Van Der Spek set up

Last Friday my Van Der Spek planner in 'senior' size arrived and I had very little time to play as I  was busy organising my eldest with his packing for leaving to go to University on the Saturday.  Can you believe that he hadn't even done any laundry??  He had mentioned earlier in the week that he had started his packing...I should have checked then as all that meant was he had put his Xbox and games in a box - no clothes or anything else!!  So come Friday it was a mad rush to get everything sorted out (and washed) and packed away ready for the 5.30am departure for our 5 hour drive to his University.  He has started the next chapter of his life...it's been a strange week end for me.

Anyway fortunately I had the sense to book today off work and set about organising myself and setting up my new planner.

It did come with some 'senior' size inserts which are the same width as filofax personal and just a bit shorter.  I realised that I could have true A6 inserts (Mulberry agenda size) which are wider but I would have to make them myself.

Obviously I had to get the polar bear back in as a matter of urgency so that was the first job :)

It's my trade mark Polar Bear - couldn't miss him out!

He was a bit small to laminate on his own so I backed him with some lovely leopard cardstock which I think looks fab!

Next came the diary inserts, I bought these off Etsy and they are from July 2014 - December 2014 which is all I needed for now.  I tried designing my own but to be honest I couldn't be bothered messing about and I wanted something now!  I really need to learn how to use Publisher before the end of the year so I can do them - I will be making notes for the rest of the year on things I need to change or add so that I can hopefully design the perfect insert for my needs from 2015...watch this space!

Simple but effective

I didn't like the right hand page that came with the download, it was like graph notepaper and as my paper is just ordinary printer paper it was showing through too much.  I just did my own with 'Notes' at the top and a different quote on each page for a bit of interest/inspiration.  I love quotes!!

I need to find some nicer paper for when I do my 2015 inserts, I really don't like this white printer paper it looks cheap and just isn't nice for inserts at all!!  I need to find out what the Kate Spade inserts are printed on as they have been my absolute favourite ones so far - so if anyone knows the weight of this paper, please leave me a comment below!

After the diary comes the notes/to do section and I have laminated a print that I love...

She is organised, confident and sassy!

And after her come the To Do's on 100gsm paper that I thought would be great to use as it takes fountain pen ink really well but even that bleeds the ink through if you print on both sides (I didn't write in fountain pen on both sides so I didn't realise this) but it'll do for now but it isn't the right type.

I love the colour and texture of this paper

So all that is left to do now with this baby is use it!!

The leather is so so soft and I love the full width back pocket but I wont be using it as a wallet (for now) as I have just moved into my Fossil 'Long Live Vintage' purse that I got from eBay for a whopping £2.57.  It's been sealed in an airtight container for a week with bicarbonate of soda and tumble dryer sheets to get rid of the musty smell it had but it's worked so I'm happy now and I think the two of them go together quite well :)

I hope that I have finally found permanent 'Planner Peace' with this one.  It is large enough to not feel cramped, especially with the wider pages, and yet small enough to not take over my bag!  The rings are also smaller at 20mm so I wont be able to stuff it with all those extra pages that I never ever use!!  

I think it's a good thing that I didn't want to use the pages that came with it for exactly that reason.  It has meant that I have had to think what I need, what I actually use and then design them.  There is little point filling it up with expense sheets, measurement sheets, full year calendars, public holidays, addresses, etc, etc. as I just never use them!  I will put an emergency contact sheet in with my most used numbers just in case my phone dies on me but that's all.  

The next set up post will be on my new A5 Original in patent 'Latte' which I am going to use as a personal development filo as I am starting a new college course this week on 'Life Coaching' so I will do something on that once I find out what I need.

Until then, take care xxx

Van Der Spek 'Touch Me'

Van Der Spek 'Touch Me' in Senior Size



Internal layout



And here I go again...I've just purchased this beautiful Van Der Spek 'Touch Me' binder in the Senior size - which for those of you that are not familiar with this brand, it is between the Filofax pocket and the personal - the inserts are the same width as a personal but a little bit shorter (like the Mulberry A6 Agenda) - ideal for those, like me, that have survived for years in a pocket size but now having a personal and finding it a lot heavier and more cumbersome to carry around in your bag!  Well this is what I am hoping will alleviate this issue...this baby isn't here yet as I only purchased it this morning from a lovely lady on the FB Filofaxes & Pens For Sale site and I'm hoping it will be with me tomorrow so I will be able to update you soon.

I am quite excited about it as I loved using my Pocket Chameleon as a wallet combo but the pages were just too small after living it up in a personal.  I've tried and tried and tried to make personal size work for me but I just don't have enough going on really and I'm not a big decorator and I miss that back pocket too much! 

I am thinking, hoping and praying, that this will be the perfect planner and at last I may have that elusive planner peace....I'll let you know!

Until then, take care xxx

Filofax Change-about...again!

My son is off to university and he asked me for a filofax to keep all his stuff together in....it was a proud moment!  After all this time that he has made fun of me being a filofax nerd he has finally seen the light!

I ordered him a vintage Portland in personal size and then he informed me that he wanted an A5 so he has got an old A5 I already had and I have quite happily moved into the Portland and am using it as a wallet - win win all round. 

Unfortunately the left pen loop had ripped

His favourite Joker - Heath Ledger 

His favourite game - Legend of Zelda 

His love of retro games

Best divider for the menu planning!

I have also traded my black Kate Spade Wellesley for an A5 Original in Nude, not something I would normally have gone for but she really wanted a Kate Spade and I prefer my red to the black anyway so it seemed like a nice thing to do.  I'm not sure what I'll use it for but I am signing up to a couple of short college courses this week so it may be good for that....we'll see what happens when it gets here. 
I am quite excited about trying something different. My new to me A5 Original in Nude

 My Portland Personal as a wallet, lovely soft leather and I think the zip being on the left is a great idea!

Little polar bear still resides :)

Card section at the back

So I think it has been a successful week for planners in my house.  I will post again once I have spent time in my newbies and give you an update of how they did, or didn't, work for me!

Until next time, take care xxx

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Just musing....

I'm feeling kinda melancholy.  I've found it very interesting wandering around Manchester people-watching today.  People are fascinating creatures aren't they?  Especially here in the City as there are many different cultures due to the large universities situated here.  I love people watching, I love just sitting there with a coffee in hand and mulling over happenings of the previous days, weeks, months and that of the future.

An amazing thought struck me today...and then another!  The first was to do with confidence (or in my case, lack of) and I wondered what confidence actually is, what is the definition of confidence and where do you get it?

Definition (according to the Oxford Dictionary):

• The feeling or belief that one can have faith in or rely on someone or something.
• The state of feeling certain about the truth of something.
• A feeling of self-assurance arising from an appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities.

So a reliance, a certainty and capability?

All of those things can be acquired through some kind of learning. Education and knowledge seems to be the key elements of confidence - unless you're one of the lucky ones that can just fake it!  I am not one of those lucky ones sadly.

I was thinking about my own situation at work.  When I am under stress or having a busy period I don't have the time to doubt myself - questions are asked and answered without hesitation.  When a colleague refers something to me for help, I immediately know how to help.  When a client calls for an update or confirmation of something I can answer without question.  On quite a few occassions I have even surprised myself when my mouth opens and all this knowledge comes out that I didn't even realise I knew!!  It's as though it is all lurking under a blanket of doubt...I need to burn that blanket!

So where does this air of confidence come from?  How come I sometimes have it and sometimes don't?  I have noticed that I rely heavily on others for affirmation that I have 'got it', that I understand what I am doing even though I know that I do.  When I am working alone at lunchtime or during a heavy holiday season it doesn't worry me in any way, I handle every situation without having to rely on anyone.  This is because I already know the answers.  This is frustrating that I resort to being so 'needy' when I am surrounded by others, as if I don't trust myself to get it right...why is that?  (I must be quite irritating to work with and this is something I need to put a stop to!).

So to summarise, if I actually pick up the text books that I have got already and actually study them I will become more knowledgeable in my field of work, I will know more and I should, by rights, become more confident, right?  I have the tools to put this right and I need to do this to prove to myself that I am just as good as anyone else and I don't need to constantly need reassurance...because if they weren't there in the first place I wouldn't even need to ask!!

The other thought that I had was 'why does the most obvious take so long to realise'?  All this time I have berated myself for lacking such confidence and the answers were there all along.  If knowledge means confidence then all I have had to do is obtain the knowledge!!  Simples.

Ok so fast forward to having sorted out the study schedule and found the extra two hours a day that I really need to get a grip on this and I have successfully sat all four exams that will lead me to my next qualification - yes I say next because I already have two that I seem to keep forgetting about!!  I have those letters after my name but I still refuse to believe that I am capable and knowledgeable...go figure!

Now what?  It may get me a slight salary increase, it may help me to feel more confident in my approach but I don't think there is anywhere for me to go with it in my current company, which is a real shame as I love this company and the people who work here or are involved with my daily worklife (of course there are a couple of exceptions but that's life!).  So if there is little financial reward and no career progression reward, what's the point?

I don't want to swap jobs again, I just want to settle with a good caring company now (I'm no spring chicken!) but part of me doesn't want me to settle for less reward that I deserve...I would have put a lot of hard work into getting qualified and it doesn't seem fair or just that I should just have to settle...or am I seeing it wrong?  Am I asking too much?

Decadent Pocket Ruby Deco Filofax

I couldn't help myself.  I had a pocket one in Ivory and traded it for my red Kate Spade but even though I didn't actually use it, I had sellers remorse.

I loved the style of it, I think it was the colour that put me off.  Although the ivory is divine, it just isn't me - or so I have come to realise. All the colourful planners I've had over the time - even before getting involved with Philofaxy and the Facebook Group, I have sold them all one by one and now my little collection has just red and black ones - that's not a coincidence!

So when this gorgeous majestic treasure was found on eBay, I knew I'd just have to have it. I don't know whether I will be able to downsize again back to a pocket but to use this beauty, I'll give it a good try!! Even if I can't, this one is staying in my collection forever, a definite keeper!!

How could I resist this beauty?  It's simple, I couldn't so I didn't! I can't wait for her to  arrive so I can personalise her and move in!  

I thought I was so over the excitement of Filofaxes but it appears not!  I am a sucker for the unusual and limited editions though, I can't ever see me parting with my Kate Spade's either. I have managed to decrease my collection quite a bit though so I don't feel in the slightest bit guilty for this purchase!

I am left with the following:

Mini Raspberry Chameleon 

Pocket Raspberry Chameleon

Pocket Black Kate Spade - not a lover of this one 

Pocket Black Aston

Personal Black Aston

A5 Black Aston

A5 Bronze Snake Domino

A5 Saddlebrown Cuban Zip

2 Kate Spade Wellesley (red one and a black one)

So that's it, my whole collection!  Oh, and an old personal Finsbury in brown and some vintage A5 something-or-other!

That's not bad considering the staggering amount of them I had at one point! It did get very silly and I was torn between wanting the latest craze and sticking with my classic black or red....it will be no surprise that the only A5 in use is the black Aston!  Tried as I might I couldn't really find a use or wanted to use the others so they are still as new and in storage. The Chameleons are cute and have a lovely feel to them - in hindsight I should have got black ones. I have no excuses for the others!

So now I sit waiting patiently for Ruby to arrive....I might have to do some designing of pages as she's coming with nothing other than dividers, which I don't use anyway so they'll be straight out. 

It's all very exciting!

Until next time, take care!

Planner and life peace coming together

The glamping in the Romany Gypsy Caravan at Pen-y-Bont Camping Site in Bala was fantastic!  We stayed in Blodwen, the green one which was very cute and cosy.  I wouldn't recommend it for anyone over 6ft 2in as my hubby struggled a little with the sleeping area as it was very....snug! He only just fit and was literally touching both sides of the caravan but he managed, just as well I am so little!

The site was very well looked after and the facilities were wonderful. The staff were welcoming and very friendly too.

We went for some lovely walks around the lake which just had breathtaking views.

It was glorious weather and was lovely to just sit and relax and just stop for a while.

I took both Filofaxes but didn't use them at all, other than to make a note of our activities to enable me to write it up in my journal along with some of the photographs we took.

We came home via Betws-y-Coed, a beautiful Victorian Town with quaint buildings and shops and had a full breakfast in the cafe near the river.

Once home and I packed we went out for a walk around our own lake with our dog Sasha. It was a perfect end to our mini break and as our annual leave still isn't over we're planning to do some more walking all in aid of getting fit and losing some weight but also to appreciate the wonderful places we have right on our doorstep that we have overlooked for so long, so watch this space for some more wonderful photographs!

This is on our doorstep!

Beautiful walks

Sasha having a little rest...

So until next time, take care xxx

Life and Planner Peace At Last!

Finally I am achieving planner peace, I am no longer in a frenzy over stationery items or remotely interested in the new releases from filofax or any other planner provider.  I never thought I would get to the place but I have arrived and the relief is immense!

I have settled very nicely into my Kate Spade and I am enjoying the simplicity of it all, I have the same planner in black and red for when I feel like a change but the zip model is working very well for me and I'm happy.

I have even settled on the inserts and calendar layout, I am using what I carry and carry what I use...can't say fairer than that!

It has taught me a valuable lesson....to be happy that what you thought worked for you actually does! By that I mean that I have noted all the different systems and methods of doing things from other blogs and you tube videos and I have joined in with the chats about how to do things in different ways, I have tried the decorating and the colour coding and all the other fun stuff that other people do and that's just it, it's for other people to do.  It doesn't work for me, I have gone back to the way I have always used my planner because it works for me and that's what your planner should do.

What I have taken away from this experience is that it is ok to not have the fanciest, action packed planner, it is absolutely fine to be content with something more simple if that's what works for you. I realise that I like the dividers to be personalised but not the pages, I realise that I love a bit of sparkle that the glittery dividers provide and I don't like tabs.  I don't need oodles of lists because that just stresses me out, I need to know what I need to get done and where I need to be and that is all.

My planner is a tool.  It helps me to keep on top of things that are important.  The fact that I have made her a bit prettier with the glitz is fine but I was getting in way too deep and the amount of stationery and stuff I accumulated is just ridiculous!

But taking a step back from my planner-crazy world has made me see other aspects in my life were heading the same way.  I need to seriously take some time out and get back to basics.  We live in a crazy fast paced bleeping and pinging world of non stop noise and never seem to take time out to just stop.

I have taken heed of this and booked a few days away in a Romany Gypsy Caravan with the intention of doing absolutely nothing other than absorb the beauty of the surrounding nature.  I have bought a traditional picnic basket and I am going to just chill out, unwind, relax and recharge. I cannot wait!

Life has gotten way too complicated and it isn't enjoyable at that speed!  I want to spend time creating memories instead of chaos and I want to enjoy my time with my family and friends.  I want to kick back and just enjoy life.

My planners will always be by my side because without them the chaos reigns but they are as simple as I want my life to be and that is just fine by me!!

Until next time, take care xxx