London 2012 Line Burst Filofax

This week, Helen from the Philofaxy community wrote a guest post about how she uses her Line Burst Filofax as a health and fitness Filo.  I've been meaning to set one of these up for a while now, and the London 2012 Line Burst seemed the perfect binder to use. After a bit of investigating I discovered that Staples were selling the personal size for £4! That's an offer too good to miss, so after a bit of fighting with the online system, I ordered one to be delivered to my local store.

This is the first non-leather binder I have ever owned (to my recollection) and for £4 I wasn't expecting much - certainly nothing more than a cheap plastic binder that could be chucked around the gym! But I have to say that first impressions of the binder are much better than expected.

The colour is a vibrant pink - not necessarily the colour I would have chosen, but the only one they had left - with yellow elastic ties to secure the binder. The cover feels smooth and not unlike my Filofax Classic.

One of the biggest surprises is that this Filo lays flat out of the box, unlike my Compact Finsbury I blogged about yesterday.

Inside the yellow and pink combination continues, which again, is a little garish, but not too bad. There is only one pocket on the front inside cover, and one pocket on the back which, unusually, is open top and bottom!

Hopefully you can make that I've put the page marker in the pocket to show what I mean! Talking of the page marker, it's the beautiful London skyline marker which I must admit I've been coveting since I first saw the Line Burst Filofax. What a shame they don't come in A5 size!

The attention to detail is lovely. At the bottom of each diary page there is an Olympic fact and the logo on the left hand size, and then on the right, the London skyline logo again.

 

There are lots of non-standard inserts in the binder, including information and key facts about all the Olympic sports and fitness planner sheets.

There is information about the Olympic games, including the traditions of the ancient games and the birth of the modern ones, information on the torch relays, a rail map and a map of the olympic village itself.

There are even stickers with each of the olympic sport icons on it, and the London skyline logo again in sticker form.

The tabs that come with the binder are also non-standard. In this Filo there are 4 tabs - Plan, Play, Events, and My Games. These are obviously very Olympic-specific and will need renaming for when I come to set up the binder.

The attention to detail even extends to the front cover where there are two little divots for the elastic to sit into to keep it firm. As you can see, the stitching is absolutely perfect too!

Overall I am immensely impressed with this binder and for the money, I doubt you can get a better binder anywhere! Obviously a lot of the content is specific to the Olympic games, but this doesn't make it any less usable once the games finally come to a close in September.

If there are any left, I heartily recommend logging on to the Staples website ASAP and picking up this bargain!

My New Compact Finsbury

I finally have my new compact Finsbury that I purchased last week from City Organiser in my grubby little hands, and I have to say it's a beauty! The plan is to set this binder up as a "holiday binder" for our forthcoming trip to Scotland and I have to say it looks ideal.

It's a beautiful yellow colour - more mustardy than on the website, but definitely a nice colour. I'd say it's a golden yellow in reality.

Because it's a compact it's nice and slim ...

Just look at the size of the rings!!

But it's going to be perfect for what I want to use it for. It's got plenty of credit-card slots inside the front cover which are going to be ideal for carrying tickets, frequent flier cards and other bits and pieces:

And I have to say the yellow-on-black combination is stunning. 

However this Filofax has one MAJOR issue. It doesn't lie flat ... in fact, it doesn't even come close to lying flat out of the box!

Yes, honestly. That is a picture take of me trying to lay it flat. This binder needs some serious training!

But I have to say it's absolutely gorgeous! I'm definitely becoming a bit of a Finsbury addict as this is number 5 in my collection. But they're all beauties!

Filofax Focus Groups

I should have been bringing you a post today about my brand new Filofax, but unfortunately, despite arranging re-delivery for today, the postman has been and gone without my new Finchley *sobs*

Instead, I thought I'd post about something quite interesting (for Filophiles anyway) that I discovered tucked away in the depths of the Filofax UK website - a form to complete to join the Filofax Focus Group!!

The blurb says ...

The views and opinions of our customers are extremely important and the Filofax Focus Group allows you to directly influence future products/advertising. You will be asked to complete occasional questionnaires via the web which are simple to complete and you can unsubscribe at any time. In return for your time we offer discounts on website purchases and the chance to win £100 worth of vouchers! To join the Filofax Focus Group, please complete the information requested below and click the Submit button.

Discounts?! A chance to win £100-worth of vouchers?! AND a chance to influence Filofax UK? What more could a Filophile want except the all important link!

http://www.filofax.co.uk/signup/

Inside my A5 Imperial Purple Finchley

This binder is an absolutely stunning Filofax which is my main filo during term-time. Seeing as the 1st of September is fast approaching, I am in the process of setting up the filo again for day-to-day use. Although I have thoroughly enjoyed using my Aqua Personal Finsbury over the summer as detailed here, and will be sad to leave it back on the shelf, I'm looking forward to getting my A5 size back again!

The outside of this filo is a beautifully soft and puffy leather, with a gorgeous finish to it.

As you can see from the top view, it's not overly stuffed at the moment, but I'm sure that will change as I add more diary pages and notes into it as the academic year gets going!

Inside I decided to make some of my own dividers to jazz it up a little. I was really inspired by Wandrrlust's recent post about making dividers, but unfortunately I couldn't find any really nice card in our local art shop, and no "smash" tabs or rub-on letters were to be found anywhere. I think I may have to wait for a trip to London to stock up! I did however find some nice printed cards in muted shades which do the job well as an interim solution.

As you can see I have yet to label them up, but I think they look quite nice. Inside I have a nice picture of me and "my boys" (which is quite old now and really should be updated!) and I usually keep stamps, etc, in the card pockets which I need to transfer over. I have to say the layout of the card slots on the Finchley does niggle me a little bit, and I do think it could be better designed. But it's a small niggle and doesn't take away my love for this binder!

I also recently discovered the Filofax Time Management inserts which are tucked away in an unassuming corner of the Filofax website. I use the week to view inserts and find them absolutely brilliant. I work on a weekly schedule as with trying to work my masters 'round a toddler, my day-to-day schedule sometimes (oftentimes!!) gets disrupted. So instead I know what I have to get done by the end of the week and keep track that way.

The picture is of a week from the start of the year as my diary is quite empty at the moment with it being the holidays, but it gives you a good idea of how the insert can be used. The left-hand side of the TM insert has 4 sections - Notes / Action Points, Personal Reminders, Expenses and Delegation Reminders, as well as current and next-month calendars at the top. I keep my weekly reading list in the "Notes / Action Points" section and score it off as I do the reading (as you can see our reading list each week is quite extensive!). Expenses are good for tracking up-coming bills or daily expenditure and the "Personal Reminders" section is used for just that - personal reminders! - usually what I've planned for the week's meals. The right hand page has a "Main goals" section at the top which I use for counting down to important assessment deadlines  and underneath that there's the weekly diary with "Priority Activities" and "Phone, Write, Fax, E-mail"sections to the right of that. There's plenty of room in the diary section for daily appointments and the "Priority Activities" section is good for keeping track of my weekly "To Do" list. Overall the set-up works really well for me.

One of the best things about the A5 size is how easy it is to print your own inserts and find interesting things to put in your filo, like this acetate of the Eiffel Tower which I found in the local art shop:

Or this picture I found which was easy to print on to A5 and keep at the start of my notes section:

I have also made inserts to keep track of restaurants I want to try, photographs and photographic techniques I want to read up on and try, and books I've heard about that I want to read.

It's just so easy to customise the A5 size Filofax and while there is nothing quite as nice as an over-stuffed personal Filofax, the customisability of the A5 definitely gives it an edge.

Philofaxers' 365/30 Lists

I'm sure everyone who reads this blog is now well aware of the Philofaxers' 365/30 which has been set up by the lovely Imy from Imysworld and Kate from The Life of the Perpetual Student. It even has its own Facebook page.

The idea is that every month for the next year, a list of 30 questions (or 28 or 31 depending on the month!) will be published for you to answer. You can do it on a blog, in a filofax, in a journal, or wherever else you like! It's just a bit of fun and to give a bit of inspiration for what to write.

If it sounds like your kind of thing, definitely check it out!

Day Zero Project

A while ago I set up a Day Zero Project but in my Lazy Perfectionist manner, I didn't get very far with it. So I've decided to re-do my list and resurrect the project.  For anyone who hasn't come across the website you set up a list of 101 things to do in 1,001 days and then check them off as you go. It's good for giving you a bit of a focus, and getting you to try some new and different things.

I did cheat slightly and put two things on the list I knew I was doing the following day - going to the zoo and having a picnic! But at least I've now done 2/101 tasks! Some of them might be a bit more challenging like saying "yes" to something I wouldn't normally do. But some of them are things I've wanted to do for a long while - like get (another) tattoo, go to Brussels (where I lived for 2 years and want to take my husband), or finally visit Wimbledon which is a long-held dream.  There are also a lot of lists on there, questions to answer and little bits of journalling inspiration.

Of course, this will require a section in (or a whole new!) Filofax for the purpose ... pictures of which will be forthcoming once it's set up.

Filofax inserts

I know a lot of the regular readers of Philofaxy bemoan the lack of choice of Filofax inserts and I am afraid I have to agree.

After enjoying using my personal aqua so much over the summer, I was looking into the possibility of continuing to use it come October when my MSc restarts. I am doing my MSc part time in between being a full time mum, looking after the house, etc, so I work on a weekly schedule. I know what I have to complete by the end of each week, but it's fair to say that my day-to-day schedules don't always end up panning out the way they're meant to! I have found the A5 time management inserts work perfectly for me - there's enough room on the daily diary for appointments, etc.; plenty of room for notes; and even space for important reminders and expense tracking. It's perfect! But it only comes in A5 size. Much as I adore my A5 imperial purple Finchley, it's not very portable and there is still something so appealing about an over-stuffed personal size filo that you can chuck in your bag and carry everywhere.

The only personal-size possibility for a weekly schedule like mine is the week to view with notes but this comes with my personal pet hate - multiple languages!! Why take a diary insert that's already small enough as it is, then clutter it up with 5 different languages? I just don't like it. I could of course use the wonderful templates from Ray and Steve, but I'm afraid I neither have the time nor the patience to print, guillotine and punch a year's worth of inserts.

It's such a shame that Filofax can't just get the basics right alongside trying to tempt the fashionistas with their £400 designer binders. Let's face it.  In a year's time when the Temperley crowd are looking for new, stylish, functional inserts on good quality paper to refill their designer binders, they're going to be extremely disappointed!

Hot or cold?

This weekend in the southern UK has been a scorcher! It was 30 degrees yesterday and today is looking like its heading in the same direction. Being Scottish I'm not used to such temperatures!!

So my question is ... Would you rather be too hot, or too cold?

Without a doubt I'd rather be too cold. It's much easier to warm up by piling on some more layers, snuggling under the duvet and having a hot cup of tea. It's just not so easy to cool down when you're hot, flustered and grumpy!!

So which do you prefer?

A Shocking Confession

I love my filofaxes, it's true. I am also a bit of a neat-freak, handwriting-wise, and never quite like how my writing looks. To my mind, computer generated text with its equal-height ascenders and descenders and evenly spaced letters looks much nicer than my scrawly handwriting. So it would seem that I would be the perfect candidate for a filo full of stickers - all nice and neat and uniform.

But ... I don't like stickers in my Filofax! I feel like I should and I do like them per se - my son barely gets a look in when we play with stickers! But in my filo they just look out of place. I don't know what it is, but I just don't like the look of them.

I think washi tape may be my saviour in the sticker department as it's pretty, but functional and you can write on it too. But I have to say, day-to-day stickers just don't do it for me.

Am I the only girl without a filo full of stickers?!

Me and my Camera

As you have seen from the previous couple of posts, I quite like taking pictures!

2 years ago our faithful compact camera got misplaced ... as these things are wont to do! With our son's 1st birthday fast approaching we needed to get a replacement. I decided to have a look for a DSLR and found a Canon 350D with kit lens on eBay for a good price. As soon as it arrived I was hooked! I slowly built up a collection of lenses and starting shooting everything I could!

Within a short time I felt it was time to upgrade my camera and decided on a Canon 40D. I've had this camera about 18 months now and I still love it as much as I did when I first got it! It takes brilliant pictures and I love getting out and about with it. My lens collection has also grown, as has my camera bag collection, and memory card collection! But it's a hobby I know I will continue to enjoy for years to come.

One of my favourite shots is this one which I took in London last March:




Unfortunately between being a full-time mum and a part-time MSc student I don't get much chance to get out and about these days. But I know I'll be back out with my camera again very soon!

Hi-Tec-C Coleto Review

I have noticed recently, while watching some Filofax videos on YouTube, one certain pen continually gets talked about - the Hi-Tec-C Coleto. This is a multi-insert pen which is entirely customisable. The only drawback is that it doesn't seem to be available in Europe. However, a quick search on eBay revealed plenty for sale so I purchased 2 barrels and 15 inserts last month, and sat back to await their arrival.

I have to say that this is a fabulous little pen. I received 2 barrels, one in this pearlescent pink colour and another in a lime green with a rubber grip (not pictured).

 

This particular barrel holds 4 pen inserts as you can see from this picture, but they are also available in 2-, 3- and 5- versions.

All the instructions for setting up the pen were in Japanese! But fortunately there were little pictures next to each set of instructions which helped to guide me. Set up is really very simple. All you need to do is pop a cap on the top of the pen, insert your chosen refills, then close it again and you're ready to go!

 

As well as the different barrel sizes, the refills come in 0.3mm, 0.4mm and 0.5mm sizes, as well as including pencil inserts and erasers as well. The ink comes in 15 different colours too (in each of the sizes) so this pen really is well and truly customisable!

With 2 barrels each holding 4 inserts I now have 8 different coloured inks at my fingertips. The ones I'm currently using are:

The inks I still have remaining are: Pink, Apricot Orange, Black, Blue, Brown, Baby Pink and Green.

This pen also writes absolutely beautifully. It's a gel pen, but the ink colour is consistent and the nib is not in the least bit scratchy. I am absolutely in love with this pen and I think I will continue to scour eBay for refills until Pilot bring it upon themselves to release it in the UK!

Inside my Personal Aqua Finsbury

I love my filofaxes! I have used them on and off since the 1990's, but always seem to come back to them. They're so flexible and customisable that there's endless possibilities for them.

This year I have mainly been using my A5 Imperial Purple Finsbury filofax which is an absolutely beautiful binder. Along with the time-management inserts it's been perfect for organising my home and university life. But now we're in the summer recess and things are a bit quieter I decided to downsize back to my Personal Aqua Finsbury which I bought from Filofax France last year. I think it's the only binder I've paid full price for, but it's a beauty.

Front cover:

These show the top and bottom views:

As it's a temporary Summer filo, it's not as full as it could be, but I've still managed to pack quite a lot in! This shot shows the front inside cover with lots of bits and pieces:

 I use the card slots to hold stamps, and behind that some papers I want to keep (tickets, etc),  a pen and a pencil. Under the transparent flyleaf there are some sticky notes and an envelope containing some paperclips.

It's a shame there's only one pen loop, but keeping extras in the front pocket seems to work fine.

Finally, inside the diary. As this is a mid-year set-up I didn't want to go out and buy a brand new insert, so I printed my own using one of the free diary inserts from Ray's blog, My Life All in One Place.

These work brilliantly printed on to Conqueror ultra smooth diamond white paper, then cut to size and punched.  The conqueror paper is a much better quality than the Filofax paper too, which makes it even better.

(Apologies for the dark pic!)







Along with the weekly diary I also have a month-to-view, notes pages, to-do sheets and a finance section to keep track of spending. I haven't transferred over my address information yet as I had intended to only use this set-up for the summer. But I have to say, going back to a personal filo is so nice, I'm tempted to make it my permanent binder. Well ... until I change my mind again!

So there we have it ... a quick look inside my summer Filofax. I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek!

Scheduling Posts

A second post, but not a very exciting one, I'm afraid! I'm attempting to schedule a post, the thinking being that when I get a chance I can write a few entries and "backlog" them and schedule them so they appear regularly on my blog, even when I'm snowed under with things going on IRL.

So this is just a post to see if I've successfully set up a schedule. If it's worked it will appear at 10pm on Friday 10th August. If it hasn't, it could appear any time really!

Fingers crossed!

Lazy Perfectionism

I recently came across the phrase "lazy perfectionist" which I realised, describes me to a tee.  Even choosing the name for this blog has been a long and drawn out process as nothing was "quite right" - not perfect enough - yet I was unwilling to put in the time and effort it would take to find just the right blog title.

"Mish Mash Muddle" has arisen out of a desire to capture what this blog will be about - a little bit of everything! A bit of this, a bit of that ... a mish mash ... and a muddle!  As part of my "therapy" to help alleviate my lazy perfectionist tendencies, I hope to keep this blog running longer than any of my (many!) failed previous attempts.