04 October 2012

Plastic pencil case hack

Since returning to personal size, it occurred to me that I like the idea of being able to sometimes use my purple Malden as my wallet. However, what would I use to carry money in so that it's both safe and easily accessible? I don't like the Filofax zip-lock envelopes and gave mine away as the plastic zip part made the contents a bit too fat for my liking. I considered other brands like Day-Timer or maybe trying to hole punch some grip seal bags, but then it came to me, what about a plastic pencil case like the one I used for exams at school? I looked in WH Smith, but they were all either too expensive or too thick. And then I saw them at my local supermarket! Luckily the big Tesco here also sells a very limited amount of filofax stock, so I was able to compare the pencil case size to a personal size diary and bingo, it was a match.

I did find hole punching it a little tricky as the plastic got a bit stuck, but after some gentle determination with some tweezers it was done. I'd definitely recommend a single hole punch for the job though. It will be hard wearing and I like how the zipper sticks out past the inserts. This means it doesn't add much bulk and it's easily accessible when I'm at the till. My plan was to only pop it in for when I'm using it as a wallet, but I like it so much that it's now a permanent feature and can hold so much more than the normal top opening envelope. I did initially fancy something a bit less plain, but at about 40 pence it was too good to turn down and couldn't be a better fit.



12 comments:

  1. I love these transparent pencil cases and have several in different colours. I use them for make-up, pencils/pens, currency when travelling. I can see instantly what's in them, or what's missing! I never thought to punch one into my FF though - great idea.

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  2. Great idea, thanks for sharing :)

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  3. That's GENIUS. Love it. Very enabling though - one step closer to ordering a Malden now :(

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  4. Love this idea - thanks so much for sharing, now off to buy one of these pencil cases! :)
    I put coupons in my Filofax and I always found their top-opening envelope töo tight and sometimes too fiddly to get into - this seems like the perfect solution!

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  5. I've done something similar in the past and have just this day (before managing to read this) punched some holes in an A6 plastic envelope for carrying stuff in my Mulberry!
    Well done for finding a good solution for your Malden and at such a great price. I wouldn't be without my plastic pockets in my binder (none of them bought as pockets for binders - all bought as zip-lock bags/pencil cases etc!).

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  6. What genius, seems like the perfect solution. It's nice to see your purple Malden. Thank you for sharing your idea.

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    1. Thanks, Anthony. How is the crimson Malden doing? :)

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    2. It's great thanks Anita, my favourite of all and holds pride of place. The texture of the binder is really tactile it's really nice to hold.

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  7. Great idea Anita! I will be copying that :) thank you!

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  8. Hi, long-time lurker, first-time commenter!
    I've recently resurrected my A5 and Personal Filofaxes. I loved your idea with the pencil case, so I've just done the same with my Personal Domino. Looks like the design has changed slightly, as mine is slightly longer than the organiser, and the zip kind of curls in on itself which is annoying, but for 50p it was worth a try!
    Then I remembered I had a larger plastic bag that I got with one of my Mia Tui handbags and hadn't made use of it. Wondered if it would fit my A5 Domino and sure enough, it did!
    Lastly, one thing that put me off printing my own Personal inserts was the amount of paper wasted, so I worked out how to fit three pages on one side of A4 and three on the other, giving six sheets instead of just four. Haven't had the chance to print anything out, yet, but I'll give it a try at the weekend.
    Many thanks for this idea. :)

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