I was asked this week 'How big will Webfinds be on Saturday Steve' ..... I replied "Not as big as last week I don't think...."
Of course I never know, these things just build and build during the week. It never stops surprising me that I keep finding new blogs to share with you, sometimes it's just the occasional post, but they all get logged and monitored on my growing blog list! And then once it is published I start the whole process again... but you know I never get bored for looking at all the posts we find! Part of the love of Philofaxy.
So do you read all of the blog posts we find or are you selective based on the title?
Of course as it is a Friday you are free to discuss anything Filofax related.
Have a great weekend.
I do read all of them, but I must say I am more partial to the ones with pictures. There is just something about visual aids that do wonders for me. I really enjoy Saturday mornings with Philofaxy! Thanks for your hard work and continued dedication Steve.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback, useful to know how people view these posts. I will try out a few ideas to make them even more compulsive!
DeleteI'm pretty much the same as Steph & Cheryl, as I normally read them all. I used to be a bit more selective by the title, but realised I was then missing out on some interesting & useful posts. Thanks for your time that you put into doing it, as I really enjoy reading them :)
DeleteHi Steve,
DeleteI think the webfinds are just fabulous. In fact I diary them into my Saturday diary as a must do to do!!! And I diary the time in as READ Philofaxy mag blogs! For yes.... just like when I buy a good magazine to enjoy, the coffee and walnut whip and a relaxing CD playing in the background are all to hand to make the experience blissfully uninterruptable, utterly relaxing ME TIME!!!! Thanks Steve.... and of course thanks to all those wonderful Filofax bloggers!!
Exactly @Butanben!
DeleteI mostly read them all; at times I am selective if short on time. Do enjoy them though.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the overall experience with online sales at Filofax website? I'm kind of new at this. I ordered a Chameleon last week at 30% off which I thought was a great deal and less than a week later they are now half off! (And being out of work right now that 20% sure makes a difference!). Is there a general 'rule of thumb' about these sale items or does it vary by product? Obviously we're not mind readers but maybe I jumped too quick at the 30% off and perhaps should have known to hold out for a better deal (?). Anyone's experience?
I'm going to make an educated guess based on having worked on a commercial website, and say that they probably only go to 50% off when they find the 30% offer didn't clear the stock as they'd hoped: when an item or colour is discontinued they probably won't discount twice unless they have to - discounts use up the webmaster's time, for a start.
DeleteBut that's guesswork and I hope someone with more knowledge has something to contribute.
Trouble is Cheryl - if you leave it there is a good chance it becomes sold out! I usually shop around of I want something, but at the end of the day it all depends on how much you want something!
DeleteSorry, I do have one more question. Which current model would have replaced the Finchley, if there is one? I have 3 Finchley's and 1 Chameleon. Love my aqua Chameleon but my true loves are the Finchley's. For those who loved Finch as much as me, have you found anything in the current line that you like as much? I really like the narrow profile of Finchley as compared to the slightly wider Chameleon. Of course I've yet to step into the Malden pool (plan on doing so soon after reading all the enthusiasm about Malden!). I see you can still find red or black Fincley's on a couple online sites but wouldn't mind finding a personal teal, green or rose on ebay but no luck yet.
ReplyDeleteFYI There is one rose finchley on ebay right now.
DeleteThe Aston replaced the Finchley. The leather is similar but colors are different. I reviewed my Aston personal size in Orchid here: http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/2011/12/aston-filofax-in-orchid.html
DeleteThink the new Aston range is the replacement of Finchley. The leather looks similar. However, I am not a fan of three leather sheets stitched together as in the Aston, prefer the smooth surface of the Finchley. Yes me too, am tempted to buy a Malden just because everyone is talking about it but I have my eyes set on the Snake Domino as well. Ah...thought with the end of Finchley the obsession would get over - seems not.
DeleteI agree, too, it must be the Aston; leather feels the same, although the colours come in a less vibrant range, I'd say (mushroom is not an equivalent of a vintage pink, for example).
DeleteI don't like their diagonal stitches compared to Finchley, too.
I have both Finchley and a Malden, find them very alike and prefer the Finchley (gulp, I know Malden Club is huge here!), it's more feminine and supple.
I love the finchley and i'm in the process of collecting as many as I can via ebay etc so far i've got the pocket imperial purple from CO and pocket aqua from ebay, I also have the Aston pocket Orchid which I love, I hope they bring it out in aqua, pink and more lovely colours like they did with the finchley. The malden just doesn't do it for me, considered the purple in A5 but once I saw a vintage pink in staples i've gone off the idea.
Delete@Cheryl: My personal Finchley in teal is on eBay right now!
Deletehttp://allthingsstationery.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/im-selling-my-jade-teal-personal.html
Thanks everyone! I agree...not crazy about the Aston leather sheets stitched together either.
Delete@lucylastic - do you ship to the US?
Re Webfinds, I usually go by the titles first, but then will read the rest when i get time during the week.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback
DeleteI only finished the last one yesterday!!!!
DeleteI make a point of reading every single one!
Question: does anyone know anywhere selling enamelled decorative ballpoint pens & mechanical pencils, the type of thing Past Times used to do about 6 - 8 years ago?
ReplyDeleteSea Gems have some nice ballpoints, but the barrels are too thin, I'm looking for something nice and chunky... gold/yellow metal trim would be an added plus!
I'm keeping an eye on e-Bay for vintage items but thought I'd ask on here as well, just in case. :o)
Shanti, Ines de La Fressange's range came across my mind; I didn't find any on eBay so far, but google them, they have an online store. They sell them here where I live and they are gorgeous!
Delete(hm, but they're not enamel, only the pattern reminds me of it? :-/ )
Deletetry paperchase :)
DeleteI work for an office supply company here in the US and I haven't seen "enameled" pens in years. They were quite popular about 15-18 years ago. They were actually ceramic barrels and had beautiful patterns on them. Bright colored, really very nice. Why they went by the wayside, who knows..Try Googling Ceramic pens and see if anything comes up. Best of luck!
DeleteHi all, just to let you know I am listing 16 of my Filofaxes on Adspot today in either excellent or new condition! Please have a look, I really must have a clear out...one life, one Filo !!!
ReplyDeleteMake that 17! Now on Adspot... Which one are you keeping?
DeleteSteve
well....I am keeping Personal/Pocket Baroque, A5 Osterley, A5 Ochre Malden, Compact Malden, Pocket Malden Purple....list goes on. At least I am making a start at culling my collection! Currently using Teal Personal Baroque which I am loving and I have received my Glenroyal which is gorgeous as well. Too many enablers on this site...I blame you all!!!!
DeleteJust mailed you re 2 of them, and and now sat here in suspense waiting to see if I am a lucky girl :o) I may not be, but the excitement of potentially getting them is making my day :o)
DeleteNow my children are looking at me like I am insane as I whooped for joy - woohoo!!!
DeleteCongrats, LJ!
DeleteThanks DEM - looking forward to getting my mitts on them so I can take pics and blog - ha ha ha!!!
DeleteWhich two are you after? Hope you don't mind me being nosy!
DeleteI will shortly be the proud owner of the A5 Purple Malden and the Personal Red Finchley :o)
DeleteJust wrapped them up for you:)
DeleteOoh both good choices! I've got an A5 purple Malden and I love it! Can't wait to read your blog posts about them :)
Delete@ JasJan - Thanks :o)
DeleteI miss reading a post for a day and I miss out on great deals, dang! (:
DeleteSorry you missed out, but thank you for not reading it yesterday :o)
DeleteGood for you, bad for me! You owe me a post about them! (:
DeleteHas anyone from the UK bought from the German Filofax sale? Want to purchase the Snake Domino, but when I go to put in my address, the post code cell does not accept any alphabets and instructs to put in just numbers. Surely there is a way around it. Experts pls help.
ReplyDeleteMr Tommes_S is our 'German Filofax' expert I will ask him this has come up before when they had the 90 products 9 days for €9 each Great Train Robbery sale!
DeleteMy experience from FF Sweden: I contacted them first by email (and got an instant reply!) and was instructed to choose a country close to mine as mine wasn't on the list, and then leave my correct address in the additional comments space at the end of the checkout procedure.
DeleteIt worked without a problem, but I'd certainly contact them via email first to confirm it.
Hi, I bought the same model from the German site, but I didn't have any problems. Yes, I am not from UK, but it sounds a little bit strange for me that for Bulgaria the shipping will be possible, but to UK - not. Well, I haven't recieved it yet, as I am waiting it next week, but I hope I won't have any problems with the shipping.
DeleteDid you try putting 0000 in the postcode box then adding your real postcode in the address line? I think that is what I did?
DeleteThat's what I did too. The same as Saffy. It worked. They e. mailled me to get me to confirm and double check my address was correct as well. Fantastic service. I got some pencil case pressies... the Filofax ones with with Swarkowski crystals.... in the Great Train Robbery Sale. An utter bargain. Beautifully wrapped and packed too. I translated the form on Google Translate... don't speak any German I am afraid.
DeleteA reader question from our Facebook page:
ReplyDeleteI want to start my daughter off at high school the right way with her own filofax! Can anyone suggest what would be the most suitable?
Can't go wrong with a Finsbury in her favorite color if you want to get her a leather binder, or a Domino for non-leather.
DeletePocket or Personal size would be best for high school. Pocket if she's not super-busy, Personal size if she has a lot of activities and assignments to keep track of.
Thank you Google for eating my comment GRRRR!
DeleteWell, here we go again ...:
My 9 year old daughter isn't starting highschool yet, but has to use a diary to record her homework next schoolyear. Since she fell in love with my (currently unemployed) lavender Domino in Personal size, I gave it to her. She's already set it up, and carries the thing EVERYWHERE. Even got a compliment from her teacher who is a leather binder user himself!
My soon-to-be 8 year old took the opportunity to swap from her black pocket City into a raspberry pocket Metropol. Complete with the (meanwhile infamous!) Hema-dividers and planning pages. She even sleeps with her Filofax!!!
Two converted, two to go. My 5yr old son couldn't be bothered less with anything related to writing, and my 11 yr old Highschool starter decided she'd rather have one of those colorful fun school diaries. Which is fine by me, she'll come around eventually ... ;-)
That said, I wouldn't go for a leather binder at that age. A personal Domino or Metropol (with the advantage of a clasp) would make a sturdy and colorful alternative.
My daughter starts high school in september, iv'e bought her a personal magenta domino mix, it's lovely, no credit card pockets but she doesn't need those :)
DeleteI was bought a red Pocket Finchley during my last years of 'high school' and loved it, but if I was just starting out I would have gone for a Pocket Domino - I found the pocket size to be sufficient, but I do have very small handwriting and still managed to keep detailed records of assignments and activities.
DeleteI love the domino for being quite effortless - really lightweight, plenty of colour options, not so expensive that you'd worry about damaging it. If you're having to carry around heavy books and folders to school, something small and light like that would be ideal.
I would also say it depends on her general "style" (girly, punk, goth, rock, "cool girl", old-fashioned "studious", sporty, loves everything Japan etc.) Based on my own experiences as a 13 year old who had just started out with "real" filofaxes (I was a "gaming anime-girl style gone rock and studious") I would have loved either a Metropol (amber or another vibrant color that my inner Anime-nerd would have LOVED), a Finsbury, a Malden (anything but pink as my Tenacious D/Iron Maiden-listening self would never have been able to tolerate it), a chameleon or a Domino.
DeleteAs it was, I had a Guildford. It didn't quite go that well with my anime-loving self, so I decorated it to death with stickers and charms, but it never became quite as bubbly as it could have been because the alternative/metal girl in me would never have allowed it.
So what I'm trying to say is that the age between 13 and 16 is very turbulent (but I guess everybody knows that). So if you can't find a filofax that goes perfectly with her style (and have it approved with her if she's on the darker spectrum of above-mentioned styles), go with something that's easily customized into what she might like. ^_^ I hope this was helpful and not just rambling chatter.
I started my daughter with a basic non leather metropol i think because I wasn't sure if she would take to it. She was obsessed for weeks making it her own but to my surprise it still goes everywhere with her and records her whole life in it. For next year Im considering letting her have one of my 'spares'. Just not sure I'm ready to let one go!
DeleteFilofit, I have a few times, don't remember this problem. Maybe make sure you pick Uk before putting postcode in?
ReplyDeleteTried it right now after putting in UK and doesn't work :(
DeleteI think that when I have ordered from the German website I included the postcode in the address lines rather than in the postcode box...
DeleteThe address cell only accepts alphabets. But the customer services at filofax.de have been great. They sent a reply within seconds to my email and advised to put a 0 in the zipcode and send them an email with my whole address. So all good by the end of the day.
DeleteHello Everybody,
ReplyDeleteI will celebrate my 1st Filofax birthday in July, and what better present than a new organizer? I will either get the Malden or the Osterly. I've heard much about the Malden, not so much about the Osterly. Does anyone have experience with it? Does it lay flat? How's the leather? Is it worth the cost? Any help will be appreciated.
I have just bought a Compact Osterley in Grey - there are photos on the Philofaxy Flickr pool if you'd like to see how it compares to a Malden and an Amazona in size.
DeleteI would say it's worth the cost - I did buy it from City Organiser at a discount, but I still paid around £100. I'm happy to invest in something I know I'll use a lot, but it depends how much you love it!
It lays completely flat, has 2 pen loops, and I really like the leather. The cover is quite thin but sturdy, which makes it really nice and slim. It looks and feels classy, and I really like it.
The compact size is perfect for me, and this is the only compact model on offer that I really love.
I have the A5 in plum. The quality is amazing and yes it lies flat. The overall feel, leather...well everything does seem superior to the Malden. Also the Malden is not as rigid and as Nia says the osterley is slimmer. I suppose it depends on what size you are thinking of and also which pocket lay outs you prefer, to me this can be a make or break for a filofax.
DeleteI love the osterley in plum, would love it in A5 as my at home filofax, just out of my price range just now :(
DeleteOsterly it is! Thanks guys!!
DeleteHi everyone I am kind of new to the blogging world (1st blog April) my blog is Filofax orientated and I haven't been very successful in adding posts regularly. Basically I work in the technology industry and I'm sat on my PC at work for 12 hours a day - the last thing I want to do is turn on a PC on my days off! So I use my IPhone for all my philofaxy browsing. I want to keep my blog up to date as I have made changes to my Malden and would love to share them, is there anyway I can use my iPhone to blog and upload photos?
ReplyDeleteHi Ashleigh
DeleteThere are a couple of apps I know of, one from Google called Blogger, and that should be able to edit and add posts to your blog. There's another called Blogwriter, and one called BloggerPlus. Go to the App store in iTunes and put Blogger in to the search box and you should find them all!
I have used the Google one for creating simple posts on Philofaxy, nothing complex.
Steve
Thanks Steve I'll check them out
DeleteJust wondering if anyone has experience of the classic and what thoughts you have of it. I'm loving the look of the new Botanics range coming out in Sage and there's a few pink personal classics on ebay!!
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance :)
I owned a black personal classic for about a year. It did lay flat after some training and I really liked the leather. But the protective plastic film... in lack of a better description... started peeling off after about a year of heavy use. T_T Filofax Sweden said "there is no protective coating and no plastic, just leather" but they gave me another filofax anyway. (If there is no protective coating, howcome it started peeling? O_o; ) but I could have gotten a faulty binder. I know people who have owned their classics for years and they still look good as new. ^_^
DeleteI owned a cherry personal Classic & returned it Filofax UK for exactly the same reason as Yu. Mine had only very light use as well & I asked for a Malden as a replacement instead. I wanted to train it to lie flat, but it was so stiff I was concerned about damaging it. I do like them though :)
DeleteThanks, I'll give it a miss :)
DeleteAlison, I have a classic Pink and it is lovely and does (nearly) lay flat, a bit more training and it will. I have an old pocket Camel coloured Cross which never laid flat but I have not experienced the peeling that others have mentioned. The two leathers are completely different, the pink one is supple and the camel one is a bit like plastic. I much prefer the soft pink leather and the contrast pink stitching is much nicer up close and personal.
DeleteI too have a mini pale blue classic I bought in 2003. I used it for 4 years, and it never laid flat, and it too has a film peeling off and looks terrible!
DeleteNikki, if you still have it, peel all the film off, it should be leather underneath. They put a plastic film on some of these to protect the leather, crazy I know!
Deleteoh, I will give that a try!!!! Thanks!
DeleteI second Saffy's post. The newer Classics are gorgeous and I have them in pink (Personal and Slimline) and lavender. No film, great leather feel. I say go for it!
DeleteTo answer today's question. I usually read all blog posts... but if they have no pictures, I sometimes stop reading and go to the next in the list as I'm always a bit short on time. =/ I suspect I'm missing out on a lot of good posts. But someday I'll sit down and read them all :)
ReplyDeleteI start from the top of the list and read in order. That way if I have only a bit of time I can just move down the list to the next one and not miss any posts.
ReplyDeletere Web Finds - I work my way through the whole list - I just have to do it!!! Although sometimes if my head is off gallivanting without me then I skim read the ones with lots of narrative, and then I feel guilty. Sorry people :-(
ReplyDeleteI think my comment was lost in system, here is second attemp:
ReplyDeleteHas anyone order from Succes - a german brand organiser and refill. I placed my order a week ago, but I have not here from them ever since, and online account status was always in process.
It is really take a long time for Succes to dispatch their product? should I cancel my order? I cant find any pocket size day per page planner better design then Succes, any suggestion?
thanks, everyone!
Ehan...I ordered some tab dividers from there several months ago and they came in about two weeks, which is not bad considering I'm in America. They sent me an email a few days after I ordered saying my order had been rec'd and was being processed.
DeleteI have to say I much prefer the picture heavy ones as well! I tend to have a quick look at all of them, and spent much more time on the ones that cover my area of interest - this tends to be those that cover useful ideas for managing work or specific hobbies using a Filofax. I'm less interested in reviews of specific models at the moment as I don't need to buy anything, but if I did then of course I would read those with more interest.
ReplyDeleteI really do love the videos though!
I read from the top down, but skip the ones that I have already read that week, the ones I have caught from twitter links etc. Sometimes I don't have time to read them all and come back later to continue- last Saturday's took me 3 days to read them all!!!
ReplyDeleteI find that most of them have already come to my attention via my feed reader or twitter. However, I "discovered" almost all of them via philofaxy webfinds, so I would not know about them if they had not been included!
DeleteI'm not sure if such a thing is possible, but it would be lovely if we could build some kind of a shared collection which people could suggest new blogs to include and you could subscribe to the feed and get ALL of them. Such a thing would surely need to be moderated and "weeded" from time to time. I'm not sure if I am being at ALL clear. Sorry!
I love the webfinds, but lately I've been so pressed for time I admit to scanning the titles and only opening those which strike my fancy. Some weeks I carve out more time and read them all.
Re: web finds, I pick out the ones that I like the title of first and then go back and skim through the rest, although I have an awful lot of blogs on my Reading List on Blogger so I've generally seen a lot of them already by the time web finds comes out on a Saturday! LOL
ReplyDeleteAlso - can anyone recommend a (black, leather or PU) A5 that lays flat? Not quite sure which ones do and which don't. Thanks x
ReplyDeleteMy red Domino A5 lays flat straight from day one. But I recall that the Malden does the same as well, but alas, the Domino is the only A5 I have. Cannot justify another A5 as I am still trying it out to see if I should upsize from personal.
DeleteMy Finchley lay flat as a bat straight out of the box. My A5 dominoes have been more variable in their flattability but are amenable to vigorous coaxing!
DeleteMy Holborn lies flat. ^_^
DeleteWhat's wrong with this smartphone?! Anyway. The deleted comment said something along the lines of "my aqua chameleon lies flat from the beginning, but the black one doesnt - weird".
DeleteFilofax A5 mertopol lies flat from the start :)
DeleteMetropol* ......
DeleteHi all!
ReplyDeleteDo any of you own one of the Ostrich binders? I am obsessing over them and would love to hear your thoughts/experiences/reviews about them. Also, are they worth the price tag?
Thanks!
You should ask Ro about that, she has one and it is her one true filofax!! Here's her twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Ro062121
DeleteThanks, TPS! Will do!
DeleteWhen I have time, I read all of the Webfinds posted, often revisiting the posts I've already read through my blogfeed. (True addict.) I prefer posts with pictures but I do still work my way through the ones without pictures. I open them all as tabs in a new window of my internet browser, then read them in the order they were posted.
ReplyDeleteThanks for provided ever-more inspiration, Steve!
I work my way down the list and generally skip the word heavy ones and go back to them later. I really enjoy the videos and useful tips that are shared.
ReplyDeleteToday is a happy day! It's Friday, I got my extra paycheck, and two new Filos in the mail.
ReplyDeleteBut you all are enablers and you should be ashamed of yourselves. I was perfectly happy with my one lone Personal Guildford, but felt a little inadequate next to the rest of you. THREE Filos later.... And that is just this week.
As for the blogs, I pretty much go by titles. I tend to read them on my tablet so I go for what interests me. If I have time, I go back and catch up on all of them. And there are a few bloggers I will read no matter what they write about.
I do have a question - what is the best way to quickly train a new one to lay flat? I have a Cuban that I love and my new blue Finsbury, but neither stays open.
I don't know about "the best way". But this is what I do, depending on original stiffness:
Delete1. For filos that are almost flat, but not quite: I use it A LOT every day for about a week or two, then it lies flat.
2. For filos that are stubborn and open about 90 degrees but don't close on their own: I start out by weighing it down by increasingly heavier objects (it should lay on its back, not on its stomach). Eg: day one-three I place one or two pocket Moleskines on either side of the spine. Day four-five, I put something heavier on top of it. And so it continues until it has been gently coaxed to lay flat. This way the leather doesn't crease as much either. ^_^
3. For the binders that are just hopeless and close on their own even with treatment #2 after a week of training, I give up and send it back. Because I don't have any sort of patience with those kind of binders and they will end up unused, which is a shame.
Steve: Late to the game but will reply anyway -- I read them ALL, from top to bottom. Numbering is great so I know where I stopped. I usually don't finish in one sitting, so I come to them in the following days.
ReplyDeleteI use the Philofaxy list as a reference - for any new blogs or blogs I've somehow missed, I add them to my reader and the "planner love" list on my blog once they've been posted to the webfinds. Once they're in my reader, I can mark the ones I want to read very slowly and/or comment on. I would absolutely LOVE to read them all, and for the most part I do. Being a blogger myself, I want everyone to read every one of my posts, but I also know that life gets in the way of passions (silly life!). So the reality is that I don't always have time to read every post that comes out. But I try very hard to read them all!
ReplyDeleteI have a system for what I do read: I look at every new post through my reader. If it's something that I'm interested in (it's very rare that a Filofax post doesn't get marked/read), I'll save it to read when I have time. From my saved list, I read certain ones first. First and foremost are any from Philofaxy, mainly because I want to be able to comment before everyone has moved on to the latest post (being in the US, I'm at least 7 hours behind many of the comments, and by the time I get to comment myself, a new post has appeared and everyone has moved on to that one). Philofaxy posts are also first because they're so great!
From the saved posts, I then email myself anything I want to comment on (since I have had tons of trouble commenting on my iPad and iPod Touch). Anything I comment on, I subscribe to comments that follow so I know whether or not I need/want to comment again. At that point, I delete the post from my email. this eliminates clutter and looking at too many emails, which just overwhelms me anyway.
I read most of the saved posts during my lunch hour and try to get through as many as possible, saving the my comments for when I have time. I can't read or comment on blogs while at work, so this system, while clunky maybe, works for me.
Hello! Just wanted to introduce myself, as I am about to get my FIRST Filofax (yay!), and have been lurking on this blog, similar ones, & YouTube FF vids for at least a couple weeks now, trying to decide between Personal and A5, Malden or Domino. The decision is killing me. I know eventually I'll probably own both sizes (one for work and one for personal), but I'm trying to do the "one life one Filo" thing from the start. I'm just concerned that stuff will slip through the cracks otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI am absolutely fascinated by the whole FF blogosphere I've discovered. I sense many future hours & dollars being wasted-- uh, invested. ;)
So nice to see how many others share my love of all things planner & stationery, too!
Welcome to our world :o) I'm sure you will soon be as nutty as the rest of us, and all your family and friends will despair as much as ours do - ha ha ha!!!
Delete