Emerald Filofax Finsbury - by Anita

For those of you that have read my previous posts here, you'll know that I've owned many Filofaxes over the years. However, I realised that I've only had one Finsbury before, which was a mini that I used as a combined diary and wallet. 

After my most recent clear out, I managed to pick up an emerald one on eBay for a cheap price as the listing clearly showed that it had some wear and tear. I should've taken some more before photos (sorry that this one's a bit blurry), but I was a bit too keen to start to give it some TLC.

Once I took it out of the packaging, it was clear that it had some issues:

• Dry leather - after a clean with a damp cloth, I gave it a good polish with Lord Sheraton leather balsam. 
• Some minor surface rust on the rings and mechanism - I borrowed some metal polish, which hasn't completely removed it, but it's much better than it was. As the Finsbury's rings are riveted in, I couldn't remove them, so I used a cotton bud to get into as many areas as I could.  
• Loss of colour on the edges and corners - I was going to leave it as it was, but decided to see if I could find a cheap way to improve this. After a rummage, I found some gold nail polish, so added one coat along all of the edges, and then a second coat to the corners where most of the colour had gone.  
• Loss of colour on the front and back due to a couple of scuffs - once the edges and corners were done, the scuffs stood out more, so I used one of my Staedtler Triplus fineliners to add some colour. I wasn't looking to perfectly match it, but just to make them less obvious.   
• Zero flatability - once I'd removed the inserts that it came with, I was a bit shocked as the Finsbury snapped shut immediately! I was aware that it's a known problem with the model, but I suppose I've never experienced such poor flatability before. My mini one was second hand and already laid flat when I got it. 

You can see rust marks on the material on the left hand side, which are better than they were with a clean, but wouldn't go completely. 

Lack of flatability - first of all, I started gently rolling the leather like this. 

I then worked my way up to bending the cover completely back like this.

And then left for a couple of days with an elastic band in place. 

Some progress...

 

Finally! However, it does seem that if I don't use it for a while, it does start reverting and needs a not so gentle reminder to behave again. 

Gold edges and corners - I was finding this hard to photograph, so this is the best that I managed. Before applying the nail polish, the corners had lost all of the emerald colour, so were grey. 

 

I admit that this post in long overdue, as I bought the Finsbury in October 2023... Unfortunately in that time, I have found that it's been a bit of a constant battle with its lack of flatability, so it was recently donated to a charity table top sale.   

Whilst I love the colour, I was just becoming more irritated with it after using my faithful Kensington! 

Raspberry A4 Filofax review

I previously owned a black A4 Strata Filofax some years ago, but came to the conclusion that I just didn't like the hard bonded leather and sold it.

I suppose that I still occasionally wonder if A4 would be better, but the cost and previous lack of colours other than black put me off. The A4 Finsbury has been available in the raspberry colour for some time now, but it's always been a bit too expensive for me. Thanks to Amazon, I managed to pick one up recently for nearly half price and thought that seeing one in the flesh would finally put my mind to rest on the matter!

On its arrival, I was a bit disappointed as it was packed between two flimsy pieces of cardboard in a plastic bag, with only paper for padding in the box. The poor strap had taken a bit of a battering and I think that Amazon could learn a lot from Steve about how to properly pack a Filofax for postage.

My first thought on removing the Finsbury was that this raspberry is not the colour of the fruit, as it's more of a pink/purple colour. On the Filofax site it is described as 'textured rambler print leather with hand finished colour'.

On the left hand side, there are four card slots, one mesh ID window, a leather pen loop, two full depth slots and a full length slip pocket behind. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture without inserts, but there is a notepad pocket on the right hand side and another leather pen loop. The ring mechanism is 25mm, and the spacing means that you could use a normal four hole punch.

The ring mechanism is 25mm, which somehow seems small as some A5 have 30mm, but I suppose that it keeps the A4 Finsbury a bit slimmer. Unsurprisingly, this is a fairly heavy binder, but I think it would be great for use at work or to keep at home.

I used a purple mini Finsbury as a wallet some years ago, but don't really have much experience with this model. Looking more closely at the leather, the finish almost reminds me of a leopard's spots, with some more faded areas which I think add a bit of interest. If I was using an A4 for work, I would happily get this out in a meeting as I feel that the colour would still look professional enough for me.

My personal Malden looks quite small in comparison.

Looking at some previous polls on 'what size Filofax organisers do you own?' in 2009 and 2011, it seems that the A4 isn't that popular when compared with other sizes. To be honest, it didn't take me very long to make my mind up about whether I would be keeping the Finsbury, and I have already returned it for a refund. Ultimately it's just a bit too big and it's helped me realise that A5 is perfect for when I want more space for storage, planning and organising projects. I can easily use an A5 at my desk with space to spare, and it wouldn't be too cumbersome if I wanted to take it to the library etc. However, I'm glad that I've had the chance to see one of these in the flesh to decide, and to be able to write a review to share it with you. Steve has also written a great post about his A4 Classic here for anyone that might be considering trying out this size.

Aqua Finsbury personal size Filofax

Here's my new personal size Aqua Finsbury Filofax!

I tried different lighting and backgrounds to try to show the true color, and this was as close as I could get in my house, but it still doesn't represent the brightness of the Aqua color!

I love the super-saturated color. I first saw this at the Filofax shop in London last year and I thought the color was gorgeous. Who knew it would be discontinued so quickly?!?  I was really lucky to nab this one at www.ILovePens.co.uk before they were all sold out.

Here is a close-up of the closure strap. I like the simplicity of the smooth closure.

I really like the interior layout of the Finsbury, maybe because it's close to the layout inside my first Filofax, which is a Buckingham.  Card slots and handy full-length pocket inside front cover:

 Full size zip pocket in back, with all-leather pen loop:

My Aqua Finsbury came with week on two pages diary inserts for all of 2011 AND all of 2012! Thanks I Love Pens! :)

Even though I don't normally use all the standard tabs, for some reason I still prefer these designations over the numbered tabs that come in some binders.

I've been wanting this Filofax for awhile and am really happy it's here! Here are some of the enablers bloggers with Aqua Finsburies of their own that encouraged my wanting one: Zoe, Caribbean Princess, Qavit and especially Twinkleberry (whose photos I find so inspiring!!).  So, thank you all for making me want this Filofax because I'm really glad I have it!!

Work Filofax

I'm in the process of re-organising my A5 Finsbury Filofax. This organiser will become my work Filofax, which I use when we are doing property searches for people wanting to move to our area of France.

We can visit up to about 25 different houses before we submit a report to the clients. So there are a lot of details to collect, photos to take etc. Up to now I've been using my Finsbury Slimline, but I've been using a lot of personal size paper, so the change up to A5 seems to make a lot of sense.

I've printed a lot of the inserts myself and here are a few of them with some 'mock' details filled in so you can see what I need to record for each house. Please excuse my handwriting!

Page 1 of our preprinted survey sheet

Page 2 of the survey sheet.

A map showing the approximate location, we often don't get given the address of the property until we get there. I tend to then find the house using Google Earth and measure distances to shops, airports etc from that. We only work in this defined area which is centred on our house with most places within about a 50-60 minute drive of where we live.

My own description of the house in rough note form, which just helps when you are looking back at the photos later that day or the next day.

A sketch plan which together with the notes helps when we write up the detailed report for the client on each house.

At the moment my pages and inserts are based on what I've been using so far, but I suspect over time it will expand, but with the A5 Finsbury with 30mm rings I will at least have the capacity to absorb and extra pages or sections. 

Reader question: Finsbury Mini -- zipped or clasp?

A reader emailed me recently with a very good question about the Finsbury Mini Filofax:

I'm planning on using it both as a wallet and a personal mini-dictionary and phrase book. I am moving to Flanders soon and starting to learn Dutch, and I thought it would be a practical idea to use the mini to put vocabulary words and some stock phrases in.

I'd love to hear pros and cons of both styles.

Thanks!

Please post comments with pros and cons!

Filofax Finsbury wallet

If you are interested in broadening your Filofax collection to include accessories, here's a recommendation for you: the Finsbury wallet (purse).  I've been wanting a pink one for a long time, and discovered it's on its way out.  So I knew I had to grab it fast! I found it on the Filofax France website for half off, and delivery to the UK was fast and reasonably priced. Click here for the product page.

Here are some photos:

The wallet comes in a nice Filofax gift box.

 I love this color!

 Hard to see, but "filofax" is imprinted in the leather.

 Wallet open with card slots at the left and popper coin pocket at the right.

 Again hard to see but "filofax real leather" is printed inside.

 The left side folds open to reveal a mesh ID pocket and more pockets for cards. Also behind the popper coin pocket is a pocket.

 There are two separate full-length pockets for bills.

 The fabric inside the coin pocket has "filofax" printed.

Very nice wallet!  I'm really glad I ordered it before they are gone!

Erin's new Aqua Finsbury

Erin very kindly emailed me some photos of her new aqua Finsbury that her husband gave her as a gift!  Lucky lady!! 

I saw this new Finsbury color while I was at the Filofax shop in London.  It is gorgeous, I love how saturated the color looks.

I think this color will be very popular this year!  And, as with all colored Filofax models, if you like it you should get it quickly because you can bet it's being produced this year only!

Filofax maps

Steve and Nicola's exchange re: maps got me thinking about how I use maps in my Filofaxes. My opinion is, the more maps the better! I always seem to find myself needing a map.

In my very first pre-Filofax planner (a personal size Cambridge) I photocopied a map of the big island of Hawaii, where I was about to move, and poked holes along the edge with a sharp pencil to put it onto the rings. This is a technique I still use, actually, for maps that Filofax doesn't carry. In my A5 Finsbury I have a map of Albania that I copied out of my guide book, for general road trips planning. Also in my A5 Fins I have an A5 Filofax world map and the A5 size British Islands maps (which I bought from the Filofax UK website), which are very useful when I grab my Filo to look up a location. My A5 lives by my computer so it's always handy.

In my Scotland Filofax I have as many maps as possible. World map (actually I keep a world map in almost every Filofax I own), British Islands. I also have the Filofax maps of London (which consists of 3 maps that together comprise most of central London, with street names on the back) because I usually spend a day in London on my way up to Scotland. I also have the London rail systems and Underground map, which is very handy. I also have a map that has Edinburgh on one side and Glasgow on the other, that I cut out of the free Letts Scotland diary that came in The Scotsman newspaper in January. I sliced the page out of the diary, put some tape on the edge, poked some holes and into the Filo it went! Very handy.

In my black Buckingham I store my US maps for when I go back to visit family and friends. I have a US road map (which in the personal size is so tiny it couldn't really get you anywhere, it really just gives you an idea of which highway would be better to get you across the state or the country) and a US times zones and area codes map. I also have a Washington DC street map, which I used all the time when I lived in DC. I usually go through DC whenever I go back to the US so it's convenient to have it in my Filo.

In my Deco, which is now my everyday notes/ lists/ addresses/ everything except my planner book, I keep a world map and my ancient Europe map (which is so old it still has Yugoslavia!). The people I know travel a lot, and to places all around the world, so usually during the course of a conversation I need to look at a map to see exactly where they are talking about. I have learned more geography this way than I ever learned in school!

The problem with Filofax maps is, there just aren't enough of them. As Nicola discovered, there aren't enough of the city maps. (And actually I'm shocked that they don't have Toronto! But sure enough, they don't.) I understand that Filofax only carries maps that they believe will sell well. And I know in this day and age it's maybe a little archaic to use paper maps at all (although after hearing some people's GPS navigation stories, I don't trust those things at all!!). But being a paper-person, and a maps-person, I do wish they had more maps available.

Do you use maps in your Filofax(es)? Which maps do you wish Filofax had available?

Newest addition!

My dad very generously sent my birthday present, my newest Filofax: a purple personal size Finsbury! I'm so excited!!! Purple is my favorite color, and I already have a purple A5 Finsbury (which I use as my household binder) so I'm extremely excited to get the personal size in purple too. A matching set!

I'm already using it, and it's just wonderful. It doesn't lay flat yet but I think it will in no time. The leather is pretty flexible and I don't think it will require any extreme measures to get it to stay at least mostly flat when open.

Check out my pictures on my Flickr photostream!

Filofax on eBay, it pays to be patient

Well it took me a few attempts to get the right bargain for a Filofax Finsbury on eBay, but it was worth the wait. Some were selling for more than you could buy them for on normal mail order from a variety of UK office suppliers. So I limited my maximum bid each time. Wise advice from my son... it's easy to get carried away close to the auction deadline.

So I have added a new Finsbury to my collection, I paid £26 for it, this compares to £44 on the Filofax UK site.

Another bargain I bagged on the way was a Filofax pocket metal punch and pocket storage binder for a total price of £5.19 for the two items. The storage binder on the Filofax site is £8.50, the punch £26, so I was very pleased with those two.

So I now have a nice new black Finsbury with 2009 fill. I will be moving some of my pages from my old Winchester personal across in to the Finsbury, but at the moment I'm just enjoying it's newness!! I don't want to snap the cellophane wrapper on the pages just yet... well not until I've taken some photographs of it tomorrow when my camera will be back from having a sensor and mirror box clean.

So take a look at eBay for Filofax binders and accessories, but don't get carried away.

What bargains have you managed to bag on line?

Back in Black

No, I'm not talking about AC/DC. I've had to bring back the black A5 Finsbury that I used to use for work. My other A5, a red Belgravia, just didn't have the ring capacity for the rate at which I generate new pages. The photo shows my current stuff (everything personal, and now a little work) inside the black Finsbury, with the empty Belgravia for comparison. Sort of makes me wonder how I ever fit it all in there...

As a chick who lives the colorful life, I resisted migrating to the manly-man black leather as long as possible. But, if I ever decide to bite the bullet and shell out for a new Finsbury, they now come in an array of colors, including...drum roll...Tangerine!!

BTW, if you're visiting this blog Wednesday night (U.S. Eastern Daylight Time) or early Thursday morning (GMT), you may notice the Flickr-hosted photos (which includes most of the photos on this blog) are offline. Apparently, Flickr is "having a massage."* Well, at least they had enough class to come up with a cleverly creative error message.

*Now they're having a contest to fill in some clogged tubes with artwork and win a year of free Flickr Pro. I've leave that to those of you who are more creative than I.