18 March 2012

'What's in my Filofax' - Nikki

You will remember Nikki and I met up in Poitiers just before Christmas on a very wet and windy day! 

Anyway we had a great time exploring a nearby stationery shop. But you will recall the interest in Nikki's A5 Hampstead... well all will be revealed..

I have almost "got there" with my organisation for my lifestyle and my filo, and thought I would share with the site, as it has given me sooooooo much inspiration to truly make my Filofax my own!!

So I introduce my overstuffed A5 Hampstead in brown




Inside I made a personal page inspired by illustrations from an old 'book of hours'. I am not particularly religious, but very inspired by medieval art, which you will discover as you walk through my filo :)



Small note pad and a few leaflets tucked into the side pockets, and a credit card calculator ocupying one card slot!

My first divider is Finance. Book of hours art work, (all pages are printed on Claire Fontaine 100grm ivory paper) and the tabs are covered in sticky back plastic, to make them a bit more durable.


First I have a clear wallet I cut down from an A4 plastic wallet to hold receipts and bank RIB's etc.

I bordered the edges with a pattern I liked and taped it. This makes the hole punching much easier, and looks pretty too :)


Next is a printed page of my estimated monthly expenses. Characature of Louis Phillipe at the bottom for fun :))



The a self made printed bills outstanding page, when due, when paid etc.



Next photo is a separate sheet I devised for each bill I get regularly for services/taxes etc. this gives me an overview of when I can expect a bill to come in, and how much it is likely to be. These will be hand written from now on, but I went back to the first bill since I moved into this house, and typed in the information up to date.

The photo is SOREGIES, my electric supplier. It includes all the information of this company, where to send payments, telephone numbers for breakdown, changes etc. ,account number, and then a list of every single bill I have received from them, how much it was, invoice number, when and how I paid it. I made a small lined section to include any notes. I find this section so usual for budgeting, and keeping track of unpaid bills etc.


Bank account self made pages to keep track of my bank balance on a daily basis.

This completes the finance section for now, but I tend to add a few more bits to it. I need a secretarial pocket for my outstanding bills to be paid, and, I will also add a page for my direct debits each month, and the date they go out.


Next tab is Info Book of hours illustration. Self explanatory, size charts, kids shoe measurements, my house room measurements etc etc;



The next tab is MEDICAL. this is quite an important section...... front of tab is Leonardo da Vinci, and the reverse is a book of hours illustration again :)


Contains general medical info, blood group etc. then a list of doctor/hospital/specialist appointments. Brief description of outcome, and any drugs prescribed. This is useful to track your last mammogram for example, and I have found that here in France, the doctors do not really keep notes for you, and often ask what they prescribed to you on your last visit!! Includes any X Rays (broke my nose last September!!!) specialist visits (had to see an ENT specialist for this as my sinus got filled with blood!!! yuk!) etc.



Notes tab, a pretty page frame I found on the internet, then put a lovely drawing of a horse into it, and added the "notes" in the appropriate box :) then hand coloured the border after printing.


Computer Info tab illustration I found on line and hand coloured. reverse is a colourful aAfrican art picture I found cheerful, and colourful :)



Here I have made a page for computer maintenance. I found I was not de-fragging etc. often enough, and it was slowing my old laptop down, so now I have a log of scanning, de-fragging, empty cache and all that malarkey, and do it at least once a month now. I know you can set the computer to do it, but I prefer to do it manually, then I know it is done, and what the results were.

Also in this section, is basic instructions to use my mobile!!!!!!!!! Yes I know, I have been living in a cave for a long time, and I find my new phone a pain in the ***. This is why I have a Filofax lol
Also have Steve's wonderful home network setting page, WWW pages. then I have notes for my printer setting etc, for printing these sheets for my filo.



Obligatory picture of my beautiful little girl to remind me how lucky I am :)))))))) on the left, and HORAIRES tab on the right.



Again, pictures I found online whilst looking at medieval art. In this secton, I have printed out the opening hours of all the places I visit regularly, like the local Tresorie and tax office, Créche for my daughter, town hall, dechetterie etc, and contact details. I refer to this ALL the time, as the opening times in France seem to be totally random!! All typed and interspersed with little medieval illustrations, I like :)


Next is maps, with an old illustration of Roman Britain, with a simple scroll border. My maps are mainly "stolen" from an old post office calender. They have great maps for you local area in there.



Next is diary tab, more medieval influence, hand coloured after printing. I use a day per page here with appointments, and then notes for the day/shopping needed/my thoughts or whatever really :) Then I have made a monthly page, that I have tabbed for the beginning of each month. This gives me an overview of the month with any appointments, and birthdays/anniversaries coming up.




My final section is addresses and A-Z


The first page I have printed off just phone numbers for quick access, and then I have the address etc. in the A-Z.



These pages are all printed from the Filofax address book software I bought a long long time ago for my pocket filo, and never used, as I found the writing in the pocket too small to read easily.

At the back just holds a few business cards, and a note pad.


My home made today marker.



I would like to add, to thank Ray at "My Life All in One Place" for the diary pages. I love to browse his site for ideas.

And also, that even on a very low budget, I bought an empty bargain filo on ebay, and now have it full of "my life" for the cost of a bit of printer ink, and a packet of paper. Filofax, can be done on a budget :))

Hope you all enjoyed the tour into my slightly less chaotic life :)

Thank you for a very detailed tour of what is in your Filofax. 

25 comments:

  1. This has to be the coolest filofax EVER! Makes me want to try an A5.

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  2. Holy Moly! I am speechless with admiration.
    I bow down before your total awesomeness!

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  3. *blushing* thank you both very much, I am happy you enjoyed it :))

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  4. WOW!!! I love medieval illustrations too, and often have put a picture from the St. Louis Bible onto my laptop desktop page. Discovered it whilst browsing illustrations pages.Boy would I just love to have your today bookmark in my Filofax. That is just lovely.

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  5. Lovely contents--definitely a labor of love. So smart to include that store information section. I regret not opening up the Filo and jotting these details down when I am looking the info up--again--on my phone or computer.

    Your Filo is an awesome self-made reference tool--thanks for sharing!

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  6. This is, most definitely, the most beautiful and awesome Filofax that I have ever seen! Great job...I am most envious!!!

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  7. Thank you all very much for your lovely comments, I have really enjoyed doing it, and find it so practical, and it inspires me to use it more, which is obviously a good thing :)
    Butanben, I would be more than happy to make you a divider, the same as mine, or from any other design you would like :)
    kind regards, Nikki X

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  8. Loved it. Full of character inside and out. I only wish I had the skill and patience to create such work. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. It really is not hard, just a very basic knowledge of a publisher program :)
      Thank you for your kindness
      Nikki X

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  9. I have been inspired to recreate my A5 Cuban......I will post pics when I am done!

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    1. Oh I am so pleased it has inspired you, I can't wait to see it
      Nikki X

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  10. Nice work. You've packed a lot in there. I love the idea of including the phone instructions. These days you can download all sorts of booklets and quick guides as PDFs and I could see a use for a number of those in my A5.

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    1. Thanks Ray :) Yes it is stuffed, I need to spend some time paring it down a bit!
      Yes that is exactly what I did for my mobile, and then just printed the pages for the bits I felt would be useful to me :)
      Thanks for your DDP diary I grabbed!! Have also added your expense envelope, which I use monthly to track my cash withdrawals, and see where the cash goes!!
      kind regards, Nikki X

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  11. I love it!! I really like the prescription inserts you made. Is there any way you would be willing to share a pdf of it? You have done a fantastic job with it.

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    1. Thank you Steph, Steve is working on changing the file to PDF for you, as it is a pageplus file right now :)
      kind regards, NikkiX

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    2. I've created a similar prescriptions page based on Nikki's example, you will find it on the Files page in amongst the A4/A5 templates.

      Steve

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  12. Hi Nikki - was really blown away with your binder contents and have reread your post several times! It probably has something to do with your style which appeals to me - specific comments:

    1. I love the pictures throughout - can you give me some idea of where you found some of these magnificent illustrations on the internet?
    2. Your 'today' bookmark is really lovely - can you tell us how you made it?
    3. I was very impressed by how totally practical your inserts were. Some of course are specific to your life in France (for example prescriptions - my doctor keeps very careful records). I've never really 'got' what people use the finance tab for, but seeing what you have done has given me a real 'aha' moment. I think I am going to record all our private budget details, and also my work targets and goals and I think this will really spur me on when I am flagging!

    Thank you so much for this detailed view into your filofax - I have really enjoyed it!

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    1. thank you Alison, very kind comments :)
      1.Well most of the illustrations came from the British museum, and then just search results for "book of hours". The page frames and divider stuff, I search on google for free stuff, and then put medieval in the search tool.
      If there are any specific sites that have any you like, I may be able to specify the site, but there are many!!
      2. The bookmark is a piece of plastic from a cheap clear file (about the thickness of the front flyleaf in a filo) cut to size. I then get a design I like and cut to the same size, then "wrap" it in clear sticky back plastic, usually 2 layers. Hardest thing is to get the punch to make a clean hole, then I just take a craft knife and cut a fine slit from the hole to the outside to move it over easily. Does that make sense?? Next time I make one I will do a pictorial tutorial :)))
      3.Glad the finance section has given you a few ideas. Having the regular bills on their own page is so helpful to see when the next bill is due, and how the prices vary from winter/summer etc. Gives a great overview!! Also the bills due is good. When the bill comes in the post it is very easy to pop the details on the page, then if the bill gets lost or mislaid, at least you know what is due, and what you have already paid :)
      Thanks again, Nikki X

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  13. Nikki, I also loved reading this post! In fact, I reread it a couple of time, then spent lots of time admiring your pictures. I concur that this filofax is a piece of art! Very well thought-through, great setup.
    Thanks so much for sharing!

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    1. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I am very flattered to have it called a work of art. I like to think of myself as artistic, but I am not really, just am attracted to beautiful things *smile*
      Thanks again, Nikki x

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    2. Nikki, I am bowled over that you would share your today marker with me.Just how very kind. My e. mail address is je.mccourt@virgin.net, if you want to send me an attachment or mail. Do look up the St. Louis Bible on Google. I think you will find the story behind it and the illustrations fascinating.

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  14. That's a great idea to use filofax. I use my cheap filofax for my schedules and appointments at the office but I haven't tried to use it by keeping and using designs for it. Thank you for a great great idea.

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  15. I LOVE your aesthetic there - I mean seriously most people's Filos are a bit like their heads: nice for them, and it's interesting and enjoyable to be allowed to peek inside... but I wouldn't want to live there myself, ya know? lol

    But yours is a stunningly lovely piece of art, every bit a credit to ancient penmanship, from the scribes of Ancient Egypt to those mediaeval guys toiling over the lovely illuminated manuscripts, all of which were, after all, practical given their own world view - seriously gorgeous!

    (I use a print of Vitruvian Man in my 'Fax as well, for my health & lifestyle section, though not as stylishly as yours!)

    Thanks for sharing.

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  16. It's lovely!! Stunning, actually!

    I was wondering what pen you used? It looks like brown ink and I know that I (and others on here who have commented about it) are always on the lookout for a good brown ink, gel or felt tip that won't bleed through terribly on the Filo cotton cream paper.

    Thanks!

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  17. I used to have an organizer set up similar to this. I got rid of this and I've been trying to make an electronic system work. This post makes me want to go back to my planner!

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