As I'm preparing to move, I'm getting rid of a lot of stuff. Even though we've only been here just over a year, it's amazing how much a family of four can accumulate in just that time!
Not that I would ever get rid of any of my Filofaxes, but the gleaning process made me think: what if I had to get rid of all of my Filofaxes except one? Which one would I keep?
Of course it's a painful question because I love them all! I love my purple and aqua Finsbury Filofaxes for their vibrant colors. I love my Ivory Deco for its stunning beauty. I love my Orchid Aston for its color and classy look. I love my Holborn zip for its super-soft leather.
But if I could keep only one, I would have to choose my Buckingham. It was my first real Filofax, has been around the world with me (multiple times), and I just couldn't part with its all-leather quality and classic design. We have too much of a history together to part ways!
So, I know it's painful to even think about, but if you could keep only one of your Filofaxes, which would it be, and why?
And as always on Fridays, the floor is yours to discuss anything Filofax-related.
Happy Friday everyone! :)
Right now it would be my pocket adelphi cause I feel it's my first proper grown up Filofax, but I'm thinking tomorrow of buying a Malden (either pocket or a5) so that would probably be the one I am going to keep!!
ReplyDeleteIs it sad I'm excited to be the first person to post????
Mine would be my Ochre Malden Personal - it's the nicest organiser I've ever owned, does the job for me almost perfectly, and couldn't really be improved on. My A5 I rarely use. My oiled leather Kendal Personal is now officially well into the 'vintage' range and it would hurt to get rid of it, but if I had to, I would.
ReplyDeleteMine would be my personal Ochre Malden too!! It's my absolute favourite!! I love it so much! I do get a bit paranoid about using it because it's so easy to scratch, but if it was my only one I think I wouldn't mind it looking like one of those well-used, well-loved ones where every scratch tells a story!!
DeleteI must buy a personal Ochre Malden 'cause that's the one I would want to save!!
DeleteI'd like to see someone try to make me choose.
DeleteI`m same as Laurie. I would keep my first ever Filofax - Stratford. Very well made and full of great memories.
ReplyDeleteI only have one Filofax, the Stratford. Its the first real leather, quality Filofax I owned. I had a Metropol that was given to Charity that was replaced by the Stratford. I have only bought one Filofax since the Stratford, a Malden. A beautiful binder but my heart was with the Stratford, therefore I have sold the Malden and only have one Filofax, the Stratford.
DeleteThis is a hard question to answer. It would have to be between the personal baroque for its unusual internal design but same appeal as the Malden or the red Topaz which has such a classic look to it. The Deco is too precious and would not age gracefully. I am planning on purchasing the purple Malden so it might be 'the one'. But at the moment it would have to be my Baroque.
ReplyDeleteAh, Laurie, even thinking about it made me nervous! Funnily, just a couple of days ago it crossed my mind: what if I had to leave my place in a hurry - what would I do with my Filofax drawer??? :)
ReplyDeleteOne I'd keep? Unthinkable, but it'd be Piccadilly.
And I knew it from the beginning: you'd keep the Buckingham! :) You wrote so lovely about it some time ago, about it being a gift from your dad and a keeper of your kids' milestones - I loved it!...
Wish you all the best with your move!
Ha! I have a Filofax drawer too! Perhaps that's not such a weird thing on this blog.
DeleteThis is COMPLETELY off 'brief' as per Steve's post - but he did say anything...!!
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have experience or direct knowledge of TimeSystem - and did you know the A5 hole spacing is incidental to Filofax? www.timesystem.com. I'm interested as I'd never heard of it before a chance meeting last week and wondered how well/used it is - and what kind of people use it.
I did check out timesystem because I thought they might have better inserts. However their website it really rubbish and it is very hard to find things - even when you do, you can't see the picture clearly so would not have a clear idea of what you were ordering! I sort of gave up because of that. Shame really because they may be very good!
DeleteTimeSystem was very popular in the 80s, and was a direct rival to Time Manager, of which I'm a well-known advocate. The internal structure of the TM system is much more robust IMO, and as Alison says, the T/S website is complete rubbish (not that the Filofax agglomeration of sites are any better).
DeleteEither Tm or T/S would be a *very* expensive investment unless you really intended to use the system and philosophy that ran behind the binders and paperwork, but worth looking at if you're serious about time management and not just diary-keeping (my thoughts only!)
Totally agree about the website! We could not believe how old fashioned and 'dense' it looked and, as as you say, the inability to see the detail of the product properly. I suspect that is an IP issue - a protected 'system'that they are trying to 'protect' - odd way of going about it in this day and age though...
DeleteIf you're interested in the system, philosophy and thinking which lie behind the TMI system (as opposed to the T/S system), some of us participate in a Yahoo group and we have the TMI user manual material available in PDF form
DeleteOn Timesystem.com (USA) you'll find under "Learn more" a Quickstart guide with more info about the T/S system.
Delete@jotje Genius! This is a *really* useful guide, which I've already saved (as a PDF) for a thorough examination later. Thank you.....
Delete@jotje If you look on the T/S UK website they have different and complementary user manual-type materials, including what looks like a full user manual (not available from the US site) although it's titled 'overview' I believe.
DeleteWorth a good look.....my printer is working overtime this afternoon.....how fortunate that Friday afternoon is usually the time I devote to personal organisation in a focused way....
@David: you might want to check out Timesystem.de aswell. Go to "Service" at the top row, then click the option "Formblattausdruck" and you'll find numerous specific layouts to download and print.
DeleteIncluding a Tagesplan Samstag or Sonntag(which is in fact an undated 2PPD), and a Wochenplan, which is an excellent starting point for a Time Map a la Julie Morgenstern!!!
You get the option to download it in either A4 or A5 format.
@Jotje thanks, I'll do that. I do hope my lack of German won't be a problem!
DeleteThere seems to have been quite a bit 'borrowed' from the TimeSystem by Filofax for the Time Management range, and I'm hopeful that the TS manuals might provide a clue as to how the FF Professional system is supposed to operate - something I've never been able to fathom from FF's own resources. Additionally, the T/S manuals may provide an alternative methodology for using the TMI system, of which I own a lot! So I'm going to be having some fun with this stuff over the next few days - thanks again for the links!
Hi Dodo, I have been using TimeSystem for many years. Back in the days when I was working as a project manager, we were all given a TimeSystem binder, inserts and a Time Management course by our boss. It is quite popular in Germany, bit less in Holland (what with the competition by Succes, which are far better available).
ReplyDeleteThe hole spacing and the paper format are absolutely identical with Filofax A5.
Thanks Jotje...do you think promoting our (slightly light-hearted!) A5 diary refill to TimeSystem users would be of any benefit?
DeleteI have no idea, to be honest! I do know that TimeSystem is mostly used in professional settings. We all had to use the 2PPD, and it never occured to me that they also had weekly inserts available (didn't miss them, because I had the monthlies as well).
DeleteAlso, I don't know if there is any TS community "out there"...?
Re your question, Laurie: at first I thought, impossible! I couldn't choose. Then I thought, if there was a fire and I could only take one, which one would I choose? Still I can't decide between three:
ReplyDeleteA) Pocket Wallet with ALL my cards in it.
B) Personal Portland with my kids' and my own journal
C) My A5 work filo, because it holds such vital information for running my business.
The conclusion is interesting: I value their contents far more than their appearance. Whatever binder holds the above inserts, gets saved!
Jotje...I have seen the love you have for your A5 Adelphi.....I know you would save it.
DeleteMy "desert island Fax" would be my A5 Kendal, for ring-size, ease of making my own inserts, and general beauty & resilience. It's as close to perfection in Filofax form (for me) as it's possible to get. Well, short of being in navy blue, anyway...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jotje, though, it's the contents that would matter most, and in that case I'd be very torn since they're all important to each different area of my life - work, personal, and so on.
I have a paper question: I find standard 80gsm paper too thick for making disposable inserts, like To Do lists that get crossed off and then binned, does anyone have any tips on what to look for to get a thinner, less durable, paper?
ReplyDeleteIt would need to be ink-jet compatible, and I use a 7mm B-hardness mechanical pencil or Bic biro for stuff like that, and don't mind a bit of feathering on the printing if it's still legible.
Any tips would be really appreciated.
I have just finished off a ream of A4 printer paper from Sainsbury's from their 'basics' range (in their orange and white wrapper). It is only 75gsm so quite fine, made in the U.S. I probably wouldn’t print double sided but should be O.K. for your purposes especially at around £2.50 - £3.00 for 500 sheets, presuming you are in the U.K. of course?.
Delete@ Shanananana
DeleteRe disposable paper for "to do" lists. Partly because it's so, so, so much cheaper, and partly because it's environmentally friendly, I use Frixion pens in my diary. Some of my sheets of paper have been used over one hundred times.
Instead of binning your paper, just erase them by popping them into the microwave for 60 seconds, or thereabouts.
I would be so afraid the paper would catch fire....but I know so many people use them. Maybe I will give them a go. Do you recommend a sort of number one go-to colour?
DeleteCheers for the replies! :o)
DeleteHaven't got a microwave, but I might look into using parchment paper for some things, so I can use my pencil more... and I'll definitely check out Sainsbury's, they're not my local store so I'll probably find a few other useful things as well!
While I'm here... :o)
ReplyDeleteHas anyone ever experimented with making pen-holder loops to lie inside the rings of a 30mm binder?
I'm thinking of something like a page or "Today" marker-style insert, with one or two loops of flexi-vinyl attached firmly to the inner side lying within the rings, to hold a fat little pencil with that infuriating rubber grip that foxes most pen loops.
My lovely fat 7mm mech. pencil won't fit any of the standard rings, and I'm tired of it falling out and getting lost: anyone got any experience or tips on this please?
What a good idea! I'll try to make one and blog about it soon :)
DeleteOoh, please do! I might have a go with something if I can get to Paperchase tomorrow to see what plastic stuff they have, but my camera's rubbish (or, it's actually a reincarnated Impressionist painter: I try to be positive here!) so probably couldn't produce anything helpful to share.
DeleteHi Shanananana!! I've made a pen loop and posted about it on my blog!! http://thelifeoftheperpetualstudent.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/filofax-hack-pen-loop-inside-rings.html
DeleteThat is most truly awesome - THANKS!!
Deletebtw I threw ShanananaNa?NA?! (even I can't remember how many "na's" there are! lol) up as a screen name when I first joined here, not really thinking ahead, but seeing you mention it in your posts made me realise it's getting a bit daft to go by that totally unpronouncable/daft name when I talk on here, so welcome to my "real" name: Shanti!
Jotje has a nice pen loop hack on her website!
DeleteNot all 80gsm paper is the same thickness; density is a factor too. If you can get to a Staples, measure one ream against another to see if you can find the thinnest ream (and thereby the thinnest paper.)
ReplyDeleteHP's regular office paper is 75gsm I believe, so that's another option. Printing on both sides makes an enormous difference, of course, to how much information you can pack in.
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DeleteHi Ray!
DeleteI bought some cheap-and-nasty 80gsm A4 paper from Staples and it is *horrible* - just about acceptable if you're printing mono and text only, on one side, but if you try any more than that the paper just won't do the job. I've got some HP branded paper up next, so I'm interested to see the difference. Definitely not all 80gsm papers are created equal....
I just to wish everyone at the meet-up tomorrow a fab time and I look forward to reading about it and seeing photos of all the filos together :)
ReplyDeleteNot *strictly* a FFAF / filofax post, but I know a few of us recently bought some of the new Staples ARC notebooks. I'm loving my A4 and it's perfect for exam revision.
ReplyDeleteI just thought I'd let any other fans know that (if you can find one on eBay) the Rollabind punch creates holes that are almost identical to the ARC-sized holes, meaning you can truly customise the notebook.
Staples UK have said that their own hole punch will be available in the Autumn, but just in case others (like me) are champing at the bit, then this is an excellent alternative.
Oh ... and to keep it on topic ;-) I'd have to keep my A5 Finchley in Imperial Purple. It's my day-to-day and I love it. In actual fact, I *could* sell all my others ... if only I could get rid of them!
It's almost impossible to choose! Gun to the head though, I'll say pink pocket Baroque and personal Finchley. I can't choose just one. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteMy first Philofaxy comment. It has to be my crimson Malden personal. I only got it just over a month ago (prompted by finding this site) and it's my first leather Filofax. I can't get used to the feel, the smell, the brick-like weight.... Seriously, I carry it everywhere and I love it.
ReplyDeleteProbably my thin Amazona in my handbag, as it has got my address book and important cards stashed there!! However in all honesty, I couldn't do without my A5 black Finsbury with my black Quiver pen holder,the one with red contrasting stitching. This Filofax holds every scrap of info and my coloured gel pens, for colour coding the diaries. I love it!!!
ReplyDeleteSome folks may find a black Finsbury boring, but not me. He never stains, lies flat from the box and still remains elegant despite years of use. I have a yearning for an A5 ochre or purple Malden, but think I would miss the double pen loop, and worry about it being scratched. It would feel kind of disloyal to my old faithful too!!!
I've also got a black finsbury, and although A5 isn't my choice of format at the moment, it remains my go-to (and only) binder in that size. As you say, it's a seriously good work-horse choice, not a lot of luxury but very functional. If I were an A5 user I'd stick with it - although I must admit the hestnut Cuban might be tempting!
DeleteDavid, the quality of the Cuban is great. I have an ink one. But I just couldn't get along with the 25mm ring size. I now use it as my info Filofax, for maps and reference that I don't use much in my day to day Filo, but still use occassionally. It is gorgeous, but I don't know why, it has not won my heart like the Finsbury!!
DeleteI think the Cuban zip has 30mm rings (I'd have to check), I'm just not sure if I'd go for a zip binder or not...but I agree that the 30mm rings on the Finsbury are pretty much essential. If I *was* going to use A5 as my default size I would *need* those rings. The leather on the Cuban is lovely, though, and it would fit very well with the kind of situations into which I would need to take it, in terms of looks.
DeleteWhich Filofax? Great question! The first one that came to mind was my black Personal Amazona! I love that beauty! BUT...to be fair, I just received a black Personal Holborn, a brown Personal Kendal, and a brown Pocket Kendal. I haven't used any yet so I can't say I'm 100% sure it would be the Amazona. Now I'm trying to figure out which to use next, the Holborn for all of its pockets or the Kendal for the AMAZING oiled leather!
ReplyDeleteNo question here- it would be my crimson malden! I only have that and my slate domino (even though he was my first, the malden has won my heart!!!)
ReplyDeleteIt would be my 5CLF 1/2 Winchester. I have used it everyday, has a beautiful patina, and seems to be better every year. It is getting a bit softer, but still "squeaks" when I write in it. It is the forerunner to the current "compact" line. It is the best!!!
ReplyDeleteDo you have any pics of it? I love the compacts, and would love to see it.
DeleteTo answer this weeks question, as of right now I would keep my compact Chameleon in raspberry, however I just ordered an A5 malden in grey, and a compact finsbury in blue so I don't know how I would feel about those ones. But so far compact is by far my favorite size.
ReplyDelete@Steph. I would be happy to, just e-mail me crofter69358@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to share that i received my very first Filofax today. I chose a red Compact Chameleon (30% off!) purely after watching Snarling's 3 vid series on her black Compact Chameleon.
ReplyDeleteIt is SO gorgeous and smells great! My husband who doesnt understand my stationery obsession at all, even commented on how nice it is and how good it smells. I love it!!
Congratulations, Romina! Enjoy your new Filofax!
DeleteSnarling's videos were a great asset in deciding whether or not I wanted to try a compact. I am so glad I watched them. I find the compact my 'perfect' size. Enjoy yours. They are wonderful.
DeleteWelcome to the family, Romina!
DeleteMy Desert Island Filofax would HAVE to be my Personal Malden in grey. I've tried a few different Personals now - Apex, Tejus, and Sherwood - as well as a Compact Metropol, and I come back to the Malden every time.
ReplyDelete