Cat's Corner

I’m always interested in finding new ways to use my Filofaxes and this year even more so, since my ‘everyday’ Filo has been put aside while I use the gorgeous Paperblanks diary I was gifted at Christmas (don’t panic – I’m still using my trusty A5 Balmoral for work!). 

Last year I customised this vintage Filofax as my everyday diary and this included a section of plain paper for impromptu sketching:

I’m still using this organiser at home for the other sections, but what I really miss is always having the sketchbook with me out and about.  I do have other sketchbooks, but the spines always get tatty in my handbag, whereas Filofax protects the inner pages much better – plus I don’t have to keep a pen and pencil loose in my bag as there are two handy pen loops.

Soooo…this is my plan – to convert this organiser into a multi-use sketchbook! 

I, like many other sketching types, tend to use a variety of media – pencil, ink, watercolour, pastels, etc and this often means lots of different requirements of paper type.  But what if you could get every type of paper in one place?  All it would take would be to trim the paper required down to the right size, use a Filofax hole punch and then separate using dividers! 

All I need to do now is get a Personal sized hole punch – I’ll let you know how I get on!!

Read all my Filofax posts here.

A while back I outlined my ideas for customising a Pocket Filofax to be used as a travel journal.  As Ryu commented on the post, Filofax do actually sell a product designed to turn your Filofax into a travel journal – you can find it here.  However, for someone like me, who has plenty of spare organisers and refills, the beauty of Filofax is customising it exactly the way I want it!  So what did I go with?

Well firstly, I didn’t use the Fresco Pocket because I think I might use it next year as my personal diary…instead I went for a Pocket Eden, which has a very pretty patterned cover.  I stuck fairly close to my original list of sections, grouping some together to fit into six sections:

• Information - emergency, international dialing codes, international clothing sizes, weights and measures, etc.
• Maps - world and London underground
• Packing List – this will be filled with the essentials I always take away, designed to be reusable
• Places - I used two sets of ‘Morning Glory’ papers here (one set for places we’ve been and one for places we want to go)
• Journal- to keep a record of day-to-day activities, to be referred to later when scrapbooking
• Bookings & Tickets – flight information, tickets, receipts, etc. (this section has a clear plastic envelope) 
• Addresses – for emergencies and postcards!

The only things I left out were sketching paper and a pencil, as I always take my sketchbook and pencils on holiday anyway.  Also, this Filofax only has one pen loop and I’d rather use a pen for the other sections! 

Overall I’m very happy with the result – all I need to do now is book a lovely holiday ;o)

Fancy making your own?  Check out the range of Filofaxes on Amazon UK here.

Read all my Filofax posts here.

On holiday recently, hubby pointed out how I always make notes about where we’ve travelled to and where we’d like to go back, but I rarely do anything with these scraps of paper when we get back home.

I’ve always fancied buying a travel journal (like this one), but I don’t travel often enough to warrant it – plus the pockets for keeping tickets would be wasted as they usually get used in scrapbook pages.  Then it hit me – could a Filofax be adapted for use as a travel journal?!

The beauty of it would be that you could totally personalise it to your own journaling needs!  I’m still thinking through how I’ll put mine together (and I’ll share once it’s set up) but so far the following spring to mind as useful:

• World map with stickers showing where we’ve been and where we’d like to go
• Emergency contact details, travel insurance, doctor’s details, allergies, etc.
• A list of essential items to pack for trips that can be used as a quick reference checklist
• No diary - instead, a timeline with rough dates of when and where we’ve been to different places
• A place to keep a day-to-day journal for each trip
• Small amount of plain paper for impromptu sketching
• List of places to yet to go – a travel ‘wish list’
• Places to go back to
• Envelope/wallet for safe storage of tickets, receipts, etc. for the trip and later scrapbooking
• Pen and 2B pencil for sketching

If you’re a more seasoned or regular traveller, you might want sections for flight booking notes and lists of websites you use for reference.  You could even use it as a ‘visual diary’ by using plain paper and noting down experiences as you go, accompanying with sketches, photos, tickets, etc.  It’s easy to make it work exactly for you, just by taking it on your first trip and adding/removing sections as you go!!

A few months ago I picked up a Filofax Fresco Pocket Organiser that I’ve been dying to use for something – this will be the one I plan to use for my Filofax travel journal:

Watch this space for an update!

Read all my Filofax posts here.

Buy a bargain Filofax from Amazon UK here.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I’d visited the Filofax store on Neal Street, London.  It was my first visit and I was hoping to pick up an A5 hole punch for my desk planner – I wasn’t disappointed…

On arriving at the door, hubby elected to stay outside, but quickly followed me in when he realised I may need a little ‘taming’ before I got near the cash register!!  The ladies in the store were very friendly, chatty and helpful and even recognised me from Twitter and Flickr!  They gave me room to check out the stock without hassling me, but were there when I had questions - perfect service! 

Row upon row of all things Filo were on offer, even Filofax handbags – very tempting!  I managed to resist the beautiful displays, but I did get my punch, plus some dividers and an envelope for my personal sized filo.  The punch was a necessity for work, where I clutch my A5 Balmoral like my life depends on it – I’d been getting through so many packs of paper it seemed a good investment.  I’ve started by using up some old A5 letter-writing papers, which make for good scribble sheets!

Plus, I’ve been able to organise the Personal sized vintage filo that I carry around for everyday use.  I’ve used the dividers to separate out maps and general info for when I’m travelling, a monthly diary to plan my hectic social life, birthdays reminders (for all the cards I hand make!), notes and finances, blog notes and sketches.  I’ve also added the new envelope at the back to keep track of expenses receipts – no more lost train tickets ;o)

I’ve recently filled my Shaeffer propelling pencil with 2B leads so I can get more enjoyment out of sketching, and I’ve celebrated by drawing out a front cover that matches my calling cards from Moo:

If this post has given you the urge to get some new accessories, check out a range of Filofax organisers and accessories online here.

Read other posts about my Filofaxes here

Last weekend was my birthday and I am happy to report that I was totally spoilt rotten!!  I finally got my hands on those yummy Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Melissa Shoes (brown bow flats) – thank you hubby :O)  I was also treated to two Trollbeads from my Dad – black armadillo and 3rd eye chakra – which looks stunning on my black/gold/purple combo!  A friend also sent me a beautiful artisan bead, a reddy purple armadillo that is just gorgeous and my Mum gave me a rather scrummy iPod shuffle in a lovely aqua colour!  Very spoilt indeed…

My birthday celebrations included a LOT of eating, seeing Toy Story 3 in 3D, visiting Lord Snowdon’s ‘In Camera’ photography exhibition and spending a day up in London.  I visited the Neal Street stores of Crocs and Filofax and bought a beautiful vintage laboradite and silver ring in the Covent Garden antiques market!  I will blog reviews of the two stores and my fabulous new shoes in the near future – keep an eye out!

If my love of jelly shoes and plastic jewellery wasn’t enough of a hint, my love of Filofax should tell you I’m a child of the 80s!  I grew up in an era where business women wore pencil skirts, shiny patent court shoesand huge shoulder padded suit jackets – but there was one accessory all these women couldn’t be without – a Filofax!

I seem to remember it started for me with a Mickey Mouse organiser and I worked my way through the years with a variety of sizes and colours, taking a see-through pink jelly mini organiser with me to University.  When I graduated and set up my business in 2003 I took a trip into London with a friend and we visited the flagship store of Paperchase in Tottenham Court Road.  If you like stationery you will, like us, have hours of fun in this store!  It was there that I spotted an A5 black leather Balmoral Filofax(below) half price in the sale (around £60 from £120).  What a bargain!  As a busy freelance photographer it was the perfect place to store my appointments, client details, job notes, business cards and financial information.  Now, seven years on, it still serves me well in my job as a Marketing Exec and is the perfect place to plan my busy work schedule.  If you have a job that requires planning, a hefty A5 Filofaxwill be a great asset – choose a leather one for longevity.

Over the years I’ve cleared out many of my older Filofaxes but I still have four others that I chop and change year to year as a social life diary.  In the past I’ve favoured the mini and pocket sizes for their compact size in my handbag but more recently I’ve rediscovered the personal size.  This is big enough to use comfortably for notes, diary, and in my case, the odd sketch or two, whilst still fitting into most of my handbags.  I use mine for fun but I think it would be just as well suited to business use.

I’ve tried to use digital planners, like Psion, Palm and iPaq but they just don’t suit me – I like a to-do list that I can satisfactorily scribble out each time I’ve completed a task!  It’s an essential for me to always have a pen and paper to hand – Filofax fills that need!

If you’re like me, or you’d just like to give it a go, grab yourself a Filofax here!

View more pictures of my Filofaxes on Flickr here or read all my Filofax posts here.