Coming full circle - my 500th post & back in an A5 ringed planner

I can't believe this is my 500th blog post!  To mark the occasion I thought it would be a good time to reflect back a little and show you my brand new planner!

A5 Kikki K

Back in 2013 I brought a pink A5 Apex Filofax to help me get organised and as soon as I started using it I loved it.  I felt like I was finally on top of things again and it really helped me feel like I had some control over my life.  

My first ringed planner

I enjoyed using the Apex for quite a while before I decided to move onto a personal size planner which I liked because it was more portable and would fit easily in my bag without weighing it down too much. 

Over the last five and half years I have tried lots of different sizes and types of planners which I have written about and shared with you (you can check out my collection here if you like) but recently I have let my planning slip.  

Our new pup!

We have added a new puppy to our family and I have had less and less time to get my planner, supplies and stamps out so I have been relying on the calendar and notebook on my phone instead.  I know, it's shocking!  

Anyway, an email dropped into my inbox from Kikki K a few weeks ago showing off their newest planner collection called Sweet and I was smitten!  I couldn't justify spending money on another planner so I just lusted from a far and that was that..... until I got a second email some time later advertising a special offer, spend £60 and get 30% off.  It's my birthday next month and it was a really good deal so I thought I'd buy my present early (don't tell me off, I'm usually quite good!).  I added the A5 planner to my cart and some matching stickers, post its, magnetic page markers and a pen and got my discount and free shipping!  Here it is!

A5 Sweet Kikki K planner

Before I checked out I noticed that this design also came in personal size but I thought A5 would work better for me right now.  I'll be doing a lot of planning with this balanced on my knees or on my lap and I wanted the extra room to work with.  I don't take a bag out with me very often at the moment either so I wasn't bothered about the size and weight as I won't be carrying this one around.  Let me show you the inside....

Card slots, notepad, larger sections & zipped pocket

Every day is a little ray of sunshine- Monthly divider

I love all of the dividers, the illustrations are so cute!

Some pretty stickers to get you started

Undated monthly pages - 18 months

Collect moments - Weekly divider

Weekly pages

To Do divider

To do pages

The next four divider tabs were left blank so you can label them yourself, either with the stickers provided or using a pen.  I chose Journaling, Inspiration, To Action and Goals for mine.

Personalise your dividers again & again

Journaling

Plain paper to work with

Inspiration - I love this quote!

To Action - making plans!

Goals - write them down and make them real

There's a gorgeous notepad inside the back cover too

Everything looks so adorable!

Back cover

I can't wait to get started planning properly again!  I think to begin with I'll just be using my pen and a few stickers for my everyday plans and then break out my stamps and ink for Planner Friday posts until I either have more time or I just feel the need to use them every week.  

Oh and here's to the next 500 posts, thank you for being here with me!

Amanda

2015 - New year wobble!

Back in December I was browsing the Filofax website looking to spend my prize money when a little voice inside my head whispered "What about giving A5 another try?".  Now up to that point I had been using personal size Filofaxes for 18 months and hadn't given A5 a second thought but all of a sudden I was gripped by the idea of "up-sizing".  

My first Filofax was an A5 Apex which I started using in January 2013 but after six months I was tempted into moving down to a personal size binder.  I thought A5 was too big and bulky and I was smitten with my sleek and stylish yellow Original.  

The persuasive little voice was now telling me that A5 wasn't big and bulky it meant I would have more room for my notes, reminders and to do lists, plenty of space for my ideas and doodles and what's more I could use my Kokeshi girl dividers from Cute Organizing again!

A5 Apex and Cute Organizing dividers

I knew what I wanted, an A5 Original in fluoro pink.  I had enough prize money to buy one and they were in stock too!  There was nothing stopping me... except for one thing.  The voice of reason who said to me if I moved back up to A5 then all of my personal size filos would suddenly be redundant.  I wouldn't be able to chop and change between them when the mood took me and they would all be sat on the shelf being unused and unloved.

The voice of reason continued, why mess with my current planning system?  It was working wasn't it?  I was getting things done, just because we were about to start a new year didn't mean I had to change things up.  What if I ordered the A5 and then missed personal size?  What if it messed with my system and hindered me instead of helping me? 

In the end I ordered the fluoro pink Original in personal size and I am happy that I did.  I am going to continue using my current set up for as long as it works for me.  I also realised that if I got excited about using my Kokeshi dividers again I should probably just order a new set of them in personal size!

Fluoro pink Original in personal size

Did you have a new year wobble?  Did you change your planner or planning system for 2015 or have you stuck with what was working for you?  I would love to know!

Mrs Brimbles October photo challenge - week one

I am joining in with Mrs Brimbles October photo challenge this month, it has been a while since I took part in a challenge so I thought I would share my photos with you.

Day one - Autumn Time

I really think colourful leaves sum up autumn perfectly and they look beautiful next to my ochre Malden.

Day one - Autumn Time

Day two - Brown

I like my tea a nice strong brown colour and not milky, I also love this brown woodland washi tape I have used to decorate my November overview page.

Day two - Brown

Day three - Hoarding

I hoard stickers, I can't help it!

Day three - Hoarding

Day four - Wonder Of Washi

These are a few of my favourite rolls of washi tape.

Day four - Wonder Of Washi

Day five - Journal Time

I'm using my Lokta journal to practise my sketching and I recently got these cute journalling tags that I am going to use to record things and events.

Day five - Journal Time

Day six - Current read

I studied this book for my A level in English Literacy but I am enjoying reading it again now and noticing things that I didn't the first time around.

Day six - Current Read

Day seven - I Made This...

A little while ago I made this zombie bunny paperclip (she's a zombie because I only had green felt at home when I made her) and now it is nearly Halloween I can use her in my planner!

Day seven - I Made This...

If you would like to join in with the fun you can find the prompts for the challenge here and if you take all 31 photos you could be the winner of a gorgeous Compact Patent Filofax in lavender!  

Thanks for stopping by!

April Filofax photo-a-day challenge, week four

Here are the photos I took for the final week of the challenge.  I'm so sad it is over already!

Day twenty-two - starts with B

These carrots are actually bubble bars from Lush.  You swish one around the water in your bath and they make lots of fun bubbles and smell very nice.

Day twenty-two - starts with B

Day twenty-three - a name

My name on my Cute Organizing dividers.  They are A5 size and I really miss seeing this view now I have downsized to personal size.

Day twenty-three - a name

Day twenty-four - throwback Thursday

A year ago I was using my A5 Apex and these are the pages I decorated that week.  Yup it's another Alice in wonderland theme!

Day twenty-four - throwback Thursday

Day twenty-five - LOL!

I don't know if it's the idea of carrying a lippie around on my keys or just how small and cute it is, I can't quite put my finger on why this mini lipstick amuses me but it does!

Day twenty-five - LOL!

Day twenty-six - before

When I started using a Filofax I just had this one and I loved it so much I ended up with...

Day twenty-six - before

Day twenty-seven - after

.... all these!

Day twenty-seven - after

Day twenty-eight - underneath and day twenty-nine - sentimental

I cheated and combined two days again!  This is my Malden underneath some things that make me sentimental.  The flowers are the rose buttonhole my husband wore on our wedding day and a carnation taken from my bouquet. The pebble and shell were things we found on the beach when we went for a walk along it after the ceremony.  I feel all mushy now.

Days twenty-eight & twenty-nine - underneath
& sentimental

Day thirty -  monochrome

A monochrome peak inside my pencil case and filo.

Day thirty - monochrome

So that is the challenge completed, thank you again to Carla from Yay, for Fridays! for arranging it all.  

If you want to join in a photo challenge this month check out my once a week one #filophotofriday for the information.

Thanks

My little trick with a paper clamp and a notepad slot

I don't like to over stuff my Filofax but I do have a lot of paperwork that I need to keep track of.  I could punch the pages and add them onto the rings but it is usually things that I don't need to keep in there for very long.  It could be bills that I need to pay or letters from school etc that once dealt with shouldn't be taking up valuable space.  

Notepad slot at the back of my Apex

What I do with this paperwork is to clip it all together with a paper clamp like this one.

Clamped letters etc

And hook the back of the clamp into the notepad slot.

Clipped and hooked

Doing this keeps all the paperwork secure in the back of my Filofax.

Everything held in place

I write the date in my diary that the bill needs to be paid or that the school event is and that the paperwork is clipped in the back of the Filofax.  Once it is completed I can remove it from the clamp.

My Filofax with the clamp in the back

Because everything is clipped together if I want to take my Filofax out with me I can easily remove the paperwork without having to search for it and opening up the rings.  This makes my binder a lot lighter!

Light and skinny again

Does anyone else do this?

She's Eclectic - Enabling Filofax love!

Since I started blogging about my Filofax a few people have told me that I had convinced them to buy one for themselves!   I asked them to send me some photos of their binders so I could share them with you.

Stephanie at Never Mind Suzi brought a lovely A5 teal binder from Paperchase and wrote about it here. 

Stephanie's photos 

Dawn at Reflective Ramblings Of An OU Student brought a red Metropol in pocket size and wrote about it in her blog too.  I know she has also ordered a purple Malden now and I'm so jealous!

Dawn's photos

Slooky brought an A5 Domino in red and some coloured pens and lots stickers and was kind enough to take some photos for me.

Slooky's photos

My friends Frances, Kate, Kelly, Mindy and Keyonna all felt the Apex love and brought one each.   I know some people don't like the Apex binders but the colours are fun, they are a good price for a starter Filofax (especially if you are not sure it is a system that is going to work for you) and you don't have to worry about throwing it in your bag along with everything else and hoping it doesn't get damaged.

Frances' photos

Kate's photo

Kelly's photos

Mindy's photos

Keyonna's photos

I am so happy you all love your Filofaxes and thank you for taking the time to take these photos and sending them to me! If anyone else has brought one after reading my blog I would love to know, I'd like to make it up to a nice round ten soon!