Reader Under the Spotlight - Cat

This week I have the pleasure of introducing Cat. 

Hi, I'm Cat, I live in Berkshire, am married & have a gorgeous Jack Russell called Mabel who keeps us on our toes. I am a designer by trade & met my husband at Uni where we studied Spatial Design. I have a luxury bathroom showroom with my parents called Soak In Style where I am the Creative Director - so I get to design all day long! We have a blog too, but I personally blog over at Decision Inspired. I love anything and everything design related, as well as organisation & an obsession with crafts & memory keeping. I also have a new appreciation for Photography & am currently trying to learn everything I can about it.

1. When did you buy your first Filofax and what was it?

I remember having the ‘FunFax’ when I was a kid, specifically I remember the Spy File, Art Attack, and an ‘Organiser System’ – had to google to get the specific names J

But my more ‘grown up’ one was a gift as I left primary school from a girl younger than me who I had ‘mentored’ and it was a suede multi coloured personal one. I can’t for the life of me remember the name, nor can I find it anywhere so I presume it must have been thrown out L.

The first one I bought myself was a pocket denim which I used for about 9 months but it just didn’t work for me. I didn’t know at the time there was a whole community awaiting me, or other options when it came to inserts for my planner, so I gave up.

2. What other brands have you used or considered using?

I have bought inserts from a number of different companies to fit inside my Filofax, but other than conventional ‘diaries’ none really. I do toy with having some of my life organized digitally but nothing beats writing it down with a nice pen, and the lovely multi coloured dots for different types of appointments on my month to view, or physically crossing things out when they’re done.

3. Out of the organisers you own which is your current favourite (Style and Size)?

 Definitely the Osterley in Plum. I have it in A5 and in compact. To be honest I am struggling to choose a size as I use them for different things. Currently I am off work due to illness so the A5 had become redundant, and I am in the compact, but once I am back at work full time I will be back in the A5.

4. How many Filofax organisers do you own?

More than I care to admit…. I had/am having a big clear out as I had become somewhat of a hoarder of Filofaxes, having some I had never used at all. Now I am down to 5, plus one or two more I am still trying to sell.

5. What do you use your Filofax for?

My life. I like to organize every aspect; I have two jobs and a sometimes busy social life so I need to have everything planned. My family always joke about how much I love to plan and how I freak out a little if things aren’t planned. I am married to the most laid back person in the world, so it can become quite interesting in our house.

6. What was the feature about Filofax you like most?

The customization ability. I love that I can do whatever I want in a Filofax, have a diary/planner that suits my needs, not a generalized one that will hopefully suit a wide proportion of people.

7. If you could design your own Filofax what would it feature?

I would like them all to be able to have an integrated flex notebook, or any similar style notebook you may want to include in every filofax. But to be honest it's the inserts that I would love to design myself, or have a customisation ability to design & then they print for you, or you print yourself.

8. How do you carry your Filofax?

Either in my hand or in my handbag/laptop bag.

9. Which Filofax in the current range do you like the most? Are you going to buy it?

The new Temperley Violet is lush, I definitely would love to add that to my collection. Of course I am a little worried about the price tag.

10. What is the most you have ever spent on a Filofax? Which model?

My A5 Osterley in Plum, though I did get 20% off at the Meet-Up at City Organiser.

11. Turning to Philofaxy, what do you like the most?

The new friends I have made, I really have met and made friends with some wonderful people who I feel I could turn to for anything.

12. And what do you not like about Philofaxy?

It took me a long time to think of something, because Philofaxy has given me so much. But if I did have to say something, then I’m not a massive fan of the yellow colour of the website – sorry!!

13. What was the last music album CD you bought or downloaded?

Ben Howard – Every Kingdom