling: forgive me... - The Crazy Suburban Mom
  8. Philofaxy Meet up - September 2012 - Imysworld
  9. Download your free meal planner for the Filofax Personal - My Life All in One Place
  10. 365/30 Lists: Ideal inserts - Filomaniac
  11. George Costanza's Wallet?? - Thoughts and Exploration
  12. 365/30 Challenge #26: Ideal Inserts - Wandrrlust
  13. September, 26/30: ideal inserts you wish were made… - Notes in a Filofax
  14. Travel Stickers in my Travel Filo - Mish Mash Muddle
  15. Review: Maudiemade inserts - Jagged Little Thoughts
  16. How to Design and Create Your Own Planner Pages Using Word - Homemakers Daily
  17. Welcome to the Family - Purple Finchley - Behind my Purpley Life
  18. September, 27/30: Diary formats tried… diary formats to try… - Notes in a Filofax
  19. Filofax update - Ruban x Rose
  20. Filofax Unveils Noteworthy Re-Style to its Flagship Pen and Paper Store - Arken
  21. City Organiser - Philofaxy Meet up HAUL!!! - Imysworld
  22. All Stars Guest Post: Helen from Fennel Books - Vanjilla 
  23. How I Use my Filofax: time management for work/life balance - The Post Grad Mama
  24. Essex UK Mini Meet Up? - Jar FM
  25. 365/30 Lists: Diary formats - Filomaniac
  26. The Mulberry agenda - one month on - Paper Pens Ink 
  27. What did I buy? - Cloudberry Musings 
  28. All Stars Guest Post: Notes On Notes On A Scandal - Fennell Books
  29. Philofaxy All Stars Guest Post: Helen, High Intensity Training - All Things Gay
  30. GUEST POST - Lola Karwowski - Insider her Filofax!... - Imysworld 
  31. Stickers for your 2013 Filofax set up - The Crazy Suburban Mom
  32. Philofaxy All Stars: What's in Tracy's bag? - Deligted
  33. Cover Story Finalists - Filofax UK
And this weeks videos




Enjoy

28 September 2012

Free For All Friday No. 202

How many manufacturers are there of ring bound organisers? If you start with the obvious ones. Filofax, Franklin Covey, Day Timer, Sucess, Mulberry, but can you name the others?

To qualify they must have a ring system that allows you to remove the punched paper. Please include a website address of the ones you suggest in the comments.

But it's also a Friday so please feel free to discuss anything you like that is Filofax or ring bound planner related.


27 September 2012

Rapesco Diary Punch 66-P - Updated Review


I reviewed this punch shortly after buying it in August 2009. So think of this as 'Long Term Review' a bit like you see in Car Magazine!  I've updated the information and added some more details as well.

Do you have a Personal size and Pocket size organiser? Or just one of those two sizes? And you want to be able to punch your own pages, but the cost of a Filofax Punch seems a bit high at £27.75 each ($55 or €49)? Then this punch at a typical price of about £10 plus postage might be your answer...

The Rapesco Diary Punch 66-P has two sets of sliding punch blocks which you can easily move in their slots. Each punch block has three 6mm punches spaced 19mm (3/4") apart.

With the punch blocks in the outer most position, it will punch up to 8 sheets of paper for a Personal size organiser. Slide both punch blocks fully towards the centre and it punches 6 holes perfectly spaced for a Pocket Filofax. As the Mini uses the same ring spacing as the Pocket but only 5 rings not 6 this punch works for that size as well.

The punch also has a middle setting for both punch blocks this equates to a 38mm spacing between the two sets of three holes. This is the setting to use if you have a Mulberry A6 size organiser.

It will not punch pages for an A5 as standard, although with a little bit of experimenting (remember I am an engineer!) you can punch holes the right spacing for an A5 organiser, but it involves two punches of the three holes and careful alignment in the punch. You need to punch it twice with the top or the bottom of the paper 32mm above the centre line of the highest hole. The paper will be just beyond the centre of the punch.

The punch is easy to empty, the whole base unclips... but don't do as I did... turn it upside down on my desk only to discover that because it has the slots... the chads (the bits of punched paper) manage to escape through the slots!!

I have had the punch for 3 years now, admittedly not in daily use but I would recommend it to anyone who has a Filofax or Mulberry organiser. 



26 September 2012

Philofaxy Meet Up - September 2012

So another London meet up is complete.
'But Steve it was just another London Meet Up?'
Well yes and no... I will admit the format of the day on Saturday did use the tried and tested formula of the previous ones, but we have been tweaking and refining it with each meet up... the same as we tweak our Filofax set ups, looking for that ultimate bit of perfection.

A quick run down of the day and then I will get into the detail and some background for those of you who as yet haven't attended a meet up to see if we can demystify the magic of a Philofaxy Meet Up, what is the secret behind them...

So I flew in to London from Poitiers my local airport here in France on Friday afternoon, arriving in London in the thick of the evening rush hour, which is a bit of a shock compared to quiet and peaceful rural France.  Once again I was booked in to the Holiday Inn Express in Southwark Street just behind Tate Modern, although there are a growing number of hotels now available in this area of London.

After breakfast I wandered across to Tate Modern and monitored Twitter and had my phone to hand to keep in touch with people on their way to London.  Our meet up was timed for 12.00 noon with us booked in to the restaurant for 12:15. With one exception every one was there by 12:10, big thumbs up, thanks everyone, this was a great start to a great afternoon.

Because our numbers have swelled from 10 to 14 people, Tate couldn't accommodate us all on one long table as in the past. However, in the end this didn't seem to matter as we all moved around after we had finished eating and I think we all got to talk to everyone else either at the Tate, during the walk across to City Organiser or later on that evening.

As usual it was a case of 'who is going to be first'.... first to finish dinner? No.... First to get out their Filofax organisers that they had brought along! It didn't take long before they started to appear and pages where being turned and discussions and explanations where being given and ideas exchanged.




Andy surprised Rebecca when he produced a large Dodopad folder that his wife had used in the late 1980's, Rebecca was rather taken back and Dodolighted to see a bit of her companies history still preserved and loved.  

This was our sixth London meet up in less than two years, we had people that had been to a meet up before as well as new people, but some people had not been at the same meet up together, so they were also meeting for the first time. Very few introductions were needed, with people being on Twitter, Facebook and of course Philofaxy, more and more people know each other quite well these days, and it was great to watch everyone instantly be relaxed and at ease with each other.





Alison the Globe Trotting Philofaxy Meet Up Attendee London, Chicago....


I got to chat with people about Philofaxy in general and some of these discussions triggered ideas for future posts, so I was frantically making notes so I didn't forget them.

At about 3pm we settled up our bill at the Tate and we formed up to march, sorry I mean walk to City Organiser over in Bow Lane, once again we were lucky with the weather, not a drop of rain all day thank goodness.

Then as we approached City Organiser, all the excitement and chattering started to die down as we got within a few metres. For those who had never been there before it was like entering the 'Magic Kingdom' there was silence... for a few seconds.... then people remembered to breath again.... no this wasn't a dream it was real, all those organisers in one place for them to look at and touch.

Having the whole of City Organiser to ourselves was once again an excellent part of the whole meet up experience and a big thank you to Andy for agreeing to open just for us on Saturday, normally his day off.

Tracy and Imy

The Dynamic Duo
Well Imy what do you think of the new Temperley?
I think you can guess Tracy's reaction!
Andy introduces some of the new Letts Notebooks



This was were the serious business of the day was going to take place, shopping lists came out, eyes started scanning the displays and items were being picked out and placed on the counter.


Purple Maldens

It wasn't all about buying though, we got to closely examine the new Temperley organisers as well as the limited edition ones. Quite a lot of discussion took place around a table at the back of the shop about these and comparing them with other organisers from the standard range.

Laurie will be doing a review of a Temperley soon so it will be interesting to see what she has to say compared to what the group thought. 

I think most of us ventured down in to the 'Aladdins Cave' which is the basement office of City Organiser. As you can see there were a few familiar office staff already sat at the desks gazing around the walls of shelves of Filofax black boxes.... and Andy then told us, oh we haven't had our big Autumn delivery yet... I wonder where they will all end up being stored..!

The new office staff at City Organiser try out their desks!


I am sure most of us have been to a store to look and may be buy a Filofax before. However, the unique experience about doing the same thing at a meet up is that you are shopping with 'friends'. You can examine the whole range of organisers, or even the whole stock of one particular model/style to be able to pick out exactly the one that you like the best, best the pattern of the leather or the shade of colour.

Which Purple Malden would you like?

We managed to get everyone outside for a quick group photo before the daylight disappeared and some of our party had to leave for early trains home to different parts of UK. 

L-R Yasmin, Andy, Anita, Saz, Christa, Thomas, Tracy, Imy, Alison, Jess, Keji, Rebecca, Preethi

As some of us were staying in London, and a few people only had a short train journey to get home, so we agreed to meet up for a meal in a restaurant in the evening.

I had spotted Vapiano whilst I was over last time in May, when I mentioned it to Thomas, he was very complementary about Vapiano and so we met up there in the evening.


More discussions took place, others continued from earlier, a few drinks were consumed as well as some lovely food and deserts.



Sadly we had to end the day there, go home or back our respective hotels. After a quick night cap we turned in for the night.

Sunday dawned with grey skies and the forecast of rain and high winds, so I implemented a hasty change of plan for lunch and we went back to Vapiano's again... this time a reduced number of us (Thomas, Imy, Tracy and myself), but we were joined by my son Philip and Maudie (of Maudie Made)

We had a great meal and lots of discussion. I'm not quite sure what my son Philip made of it all, he was the only non-Filofax user there!!!  But he joined in the conversation as much as everyone else, so it couldn't have been too bad!

It was lovely to meet Maudie as well for the first time. She is also another diary insert maker so it was interesting to compare notes about how we create our different diary inserts.

With it still raining outside we all said our goodbyes and headed off for trains. I had a quiet night in the hotel and flew back to France on Monday morning, but I also managed to visit The Pen Shop in Stansted Airport on the way through. The manager remembered me from last May!!! So we had a chat and I left her with some Philofaxy cards.

The Pen Shop Stansted Airport

The weekend has left me full of happy memories of conversations and things we shared on the two days and now of course I can look forward to the November meet ups... one in Edinburgh and the other in London.

Again thank you to everyone who came to the various events over the weekend. And of course to Andy for giving us full access to City Organiser 


25 September 2012

Web Finds - Mardi 25 Septembre 2012

Gosh I leave the system running over the weekend in my absence and I was amazed at how many posts and articles had appeared when I got back from my weekend à Londres...

So here they are:
  1. French firm in the frame as diary maker Letts/Filofax goes up for sale again - Scotsman
  2. 21 Signs That You Are Failing At Time Management - Time Management Ninja
  3. Meet up in Köln - Filomaniac
  4. Journalling School (10) - Filomaniac
  5. Journalling School Session 10: Past, Present and Future - My Life All in One Place
  6. Filofax as objet d'amour - The Crazy Suburban Mom
  7. Comparing the Midori Traveler's Notebook to an A5 Filofax - The Crazy Suburban Mom
  8. Lessons Never Learned - Well Planned Life
  9. Temperley for Filofax - Violet Review - Imysworld
  10. Guest Post from Kiddy Qualia - How she uses her Filofax - Imysworld
  11. I'm back!! And an update :) - The Life of The Perpetual Student
  12. filofax heavyweight champion! - Paper Lovestory
  13. my filofax week #23 - Paper Lovestory
  14. more homemade inserts - Paper Lovestory
  15. Philofaxy meet up. 22/9/12 - Rapunzel's World
  16. My thoughts on the new Temperley for Filofax range - Rapunzel's World
  17. An Open Letter....... - Austin Linda Rides Again [Link Removed as the post was deleted]
  18. Could it be that Letts, the owner/partner of Filofax is getting ready to sell? - Austin Linda Rides Again
  19. There is something rotten in the state of Filo - Productive Living
  20. Filofax Fortnight #6 - Pride, It leaves you hollow
  21. Philofaxy September 2012 Meet Up - JarFM
  22. Filofax App? - Lady Tamlynn
  23. New Set Up - picture 4 - Sense of Gravity
  24. My Filofax Collection Part 2 - Within Dreams We Live
  25. Filofax inserts using a cute notebook - Nothings Original Anymore
  26. Look what I found! - Lilly Actually
  27. My Domino Snake set up for uni - Lilly Actually
  28. Yet Another Divider Post: Pennybridge - Wandrrlust
  29. When Life Gets Crazy… - Wandrrlust
  30. Making Filofax Dividers - Femme Musings
  31. Hot List Sheets - Cloudberry Musings
  32. New Filofax Personal Inserts - Glossette
  33. My new weight loss Filofax - Filofax Fantasies
  34. Question of the Week - Strangest Place You've Taken Your Filofax? - Bryan Sherwood
  35. The Most Important Part of My Filofax Planner - Bryan Sherwood
  36. Uni Filofax Set Up - In Hope of an Organised Life
  37. Do you know where your addresses are?? - Plannerisms
  38. Creating time out of nothing - Mother's Always Right
  39. Moving on up...- Imysworld
  40. Maudiemade - Jagged Little Thoughts
And you have been busy doing Filofax videos too... Click watch in You Tube if you want to see the full details of the video and comments etc.












A bientôt

Free For All Tuesday No. 86

Tuesdays are your chance to ask any Filofax related questions you might have.

So fire away and we will collectively try to answer your questions or offer opinions.

24 September 2012

Reader Under The Spotlight - Tracy R

Today I would like to introduce you to Tracy, her blog you will know I'm sure as we have linked to it many times. 'The Crazy Suburban Mom' but I don't think she is crazy at all, I would rename the blog the Creative Suburban Mom!!

1. When did you buy your first Filofax and what was it?

My very, very first planner wasn't a Filofax.   It was a cheap no-name purple, plastic hot mess bought sometime in the early 80's. I wrote about it not that long ago in a post called -  A disorganized, cluttered, and imperfect joy - (Link is here)  The purple monstrosity was  little bigger then a personal Filofax but smaller then an A5 and as awful as it was, the promise it made of an organized life was the spark for all further planner purchases.

My first official Filofax was a Personal Portland bought new at Bloomingdale's sometime around 1990.   I still have it.  It's  my car Filofax and contains car related documents plus street addresses/phone numbers of places I want to go or go to frequently, and vacation ideas.

2. What other brands have you used or considered using? 

I use/used a few brands; Franklin Covey (a brief flirtation), Daytimers ( I used them on and off in the 90's), success choice ( love the leather and paper but it would work best for people who use that ring configuration unless you love re-punching holes), a Moleskine here and there, and a Midori Traveler's notebook (love)

I always check out binders put out by high end leather companies, too.  I've never bought one of those because while many can use personal size inserts, almost none of them use Filofaxes A5 size.

3. Out of the organisers you own which is your current favourite (Style and Size)?

That's like asking which of your children you love more.... I love the Malden's slots and pockets but prefer the Emerald Finsbury's color and the Portland's leather.

4. How many Filofax organisers do you own?

I have an A5 Grey Malden, an A5  Emerald Green Finsbury, the Portland personal,  a Pink Pocket Rio (my wallet), and a little, baby yellow Piazza (not currently using).

5. What do you use your Filofax for? 

The yellow mini piazza's job is to look pretty, the pink pocket Rio is my wallet, the personal Portland lives in my car and the two A5's are my brain away from, and at, home.   I switch back and forth between the Malden and Finsbury but they hold everything from calendars,to business cards, to letters I'm writing, interactions with various customer service departments, to postage stamps and sticker overflow.

6. What was the feature about Filofax you like most?

Well, obviously the rings allow for total customization but the slots, pockets and compartments add so much usable space in a small (relatively) footprint.  I love that I can just get a pen and write something down, I don't like on-screen keyboard writing.

7. If you could design your own Filofax what would it feature?

I've thought a lot about that and considered writing a post  many, many times.  I've never done it  because what is perfect for me might not be for anyone else.    For me it would have to be A5 sized because that's what works for me.  Other wishes are kind of general; I'd like to see a binder in  minimally processed leather  (or maybe patent leather) because it will last forever.  If I scratch my Filofax I want to see more Filofax, not a plastic backing. 

Also it would have what ever rings the early Filofaxes had.  That Filofax doesn't have the same quality rings is the main reason I'm afraid to make the investment in a new one . 
It's a shame because I'd love to support Filofax, the company, not just Filofax, the brand.

8. How do you carry your Filofax?

Well, I have a very large purse that if full, would hurt me.  So carrying any size is feasible.

9. Which Filofax in the current range do you like the most? Are you going to buy it?

I wish there was a new Filofax I loved  but  the one's I like don't have 30 mm rings which is a deal breaker.   I do look on eBay all the time for old ones.

10. What is the most you have ever spent on a Filofax? Which model?

I bought the A5 Gray Malden new and it was a little over a hundred dollars but at the same time I bought an A5 purple Finchley for $9 during the Swedish sale.  I rationalized the price of the Malden by telling myself I only paid $55 for each - Which made me feel a lot better.

11. Turning to Philofaxy, what do you like the most?

I love that if I don't know the answer to a question,, someone there does.  And like everyone has said before me, the sense of community.  My family is bewildered by Filophila so it's a relief to have a place where people get me.

12. And what do you not like about Philofaxy?

Forgive me, Philofaxy but...  The background color of the Philofaxy site is my least favorite thing.  It doesn't do a thing for you...

13. What was the last music album CD you bought or downloaded?

I'm pretty neutral about music, even in my car.  I love listening to audible books and subscribe to lots of podcasts. I've downloaded tons of apps also, but music isn't really my thing.


Thank you Tracy for going under our Spotlight.

23 September 2012

It Takes a Village...to Build a Filofax

Thank you to Erin T. for this guest post about her Holborn. 

I started my Filofax journey with a pocket sized Finchley in mustard in 2010.  It worked wonderfully as a datebook, but over this past summer I decided I needed to get more out of my planner; I was looking for a one-stop spot not just to store appointments, but also to keep necessary information and notes from all facets of my life.

Overshooting the mark a bit, I went straight to A5, ordering a raspberry Finsbury.  Very nice, but we just never bonded.  Next was an A5 Imperial Purple Finchley, a breathtaking binder made even more special by the fact that I purchased it from Filofax celebrity Imy! I happily set it up and carried it around much of the summer only to discover, as many have before me, that A5 was just too large and heavy to be my go-everywhere organizer. Just in the nick of time, the famous Zoe was selling a personal Finchley in teal. The size was perfect, and I'd been lusting after a teal Finchley ever since I was forced to order my very first binder in mustard when teal was discontinued, but something was still missing.  It didn't look professional on my desk, and try as I might I couldn't get it to work as a wallet/purse. Enter the Holborn. It may not be as immediately pretty as the Finchley, but it is distinguished, smooth as butter, and has enough pockets to make me drool. Here's my setup, which owes so much to so many Philofaxers!

First, the binder, in gorgeous wine. I was intrigued by Laurie's review and video, and Zoe's high praises for the Holborn sealed the deal.


Inside, I store my business cards and some of the Staples Martha Stewart Avery sticky notes, which fit perfectly into one of Holborn's credit card slots and where I usually write a short list of not-too-time-specific monthly to-do's. I also keep a few slips of scrap paper in case I need to jot something down to give to someone.


As you can see, I carry three Uni Style Fit Meister 3 multi-pens, for a total of 8 colors of .5 mm gel ink and one .5 mm pencil. These are inexplicably called "Mystar" at Jetpens, which is where I got mine, but I couldn't love these pens more.  I created one extra pen loop by covering a trimmed-to-fit A5 Flex pen loop with scrapbook paper and sliding it in the outward facing pocket.

I was really feeling OCD about being able to see the grey elastic from the front of the binder, since it's wider than Holborn's closure strap, but luckily, with my silver pen in that loop, it is camouflaged nicely. I'm also able to keep other little things I need in that pocket along with the pen loop.  The inward facing pocket holds my stickers.


I made my tabs out of scrapbook paper, and based on Ray's tutorial on printing Post-It Tabs, I used icons from The Noun Project with assistance from The PNG Project to print clear labels to affix to each tab. The circus tent is for home and family--and, yes, my choice of icon is most certainly meant as commentary--where I keep information about my daughter's school, plan family finances, and the like.  The yoga figure is for me (books I want to read, stuff I want to buy, and quilting projects in progress or that I'm dreaming about). The tree is for my Quaker meeting, the apple is for work (I teach), and the calendar is for, well, my calendar!


One of the most difficult things for me to give up about A5 was the ability to print on regular paper, make one cut, punch, and then insert into my binder.  In particular, I learned that I like to keep copies of my course syllabi in my Filo so that I can refer back to them when needed and I despaired that I would ever find a way to print them on personal sized paper. As soon as I figured out that a little trimming and folding would do the trick--an idea I got from Steve's folding experiments I knew that I could make personal size work.


Voila!  It's as simple as turning my binder one click to the right.



Inspired by tutorials from The Perpetual Student and Whispering Rabbit, I made my second extra pen loop by cutting, covering, and punching another A5 Flex loop. As long as I make sure I slide my pen into the loop with the clip facing to the right (which has now become second nature) the pages turn wonderfully, even with the pen inside the rings.  As you can see, this pen loop does double duty as a place to store sticky notes, flags, and tabs.


My calendar is the last section of my binder, which helps keeps the rings from getting in the way of writing. I use week-on-two-pages cotton cream inserts, which, as you can see, I divide with a line down the center. (I use a Uni Style Fit gel ink cartridge in brown black for this, as I find it matches the color of ink used to print the pages nicely enough.) On the side closer to the rings, I write my daily to-do's. On the side further from the rings, I write my appointments (purple for work, aqua for me, orange for my daughter, blue for my husband, and green for travel) and I use my Martha Stewart removable color-coding stickers for birthdays.

Using a clear today ruler helps to ensure that not too much is blocked from view. I love looking at Angela's colorful pages, so each evening, I decorate the day based on its events and my mood.  This is one of my favorite things to do, and it makes me squeal just a little teeny tiny bit every time I look at a completed week spread.


After my calendar is the business card holder that comes with the Holborn, which I have filled with cards that have non-sensitive information on them.  The only failing of my beloved Style Fit pens is that that the particular model I like doesn't come with an eraser.The Seed Slendy + Super Slim eraser, which I keep clipped to the business card holder, solves this problem very well. I use washi tape that I purchased from one of the Etsy sellers recommended by Tracy throughout my Filo, but you see it here being used to keep the release lever for the eraser closed.


I was very attracted to the idea of being able to use my Filofax as a wallet/purse since it would reduce the number of things I would need to carry with me. My one reservation was that I often leave my binder laying open on my desk in my office, where many random students and others come wandering by, and I was fearful that if it was too obviously a wallet, I might come back one day from the water cooler to find it missing. For that reason, I do not store my credit and debit cards in the card slots at the front of the binder, where they would be ultra-visible. Instead, I use the back pockets of the Holborn as my wallet, with cash and coupons in the inward facing pocket and cards in the outward facing pocket.  Without careful examination, it's almost impossible to see that I've got cash and cards in my organizer at all, especially because the pen shields them from view. Notice that I don't have any actual cash in this picture...certainly it's clear from this post where all my money went!  I also keep some stickies here in the back for jotting quick notes that I may later want to stick in my calendar.


And here's the device I hacked to keep my cards organized in the back pocket of my Holborn. I took two inexpensive Day Runner business card holders that I purchased at Staples, cut off the strips with the holes punched on them, and used clear packing tape to fasten the two together. There's plenty of room for all my cards, and the holder stays pretty firmly wedged in the pocket once inserted.


And a few more, just because it's so beautiful.



Thank you all so much for reading.  It's truly an honor to have this post published on Philofaxy.  I'm so grateful for all of the inspiration I've gotten from all of the specific people I've mentioned, as well as many other individuals from this community who have sparked my ideas in ways I can't even pinpoint. You're all the best!

Erin T.

22 September 2012

Web Finds - 22 September 2012

So I'm in London this weekend for the Philofaxy meet up today, so watch out on Twitter for some photos of our meet up.

But in the mean time here are some Filofax blog posts for you to read:
  1. NYC Meet Up Canceled - Well Planned Life
  2. An open letter to MD of Slam PR. - Rapunzel's World
  3. Attention Filofax - Deligted
  4. Filofax woes – an open letter to SLAM PR agency regarding their perceptions of the Filofax brand and its customer base. - The Musings of Max 
  5. The future of Filofax – an open letter to Helena Bloomer of Slam PR - The Life of a Perpetual Student 
  6. The future of Filofax – an open letter to Helena Bloomer of Slam PR - Belzira's corner
  7. An open letter to Helena Bloomer of Slam PR - Bluebonnet Reads
  8. the future of Filofax - an open letter to Helena Bloomer of Slam PR - Paper Lovestory
  9. The Future of Filofax – An open letter to Helena Bloomer, MD of Slam PR - Jar FM
  10. - Kiwi Paper Addict
  11. Filofaxes - an open letter to Helena Bloomer of SlamPR  - Imysworld
  12. The Future of Filofax – An Open Letter to Helena Bloomer of Slam PR - Well Planned Life
  13. Aston-Special - Filomaniac 
  14. In Honor of J and Holy Matrimony - Well Planned Life 
  15. Question of the Week - Strangest Place You've Taken Your Filofax? - Bryan Sherwood
  16. Filofax - '80s Actual
  17. 365/30 Lists: Perfect Filofax - Filomaniac
  18. Test the best in Agendas and Planners... - Austin Linda Rides Again!
  19. Filofax and iPad - How I Organise My Life. - Lady Tamlynn
  20. Woohoo - Look What I've Got!!!! - Sunshine Stamping
  21. My Filofax Collection - Within Dreams We Live 
  22. All Stars Guest Post - Steve - Mistaken Identity - Thoughts and Exploration
  23. Travelling Handmade - Thought and Found
  24. Franklin Covey “Giada” Binder Review - The Zeitgeist of Zoe
  25. Roll out the carpet for the new set up (as of August 2012)  - Sense of Gravity
  26. Planner companies who listen to their customers - Plannerisms
  27. Blog Challenge Day 30......FINALLY! - Nothing Is Original Anymore 
  28. From Filofax to Franklin Covey & Back Again - It's My Life
  29. Finding The Right Journal - It's My Life 
  30. 3rd .. 2 .. 1 .. mine! - Filomaniac 
  31. Filofax Update – Making it Prettier - Grakky
  32. Boycotting Filofax: What are your options? - Jagged Little Thoughts
  33. Filofax List - It's My Life 
  34. Regency im neuen Herbstkleid - Filo-Manie
  35. A new addition! - Practically Pretty
  36. Update on my A5 Malden daily and weekly inserts (Video) - We really didn't need another Filofax
  37. Mariage réussi ! - Le Temps Maîtrisé
  38. My Compact Portobello Filofax - Curiousity Killed a Cat 
  39. WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT - Imysworld
  40. Filofax Blog of the Week: Thoughts & Exploration - My Life All in One Place
  41. 365/30 Lists: Things to buy... - Filomaniac
  42. New Set Up - picture 3 - Sense of Gravity
  43. New Filo ..yeah, it's a good day! - Circus Life with Disturbed Mamacita
  • Your blog post could appear here next week if we missed you this time around. Email us the details and we will include it if we can.
  • We can not guarantee people will read your posts, but we know there is a higher chance of people reading your posts and returning to read other posts if you make them interesting with pictures and good hints and tips. Do not forget to give your posts a title...
And here are the latest Filofax video finds





Enjoy

21 September 2012

Free for All Friday No. 201

Our 201st FFAF! Somehow, the number 201 reminds me of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Do you use your Filofax for anything movie-related? I like to keep a list of movies that I want to see. Or do you write reviews of movies after you've seen them?

I suppose you could also carry pictures of your favorite movie stars in your Filofax, but if you do that, I won't tell anyone...I promise!

20 September 2012

Guest Post - Deborah - Franklin Covey “Simplicity” Planner Pages

I’m very excited to have another guest post on Philofaxy.  My first was a review of my binder, an Ostrich Filofax.  You can see that review here. Thanks a bunch, Steve!  I feel like I’m in the “Big Leagues” now! 

I thought I would do a quick review of the new planner pages that I’m using in my Filofax. 

Franklin Covey “Simplicity” Planner Pages

About a week ago I began searching for 2013 planner pages.  I wrote a little bit about it here [hyperlink to: http://www.thoughtsandexploration.com/2012/09/new-planner-pages-for-my-filofax.html].  I’ve decided to move away from my Filofax week-on-two-pages format in cotton cream to Franklin Covey (FC) week-on-two pages.  I use a personal size Ostrich Filofax binder so I chose the Compact size refills from FC.  Here are the Simplicity Series planner pages that I chose:


I read about using FC refills in a Filofax on J’s blog – The Crazy Life of J
I moved into the new pages as soon as I got them in the mail.  Here is what I found.

As many have said, the FC pages are a bit wider than the Filofax pages.  The ring hole spacing is exactly the same between FF Personal and FC Compact.  Knowing that the pages were going to be wider, I immediately moved my Diary section to the back.  I also moved my pen from the pen loop (on the right) and put it into a Flex pen loop on the left side of my binder.  I have a second smaller pen clipped to the credit card slots.  I crossed my fingers hoping that the page overhang was going to be minimal, took a deep breath and closed my binder…no such luck. 


Yup…not going to work!  Hmmmm, what to do now?  


Okay, these pages aren’t going to defeat me!  I was determined to make them work so out came my scissors and snip, snip – off went the right-most margin (only the colorful piece).  This worked wonderfully and didn’t take away any precious writing real estate!


Now the pages fit just fine.  They do go right up to the edge of the FF when closed but I feel like they are still protected.  Very happy!


So now that they fit, lets compare the actual pages: FF vs FC.

The most obvious differences, FC has:

  • A larger top margin with larger (and prettier) font showing the date
  • A Monday start instead of FF’s Sunday start
  • The “Notes” box is at the end of the week instead of at the beginning
  • The day and date on the right page is printed on the left of the page and not the right like FF’s pages
  • Color, color, color!
Two other major format differences:


The months in the FC refill are separated by a lined page on each side.  So, for example at the end of September you’ll find a lined page (on the backside) and another lined page at the beginning of the following month.  Picture each month “sandwiched” between lined pages.  Nice!


The “day boxes”, for lack of a better term, are taller on the Filofax pages than on the Franklin Covey ones.  So, yes, those with need for the FF sized day boxes may feel the FC ones to be a little tight.  Width-wise, though, they are both about the same in this format.

I bet you’re wondering about the paper quality.  Both seem to be comparable, well…kind of.  I use ballpoint, rollerball, pencil and fountain on my diary pages.  I did a test page of both.  The left shows the Filofax paper and the right shows the Franklin Covey paper.

The one huge difference on the front is the increased feathering of the fountain pen ink on the Filofax paper.  Actually, all the lines of the different pens/inks on the Franklin Covey paper are sharper than on the FF paper.  The feathering of the fountain pen looks really bad on the FF paper!  My camera is failing to clearly show this but trust me the writing looks better on the FC page.


And now the back. 


There is minimal ghosting on the FC paper as well as the FF paper EXCEPT for the fountain pen on the FF paper.  There is horrible bleed-through there.  The Filofax paper falls short with fountain pens.  Franklin Covey wins on that point with a sharper line and minimal ghosting.  I have no reservations with using my fountain pens on the FC paper.

I think I’m a convert.  I’m really going to like using these Franklin Covey pages in my Filofax.  After cutting them down a teeny bit they’re perfect.  Now I get my daily fill of color and design in my diary pages.  And here’s a surprise, I’m discovering that I like having the diary pages at the back of my planner.  I think it’s just because it’s a change.  It’s nice to change every once in a while, isn’t it?? 

Thanks again, Steve, for letting me review my new planner pages for this site!

Thank you Deborah for a great review, it is always interesting to see alternative diary formats in a Filofax