Filofax A5 Finchley Vintage Rose Review!

NB. I have changed my blog address, so what was previously known as Filosophical is now Letters in November!

Guess what I got my hands on?

A5 Finchley in Vintage Rose

Isn't she just beautiful?

I must admit though, I've known where to purchase one for quite a while, I just decided to take the plunge today and get one. However, I'm not keeping this, after all, I just purchased myself a Kikki K Lilac Medium planner the very same day, and I'm much more excited about that! I'm currently selling it on Filofax Facebook groups because I know there are people who would love it more than I would.

But before I send it off to its new owner, here's a little review and some pictures of it

It's soft, firstly - just as soft as my Chocolate Aston - and the colour really is beautiful; it's the nicest shade of pink. However, it wasn't cheap, even when it was going at half price. There's a little shop down on Elizabeth St, Melbourne called Pen City who currently has a sale on their Filofax stock. They're trying to get rid of them to be honest, to get ready for their new stock, so they were having 50% of their entire Filofax range. Nevertheless, retailing at $400+, you can probably work out how much the Finchley still was 50% later..

The insides:

Inside

It has two pen loops, made entirely out of leather, so you might struggle to fit a fat pen in there. The back has a notepad holder, which will most probably be able to fit an iPad Mini too. The rings are great and snap closes without any gaps.

And from the pictures, you could see that it lies entirely flat without any effort whatsoever.

I understand that it's now a discontinued model so it's highly sought after (especially the colour), but I'm really grateful that it doens't appeal to me! I'm slowly selling all the planners I'm not using and just keeping the ones I will. However, with Kikki K's new stock, I'm pretty sure I'll be having a little excess again...

Oops?

ps. Hope you found my blog easily!

Welcome to the 'New' Site!

As I have noted multiple times in my previous posts, my blog officially has a new address! And if you're reading this, congratulations on finding my site!

I will still be doing the usual rambles / blog reviews of everything planner related (and then some), so you're welcome to stay and browse a while. I also currently have my planner shop up and running! The link to my shop can be found here.

Thanks and much love,
Nadia.

Filofax Blogger Challenge!

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 1st of July, at around 11:50pm AEST, Nike from Filofax emailed me about an upcoming Filofax Blogger Challenge. Naturally, I was excited, as this was my first contact with the Filofax team eversince running the blog.

A week later, Nike contacted me again with this fabulous Blogger Challenge I will participating in: I had to Pimp my Filofax. I think I got a little too excited when I read what the challenge was about, because it was definitely within my creative category!

I had seen some other bloggers with their new pimping Filofax on instagram a week later, with it being the Cover story range, and I was all ready to receive something similar, but guess what came instead?

This baby, that's what:

Electric blue Finsbury!

To say I was shocked, excited, over the moon, ecstatic etc etc, would probably still be an understatement of the year. In all honesty, I was actually looking to buy this particular Finny. After selling my ultimately rare blue Finsbury for too low a price, I was itching to get another bluey, with the Electric blue being my close and only choice.

I think I went through countless cycles of wanting it and deciding against it that I can't even count on my two hands. I was about to purchase it on Amazon's great sale a few weeks ago, but decided against it remembering my issues with my blue Finsbury. Then I saw pictures of the blue Finsbury on Instagram and decided I had to have the Electric blue brother at all costs. But when I was searching for it on Amazon, I realised that the sale had practically ended, as the $45+ price was no where to be found. Searching on eBay found me looking at one selling for a minimum of AUS$90+ including shipping. Knowing this would be too much for me I decided to wait it out. Besides, Kikki K was going to be issuing new planners soon, so why not wait? And on goes the debating decisions.

But now that Nike from the lovely Filofax group has kindly issued one for me free of charge, I can't ever be grateful enough. Thank you Nike!

And so, here comes the actual challenge:

Pimp My Filofax challenge!

I will have till the 4th of August to get pimping, and I'm sure I'll be able to get it done by then. I will post pictures of my entries once the competition closes so you guys can get voting. And don't worry, you guys will get something out of it for your votes! If I come in first place, I will be able to give away SIX brand new Filofaxes to my special readers! So remember, if you want to get one free Filofax, remember to vote!

I will post up a review on the electric blue Finsbury too soon

Much love,
Nadia

Filofax Friday!

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.
It feels like ages since I've properly sat down at my desk to write up a post on the beautiful topic of Filofax and planner related items, but I do have reasons! It's been a crazy few weeks down at my household and it will only get busier once uni starts up (which will be just next week!). But for now, here's an update of my Filofax life and everything planner related

1- My Bigcartel shop
At 12:01am AEST on the 27th of July, my bigcartel shop (lettersinnovember.bigcartel.com) will finally open! I've been preparing for this day for the past two weeks or so, planning every single detail and of course, handmaking all things planner related! The most anticipated item (according to lovely instagram friends) will be my handmade Snoopy dividers for all three sizes: pocket, personal and A5, but of course, stock is limited, so first come first serve! But don't worry, there'll be more to come if demand is high. Here's a sneak peak of how the Snoopy dividers will look like:

Snoopy dividers will be in my store soon!

There are plenty more items on the shop with majority of prices being less than $10! So come check it out on the 27th of July if you can! You might find something you like.

2- Filofax Surprise
Tomorrow, I will be revealing a little Filofax secret that has made me absolutely ecstatic! So stay tuned! Just a little hint, it came in this beautiful package:

3- Kikki K's New Release
Kikki K has finally revealed their new lilac collection which includes their new planner range! You can check out the range on their Kikki K website, but here's a look at their large planner that will available soon:

New Kikki K Large Lilac Planner - Elastic Closure!

Although I'm excited for its arrival, I was hoping they would be releasing a personal sized planner as well, as the A5, although pretty, would be too heavy to carry around. So please Kikki K, make a personal sized one as well!

Oh, and I saw this on a Facebook group too! I'm not sure where they pulled the picture from but it seems like the lilac will be coming in snap closure as well!

New Kikki K Lilac Large Planner - Snap Closure

That will be it for my update, but don't worry, I'll be back with more posts and reviews!

Personal or A5?

I'm sure many of us has come at this crossroad, wondering just what size organiser we should use: A5 or Personal? There are a number of factors to consider when choosing your perfect size, but in the end, it will always come down to your own personal preference, and their prospective function.

But for those who are still indecisive, here are a few pros and cons of each:

Personal / Compact:
Pros:

• Size: Personal sized pages can be housed by different rings (compact / slimline / personal) all within a convenient size. It's a perfect size to keep all your essentials: notes / to do lists, expenses, etc
• Price: they will always, more or less, be cheaper than A5. Unless you're willing to fork out the extra cash, I suggest you stick to Personal sized... or just use a regular notebook.
• Weight: Personal size Filofaxes do not weigh much (unless you stuff it to a really high degree). However, it does depend on the material the Filofax is made out of, so some may weigh more than others.

Cons:

• Size: Just as personal size can be a pro, it can also be a con. Unlike A5, Personal sized pages are hard to naturally come by. They're unique, so to say. And with the size being smaller, it also means lesser writing space, which means, it all comes down to the amount of information you're intending to hold

A5:
Pros

• Size: oh the freedom you get with an A5 is truly amazing! And not only do you get the writing space, but fold any ol' regular A4 page and you have yourself an insert!
• Rings: bigger size also means bigger rings, some may contain 30mm rings (such as the Domino) which becomes great for stuffing. My Domino seems to be able to hold such a high content of papers without showing any signs of stress (but of course, they all have their limits!)

Cons:

• Weight: If you're carrying an A5 around all day everyday, it's going to leave a mark. A5 can get heavy, especially if you stuff it. I mean, even before you stuff it, it's already a weight of its own. A5 is usually recommended for home use, where it will stay on a desk.

So far, that's all I could probably think of, but I guess, that's where everyone gets stuck on: weight and size. On the one hand, Personal is great for convenience and weight, but on the other, the A5 is better for writing freedom and inserts availability. It will always come down to personal preference, but I guess you really can't have everything...

Favorite Tools for my Organisers

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.

Some of my Favourite Tools

It's been a busy few days recently what with housework and preparing my new and upcoming shop, but for today, I shall share with you a favourite tools I use to customise my Filofax / Kikki K organisers.

The picture above is really just a snapshot of the few things I use, but here's the list:

1- Scissors: You can never go wrong with scissors. I must admit though, with the advent of paper trimmers, scissors are currently only used for cutting washis.
2- Glue Tape: a much faster and easier method to glue / double sided tape. Of course, the downside would be the limiting length it comes with.
3- Muji Corner Puncher: I must admit, it was quite pricey for a puncher, but it's served me well and beats manual cutting with a scissor
4- Lamy Pen: favourite fountain pen hands down. It writes smootly and has quite a comfortable grip
5- Project Life cards: perfect on the go embellishment. It adds the right amount of colour to any page.
6- Hole Puncher: I use the Rapesco diary hole puncher as the holes are repositionable for personal / pocket sized papers. They could be used for A5 too with a little bit of additional work.
7- Rub Ons: my favourite new thing to stickers. Although my first attempt with my Rub Ons were a fail, my second set of rub ons set me in a current love affair with these beatiful things

Unfortunately, these are all my brain can think of right now.
What are your favourite tools to use in your Filofax?

How I Get Organised

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.
The main reason we use organisers is first and foremost, to get organised. No matter the colour, material, shape or size, this is the sole reason organisers are made for. Of course, organisers have now been branched out to be used as scrapbooks, travel journals, etc, but here are the updated details of how I use each of my Filofax / Kikki K planners:

1- Filofax Personal Malden: Ochre
My trusty Filofax which currently houses my life: from diary, to expenses, notes, uni, etsy / bigcartel shop. It doesn't house washi / sticky notes as seen in many other Filofaxes to keep the weight down and productivity up.

2- Filofax Personal Original: Yellow
My other trusty Filofax which alternates with the Malden between different seasons. The Yellow dominates summer and autumn, whilst the ochre reigns winter and spring.

3- Kikki K Large: Mint
The current plan is to use her for uni. As I'm still on term break, she sits waiting. It will be able to hold my iPad mini in the back notepad slot and carry all my notes in beautiful mint colour.

4- Kikki K Large: Berry
As I am in the process of starting up my own Bigcartel shop, I didn't realise how many things I had to take into account till I actually started. There are prices to calculate, postage costs to consider, stock to buy, expenses, etc etc, and there is no way my Malden will be able to hold the amount of information required, so out comes my Berry Kikki K. This stays home of course, and holds all the necessary information for an organised life.

5- Kate Spade Wellesley / Filofax Holborn Zipped
These are my travelling / event organisers. Whenever I have an event to go to, or an impending roadtrip, these are my go to organisers. They keep loose things inside and secured. The Kate Spade is lovely for formal events where I need an organiser that holds a little bit of class yet still fully functional, while the Holborn is useful for day trips or when I prefer not to carry a bag.

6- Filofax A5 Domino Red / Filofax Personal Holborn
These are my storage Filofaxes. The Domino has an incredible ability to hold a large amount of papers, and it just seems to be able to eat up anything I put into it. It holds a whole stack of lined papers or old diary pages. My Holborn does the same thing as my Domino, just for personal sized papers.

To be honest, before writing up this post, I thought I'd have an extra organiser lying around doing nothing, but I'm quite happy that all my organisers have some sort of purpose in my life. All my unnecessary organisers have either been sold / selling, and I'm quite proud of that. That is, till my Amazon orders of two Maldens and Kikki K's planner debut in August comes around..

What do you use your organisers for?

Kikki K Travel Wallet

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 normally don't do fashion / bag reviews, and this won't be the first. I recently purchased this gorgeous little travel wallet from Kikki K for more than half price and I just wanted to share how it looks, just because:

Such pretty box

Inside

The only problem I had with it was this weird stain on the inside of the flap, which I'm thinking is caused by the glue they used. I've emailed them about it asking if I could somehow get an exchange / new one and shall update with their response:

Stain on the cover from.. glue?

They're currently on sale for $40AUD, but as I'm a Kikki K member, I managed to get an extra 10% off. This was meant to add up to a total of $36, but I managed to get it for $32, as it was in fact a 10% on the original $80 price. This may have been an error on the cashier, but hey, I'm not complaining. Also, as I purchased this in the month of July, I managed to get free gift tags from their new confetti collection as I own a Kikki K diary. You can get this item free for any Kikki K purchase in the month of July, online too. All you have to do is key in the code: DIARYLOVEJULY to get your free gift tags.

Also, here's a comparison of size with a regular sized MTN:

Comparing the wallet with MTN

Now I just need a place to travel to...

Kikki K Mint Limited Edition Update

Kikki K Mint & Berry

I emailed Kikki K recently asking them if they were planning to release the Limited Edition Mint planners anytime soon. I've read multiple posts regarding this topic, but I wanted a reply for myself, so I went ahead and emailed them, with their reply being:

Hi there,

Thank you for your email.

Unfortunately at this point in time we do not have any more Mint Personal Planners to be sold.

During the online exclusive offer, we only released 100 units to be sold, and these sold out in 2 hours!

We do believe more of these Mint Personal Planner will be coming later this year. If you like I will add you to our notification list to be told when they will be available online again.

Between August and October we will also be releasing a number of new Time Planners and Personal Planners in different colours and designs. Keep an eye out on our website for more details!

Apologies for the inconvenience, please let us know if we can assist in any other way.

Kindest regards,

Meg

I hope this helps to those planning to buy one in the future!

Is Filofax's Malden Too 'Floppy'?

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 saw someone search this up on Google the other night, and since I own a personal ochre Malden, I might as well shed some light on this subject. I will hopefully be able to give an input on the A5 Malden once it arrives (which will unfortunately be in 1 - 2 months time).

But first, I have to mention that my definition of a 'floppy' Malden is in regards to its soft cover and its ability to bend and fold without any effort, like seen here:

Bending back without any effort

This is my definition of 'floppy' and hence will be writing this post in regards to this 'issue'.

For me, working with the Malden has been... divine. I love it with all my heart and it has worked really well for me in all departments. I have found myself not utilising the card slots, however, but that's just me. I know some people use their pockets for sticky notes / tabs, etc. but I keep them in a separate case because for one: I know I won't need them on the go, and for another, it makes my Malden a little less bulky and heavy.

And I might seem to be drifting off topic, but there is a point I will make in regards to Malden's 'floppy' nature: The utilisation of the card slots will undoubtedly cause the Malden to have a stiffer nature. That's just common sense.

The only other comparable 'floppy' Filofax would be that of The Originals... or so I thought. Before I took pictures of my personal yellow Originals, I thought they would be the the reigning kings of floppiness. As they're made of a single piece of leather, you can see why I thought that. But after taking a picture of my yellow personal Original, I have to say otherwise:

A little bit more stiffer than the Malden

However, this would be a little different to the A5 because, well, it's bigger. Unfortunately, I sold my Aqua Original recently, and can't take a picture comparison to show. However, I have posted a similar picture to demonstrate its floppiness on my blog review, which can be found here. I guess due to the single thick leather The Original uses, it is a tad bit more sturdier than the Malden.

It really depends on what you define as 'floppy', and to what extent you would accept Malden's or any other organiser's floppiness. To me, the Malden's amount of floppiness is just right. It's sturdy enough to write on without a backing (held in your hand), or on your lap - just don't expect the neatest writing for obvious variable reasons, and yet it's soft / floppy enough to allow the binder to lay flat without the initial 'training' some Filofaxes do (like the Finsbury).

I hope my input somehow sheds some light on the topic. Feel free to ask any questions in the comment section below!

Kikki K Limited Edition Mint 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.
It's finally here! Technically, it arrived on Monday, but as I could only pick it up from the post office yesterday, the review is thus happening on this beautiful Sunday afternoon.

To be honest, when I first opened it up, all I could think of was: the colour's so... fluoro! It has grown onto me a little bit though and I'm starting to appreciate the prettiness of the mint colour. But I must admit, I think it's still ridiculous the amount people are selling and actually buying the older mint version for. I guess it's a little because of the influences of social media (peer pressure on a large scale!), lighting and creative people which gives the item a higher value. Remember the purpose of the item people, it's not the outside that counts (well a little bit), but the inside!

But enough from me, here are the pictures:

It was a little hard catching the right amount of mint into the picture, but here is as close as it gets

The rings were fine... apart from the top most whereby it was a little misaligned. But as long as it doesn't catch on the papers (which it doesn't), I'm fine.

Just like the berry and grey large Kikki K planner, the insides of the mint are completely the same:

Pockets, zippered pockets and full length pockets cover the right and a notepad holder covers the left of the planner. The inside includes an 18 month perpetual calendar, meeting notes, to-do lists and lots and lots of lined pages for each of the remaining 3 tabs:

Just a little comparison with the berry colour:

Twinsies!

And that's the mint for you guys. Like it or hate it, it should be debuting again in October. Or so Kikki K says...

Malden says hi too

Seller's Remorse

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.

Seller's Remorse

Is there even such a thing?

If it isn't, then... what is that feeling you get when you sell a rare blue Finny for a price lower than what it was worth? How about that time you sold your Aqua A5 Original even after lusting after it for so long just in the spur of the moment?

Seller's remorse.
That's what.

This morning, I sold my Aqua A5 Original to a person who was ISO it on Facebook's Planner Addicts page. I must admit, I sold it for quite a lot of money though, so I guess I have a winning advantage on that end. But I was still a little ... bewildered over what I've done. To be fair, I haven't really used my Original that much... the last time it was in 'use' was during the uni semester.. and even then it was just used to keep a few course notes. Nothing too ... strenuous.

But when I was packing it up, readying to take on the skies to reach sunny USA, I didn't quite regret it either. I was sad to see it go... but I guess when one door closes, another opens?

I'm currently saving up (or rather, retracting back) my money after that spending spree I did on Filofaxshop's recent sale, and it's working great for me so far. I've only got one Filofax left that I plan on selling (A5 zipped Sketch - see details in my Items for Sale tab). New planners are starting to come through from Kikki K, and by getting rid of the planners I don't want / won't use also makes space for upcoming ones that I prefer.

But a note to those who are currently feeling the same:
Don't buy another planner right after selling one! That will only end up being your rebound organiser which will probably end up on the market again.

Trust me.

(And there goes another rambling post from yours truly)

Amazon's Filofax Sale!

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.
Just like my announcement of Filofaxshop's recent sale, I am here to share with my beautiful readers Amazon's sale currently going on. I only found out about the sale due to a post I found on Facebook's Filofaxes and Pens for Sale page. Of course, naturally, I was intrigued, so I went to scout it out. I must admit, although there weren't many on sale, those that were being offered, were going for quite a cheap price. But enough on my end and on to the sale:

Click on the affiliated links (I appreciate your support!) below to be redirected to Amazon's page for the Filofaxes that are currently on sale:

1. Filofax Personal Malden Ochre ($55.45)
2. Filofax Personal Malden Purple ($55.44)
3. Filofax A5 Malden Ochre ($80.72)
4. Filofax A5 Malden Purple ($80.72)
5. Filofax Personal Original Navy ($51.18)
6. Filofax Personal Original Pillarbox Red ($51.18)
7. Filofax Personal Original Patent Fuchsia ($65.05)
8. Filofax Personal Original Patent Purple ($70.99)
9. Filofax A5 Original Patent Purple ($78.51)
10. Filofax A5 Original Navy ($56.18)
11. Filofax A5 Original Patent Fuchsia ($56.18)
12. Filofax Personal Finsbury Electric Blue ($43)
13. Filofax Personal Finsbury Raspberry ($67.95)
14. Filofax A5 Finsbury Electric Blue ($55.66)
15. Filfoax A5 Finsbury Raspberry ($55.66)

There are a few more Original varieties on Amazon; I've just listed some of the popular kinds. Most of them come with free shipping as well for those in the US. However, there is a catch: it will take approximately 1 - 2 months to ship the item out... most probably because there aren't any in stock at the moment. But at that price, patience definitely pays off. Besides, the organisers will ship with 2015 inserts, which will be ready for the up and coming new year.

And like with any other sale, stock will run out! So first come first serve!
Hope you guys find what you're looking for!

Creating A5 Expense Pages

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.

As I recently purchased a berry Kikki K planner, I managed to get a free Kikki K receipts book along with it. It's the size of an A5 and looks like this:

Kikki K Expense Book

It's quite pretty (as Kikki K is always famous for), and the inside pages have their very own integrated pocket for keeping receipts:

Inside

Expense

Back page: pocket for your receipts!

As the whole book seemed a little flimsy (cover is only made out of cardboard) and knowing that I don't exactly like the whole spiral bind format, I decided to pull apart the book and integrate it into my A5 Kikki K Planner. It didn't take long and it wasn't hard at all... the only 'time consuming' part were the multiple holes caused by the spiral binder which was remedied using good ol' washi tape.

Here was the result:

Removed the binder

Washi tape the front cover & punch holes

Coloured with washi

Inside my Kikki K Berry Planner

Absolutely nothing was wasted in this DIY project. Even the back cover was used as a hardboard for my Midori notebook.

Quite nice, no?

Kikki K Berry Large Time Planner 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 never thought I'd like Kikki K's berry planner... hell, I never thought I'd ever own a planner as berry as the one I have now, but ... I'm actually glad I have it.

I may be a little melodramatic when I say this, but whenever I think of purchasing a somewhat pink planner, and refuse to do so even though my girly side of me screams 'OMG IT'S SO PRETTY! GIMME GIMME GIMME', because I know my friends would make fun of me for this, I remember Noah's (in the Notebook) speech to Ally:

'Stop thinking about what I want, what he wants, what your parents want. What do YOU want?'

And suddenly, I feel better about buying it. I know. I'm weird.

But moving on to the real review:

Kikki K's A5 / large planners all have the same format; whether it may be grey, berry or mint. I've written about the grey Kikki K before, but as I was a newbie then, I don't think it was too good a review... nor were the pictures. So here's a fresh new look at the Kikki K Berry:

Cutest box (Filofax should take note!)

This is the best colour representation of the item

Back

On the insides:

Colourful shiny cardboard tabs

It holds quite a few pockets at the front which I think are quite enough to hold sticky notes, clips, etc. It has a zippered pocket too, with a full length vertical pocket behind.

On the back holds a notepad slip (which can fit an iPad Mini), and an elastic pen holder which matches the colour of the binder.

Back: notepad holder / iPad Mini compartment

It has nice tight rings

Great rings

The only issue the Kikki K has is the folding crease that is visible at any angle you view it from. This is mostly due to a mix of the cardboard backing and the thin fabric material over it.

I'm really greatly in love with this berry planner... but right now, I just have to find a good use for it.

ps. These are my new babies:

Kikki Berry, MTN Brown, Kate Spade Wellesley