Well this post and hopefully others in this series will be a great place to ask those questions... anyone can ask a question.... and of course anyone can answer the questions.
We won't limit ourselves to only one question per week, but if you are responding to a question with an answer, please make it clear which one you are responding too, if the questions are similar.
I will capture them and add them to our FAQ page, and once the FAQ's grows in numbers, I will separate out the Q&A's in to different sections on that page to make it easier to refer to. So hopefully the FAQ page will build up with some useful answers which we can refer people to... in a polite way of course.
If you are little shy about asking a question, then email your question to our email address (see the About page) and I will post your question anonymously on the Wednesday posting.
As the title implies this will become a regular post for Wednesday each week, if it proves popular. It is not going to replace Free For All Fridays, they will continue and of course you are then free to discuss anything Filofax related or to respond to the questions or ideas we sometimes pose to you.
Oh and if you were wondering about the number of pages a Slimline will hold.... it's about 100-120... I tested this out for one of our readers last weekend!! And it is now on the FAQ page!
So fire away with your questions.....
"Free For All Fridays, they will continue and of course you are then free to discuss anything Filofax related or to respond to the questions or ideas we sometimes pose to you."
ReplyDeleteso we would have FFAF {free for all fridays} and FFAW {free for all wednesdays}?
i don't see how "Wondering Wednesdays" would be any different from FFAF? if they are the same why do we need two?
i am clearly missing something....
Hi
ReplyDeleteThink of the Wednesday post more of a Question and Answer session. And the Friday one as more of a general discussion one.
Yes or no?
Steve
I have a generalised question for everyone - this seems like the perfect forum for it (FFAW :D)
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know everyone's advice, opinions and critiques about whether you would recommend either a Pocket Finsbury, a Pocket Finchly or a Pocket Amazona.
I am here in Australia and want to buy a Filofax Pocket tomorrow from the US. I am edging towards the Pocket Amazona in Almond as I love the colour - sophisticated and work appropriate. However, just ntoiced some comments about the leather being a bit stiff etc.
Would love to hear your comments/comparisons :)
Thanks!!
....so
ReplyDeleteFFAF is not a free for all but everyone discussing ONE topic {different from what we have been doing}
AND
"Wondering Wednesdays" is really FFAW where we can ask multiple questions and respond to multiple questions
is that it?
@ashley i have been awake so long when i saw your emoticon i laughed so hard i almost choked on the water i was drinking! FFAW :D
@ashley i have never managed to keep a pocket. it has always been to small for me but in terms of the styling. the amazona holds up the best over a long period of time. also, i would choose a finsbury over a finchley because i have never appreciated the extra "poofiness" or padding on the finchleys...and the others that do that. they remind me of those puffer jackets you see people wearing when it is cold outside. they end up looking like they wrapped themselves in a mattress to go run to the store and couldn't be bothered to put an outfit on.
ReplyDeletelong story short. go with whatever color you like the best.
Ashley:
ReplyDelete1) The entire Amazona range has been discontinued, so if you really like that one you should grab it while you can.
2) The Finsbury leather is stiff but loosens up a little over time. Finsbury's textured leather is not particularly soft.
3) Finchley leather is wonderfully soft to the touch.
It comes down to how tactile you are (Finchley), how glamorous you want your Filofax to be (Amazona) or if you want to save a little money/ have a specific color you want (Finsbury).
Hope this helps!
BTW, I think what Steve is getting at is this: Steve and I both get a lot of readers emailing us directly with specific questions (about a particular binder for example, or like Ashley trying to choose between models, sizes, etc.). Often I don't have the answer myself so I put it up on Philofaxy as a post. Wondering Wednesdays would allow people to post their question themselves without having to go through us and wait until we get around to posting it. Readers would know that Wednesday is Question Day, and would get their thinking caps on to help answer people's questions. (Steve, maybe we could call it Questions Wednesday or something more specific like that?)
Thanks for your opinions so far, they have been helpful. I do like all things glamourous, and the Amazona in Almond is still available so I think I am still swaying toward it!
ReplyDeleteLaurie - completely see your point about this Wednesday session. I often have little questions and feel bad bombarding emails to you all about them! I think it will work well :)
PS Still loving your blog, it's fantastic! I love how I can log on everyday and see a new post and lots of feedback on various Filo issues.
@Ashley - go for the almond amazona - I wish I had and now I can't get one in the UK at a reasonable price!
ReplyDelete@Steve - this is a great idea. In my mind wednesdays are about questions about the physicalities of the Filofaxes and Fridays more about how you use them - or indeed anything else you can't wait to ask! (After all it is called Free For All!)
Anyway I'm assuming you will still post other posts as you think of them. I love the round up ones where you point us to other people in the internet talking about thier filofaxes!
Question for Steve! Have you ever been to the Filofax Center in Paris? Is it any good? Worth a meeting location for Philofaxers?
ReplyDelete(Oops, that's actually 3 questions ...)
First of all there's no strict rules on what you say on either day... we don't want to get in to scaring people off.
ReplyDeleteIf you would prefer to to be renamed FFA then I'm happy with that, but may be moving it to Tuesday would be a better idea, equal space to Fridays in either direction then?
I'm sure we will still get questions on Fridays and discussion points on Tuesdays/Wednesdays... but it really doesn't matter does it?
And of course other postings will continue as normal time allowing of course. I've been crawling around in our loft this morning laying more insulation down yuk, dirty dusty job!!!
Regards
Steve
PS Ultimate wish list item - On Filofax UK site, Deco in Ivory is on sale for about 88 pounds...
ReplyDeletePity I live in Australia and that postage is 44 pounds!!!! That would bring it up from about AUD$140 (without postage) to $200 +.
I think Question Tuesday/Wednesday is a great idea! It allows for specific questions looking for specific answers, as opposed to FFAF that allows for any type of discussion. Plus, since the questions will eventually be added to FAQs/indexed in some way, it will allow for easy access/search-ability. I assume this is to tackle the original proposal of a forum? I think it's a good solution, the main point being able to search the questions for quick answers in the future. This is how I see it, anyway.
ReplyDelete@Ashley - I can't believe postage to Australia is £44! I'm in Scotland and I just bought my nephew a birthday present from the Wiggles website, based in Australia, and it's only costing me £6 to get it delivered here! Do you have any friends in the UK who could buy the Deco from the UK site for you and then post it over?
ReplyDeleteI think its a great idea & in what I think is the spirit of this, can anyone advise me on which Personal size FF have an elasticated pen loop
ReplyDelete@Alex nooo I don't know anyone in UK unfortunately. I couldn't believe the postage. I buy books off Book Do
ReplyDeleteDepository ALL the time for free postage (BD is a huge thing here in Aust-awesome UK website!). Might just have to keep wishing. Shame tho coz it's an amazing price & my fave style Filofax :( Filofax is generally really expensive over here in Australia - the Deco pocket retails for about $450....which is a LOT!
I have a question!! I want a personal Filofax for my birthday. This would be my first Filofax. I plan to use it for everything, until it gets so full I need to divide it up. Everything would include work, graduate school information, family (my son's sports, etc.), addresses, birthdays... I work as a tutor at a university. There is not too much that I need to "take home" from work so I think it's manageable.
ReplyDeleteMy question is, since I am going to be using it at work a bit, is a Domino too casual? I am really interested in the Domino because I've heard it lays flat and is very slim (no padded cover). I like that it closes securely. If it is not too casual, what color would you recommend? Originally, I fell in love with theglamorousgradstudent's lavender Domino. I also like the slate color. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
The Domino looks fine when it's new, but the problem is it gets scratched very easily so over time it could get tatty-looking.
ReplyDeleteI haven't used mine heavily enough for it to be a problem, but for daily use and going everywhere in your bag, can anyone please tell us how long it takes the Domino to not look so nice? Thank you!
Ashley, where in Oz do you live?
ReplyDelete@John: The Domino has an elasticated pen loop. ANY fat pen will fit.
ReplyDelete@Krissy: I've used my Lavender Domino quite a bit, and yes, it does scratch easily. However, I'm not too disturbed by it. I think any Domino colour will look nice, but for an extra sophisticated look you could go for the snake print version (available in darkbrown, bronze and natural). Try ebay or amazon if the colours are not available on FF UK. I know they are plenty available in Germany and Holland. The snake print has a glossy coating that prevents it to scratch easily. Inside the bronze and darkbrown version both have darkbrown suede, which looks really nice (especially with the bronze).
Another option would be to buy a cheap NEW Personal leather binder through Ebay. Prices there are much lower than the official prices. I just saw a Personal Finsbury in Raspberry (new!) for only GBP 25,- on ebay.co.uk (now, don't you all rush over and buy it, give Krissy a headstart first!).
@Ashley: the stupid thing is that Filofax postage goes by item price, instead of weight (like Filofax Denmark does!). Thus, the postage for the Deco is simply ridiculous! If I were to order it, it would cost me 20 pounds to get it to Holland, when in fact it wouldn't cost FF more than about 8 GBP to send it insured and signed for. I really think there shipping policy is outrageous!
ReplyDelete@Krissy: There is also a personal Chameleon in Raspberry for £34.99 with free postage within the U.K. Going by last Friday's FFAF it lays flat after a few days. Worth considering.
ReplyDeleteI am not using a normal slimline per se, it is a 5clf 1/2 so it is the same ring size as some slimlines and 1/16 larger than some of the others. I just counted, and at present I have 82 pages. I would guess it gets up to 90 or so but not anymore. I keep it this size so that all the pages turn freely.
ReplyDeleteMost of the pages are the Daytimer pages, and they are a bit thicker than the Filofax pages, so if you are using Filofax, 100 would be about right.
I welcome this new question and answer day, I really don't care if it is Tues. or Weds, I will enjoy it. I just don't want Steve getting bogged down in too much administrative work, don't want him getting burned out. I think that is critical to both longevity and high quality of this blog.
OK looks like we might have a FFAT but with the emphasis on questions and answers on a Tuesday... and a FFAF on Fridays for open general discussion.
ReplyDeleteActually, things you say in your comments do actually help me about what to write about, you might not realise it at the time but you generate thoughts and ideas, so it's all good stuff.
And if I may..... I have a question... not directly Filofax related although the end result is Filofax related I suppose.
How do I go about improving my hand writing?
Firstly I generally only write in my Filofax, and the rest of the time I'm touch typing all the time... lack of practice I suppose, but I don't ever remember I was a particularly neat writer.
Is it too late to change??
Can anyone using Day Timer pages confirm they fit OK? They look quite interesting. I did have some personal size inserts from Quo Vardis which proved to be a bit wider than the filofax ones and this tended to hide the index tabs which was a bit annoying!
ReplyDeleteAlison
ReplyDeleteFAQ no. 4....
Day Timer Portable size is the same as Filofax Personal size. Their Desk size is similar to A5, but the ring spacing is not the same as Filofax
PS has anyone used the A5 (desk) Day Timer - if you repunch does it look a complete mess? I have some Reinforcing Patches I could use to strengthen it.
ReplyDeleteHey - I can't find the finsbury on eBay, even after trying the worldwide search. I'm in USA, and I don't think the FilofaxUSA website has any of the Domino snake! :-( I will check Amazon and eBay for those.
ReplyDeleteSteve, if you figure out how to improve your handwriting, let me know! I've done lots of reading online. Suggestions included using your whole arms to write, rather than just your wrist, using a wider pen, loosening your grip... all take lots of time and practice to adopt.
Thanks for all the help - and info about Dominoes. I think I just fell in love with the Finchley in purple. Last Friday several people said they lay flat right out of the box AND it has a zipper pouch in the back. I also LOVE purple. :-) I found one on Amazon, and I saved an eBay search. Crossing my fingers that I can get a deal!
ReplyDeleteKrissy, the purple Finchley is gorgeous. I don't have one myself but if I were going to buy another one that would probably be my choice! I also love purpley colours. I have a mini Finsbury in Raspberry and a pocket Deco in Amethyst, so the purple Finchley would fit in quite nicely! Pity I'm trying to save my pennies at the moment.
ReplyDeleteI think it's the right choice over the Domino. The Domino is great - I bought my sister one when she started university and she loves it - but in my opinion it's not quite as 'professional' looking as the leather ones. And as others have said, it's not as protective of its contents when rattling around in a handbag.
@Ashley - I would be happy to help you out with getting your hands on the Deco, but I understand you probably don't want to trust a complete stranger on the other side of the world with your money! Having said that, my boyfriend recently got my Christmas present with the help of a total stranger in the US who he found through an internet forum, so I'd be happy to do the same for someone else.
It appears the sale is over, just checked the FF UK website and the discounts are no longer available.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know when to expect the spring/summer colours? Can't wait.
Ashely, still may be able to help.
I personally thought Wondering Wednesdays a great title!!! Maybe the Philofaxers could come up with ideas for a zingy title if it's a Questions Tuesday now?? Thinking hats on???
ReplyDeleteYes a lot of time and effort went in to the title for Wednesday's Wonderings!!! Not really.....
ReplyDeleteHow about Tuesday's Twenty Questions? Not that we would limit the number of questions asked... 1-20 ok... 21 and above we just ignore... no!!
Steve
@Krissy: my fault! I thought you were in the UK. This particular seller probably didn't offer worldwide shipping, thus the auction wouldn't appear in a worldwide search. I guess.
ReplyDeleteThe Finchley (and also the Chameleon) is great!
@Alison: I ordered the Desk size Flavia refills for my A5 Filofax, then repunched the first 6 months, until I realized that it looked absolutely horrible! So much so that I decided to downsize to Personal, LOL.
The Daytimer Portable however is exactly fitting the Personal, both in rings as in page size.
@Allison Reeves -
ReplyDeleteI am using the Daytimer Desk two pages per month in my A5 Finsbury. I did indeed have to repunch the pages and personally, I think it looks terrible.
I wasn't able to just expand the existing holes --- I had to create entirely new holes and it looks cluttered and messy. If I had it to do over again, I'd never have bought them!
That said, the pages that I am using are from the Flavia collection, so they are different colors. Maybe if you just use the plain ones (white pages with green trim) the extra holes wouldn't be so obvious and bothersome.
I do love the Daytimer pages in my personal, though!:)
@Jotje: thanks, I'll look into that.
ReplyDelete@Steve: an old trick to help with hand writing was to use a blunt HB pencil the work up to a fountain pen with a broad nib.
ooh - bit late to the party... Sorry!
ReplyDeleteThe Wondering Wednesdays is a brilliant idea!! I don't mind if it stays on Wed or goes to Tuesday. It's good to have a place to post queries and then on Fridays just share the love! :-)
I will be able to tell you soon how many pages an A5 Finchley holds as my new jade has arrived and it is all change in the Amanda-household between work, home and book-o-fax.
I adore my two Finchleys, and didn't like the feel of the Chameleon. The purple is gorgeous (as are they all!!). It would look more professional than a Domino (that said I have a Domino at work).
Since Filofax.France has just delivered a big pile of goodies to me, I may have some diaries for sale if anyone would be interested (I don't need them - or the A-Z either...)
Happy Wednesday everyone!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@Steve
ReplyDeleteI agree with John - start with a fairly blunt pencil, use smooth paper to write on, & write slowly. I have terrible writing in biro but with pencil or fountain pen (and then only a fairly broad nibbed FP) it looks pretty nice. Good pen for me was an Osmiroid, medium, flat-tip nib.
Sorry, a bit late to this, have been out running (yes, I log it in my filo!).
ReplyDelete@Steve There are quite a few useful websites out there on improving handwriting and some useful videos on YouTube. I will try to look them out for you and email them.
@ Saffy - I live in Queensland (yep the State that has been absolutely battered in floods and now Cyclone Yasi last night...). You were right about the sale being off :( How disappointing!!
ReplyDeleteWhat part of Qld? I visit family there every year. They have not been in the flood or Yasi area's thank goodness.
ReplyDeleteAshley, have you looked at Kikki.K? They have their own version of organiser which I saw while out there in December, I was quite tempted to buy one myself. I may even buy their diary refill next year for something different. My niece bought the A5 blue and it was lovely. Just a thought.
ReplyDelete@Amanda
ReplyDeleteI am so jealous! My Jade Finchley hasn't arrived yet. I bet it is beautiful.
Too keep everything on topic - I'm cool with FFAT and FFAF
@ Saffy - I have seen the Kikki-k ones - they are really cute...not quite the same for me though as my Filofax :(
ReplyDeleteEven though I've found the Deco online in the USA for US$200 (it's about dollar for dollar here at the moment) ...I think I might be good and get the Almond Amazona instead...I hope it is nice :(
I bit the bullet and bought the Deco Pocket for USA $200....
ReplyDeleteAshely you are going to love the Deco!! I adore mine.
ReplyDelete@ Laurie - sorry I am hogging up this blog with my indecisiveness! I take back my previous comment...I just couldn't bring myself to press the send button :( So I settled with an Almond Amazona. One day I will definitely get the Deco though - it's my all-time favourite!
ReplyDeleteOh well, you will love the Amazona too, it is very classy. And that secretarial pocket inside the front cover is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your new Filofax, and tell us all about it when it arrives! :)
Ashley, you will love the Amazona. I have it in slimline and use it everyday. I love the feel of it.
ReplyDeleteIf your Deco purchase coincides with a trip back to Oz (my father lives in QLD) then I will be more than happy to bring it out for you and save on international postage.
@Saffy - thank you so much for that! Hope your Dad is safe in Qld after all of our mother nature issues? :(
ReplyDelete@Chloe
ReplyDeleteYour Finch come yet? It's lovely and a more definite green than I expected. I would have described it as Spring Green rather than jade..
Hope yours has arrived/arrives soon and that you love it as much as I love mine!
@Amanda - Nope not yet :) I'm just impatient. I can't wait to see it. I was hoping the green would be quite rich. Are you going to post photos?
ReplyDeleteAlison, I'm looking to sell my almond Amazona as I'm short on money at the moment. I've never used it, it's still in its box - rings unopened. What kind of price were you looking to pay?
ReplyDeleteJess x
Steve, my writing is terrible as well, the only time I ever write neatly is when I use my Lamy Safari Fountain Pen with a fine calligraphy nib, I cannot do any calligraphy, just use it for normal writing, and it makes a huge improvement, I have no idea why though.
ReplyDeleteSteve, my handwriting also improved tremendously after starting to use the Lamy Safari with Medium nib. So much so, that I can now write with the fine nib or any other pen reasonably neat.
ReplyDeleteI have a strange thing with my handwriting. About once a year I decide that I don't like how I write a certain letter and then I teach myself to write it differently, until it comes naturally. When I look back at handwritten texts from years back, I notice that it changed quite a lot. Which also feels a bit weird, like someone else wrote it ...