Midori Traveler's Notebook Regular vs. Passport Size

I recently got my hands on a passport sized Midori in brown, and so, I thought I'd give a little comparison post between the passport and the regular. But first, let me bombard you with pictures of the passport brown:

Midori Traveler's Notebook - Passport size

On the inside:

Front cover

Front page

Back page: passport like

The pages in the Midori notebook are perforated (which makes it go into my negative books) but I quite like the passport-like detail page that the Midori's notebook holds on the back.

Now comparing the passport to the regular size:

My Midoris

Regular black vs. passport size brown

From the bottom

Height comparison

Tin clasp

The insides

Personally, I have an affinity for the brown a lot more than I do for the black because for one, I realised that the brown scratches easily, making those 'vintage' marks more visible compared to the black. Some may not like this, but personally, I find this the most attractive thing about the Midori notebooks. And for another, its colour matches quite well with my Malden, no?

Passport Midori with my new Malden

The basic difference between the two is obviously the size. But other than that, I've found that the regular size is easier to get notebooks for, whether it may be one that was cut down from an A5 book or purchased from a Midori retailer. Not to mention, the A5 size does seem to have a greater amount of customisable inserts such as card pockets / cases. The regular will also hold more information / photos, no doubt.

The passport on the other hand, well, it's portable. It doesn't make you feel like you're carrying two notebooks when you have your personal sized Filofax with you. You can make your own notebooks for the personal sized Midori too, but it might just need more cutting when using an A6 notebook. I've seen Muji sell passport sized notebooks, which are the exact same size as Midori's very own, however, they don't seem to stock them in Melbourne's store (sad). I'm waiting for them to do so, or else, I'm just going to have to rely on making my own / buying the actual Midori notebook.

So far, that's my take on the different sized Midoris.
I'm not sure what they'll be used for currently, but I'll be sure to update soon (:

Filofax Malden Ochre Review!

Oh my, I believe I have just fallen in love with my planner...

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:

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!

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:

Back

To the insides:

Almost flat opening

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.

6 card slots, 1 vertical slot and 1 zippered area

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:

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 Great Kate Spade Wellesley Find!

Image found on Pinterest

There was originally, a secret sale going on at Kate Spade's website on the 10th of June whereby they were selling the elusive Kate Spade Wellesley zip around (in black) for just US$49 + $5 shipping, but they were quick to sell out, and for good reasons! Original retail price sums to around $170+!

Unfortunately for me, they were only able to ship to the US, so I was devastated when I couldn't find someone to help buy it for me and ship it to Australia. As the item ran out of stock, I was lost all hope and decided that it was just meant to be. But with a little luck, and a little browsing, I managed to find a very kind soul on instagram named Tina Jan (@tinajan) who had ordered extra, was willing to sell me the item and post it to Australia! Safe to say, I was pretty joyous and alive for someone who was awake at 6am in the morning!

So if you're reading this Tina, I would like to say a big thank you for your kind effort and willingness to sell the item to me! I will be forever grateful!

I don't expect the item to arrive for a few weeks seeing it's coming from the US, but I will surely update and give a full review on it once I get my hands on it!

Filofax 'The Original' Personal Fluoro Orange Review

I must admit, I never thought I'd buy myself an orange Filofax, let alone a fluoro coloured one! So I was quite intrigued (and excited) to open up my new Original Fluoro Orange Filofax when it arrived. I ordered mine from Peter's of Kensington on the last day of May (before no-spend June!) and it was delivered to me on Thursday (5 June). I've only gotten around to reviewing it as I've been busy studying for my exams. But everyone needs a break, right?

But anyway: There hasn't been many posts about the fluoro orange online, and its colour varied from photo to photo. But from what I could tell, the colour wasn't too bad. It was bright, no doubt, but not too... shocking. I guess it all came down to: gotta see it to believe. But boy was I shocked.

The fluoro orange was a really really bright fluoro orange. You would probably need sunnies to shield the eyes from its colour. Pictures do not do it justice! It's literally the colour of an orange highlighter! Safe to say, I didn't quite like it...

And as if it didn't give me enough reasons to like it any lesser, the rings were a mess! One was gappy, and another two were misaligned! I could barely turn the page without the rings snagging on the pages. Oh, the horror. So I was quick to get onto their site and message them with my problem. They told me to post it back to them (reply paid, thank God) with a reason of the return and whether I wanted a refund / exchange. I was at first leaning towards a refund, but if they allow, I might exchange it for a green...

But before I wrapped it up for its return, I managed to get a few pictures. Unfortunately, the camera never does get the colour right, which is quite frustrating, because the orange is definitely a whole lot more brighter than what's pictured below:

Fluoro Orange!

A close representation to the real colour!

The horror that is the rings

Not to mention, I don't quite like that part of the leather

The closest colour match I could get would be the orange at the top of the cover

Back

And so, back to Paul's it goes!

Malden Me Silly!

Picture found on Peter's of Kensington's website

I couldn't resist it! It was new, and local, and quite pricey, but still 'affordable', and I started to get the wanties, so I just. couldn't. resist. it! I was practically drooling on my screen! I know I was meant to make this no-spend-June, but I sold some of my Filofax recently, so technically, I wasn't spending more money when I purchased the beautiful Personal Ochre Malden... I just recycled money! Not to mention, it's me and bae's 31st month today, so consider it an anniversary gift to myself. Or so I tell myself...

I purchased it from Peter's of Kensington (again), after discovering their new stock of Maldens online. They only stock the Personal Ochre though, but that's fine with me as that's the exact size and colour (apart from the discontinued aqua) that I wanted! I can't believe I'm not in Sydney to pick this up personally though - would've been able to save myself on some shipping costs!

I assume that it'll arrive on my doorstep next week, so look out for the review!

Edit 05/06/14: On the morning of the 5th June, I checked Peter's website only to find that the Malden is already out of stock! It always seems like the items I buy tend to be out of stock not long after..

Filofax Personal Cuban Review

I must admit, this was kind of a risky buy for me... mostly because of the colour. I got it in chilli red. The Cuban model came in a range of colours: saddle brown, chilli red, ink blue, black and chestnut. I initially wanted the chestnut / saddle brown, but alas, it wasn't on sale. It was down to either the chilli, ink or black. I could've gone with the usual ink / black colour, but I wanted to make a leap of faith by going with the chilli. I guess it was calling out to me as well... (sounding a little insane right now..). So I bought it, and here it is:

Cuban!

All of my Filofax managed to come in its own little black box, shielding it from the harshness of the world

I remember, when I first opened it up, all I could think of was: please be a nice red, please be a nice red, and it really was! It matches my current wallet colour, which is just a darker shade of red, but just as glossy as the Cuban. Picking it up will allow you to feel its smooooooth skin.

Thickness

Back

On the insides:

Inside: unable to lay flat - held open with a finger & paper weight

Inside of the front cover

Back

The Cuban has 6 slit pockets for your cards, and one slightly larger pocket for... sticky tabs / notes, maybe? One thing I've realised about the organisers I own are the pockets. I don't seem to like slit pockets - they stretch, tends to have little threads / glue sticking out of them and as a result, spoil the look of the organiser. I prefer the fully made pockets with stitching. It's a lot more durable, and of course, a whole lot nicer. But that's just me... because fully stitched pockets would also mean a little extra bulk too...

The back just held a mesh pocket... I'm beginning to realise that back pockets aren't all that... and I'm starting to see how some people would prefer a notepad holder instead. It would help alleviate the pressure on the rings by holding lesser papers, but of course, the thickness would still be the same. Potato, potatoe.

Moving on: the rings were fine, not gappy / misaligned. I'm thinking though, I may be pretty lenient with the whole gap / misalignment issues while I review the organisers, because after a while of actually using them, I do tend to realise that one ring tends to be misaligned, catching on the papers at times. But it hasn't been too much of a hassle / trouble for me, so I'm fine with it.

The organiser came with the usual week-on-two-page diary, dividers, notes, to-do lists, addresses, A-Z tabs, black ruler and a card holder.

To be honest, its whole built and material kinda reminds me of the Metropol. It too has the same smooth skin and its inability to lay flat, but of course, the Metropol isn't made of Italian leather. But similar, nevertheless...

While reviewing the Cuban, I realised that the Chilli colour was actually somewhat similar to a red Domino, so I pulled it out for a comparison:

Colour comparison

I would say that the colours are pretty similar, except the Cuban has a little bit more of a shine to it.

And so, as much as I love the colour, and seem to have this weird irrational attraction to it, I'm letting it go because of its inability to lay flat. It's for sale on my eBay store now. Details are in the 'Items for Sale' tab. (SOLD!)

And that's the Cuban Chilli!

June Photos!

Ok, so I may have trailed away halfway through May for my photo-a-day challenge, but alas, a new month is here, which means, another attempt to complete it! This time, I'm using Adam's list to get through:

What's more, you could actually win a $30 gift voucher from Sakuralala at the end of the month if you finish all 30 days too! You can follow my progress on instagram: lettersinnovember, or check out my instagram widget on the left! Join in the fun!

ps. This month will also happen to be no-spend June (excludes the necessities like: postage, train fare etc.). I've been spending waaaay too much money on every little thing, so it's time to cut back and save some for the future!