Kate Spade Wellesley Zip Review!

NB: I want to remind my readers that filo-sophical will soon be changing to lettersinnovember@blogspot.com come 27th of July 2014. Read about the post here.
Guess who arrived early this week!

Kate Spade!

Yes, Kate Spade has finally stepped into my limited collection, and she's here to stay (for now)!

This was purchased during Kate Spade's secret sale wherein it was going for just US$49! I managed to find a wonderful instagramer (@tinajan) whom had purchased a few of these beauties and was happy to sell and post one to Australia. If not for her, I don't think I would ever have purchased one (especially since its original price is around the $170+ range on eBay!)

Here are the unboxing pictures:

It doesn't open flat out of the box, though I think this is mostly due to the fact that it's a zip around. I have the same problem with my zipped Holborn but with a little force and a little weight, it will probably be able to stay flat (though I have yet to try).

On the insides:

Doesn't open flat... yet.

Front pockets 

Back

It's quite ... pretty on the insides due to the beige coloured pockets and the polka dot backing. Even the inserts are nice and girly:

The rings were nice and tight and yknow... gold, and is apparently around 30mm. It doesn't seem like it is from the side though

Gold rings!

One problem I do have with the Kate Spade is the boar-skin design. For those who aren't sure / do not know, Kate Spade's Wellesley Agenda is made out of boar-skin embossed calfskin, which means that the leather is really just calfskin.... made to look like boar-skin (pig-skin). I don't quite understand why Kate Spade decided they had to emboss the leather to look it, because honestly, I prefer it without but I guess it complements the design. And because I'm not a great fan of boar-skin (though it's only embossed), it has decreased my affinity with it... even if just a little.

Nevertheless, she is still a beauty inside and out, and has both an air of durability and formality to it. I might hold onto this beauty for a while though because I have wanted it for some time and have gone through great lengths to get it, but I have a feeling it might (though not necessarily) go on the market sooner or later. We'll just have to see...

Making a Midori Kraft File Insert

NB: I want to remind my readers that filo-sophical will soon be changing to lettersinnovember@blogspot.com come 27th of July 2014. Read about the post here.
I generally got the idea and guidelines from Ray Blake's site mylifeallinoneplace. It's an easy and cheap alternative to buying one from Midori. Not to mention, you can use any type of cardboard you want. Mine is going to be a manilla folder I got from Typo for just 35c! It's sturdy, pretty and works like a charm. Here's how I did it in pictures:

First and foremost, get your equipment in order:

Regular MTN, paper cutter, scissors, double sided tape and manilla folder

Then draw out the markings (full specifications found on Ray Blake's site linked above):

Cut it out:

Bend and tape:

And voila! Finished 'kraft' MTN folder. Easy peasy lemon squeezy:

And the best thing about making your own is that once it's worn out, you can throw it out and make another one without feeling guilty.

Regular Brown Midori Traveler's Notebook Review

NB: I want to remind my readers that filo-sophical will soon be changing to lettersinnovember@blogspot.com come 27th of July 2014. Read about the post here.
I take it back, I just couldn't work with a passport size MTN. And I couldn't work with a black regular MTN either... which just caused me to buy a brown regular MTN, (don't worry, I sold my black!) from Notemaker again. This time, I had no troubles with them. My order was dispatched on Monday and it arrived the very next day! And boy am I glad I decided to buy the brown...

Because I've already reviewed this item here, I'm here to spam you with pictures:

I decided to spend a little more on Notemaker this time, buying extra inserts for my brand new Midori. I got myself a card holder and sticky pockets to customise:

Brown MTN + inserts!

Comparing brown regular with brown passport MTN

I too managed to get my hands on the Kraft notebook, but I'm starting to regret it as I managed to make my own Kraft type notebook with better, thicker paper. I decided to cut up my Strathmore Toned Paper sketchbook knowing I wouldn't use it in it's current pristine condition, and have fitted it nicely in my Midori. Not to mention, I managed to make 4 separate stacks of these from one sketchbook too!

One thing I notice about brand new MTNs though is the powdery layer it has on the leather:

It comes off after you've handled it a few times though:

The moment I opened up the package, I had to customise my new MTN right away, so in came the sticky pockets, card slots and project life cards:

Sticky pockets and card slots in!

And if you couldn't tell, I couldn't be happier with my new MTN.

Kikki K Mint Planner Limited Debut

NB: I want to remind my readers that filo-sophical will soon be changing to lettersinnovember@blogspot.com come 27th of July 2014. Read about the post here.
On the 27th of June (Friday) at 7:30am AEST, Kikki K released a 'limited edition' mint planner similar to that of their predecessor available at the beginning of the year. There were only 100 units released that morning, which was out of stock sooner than you know it. And if not for a few kind souls who spread the word onto social media such as Instagram and Facebook, I probably wouldn't have known about it either.

The appearance?

Mint Edition

The format is similar to that of the Grey and Berry Planners (which I too have... oops), just in that elusive mint colour every girl seems to want.

(Excuse the poor quality image. I had to pull it from my instagram account as there are no traces of it online or on the Kikki K online store as yet)

They do, however, plan to release it again come October, including new 2015 planners in August. The mint's limited appearance was probably done to judge the sale of the item as it's colour was only brought back due to popular demand / customer feedback. To be honest, I never much fancied Kikki K's mint-with-gold-dots planner. I didn't like the elastic strap (as it reminded me of the Filofax Domino), and some people didn't like it because it was too 'puffy'. I guess it's a good thing I don't fancy them as much as others do, because for one, it saves me a lot of money seeing the ridiculous prices some people are selling them for (almost double the price!).

It's funny though, I logged onto my Kikki K account a while back and managed to find the medium sized mint planner in my wishlist. I probably should have bought one... could've let me earn some extra cash selling it now... Oh, if I only knew...

But that's drifting off topic, as I did know about the appearance of this mint limited edition planner, I did manage to snap one up for AUS$70 with free shipping and a free receipts book worth $20. Good deal, I reckon... just not for my bank account as I recently purchased the Berry...

Who knows... they might be up for grabs if I fail to bond with them in the future. But as I am on a quest to make my collection a little more cheery and a little less dull, I can see myself keeping them... just till people are going crazy over them and they're discontinued, and I can sell it for an arm and a leg, that is. Heh. Oh, just kidding..

But just to let my readers know, these will be up for sale again (according to Kikki K), so... chill - as some instagramers seem to be quite distraught knowing they missed out - and be patient. I'm sure Kikki K will come round with new and improved planners for the future.

ps. I'll be reviewing the Mint once I get my hands on it (naturally), so hopefully, this will shed some light on the item before people decide to buy them when they debut again in October!

Changes to Filosophical

Hey guys!

Now that I have my holidays in order, I've decided to start up my own Big Cartel shop, set up a new instagram account and ... change my blog name. The change will only happen on the 27th of July, so there'll be plenty of time to spread the news around.

These are my new accounts:
1- Big Cartel: www.lettersinnovember.bigcartel.com (will be updated on blog once stock is up)
2- Instagram: @lettersinnovember
3- Blog: www.lettersinnovember.blogspot.com (only running 27th of July)

For 3 months now, this blog has been running through all your love, comments and of course, views. I never thought I would be able to write about the things I love and have such a wonderful community backing it up. It truly would not have been possible without the wonderful Filofax community (especially Steve, who has listed my blog posts under Web Finds for quite a while now) who has practically made my dreams come true.

A little about my Big Cartel shop:
As I have a little time on my hands now, I will hopefully be selling planner items, whether it may be handmade or from different retailers. These items will include handmade planner dividers, crafty paper clip items, post-it notes, tabs, washi tape, etc.  When uni semester starts up again in August however, I will hopefully be selling notebooks from my ridiculous collection, or genuine Midori / Filofax / Kikki-K planners as I won't have the time to create as many planner-related items as I would like. That said, there will of course, be some stock of handmade items from time to time.

And finally, as I am just starting up with the online store, I will only be able to list 5 items in it at one time, with each item having a limited stock. This will mean that the items will come in a first come first serve basis. I will continually update the items that will be sold in my store through my blog and my instagram account.

Here's to a long and hopefully successful direction to a more crafty life!
Yours sincerely,
Nadia.

Planner Peace?

I think I have finally come to the stage where I'm finding planner peace.
I think.

I've been putting up quite a few of my collection up for sale recently, and I'm currently down to:
1- Brown Holborn Zipped Personal
2- Brown Holborn Personal
3- Yellow Original Personal
4- Ochre Malden Personal
5- Kate Spade Black Wellesley Zipped
6- Aqua Original A5
7- Red Domino A5
8- Chocolate Aston A5
9- Kikki K Berry A5

It seems a lot still, and I guess it still is, but it's definitely a cut down from my previous collection. Not to mention, I can't exactly sell the ones I currently own mostly because they're either:
1- Used / have a taaaad bit of defect which I know wouldn't sell too well
2- Hold a special place because it was my first
3- They're just too damn lovely!
4- Discontinued

Besides, a girl's got to have at least some sort of collection, right?

And on the bright side, now that I'm clearing my unused binders, and have undertaken the no-spend June (although I did spend, just not as much as I used to!), I'm starting to appreciate what I have and not go crazy buying everything I see. I guess the fact that I'm on holidays, and hence don't travel past the city every day to go to uni, does play a major part...

Have you guys found your planner peace yet?

Filofax A5 Aston Review

Here comes the last of the list! The grand ol' A5 Chocolate Aston. Yknow, for some reason, I have quite a soft spot for this one. I tried selling it once, but I just couldn't let it go... despite the fact that all it does is sit on my shelf, new and unused. I guess for one, it smells amazingly leather-y, it has this sophisticated-ness about it, it's soft, (it's discontinued), I got it for a bargain, and well.. I can see myself using it in the future.

But anyway, here comes the (short but picture filled) review for it:

It's very much like it's little brother I reviewed a while ago (found here), just of course, bigger. Here are the pictures:

Unboxing A5 Aston

Back

It has this pebbly feel to the leather, and yet still smooth.

On the insides:

Inside

Front cover

I love how it managed to lay flat right out of the box without even forcing it. It's floppy at its spine, but has a cover sturdy enough to write on. Not to mention the many pockets available: it has 6 card slots, one zippered pocket and two vertical pockets. It has perfect rings too:

But of course, the rings do make a mark on the leather, but I'm not too fussed about that. The inserts included were the diary of second half of 2013 and full year 2014, dividers, A-Z tabs, to-do, addresses, notes, and a card holder. What I love about the tabs is the fact that they're not labelled:

Unlabelled dividers. Yay!

On the back holds a half-elastic and half-leather pen holder and a notepad slot with no vertical pockets. A little downside, I guess...

But that's the A5 Aston!

Filofax A5 Sketch Zipped Review

I know it's been a long time coming, but here's the final review of the Filofax A5 Sketch:

I was on a quest to find an A5 zipped Filofax, and with the sale going on at Filofaxshop, I managed to find myself one: the Sketch A5 zipped. I don't think it's very popular because of its basic design, but it's very formal looking, and would be great for the office. Not to mention, it has that added zip security so I know my iPad Mini won't be falling off anytime soon. Here is how it looks like:

It has a slip pocket at the back, which would be handy for receipts, etc. which is tight enough to ensure that nothing falls out. I'm actually quite surprised at how thin / compact it feels, despite being a zipped version, and despite having 30mm rings. It's rather quite smooth.

When you open the folder up, it automatically lays flat without any forcing or pushing. It contains six vertical card pockets on the left, with two larger pockets (supposedly meant to be for diskettes, but who uses that anymore?), and two full length vertical pockets behind an elasticised pen loop.

On the right holds a notepad pocket, a full length vertical pocket underneath and another elasticised pen loop.

The whole organiser feels quite roomy, and it definitely holds that boardroom feel to it.

Embossed

However, I did notice that the smooth 'leather' areas of the binder was prone to fingerprints, but it's not too obvious unless held at certain angles.

I'm currently selling it on my eBay store (bought too many!), with the details in the 'Items For Sale' tab.
And that's the A5 Sketch Zipped!