Did you miss me?

'cause i missed you!!

I haven't written in a long time (or what feels like a lot time) and there's lots i didn't tell you!

First of all, I am now all moved in my first Personal Filofax!! I bought it on Philofaxy AdSpot from SewSaffy at the end of 2012. Let me tell you guys, if you see something she sells that you might like, don't hesitate to buy from her. She was super nice about everything, quick to answer, sent me a bunch of very accurate pictures, sent the binder very quickly (with extra goodies!!!!), but was also just nice and took the time to explain me a lot about sewing and to recommend some books i might like, and to chat with me. So when her binder got here, i really wanted to like it, only because she had been so nice!
By the way, it's a Personal Finsbury, in GREEN! me so happy :)
You might remember how reserved i was about using a personal. I was afraid the "weird" page size would feel all wrong to me. Well, far from it! I got used to this new size very quickly, i love the fact that my bags are MUCH lighter now, and i just got into the habit of taking the page out of the binder when i need to write a lot. I love love love it, and feel perfectly comfortable in that size!
I just moved in with the same set-up i had in my A5, and starting from there, I'm still adapting and changing things. I can't say if the following set-up is gonna be my set-up for 2013, because I think the fun in a Filofax is that you can change it up whenever you need, right? But so far, here's what i have:

• first up, my wallet section : cards in the card slots, IDs in the bigger pocket, and, on the ring, a zip pocket for my money and behind it, more card slots
• first section is the diary: i started with cheap inserts from Hema (you can sort of see them here), and when i got used to the format, i designed my pages. I'll show them in a later post!
• next i have a Notes section : list of meal ideas, menu plans, a list of things i want to buy but want to think about before, list of things to knit, and so on...
• then i have my Projects : i took the current projects from the A5 and copied the interesting pages to Personal paper, right now it's mainly house stuff, summer vacation plans, and job searching (again, i know....)
• finally, my Information: log ins, health info, some important addresses and phone numbers, log ins for work and so on.

The binder is not too full, which is great, but i still feel there's info in there that i don't really need, so it's still a work in progress!
So now you know what i'm using this year :)

My Filo Background

Hey there,

I thought it would be good to start this blog by presenting myself and my history with Filofax. Oh my, I'm already talking about it as if it were a relationship...
First of all, I'm not a native English-speaker. I'm writing this blog in English because it is the main language of the wonderful Philofaxy community, but please be forgiving. Do not hesitate to correct me if you notice a spelling or grammar mistake, I'm very much willing to improve.
I've always love stationery, as far as I can remember. I have also always loved organization. I remember spending hours as a little going though all my crayons and classifying them in boxes according to color. My dad used to receive a bunch of promotional planners through his job that he never used, so I'd play with them.
I think I started wanting a Filofax when I was around 14. But I wanted to receive it for a significant date. I wanted it for my 16th birthday, but by then I realized that I couldn't be sure the type and size of the organizer I would need then would still suit me a few years later. I really wanted to have an object I could keep for a loooong loooong time. Something symbolic. Then I wanted one as a high school graduation gift, then one for my 18th birthday, then one for my 20th... Everytime deciding against it for the same reasons. I finally got my first Filo last year, for my 25th birthday. By then I had finished school and had been working for 2 years, so I decided I 'knew' myself and my organization well enough to do this investment.
Before getting it, I had been using the Moleskine planner (week on one page with notes) since high school, either in their A5 size or their pocket. Always with a red cover! I had been perusing the interwebs about Filofax for a while, and especially like to visit Flickr (pictures, which I just love) and Philofaxy of course.
As my birthday was approaching, I decided on a Vintage Pink Pocket Malden to be my first Filo. Choosing the size was the hardest part for me. I didn't want to use a Personal because I knew the size of the page would feel weird to me. I'm much more comfortable using something closer in proportions to A4. Also, I was used to always have my planner with me, so I needed it to be quite portable. To ensure that I would always have it with me, I also wanted it to be my wallet. I also knew I wanted my planner to be in leather (since I wanted it to last for a looong time, remember?), and in some sort of a purple (my favorite color). Then Malden's famous charms did the rest.

From filofax.co.uk

We had been very happy together for a few months when the beautiful sale on Chameleons appeared on Filofax' website. I had been thinking about trying an A5 (my work planner was an A4 of which I filled the pages, but that I deemed too cumbersome). I jumped on the occasion and ordered it, in Aqua. Now Filofax didn't offer delivery to the country where I was living at the time, so I had it delivered to my parents' and had to wait 6 months to meet my beautiful Leon... The agony! But then, it was love at first sight.

From filofax.co.uk

Finally, since I was loving this size so much, I wanted to get a sexy purple Finchley. Tracy was selling one on Ebay and I entered in the bidding war, using Ebay for the first time! Of course I lost... but a few days later I was able to get a Pink Finsbury for a decent price, which was thus my first Ebay win. Pink is not my favorite color, but I still love it very much!

From filofax.co.uk

So, there, you have it, my story so far with my pretty binders!