To say that the Malden Ochre was love at first would be quite accurate, because its beauty has really taken my breath away! What I've seen in pictures really doesn't come close to the real thing. I love everything there is to it; from its colour, to its flexibility, its pockets and its vintage cracked leather. It is more than I could ever ask for in a planner!
But first, let me just say, please excuse the scanty amount of posts that have been coming in lately, I know I still have an A5 Aston and an A5 Sketch Zipped to review, but I've been a little bit busy lately studying for exams. But now that they're all over (well, the major ones are), there will definitely be more crafty / planner posts on the way! So let's start with my newest purchase: the Personal Ochre Malden
I've been waiting excitedly (and impatiently) for my Malden to arrive all week. I ordered it on the 4th of June, but due to the Queen's birthday holiday on Monday, the shipping process was halted and didn't arrive till late Wednesday a week later. Quite slow for something arriving just a state away if you ask me... But it may have been a good thing, because if it came any earlier, I will most probably be quite distracted with it. And so, here comes the usual picture-filled review:
I bought the Malden from Peter's of Kensington (as mentioned in my previous post), and when I first picked up the item from the post office, it came in one massive Peter's of Kensington box filled with little foam noodles to cushion. The box was a little too massive for such a small thing, to be honest, but at least it kept my Malden safe throughout its journey to me. And because gift wrapping was free, I decided to take them up on it.
Here comes the unboxing pictures:
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| Free gift wrapping from Peter's of Kensington! |
It's funny, I was so hesitant to open the box up to keep that new-Filofax feeling but now I'm wondering why I didn't tear open the package sooner!
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| Malden unwrapped! |
It was absolutely breath-taking when I peeled away the paper. It felt fabulous under my hands and it definitely has that vintage look to it. I know that the Maldens can range in texture and look due to the variations in leather, but I love how mine turned out. It's just right. It's funny how I never really bonded with my previous black pocket Malden. Maybe it's because of the colour... and the size... because my attraction for the ochre is just overflowing!
Now just a little bit more photos to complete the collection:
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| Back |
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| Almost flat opening |
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| Mmmm.. engraved antique leather |
I've read about Maldens not being able to lay flat because of a somewhat stiff spine, and I was worried this was going to be the case for my Malden too. So I was glad to see that my Malden was as floppy as ever, and although it didn't lay quite flat right out the box, it will in no time.
The Malden has 6 card slots, one full-length vertical slot and one zippered compartment on the front cover. I'm not sure what I can put in the zippered compartment because it's fairly shallow. It's not too convenient to be used as a coin purse, so hmm.. I'll have to find something.
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| 6 card slots, 1 vertical slot and 1 zippered area |
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| Back |
The back has that notepad / phone slot and a full-length vertical slot similar to the front cover. I'm starting to appreciate the notepad slot at the back because it allows me to stuff my Malden further with more papers, and yet also gives me the freedom of putting in something else (like stickers)
The strap is especially long on this organiser, and I'm really tempted to stuff it as much as I can. I've seen Kelly's stuffed Malden, and I have to say, I'm quite jealous. It currently holds both 2013 and 2014 diaries, and the inserts that came with it (notes, addresses, 5 dividers, A-Z dividers, card holder), and it still looks like this baby can definitely swallow a whole lot more:
Thankfully, unlike the orange Original, the rings were perfect in my Malden:
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| Perfect rings! |
Now that I'm on pseudo-holidays, I plan to start moving into this baby sooner rather than later. I'll definitely be creating new dividers for this, and I'm thinking of getting myself a laminator to add some life into those dividers. Either way, I'll be doing a Malden set-up in the not too distant future, so stay tuned!
The Ochre Malden was by far my favorite Filofax. In my opinion, the Ochre is the best in terms of color and texture in the whole Malden line (and I've owned/been able to see most of the colors in person). Enjoy! She's beautiful. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Carla! I have to agree a hundred percent! I can't see myself using another Filofax now that I've experienced the Malden! And she seems to be able to fit into any setting wherever she's placed. It's amazing. Hahah, now I'm getting too excited over a planner xD
DeleteI have noticed that few people really utilize the zip pocket in the Maldens. As this is a personal size, i was wondering if it would be large enough to hold a pen or two. It seems that the pen loops are too tight to use. I have a pocket size and just clip my pen inside the back pocket along with my cell phone. I just hate to see those little zip pockets go to waste!
ReplyDeleteHi Sherry, thanks for the comment (:
DeleteI've seen people use the zip like an extra pocket; keeping it open all the time so they can slot in extra sticky notes, etc. Maybe it might be good to keep an eraser in there? Hahah. I'm pretty sure it'll be able to fit one of those small, thin Muji pens / pencil though. Hmm.. gives me an idea for another blog post, actually. I shall get one in the future and do a little post on what I do with the pocket soon (: As for my pens, I never use Filofax's dedicated pen loop because without the elastic extra, my pens will never fit through. Well, that's most probably due to the fact that I use a 5 pen Mitsubishi Uni which is really quite fat. Hahah. I made my own using the Leuchtturm1917 pen loops which goes well currently (:
I have a personal malden. I carry my 'Le Pens' in the zipper pouch. It holds 6 Le Pens easily. I color code my planner, so it is nice to have my pens available at all times.
ReplyDeleteI have an Ochre Malden--- but mine is not nearly as beautiful as yours. I have had to treat the leather on my Malden several times using fractionated coconut oil to get it to look like yours.
Hi there (: it's nice to know what you've utilised your Malden's zipped pocket for. I think I use too many colours in my planner, and my 3 Mitsubishi Uni pens are just too fat to carry around. Have to minimise them somehow.. hah. Oh and I'm sure it's just the lighting that makes my Malden look pretty.. hee hee.
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