Thursday, 18 June 2015

Van der Spek leather samples for my dream planner

As I mentioned in my workhorse post I have been thinking a lot about my perfect planner for a while now.  I dream of a binder that I can move into and stay in for a least a year or maybe until it falls apart a decade or two later!  I want it to be leather, personal size and for it to have bigger rings than the standard ones in my Filofaxes.  This has led me to Van der Spek and their 30mm ring custom organisers.  

 I looked on the website and found nine different leathers I was interested in so I emailed my list to Petra and purchased the samples.  They only cost about £0.45 each and it is worth it to be able to see and feel the leather before deciding which you want for your custom planner.

Van der Spek leather samples

Starting from the top and going clockwise the colours are:
  1. Janet Leather (104)
  2. Turchese (19)
  3. Ciocolatto (6202)
  4. Cuoio (6208)
  5. Turchese (6219)
  6. Brown Italian (182)
  7. Brandy Italian (184)
  8. Brown Ostrich (232)
  9. Undyed (102)
Since the samples arrived I have been pretty obsessed with them.  I have been carrying them around in my bag to see how they wear and pairing them up to find a combination I love.  And yes, I have been sniffing them too, leather is one of my favourite scents!  

 Turchese 19 is a lovely aqua shade and at the moment I think it will be the leather I choose for the inside of the planner.  Turchese 6219 is very nice too but it is on the bluer side and I prefer the greener shade of 19.

 Here are the combinations I like the most:

Janet Leather and Turchese


Ciocolatto and Turchese

Brown Ostrich and Turchese


I haven't decided which pair I want yet but that's ok, it is going to take me a while longer to save up enough money to place my order.  If it is going to be perfect for me it will be worth the wait to get everything I want.  I am still debating on if I need a full length pocket on the back of the organiser or not and whether to add an extra pen loop.  Van der Spek have some fun optional extras you can add to your binder which is great but makes it harder for me to decide! 

 Just of out curiosity, do you have a favourite out of these?  I know it's my choice but I am interested in what you think.

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8 comments:

  1. Joanny18 June 2015 at 14:07

    I like the colour of the Cuio but I have always loved the ostrich leather in Fuschia. This organiser is way out my reach though but they look really beautiful.

    Joanny :)
    imachoccakeaholic.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Amanda Carter18 June 2015 at 22:24

      Hi Joanny :)
      I couldn't just buy one on a whim either, I've been saving for a little while and I will have to keep on saving for a while longer but one day it will be mine!
      I like the look of all the ostrich colours, there was a gorgeous blue one a while back that I absolutely loved <3

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  2. PurpleDolly120 June 2015 at 02:14

    Yes, the turchese will be gorgeous as a liner. I don't know why but the ostrich makes me shudder-the nodules I think hehe. I like Cuoio then Ciocolatto then Brandy Italian. But it's good you're taking your time as it'll be so awesome to customise it to perfection! Great idea to provide samples as the feel of the leather is pretty important. Tough choice! x

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    1. Amanda Carter20 June 2015 at 13:47

      I'm torn now, Petra has just announced they have a new turchese in nappa leather and now I don't know whether to order a sample of it or not. I really like 19 but what if the new one is even nicer!
      I can understand your reaction to the ostrich, it doesn't bother me but I can see why it could. xx

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  3. Carol20 June 2015 at 09:32

    I'm not keen on ostrich leather (I have the same reaction as PurpleDolly) but the colour of the sample is lovely. I also like the cuoio. Good to take your time over choosing, when - when, not if - you get one it'll be such a worthwhile investment. :)

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    1. Amanda Carter20 June 2015 at 13:52

      It is definitely going to be "when", I have put so much thought into it already! I just have to reach my savings target and then finalise what I really want and need before ordering. I like cuoio too, it is similar in colour to the Janet leather but it seems to be holding up better at being handled than Janet one which has developed a couple of marks on it already.
      I've always liked ostrich leather but I can see why some people think its icky or off putting ;)

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  4. PurpleDolly121 June 2015 at 03:53

    Haha I'm glad I'm not alone & yes I agree the ostrich does come in some fab colours . I remember having a look on this site ages ago but it's been fun to revisit & drool. Ooh I think you should try the nappa turchese sample- it'll be all soft & pliable. What extras do you think you might go for? I think a zipped pocket would be good..& maybe ring protectors? But then again, sometimes that beaten up look can be a positive. One thing's for sure, it'll improve with age & last forever :-) I have about a fiver a wk "spare" for non-essentials atm but if you think about it, that's 260 quid a year & then if I were to add bday/Christmas pennies, that'd be around 350 all told, so in 6 months, I could make one mine! I can easily go without buying a single item of clothing for that time ( I know cos I've done it before :-)p) & I have such a backlog of smellies/m'úp, I'd be fine there..Btw, I'm not moaning about pennies-it was our choice to have 3 kids & 2 dogs :-) I'm just saying, I know what you mean in that you can't afford one either in the sense that you wdnt have that spare at the end of next month but if you really want something enough & you choose to focus on that & spend on nothing else ( non-essential) , eventually, it can somehow be done. I am impressed that you're determined and getting there & the older I get. the more I see the value in having fewer possessions but of the best quality :-) I canNOT waot to see it once it's all yours! Do you know roughly how long it will take to make once you've ordered? xxx

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    1. Amanda Carter21 June 2015 at 19:27

      I ordered the new turchese sample yesterday, I couldn't risk not seeing it in person and then regretting it later! I think it took about two weeks for me the receive these samples so now I just have to wait again before I make any more decisions colour wise.
      I like the idea of the full length pocket on the back but it might make the organiser bulkier than I would like so I'm still thinking about that, the zipped pocket looks handy too. I did see in the Van der Spek Facebook group that if you want to change the layout inside you can email Petra and she can work out with you what you want and how much it would cost which is really good. Janet (of Janet leather fame!) designed a zipped pocket that had a flap on the back of it to hold your bank notes and it might be the way for me to go instead of having the pocket on the back of the binder? There are so many options! This is Janet's blog www.thisbugslife.com she has written a lot about VDS so you might want to pop over and take a look ;)
      I *think* the custom organisers take 6-8 weeks but I'm not sure if that is including delivery or not. As I'm still saving I haven't looked into it yet but I'm sure I read it in the FB group a little while ago. xxx

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