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Category Archives: Reviews
Filofax Review: A5 Charleston
Hi Everyone!
I’ve been putting this post off for months and months and months… my huge apologies! I kept this post as a draft and kept going back to fill in bits and bobs in. But I’m the kind of girl that if I keep doing snippets, I’ll never finish it! So… I needed to start afresh with a better perspective, a lot of patience, time, coffee and opinions! Are you sitting comfortably?
Well; last year, with the Great Gatsby being released and the drop waist being re-invented in fashion, it was all looking very 20’s. Nostalgic, inviting, glamorous – the ROARING 20’s.
Filofax brought out their Charleston Range – using luxurious buffalo leather and sculpting the interior with cutout art deco decoration to the pockets.
I couldn’t find one to take a look at in any local retailers and at the time there was a lack of reviews or even interest in the Charleston Range, which really confused me. Why didn’t the community embrace or welcome the Charleston?
I was given the chance to review the A5 version of a purple Charleston. Here is the link to the exact model I’m reviewing (in my fashion!).
http://www.filofax.co.uk/charleston-organiser-0235_A5_19PO.html
Just to warn you – this is seriously picture heavy!
Here is how my lovely organiser arrived – it was a model in the PR Agency’s office which didn’t come boxed however it was wrapped well and snug in tissue paper. I was so excited when I received the package. However, being the owner of pocket, compact and personal size Filofaxes previously, I looked and thought “jeeeez, this is BIG!”
I’m quite annoyed how the colour turned out on my camera phone – its actually a rich royal purple. The leather is so so so soft and smooth, yet it is quite a sturdy binder.
On first look, the binder reminds me of a Calipso – it’s the clasp that does it. but there is a little gold popper on the clasp. Apart from that, it’s all plain with matching stitching throughout.
I hope you can see this photo properly – the camera really doesn’t do the item justice here at all! You can see the interior of the binder – a cutout and art deco inspired pocketing the same buffalo leather as the front.
Look at the beautiful cutout! Filofax detailing at it’s best – notifying their material and model used.
The front harbours 5 cloth card slots that can be placed in horizontally. It also has 2 full length cloth pockets
Here is the other pocket!
The back page of the binder has an elastic pen loop and 2 horizontal card slots in buffalo leather, as well as a full length cloth pocket.
Probably the most representative colour of the organiser here, the photograph of the clasp open. What I loved about this was the back gold popper was like a pivot for the rest of the clasp to move about on. I suppose if you are right handed this would be handy as you could swivel the clasp underneath the back of the binder whilst writing uninterrupted.
The beautiful buffalo leather grain against the yellow gold popper.
Just a quick over view of the contents this model came with. I can’t say this is a generalisation but only what came in mine. A 2014 Diary, week on 2 pages.
A Ruler/Page Marker/Today Marker, A-Z Tabs
My favourite A5 insert by far – what I can only describe as Journalling Pages
But I couldn’t warm to the Charleston. No matter what I did! It sat in a drawer and I felt so guilty. Was it because it was too big? Too boring? I didn’t know, I just couldn’t warm to it.
So I decided to give it a bit of a Kel makeover. You know, make it a bit more mine.
I popped down to my best bet of a craft shop – The Range. With one goal in mind, my basket filled with anything Art Deco related. And then on to Staples to get a couple of A5 Dividers.
Here is the result. Here is a great photo of the colour below.
I picked up an Art Deco inspired pen from a local Charity Shop for a couple of quid which I was happy to find.
Sorry about the configuration of the photo’s – this is being posted from my phone! I think the little notelets really show off the cutout Deco Pocket.
The cover was printed on “Kelly’s 2014 Diary”, laminated and hole punched through. It really changes the dynamic of the binder I think. It really looks “Art Deco” now.
After watching the Great Gatsby, if you’ve seen it, you’ll remember it was all typed into a story – so I decided that I’d go for a typewriter font to keep in with the theme.
The A5 Tabs are from Staples Martha Stewart Organisation Range, I’ve just printed out some labels and taped them to the tab. Isn’t that pen lush?
I then found a picture online that I arranged into an A5 template and printed on the Filofax Diary Week on 2 Pages.
I printed out the Philofaxy and Life All In One Place Month to View Pages:http://www.mylifeallinoneplace.com/p/free-diary-pages.html
A Passwords Page or 2.
And filled the remainder with notes.
There we go! All done. I’m much happier now I’ve designed and personalised it. I’ve realised that until something is made “my own”, I’ll never be happy with it. Perhaps that’s why I love Filofax so much – it’s enabled my creativity to bubble to the surface when I never felt as though I had an outlet for it. It’s enabled my perfectionist self to say “lets have a go! If it’s naff it can be removed and attempted again!”
As for the Charleston A5 – for me it’s got pro’s and con’s – it’s all about what you’re looking for in a binder. Personally:
Pro’s:
The Swivel Clasp
The Art Deco Cutout Leather Pockets
The Luxurious Feel to the Leather
Elasticated Pen Loop
Lots of Pockets/Card Slots
Con’s:
The Rings are silver yet the popper clasp is gold – I’m not a fan of clashing metal colours
Cloth Interior – it makes the binder a little cheap
Elasticated Pen Loop – pro and con – it makes the binder look a bit cheap
Clasp is very narrow so you can’t really overstuff the binder without it looking a bit “pinched” – or could this be a pro so you don’t overstuff?
So, how about you? What are your thought’s on the Charleston Range?
Until Next Time
Kel
x
Filofax Finsbury Personal in Pink
Hi everyone!
I promised a post on the Finsbury, didn’t I?
Well, I’m sorry it’s so late, however it arrived when I was at work and my neighbour signed for it… Then he left for work until 11pm! So I waited and waited and waited… Watched some Finsbury videos on YouTube, finished off laminating my new dividers and waited some more.
Then finally he came home and I bounced out of my door pretty much the moment he stepped out of his car and waited for him to open up his home to give me my parcel.
When I got inside, I shot into my bedroom (the warmest room!) got into my PJ’s (because I would be messing around with the Finsbury for a while… Needed to be comfortable etc!) and then proceeded to unbox while taking photographs. I’m not the most patient person in the world so apologies for the rushed camera job (from my iPhone).
My parcel: squeal!
The box is a slide in-out type rather than a lidded box:
And here it is! Though, artificial light really doesn’t do much for the colour on the camera haha!
This Filofax comes with the standard Multilingual diary (2014), blank tabs, a-z tabs, Internet site inserts, to do inserts, address inserts, a business card holder insert (holds 6 cards), flyleaf, black ruler/page marker, various colour notepapers… Ummm I think that’s it. Most of these inserts I’ll watermark and give to dad as a Christmas gift.
The Finsbury did not lay flat out of the box, but as I have already worked with slimline versions of the Finsbury, I kind of expected it. I removed all of the inserts, grabbed some Valentina moisturiser and slathered it all over the leather, really working and kneading. I felt it beginning to soften up already (nowhere near the Malden however: the Finsbury is a rigid binder!
Once it was all moisturised and smelling divine, I quickly moved in using my new dividers:
I still can’t get over the odd colour this camera is showing haha!
And here is the view from the closed planner:
Here are the tab names. If there is one bit of consistency with my filofax is my set up :). So it really is my saviour and my soother in my otherwise indecisive mind. Least I’ve stuck to “something!”
And there we have it! It’s currently lying on my bedside table and it doesn’t look out of place on there or my coffee table… Or my bathroom or kitchen haha! My home is “shabby chic” and has lots of ivories, creams, pinks and purples so the Finchley goes down a treat!
Ill attempt to get a better photograph of the colour shortly: during the daylight haha!
Stay creative!
Kel
X
It’s Here!
A full 6 days ahead of schedule, the Postman was knocking on my door for me to sign for a parcel. I immediately thought it was for a Furry waistcoat I’d ordered online a week ago because the parcel I saw stated Miss Selfridge, so I signed for it and the Postman started jogging things around, in the crook of his arm I noticed an unmistakable box shaped bag. Could it be? I thought I was seeing Filofax shaped boxes and then figured it must be a box to be delivered next door or something. So imagine my surprise when he passed it over to me!
Here I am, in my living room, clutching THE box, containing THE filofax I’ve been lusting after. Literally: my mouth watered at the thought of the Malden.
I don’t think I could move for a few minutes, I was a bit shocked: I had not thought it would arrive so quickly in all honesty. But here we go 🙂
And just beneath the silver veil of of filofax wrapping paper:
In the words of Rachel Zoe: “I die!”. It’s slightly darker than anticipated, but then again I’ve never seen a grey Malden in the shops before. It’s more of a Charcoal, dark grey colour. But that’s cool with me. The stitching looks silver to me.
Opening up, we have the standard Filofax card and inserts:
These must be the new font on the tabs: I’m sure the old ones were italic.
Here is the back pockets with the pen loop (non-elastic)
With all of the items removed from the Malden:
Here are my comparisons with the empty Kendal and empty Malden:
Kendal is oiled leather, rigid feel to the binder, whereas the Malden is grainy antiques leather, with a soft and malleable feel to the binder. The Malden also has a prominent and larger clasp with a “filofax” button on.
Inside, the Kendal does not lay completely flat, whereas the Malden does.
Front inside cover: Kendal boasts an elastic pen loop, Malden does not. Kendal has 3 vertical card holders and one full length pocket, all of which are rigid. Malden has 1 full length zipped compartment, 4 horizontal card holders and one full length pocket, all very floppy and malleable.
Back pockets: Kendal has mesh zipper full length pocket and another elastic pen loop. Malden has full length vertical pocket and a horizontal full length back pocket behind. The Malden has one non-elastic pen loop.
Back of binder: Kendal has a full length pocket, whereas Malden has elaborate stitching detailing for the back of the clasp.
Here’s the Malden finally set up and ready to roll!
The Malden lies flat: my life however, doesn’t… We cant have it all, can we! Sigh!
K
For the love of Filofax
Good Evening!
I’ve been ill the last week – last weekend I became a human Hermit and didn’t see the world beyond my front door from 5pm Friday afternoon until 9am Monday morning. It began with a sore throat and then ended up in my ears (which I really hate!) – but anyway, it meant that I lay on my sofa feeling sorry for myself and drinking my bodyweight in weak milky coffee and watching ‘feel good films’. That meant Legally Blonde, Legally Blonde 2, Clueless and The House Bunny.
I noticed in Legally Blonde 2, Elle Woods uses a Filofax to organise her extremely busy lifestyle (all of those manicure appointments must be a drag 😉 lol)
As I love all things pink and Elle-Woodsy, I decided to take a look at what the big deal was about filofaxes – all I know about them is that those “Yuppy’s” used them in the eighties.
It turns out Filofaxes have been in the background for a long time with quite a lot of enthusiasts. And oh… the inspiration I got from them is amazing.
Armed with the idea of buying a Filofax, Tuesday evening I pottered off to my local WHSmith and Ryman Stationery store… and came out empty handed. I had milled around toying with the idea of buying a Personal size but I really wanted a lilac cover. There were no lilac filofaxes to be found.
Last night I popped to a local retail park that harboured my favourite store – TK Maxx – only to find in the clearance section a lilac Filofax! It was a bargain at £10, however it was a Pocket size rather than the Personal size I’d been looking for.
I got home all excited and looked inside… hesitated and thought to myself – now, I’ve got my organiser, what do I do with it now? I’d been so focused on getting the Filofax that I hadn’t thought about how I would use it. I’m not entirely sure I’m too happy with the basic diary that is provided with the organiser at the moment. I’ll have to see how I’ll get on. Also, I’d seen how all these wonderfully creative people online around the world had created works of art within their Filofaxes, I was worried I’d disappoint myself with my lack of creativity.
So, after 1 day of purchasing my Filofax, allow my to present the Lilac Metropol Pocket!
Anyway, once I’d sat down last night I decided I wanted to completely personalise my Filofax to my own needs etc, after scouring blogposts relating to Filofaxes (I don’t care if you think I’m a sad git!) and realising a lot of people use their Filofax to store inspiration as well as organising their lifestyle (I’m sure the inspiration is probably there to give motivation to use their Filofax and organise their life.
First thing I think I want to do is personalise my ruler. I’ve seen a few people using that funky pretty stickytape and stickers on their existing ruler… but I want a ruler to inspire me to open my Filofax once the novelty has work off. And I’ve decided I want this bloke as my ruler:
Many won’t remember him, but he was the musical talent behind Savage Garden; Daniel Jones. Having Daniel Jones as a ruler would certainly inspire me to open my Filofax at least 😉 Ideally he would be in front of an Australian flag… because I love all things Australian even though I’m in England.
Since I don’t have access to a printer or a pocket sized hole punch I can’t begin doctoring this. Instead I’ve brought a bundle of things to cheer me up; a pull out planner, some more dividers (since then I’ve decided I want to do all of my own dividers but I guess the generic Filofax ones can serve their purpose until I get around to all of the ideas in my head) and some post it’s designed specially to fit into Pocket Filofaxes.
If you know of anyone that specialises in making personalised Filofax rulers let me know!
Do you use a Filofax? If so, how have you planned yours out?
Til next time
Kel
x
The Pocket Diaries 
