Free For All Friday No.326

Some of you already know, but this summer Alison and I will be travelling to North America for a grand tour holiday! I will be announcing the meet ups we hope to set up during our stay in the US and Canada, but I will do these one city at a time once I've had a chance to finalise things with the organisers (volunteers) in each city.

It has taken us longer to organise the trip than we ever thought it would, but we have done our first layer of planning and booking and have flights and other forms of transport all booked and accommodation booked at each point of our trip. Alison naturally put me in charge of the diary and where we are going to be on any particular day! I've used a combination of on-line tools and naturally I've duplicated it all in a easy to use paper format too.

There is still quite a bit to do on the planning of each stay but we are quite enjoying it. Our large dining table has various print outs and the common diary print outs.

One of the decisions to make of course is what organisers to bring with me! That will happen of the next few weeks I suspect. Such fun.

I've already started a packing list in my personal size organiser, noting things down that I will want on the journey and always with me. I need to do a test pack of course and decide which bag to use!

This year is going to be one of travelling for me, in a few weeks time I will be traveling to Belgium for the Gillio meet up arranged by Mella.

So after a much longer than normal introduction.... over to you. Do you use your organiser to help plan your holidays/travels?

But as it is a Friday you are of course free to discuss anything related to ring bound planners

Have a great weekend.

Clasps

Clasps, the part of your organiser that acts as the closure to keeps the organiser closed and your pages in their protective cocoon. The design has changed quite a bit over the years, they have become part of the style of the organiser.

Four Filofax organisers from different eras. Top left a Filofax York. It has a thin clasp with plastic popper cover. Moving across a Cavendish from a few years later, similar width but slightly thinner leather with a leather covering of the popper button.

In the lower row we move in to the recent era with a Holborn, the clasp has a slight taper to it and a full leather outer. Then finally the Malden I know not everyone likes the clasps on these mainly because they use the same dimensions from Mini to A5. Yes they do look a bit big on the Mini! This time we are back to a shiny metal engraved popper.

OK another four, from three different manufacturers... so who copied who I really don't know, all very similar in design although the execution is slightly different in each case.

Starting again in the top left we have a Van der Spek they have used this design as far as I know for quite a few years. Then a Launer from the 1980's this was made in England again similar design but being quite old it is quite supple now.

Then in the bottom row we have two Gillio's the Mia Cara on the left and an Amica on the right. The Mia Cara attaches the clasp to the outer 'jacket', so the organiser part doesn't have it's own clasp so the  clasp is quite chunky. The Amica is a little more conventional and similar to the Van der Spek and Launer in the task it has to perform.

Personally I like the broader clasp as shown in the bottom four and of a generous length too so when you add in additional contents in addition to the pages on your rings the clasp closure doesn't feel strained like on the older thin Filofax ones seem to.

What is your favourite style and design?

One Filofax to replace them all - by Anita

Since getting my first Filofax in 2007, I've enjoyed trying out different models and sizes. Whilst I love the idea of owning multiple binders to switch into for a change or to use for different purposes, in reality this just doesn't work for me personally. I know that I have been at my most content with a sole Filofax, so I think that my return to this is long overdue.

I have recently sold nearly everything (only one to go now) and all I have felt is relief. These have all found new homes:

• Red A5 Ascot - I fill it with notes and then don't look at it as I'm so focused on my personal
• Crimson personal Malden - still love it, but I have been hanging around in the Facebook Vintage Filofax Users group too long, as I now have a preference for older binders 
• Black personal Kensington - still love it, but my sole binder would need to be red
• Tan slimline Iguana - slimline is too small for me
• Burgundy slimline Lefax - as above
• Red A5 Mulberry - the same as the A5 Ascot. 

Following on from my last Free For All Friday post, I thought that I would share with you 'the one', my red Winchester. To be honest, I'm not sure if it's actually red or burgundy as it's nowhere as bright as the one that Josh owns.

It doesn't have any credit card slots, but I only occasionally use my Filofax as my wallet. Also, there isn't a zipped pocket, but I normally use a pencil case like this for receipts etc. anyway.  

 

 
I love how slim it is in comparison with my Malden.

Whilst I think I've always fancied a red Winchester, I wouldn't have called it my 'unicorn' as I've never tried that hard to get one. However, this one just sort of fell in my lap and I wasn't going to turn it down! I helped the lovely Hoka find a brown Dundee and she was so happy with it, that she offered this Winchester to me. As soon as I opened the packaging up, I started plotting to get rid of all the rest. 

Some lovely goodies included, thank you.  

  

I really enjoy finding out a little history about my binders, so was delighted when I found this in one of the pockets.

I plonked all the contents in from my Kensington, but I just fancied some different dividers. You can see what I was using previously here. I didn't want to spend any money, so had a rummage around and found some that I had already made from an old calendar. The tabs are Book Darts which I got from Amazon.  

Planner peace? Oh, yes! 

** Disclaimer: If I feel the need for an A5 for projects, I may purchase a Clipbook at a later date...

Web Finds - 10 February 2015

So I hope you have had a good weekend.

So now it is time to enjoy a great collection of blog posts and videos from around the internet.

So here are the latest Filofax blog posts from around the Internet:

1. Filofax: Organising a Career. - Life of Kitty
2. A quick filofax hack: Template for tracking - The Paradox of An Organised Scientist 
3. UK Planner Addicts February 2015 Photo Competition - Occupation: Mum
4. {Filofax Coffee Break} DIYs & New Accessories! - Strange and Charmed
5. Studying with a Planner - Stationery Starlet
6. Unboxing My New Filofax! - The Filofax Lifestyle
7. Time management Monday: Keeping track of multiple people in your planner - Quo Vadis
8. My Submissions; UK Planner Addicts February 2015 Photo Competition - Occupation: Mum
9. My daily planners for 2015 - Seaweed Kisses
10. Personal Ruby Deco or VDS Senior Touch Me? Planner crisis!! - Its Bluetiger
11. 7 Things That You Aren't Writing Down - Giftie Etcetera
12. Revue: Mon Erin Condren Life Planner vs Filofax / Kikki K. - Le mode de Mzelle
13. UPDATED February 2015 A Planner Idea List - Or, Creative Uses for Using Multiple Planners  - I'm a Filo Freak
14. Planner Update - Its Bluetiger
15. {Filofax Friday} Wealth Plan – One Year Later - Renew Your Space
16. This week at The Book Hut - Maudie Made
17. The Ring Debate for Ring Bound Planner Users - My Purpley Life
18. Filofax owner records £2.2m profit in first trading year - Herald Scotland
19. February Filofax Update - Ebony, Ivy & Thyme
20. Get Everything Done: Using Task Grouping in a Planner - Giftie Etcetera
21. My new Gillio medium compagna - Love All Planners
22. Filofax - Zero RAM

• We monitor over 400 blogs and sites, your Filofax/Organiser blog posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
• We can not guarantee people will read your posts, but we know there is a higher chance of people reading your posts and returning to read other posts if you make them interesting with pictures and good hints and tips. Do not forget to give your posts a title... 
• For some general tips on Filofax Blogging, please see this post

And here are a selection of the latest Filofax videos for your enjoyment.

1. Filofax Notebooks - Filofax UK
2. Filofax A5 Set-Up: Modified GTD 43 Folders System - Rachel Dunaway
3. Gillo Wallet/Pocket Compagna/Pocket Mia Cara - Chrissies Universe
4. Filofax Tip No 59 - Using Highlighter Strips to Prioritize Your Tasks - Kent From Oz
5. How to Get Started with a Filofax Style Planner - Alexis
6. My Review Monday Charleston Filofax - RFGT8
7. Filofax Finsbury 2015 Set up - Twolonely filofriends
8. Personal Filofax Malden setup - Stacey Jenkins
9. Kent From OZ Answers Your Top 10 Filofax Questions  - Kent From Oz
10. 2015 Filofax and Plum Paper Designs Planner Set-Up - CParish73
11. Filofax Clipbook | Initial Thoughts! - MissVickyBee
12. Gillio Compagna - I found my PLANNER PEACE ♡ - Mamie Tsuda

• For tips on how to improve your videos, please see this post.  Also this video too Webfinds 
• Your Filofax/Organiser Videos could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 

We are on the look out for more people to take part in Reader Under the Spotlight. If you would like to appear in this feature then please contact Steve : philofaxy at gmail dot com  Thank you.

My Week Posts

1. My week #5 - She's Eclectic
2. Filofax Friday Week 7 - What Mama Gave Me
3. My Week 6/52 - So Joey Creates
4. My week #147 - Paper Lovestory
5. Star Wars Moleskine Week 3 & 4 - Planet Millie
6. Week Seven - Stationery Starlet
7. Week planner 90# - Lucy Wonderland
8. My Week #1 - The Kentish Kitchen
9. This Week's Pages - Valentine's Love Bugs! - Mrs Brimbles
10. My Week #6 (2015) - Joanny White
11. my weeks 106-110 - Sabina

Enjoy

Free For All Tuesday No. 210