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

July and Everything in It

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 funny, you'd think I would be free now that I'm on holidays... but it seems like I'm just as busy / busier than I was during uni term. But I guess the major difference is: when I'm busy during the holidays, it's only because I'm doing the things I love and not because I'm stressing over uni work...

But anyway, as June comes to a close and July comes round the corner, there are three things on the agenda:
1- To attempt to start writing in my new Midori
2- July Photo-a-Day Challenge
3- Malden's Weekly Set-ups

I think it's time for a change, no? In addition to my new blog address coming end of July, I shall try (may fail) to give a weekly post on my page set-up. And so, to start it of, here's this week's set up:

This week's set-up

I'm starting to put a little bit more work into my set-ups mostly because:
1- I have the time to actually do so
2- I don't have as many things to list down compared to when I'm at uni, which means I can go absolutely crazy decorating and still have sufficient space to note down the important things

However, this pretty pages obviously won't last come start of term in August...

Apart from that, my Midori is up and ready to go. All it needs now is some courage on my end to get over my blank-page fear.

And lastly, this month's photo-a-day challenge will be from @hobbylane:

It's nice and easy and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get it done. To follow my progress, follow me on instagram @lettersinnovember, or check out my instagram widget on the left