A Little Filofax Update!

Oh my, it's been a while, hasn't it? I'm so sorry for leaving my dear readers out to dry, but it's been a busy (as usual) couple of weeks now that I'm working 9 - 5! But never fear, this won't last. Come September and I'll be back on the usual blogging as I'll be having a (hopefully) lighter schedule. But just a little update for today:

1) Filofax Blogger Challenge
This is obviously a very very delayed post, but yes, I am one of the winners of the Filofax Blogger Challenge! Although I came in third place, I will still be getting three brand new Filofaxes to give away to one of you lovely readers! These Filofax should be currently on its way to me now from Filofax UK, so when it has arrived, I will be sure to announce it on my blog (including the usual reviews and multiple photos!)

I probably should have posted these pictures earlier, but here's a little closer look into my customised Filofax page for the Pimp My Filofax challenge:

Thanks again to all those who voted for me!

2) My Bigcartel shop is closing!
Because uni has started and I can't possibly juggle a whole lot of crafting and studying at the same time, I have to unfortunately close my shop for the time being. And because of that, my shop is of course, going on a little sale. Prices has been reduced, so come check it out when you can. You can be directed to my shop by clicking here

3) I have been working on new divider sets for my new Lilac Kikki K planner, and I will definitely be giving a whole post on its set-up, but here's a little sneak peak of how it looks:

Till next time (and hopefully soon)!

Kikki K Lilac Planner Review

NB. I have changed my blog address, so what was previously known as Filosophical is now Letters in November! Also, don't forget to like my picture on Facebook! You can find the link here

Kikki K's new set of planners have finally been released (which has started a whole new craze in the planner community, naturally!) and this season's colours are lilac, gold and black.

I purchased Kikki K's Lilac Medium planner initially, but got my hands on the Large planner a week after that for dear Mummy. (I think I've somewhat converted her into liking planners now.. hah). Their planners are all made of leather (except for the one fabric planner which is yet to be released). There a number of different planners Kikki K has this year, with sizes ranging from small to large for the lilac with gold diamonds, and the Large Personal Planner in plain gold (yes, gold!), black textured and lilac.

Before I get into the review let me clarify one thing about Kikki K's planners:
1- Time Planners = elastic range. They contain 2015 monthly and weekly diary inserts, to-do lists, expenses, addresses, restaurants, and birthdays and anniversaries as their tabs
2- Personal Planners = snap closure range. They contain undated monthly inserts, meeting notes, to-do lists and a whole lot of lined paper that will last you a lifetime.

So here comes the set of pictures that many of you will want to see. But first and foremost, the planner is definitely more on the purple side of life. The colour represented on the Kikki K website is definitely not how it looks like in reality. It's much prettier.

Elastic

On the inside:

Insides

Initially, the planner will not stay flat, however, it's nowhere near as bad as the Finsbury's inability to lay flat, of course. With a little training, this baby will lay flat as a bat.

Their front cover contains 3 pockets and one full length flap pocket. It doesn't have a zipped pocket like the large planner has:

Front pockets

Although Kikki K boasts on the fact that their organisers are full leather, what I didn't realise was their sneaky fabric lining on the back of their full length pocket. The fabric does match the planner though, so I'm not too fussed about it.

Sneaky fabric backing

Remember what I noted at the beginning of this post? Time planners have different tabs and inserts to the Personal planners. Here's a look of the Time planner tabs:

Time Planner Tabs

2015 Monthly Diary

On the back is the usual notepad holder:

Elastic pen holder. Yes.

It has an elastic pen holder, which I think is a great plus as it can hold even my fattest pens. I know Filofax tries to make their organisers uniform with leather pen holders, but I reckon they'd be used a little bit more by many if they were elastic, or even half elastic as some are.

The only problem I had with my Medium planner were the rings. There was a slight gap in the third ring, but as I had no troubles turning the page with it, it didn't really matter to me:

Now comparing the medium to the large planner:

The only difference between the two (other than their size), would be the amount of pockets they have in their front cover. The large / A5 Kikki k has an extra full length pocket and a zippered pocket as seen:

Not to mention, you could fit an iPad Mini in the back notepad slot (and yes, I've tried!)

But that's it for this Kikki K review. My thoughts on this planner? It's lovely, no doubt. Their colour range is beautiful (though I'm slightly regretting the fact that I didn't get the mint planner now. But never fear, for those who have the same regret as I do, apparently the mint colour is making a comeback.) I tried fitting all my inserts  from my current Malden into the medium planner and I now understand what they mean by the planner being too 'puffy'. However, for me, there are two meanings to the 'puffy' connotation and they include:

1- The leather planner has a little bit of padding in between the covers. I'm not too sure if it's similar to the mint version, but for me, it doesn't seem to be too puffy
2- The flap with the pockets on the front cover does make the organiser a little bulky - especially when you have as many pages in your planner as I do. This is the reason why I tend to keep my Malden pockets empty in the front. But without even putting things in Kikki K's front cover, it's flap pocket nature has already puffed the whole organiser out by itself. So because of that, I'm a little hesitant about using it... for now.

But of course, different people will have different opinions and different needs, so what may not work for me, may work for you. It's still a beautiful organiser nonetheless!

Pimpin' My Filofax

As mentioned previously in my post, I have taken part in Filofax's recent Blogger challenge. The due date for the competition was in fact on the 4th of August, which for me, was quite a big rush because of two main reasons:
1- My Filofax arrived a little late due to Australia Post's lazy postman
2- The uni load that I was swamped with from the start of semester

Nevertheless, on Saturday (two days before closing date!), I managed to sit down and finally get my creative juices going. I must admit, I did at least two other pages before the final submission but they both failed miserably. I was going head first into it, trying to mix colours and extract ideas from all over the place, without ever stopping to think about what I really wanted to do. So I decided to just stop, breathe and plan my pages out.

I got my box of washi out, some embellishments from my big box of goodies, laid it all out in front of me, and divided them into what I wanted my page to have. I've always been a great fan of photography and travelling, so I knew I wanted to revolve my pages around that theme. And since my Filofax was a nice fresh blue, I knew I couldn't head for the vintage travel theme of primarily browns, greys and blacks, which I'm always accustomed to. So instead, I mixed it up with colour.

And here's what I managed to come up with:

My submission for the Blogger Challenge

I didn't use too many different things in this page. The list of items include:
1- Kaisercraft Collectables from the Happy Snaps collection
2- Kaisercraft Happy Snaps themed journal cards
3- Studio Calico Wood Veneer Camera
4- Typo triangle stickers to form the banner
5- Washi from MT, Daiso and various other sources.

I didn't want to overdo my pages with too many embellishments because after all, I wanted to make my pages work for an everyday lifestyle and not just for the sake of the competition. It isn't much, but I reckon I've done it to the best of my abilities.

But now that I've done this, it's all up to you lovely readers to vote for your favourite submission! All of the submissions have been posted up on Filofax's Facbook pages with the link to my picture being  picture here. Remember, if I come in first, second or third place, I will be getting free Filofaxes to be given to you wonderful readers! All you have to do is like like like! Voting ends 13th of August so get to it!

Your votes / likes will be greatly appreciated!
Much Love,
Nadia.

Filofax Finsbury Electric Blue Review

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

And here it is, the final review of the Electric Blue Finny. It's been a crazy couple of weeks, and I'm already swamped with uni work despite the fact that it's only week one! But I'm sur you're not here to hear me whine, so let's get to it!

The Electric blue colour is lovely. It may not exactly be the blue everyone's hoping for (like my dearly missed Blue Finny), but it still holds its own charm. It's definitely a lot more on the purpley side though. But let's start with the unpacking pictures first, shall we?

As mentioned in my previous post, the lovely Nike from Filofax had given me this lovely Finny for the Pimp My Filofax blogger challenge (which I still need to get doing!). I still can't believe that this Filofax is mine to keep! And I can't believe Australia Post just left it on my doorway without ringing my doorbell to let me know that it arrived! Who knows how long it's been sitting on my front porch?! Not happy Australia Post!

Unraveling the envelope:

It came in that now common plastic that Filofax has replaced from the black box, and although I'm not too happy about the fact that they've done that, it's free so I can't complain.

All the pictures have been showing quite accurate representations of the actual colour, and as you can see, it's quite purple.

On the inside:

As usual with all Finnys, it wouldn't lay flat when I first got it. I've been training it recently to get it to lay flat, and so far, it's working!

The rings were good and tight, but as usual, the strap was made from all leather, meaning it's going to be a tight fit!

I moved into the Finny to try it out, and it actually seems to be a little bit more... narrower than my Malden. It kinda has that compact feel to it even though it has the same size rings as the Malden

But that's it from the Finny!

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?