The Charmer

Malden was such a big news last year, it was starring the talks everywhere and everyone seemed to be bitten by the Malden Bug! Well, so was I.


I was looking for a treat for completing my Master's degree and the Vintage Pink Malden just came out. There were loads of different opinions on it, but for me it was exactly the colour that helped me decide - I already knew which model to get, but... Black? Too usual. Ochre? Too rough. Crimson? Red is so no me.
While Vintage Pink seemed warm and creamy and feminine and even still professional looking.

I ordered it online without seeing it in life first, and I loved the colour when it came. I set it up immediately and was using it faithfully. But it wasn't a good-for-Malden period of the year, you see: I just saw Imy's famous video on her Amazona and couldn't get it out of my mind.
So at last this lovely one went back into its box and far away into my stationery drawer. But I guess it was because of the pocket layout mostly - the binder just didn't seem comfortable enough.

Well, like I said... After having used Finchley in Teal through the springtime, Urban in Slate this summer and then the Aqua Chameleon later... I just so longed for the warm, creamy colour with autumn beginning! I was suspicious about the Malden, though, having known we just haven't bonded before.

But surprise, surprise - the chemistry was there immediately and all I did was transfer the contents directly into it! The funny thing is, now I cannot be without it! I even tried and teased myself by installing other binders, but I didn't even manage to stay with them for a day - back to my Malden it all went! :)

So in case you're interested or just like peeking into other people's planners as least as much as I do... here, let me give you a tour around it!

The front pockets are stuffed with various sticky notes - a vow to myself for this season: no dull stickies, please...:

My Diary is the first section and has no separate divider page; I just use the frosted ruler as a Today marker. Otherwise, only 4 tabs left: Me, Lists, Daughter and Info:

Off to my Diary section first!

Usually there are no blank spaces in my diary, odd... my planner pages tend to look as the right one in my Diary: 

I'm developing a Timetable, in which I'll incorporate all my repeating weekly routines - be it beauty, domestic, reading or whatever-wise; until I find the right setup, I have them written in pencil:

I also use a yearly fold-out planner for 2013 at the end of my Weekly diary.

My Me section is organized by top-tabs (oh, the photo is still form my previous Chameleon!) and these sub-sections are Blog, Finance, Journal and Life Organizer:

My Blog section: Ray&Steve's Month per view for keeping track of my blogposts:

And in that same section, to-do lists with blog ideas and Angela's too cute Blogpost planning inserts - I find them so helpful in managing my blog!

Finance section - track of my spending, saving and planned purchases:

My journal - I  now use the standard W2P with an occasional added ruled page, and transfer the whole lot into a stay-at-home journal occasionally:

Life Organizer's Mindful Questions: Something I've been back to completing obediently, having realized my life always turns out better when I do:

The next section which has added to the weight of my Malden significantly recently is the Lists section - I have so many new projects and plans and a list for practically anything! Filofax ideas, Ways of improving myself the current month, Wishlist, Reading List, Random tunes I love, Appartement decoration ideas, Best beauty buys - just name it, it's there! :)


And then the Info section (I omitted my daughter's one because it keeps her very personal info) contains my urban encyclopedia - bus schedules, web pages, contacts, cards...:

There. Can you imagine how chunky my organiser must be? Can you really imagine??? See this and weep! :)

And please don't yell at me about it, ok? :) And don't ask me how much it weighs, please, because I have actually weighted it and stood in shock staring at the scales - I take the news on my bodyweight much better! :)

But you must agree, it is soooo satisfactory when you pop your Filofax flat open and find the searched-for info immediately! :)

So, as you can tell, things are going on harmoniously for me planner-wise and it's nice to be calm and comfortable finally (my apologies to those who face major planner fail recently, I know there are quite a few of you out there!).

Now, the only dark cloud I see approaching is this:

Yes, the colour started to peel of, and I even don't abuse my Filofaxes badly (ok, apart from stuffing them mercilessly full)!!! It came off like this in just 2 weeks time of use and as I write, the peeled-off areas appeared on the corners and borders of the cover, too. I haven't heard of this happening to Maldens out there... 

Have you ever heard of this? 

What do I do? 

Pretty Little Things #12

A brand new, totally divine treat from LUSH!

A Child In Me: Artbox Delivery!

I'm not into Kawaii stationery that much. I already said that it has to be from years of being a Morning Glory devotee.

But recently the playful part of me started to counterfeit the sober one. It probably has to do with infamous foggy days here, too, that begin with the end of October and last till February!!!
And, without a doubt, with much enabling help from lovely Angela who polished the art of Lady-With-A-Hint-Of-Kawaii to perfection!

I simply longed for a bit of cheerfulness and design in otherwise quite simple ways of my planner. So here's my little Artbox delivery:

 Notepads have two different designs of paper. Great for my to-dos!

 Sticky notes.

And finally some stickers:

 Don't you just love this heavy-weight champion??

The one showing his back looks just like my daughter in her payjamas! :)

I hope it cheered you up, too!

xx

Anniversary Of A Different Kind

Late in the evening.
"Honey, go to sleep; it's late and, besides, tomorrow will be a very special day."
"What will be, then?"
"Tomorrow the last soldier will leave Slovenia."

I looked in disbelief. They said that so many times, they promised it so many times, and yet they were still here. I didn't see or meet any, but I wasn't feeling safe. I knew there were a lot of them and that they could decide and start the war anytime again if they liked.
"How do you know that?"
"They told it in the news and this time it's for real, trust me. You will hear the sirens go off tomorrow when the last one goes on the ship that will take them away and you'll know it's for sure."

"Mum, I so wish they were really gone, I have this bad feeling knowing they're still here."
"Me too, honey, so let's just hope for the best, OK?"


This conversation between my mum and me was taking place on October 24th, 1991.
I was 12.

The next day the sirens really did go off and I blinked back the tears and swallowed hardly: I dreaded this sound for months now. But that day it was the best sound ever, the one I was waiting for: the last ex-Yugoslav Army soldier went on the ship. I was full of hope the fear I felt that summer will go with them, go for good.

Because there were sound alarms waking me up in the morning, warning us from the enemy airplanes.
Because there were news of shooting and dead people nearby - I lived only a few kilometres from Austrian border and the Yugoslav Army wanted to block the outer borders of Slovenia.
Because my mum had to go on duty straight to the line of fire - she was a nurse.
Because my dad had to stay at work - he was an engineer at the factory that produced parts which army could use for their vehicles; they had to be there to prevent army from taking the factory over.
Because I watched my grandma accept the news that her youngest son is in fights on the other part of the country: she was born in 1920, she has been through the turmoil of the whole century, and then in her 70's she had to experience that...
Because I was left alone with my 6-year-old sister and my grandparents, not knowing if I'll see my parents again or how will I prevent from anything bad happening to my family.
Because my dad built a safe room in the basement and we had to hide there everytime the sirens went off.
(I cannot tell you how the sound of such alarm feels like. It's like your chest will collapse into itself. I cannot tell you how it's like to be hiding in the basement, fearing for life, either.)
Because noone knew what will happen next.

The war in Slovenia was only 10 days long. We were lucky. We were so lucky, you all know what happened only months later in Croatia and Bosnia. And that wars are still going on in the world.

So I shudder when some speak about it mockingly nowadays ("a mini war", I often hear).
Because what I felt back then was for real.

Luckily, it's 21 years later today. And October 25th is a very special day indeed.

Today my prayers go to those who are still waiting for the sirens to signal the departure of the last enemy soldier.

"Koper, 25.10. 1991: The last soldier with his armour leaving Slovenia, behind him a Slovene Police Officer."

Pretty Little Things #11

All Stars Guest Post: Paperlovestory - My Filofax Story

Hello, Sweethearts! Another round of All Stars Guest Posts is here and guess what? It's from Angela! :) Which means our eyes will rest again at the sight of her beauties - don't you just love her?! :)


I started university back in 2009 and I was always quite an organised individual. I’d used bound planners from Hong Kong in the past and I loved how cute they were. But one thing I disliked was how I had to change it every year and thus, would have to transfer all my important information once a year. Not only was this time consuming, it also irked me as I don’t like wasting time like this!The obvious solution was to get a Filofax and I did. My first one was a personal Raspberry Finsbury and although I loved the colour of it, I just didn’t like the style. It was at this time, that I discovered the Finchley range and coincidentally, found a personal Vintage Rose Finchley on eBay. I sniped and consequently won it. And I fell in love (and not for the first time, it will appear later on).

Having used the Finchley for six months after procuring it, I fell in love with the whole range. The leather was soft and the colours available in this style were appealing to me. And so I purchased the Teal and Jade, both in the personal size.

Next, came the €9 sale at Filofax Germany and who could resist a deal like that? I acquired another two binders and before I knew it, my collection swelled in size. It took me until May 2012 to find ‘the one’ - the plum Osterley. The personal was my first one in that size and I loved the colour and the leather.

However, I found the rings too big. I lugged around information that wasn’t necessary and it hurt my shoulder, a lot! And as if the Filofax Gods had heard my concerns, a Slimline Deco arrived on eBay and of course, it ended up in my hands. A Deco? For that price? Not just a Deco; a Slimline Amethyst Deco! If I had to choose a Deco colour, I would have gone for the Amethyst anyway so I was chuffed to say the least.

Honestly, I love it. The ring size is small but that is fine - the portability wins hands down. But this isn’t the end of the story! My Finchleys had to be returned to Filofax as the leather wore down so quickly! Too quickly considering I had only had them for just over two years and so, I received a Compact plum Osterley as a replacement.

So, is this where the story ends? Of course not! But it is where it ends for the time being. I don’t know where my story will lead. I have three organisers to play with now. The personal Osterley will, inevitably, turn into my ‘Me’ binder but what will become of my Compact Osterley? The Deco Slimline works as my diary and I would like to keep it that way due to its portability... This leaves two possibilities; the Compact Osterley will either become an orphan or it will see a lot of use - but doing what?
Only time will tell.

All Stars Guest Post: Lime Tree - Filofax Swap 4!

This is such a treat, people: a guest post from the JUICY LIME TREE for all of us to read! :)
I'm so fascinated by her intense character, amazing Filofax photo shoots and artwork - if you need a daily pick-me-up and a reminder for your Inner Goddess, just pay a visit to her blog! Oh, but you already know that! :)


Yessss!!!!!!! here we go!!!!

I am moving on with my Filofax Swap Saga, showing of a gorgeous Filofax AND guest posting for a blogger that totally "gets" this Filofax gorgeousness! What a treat!!!! Thank you so much Vanjilla for having me here showing it all! :D

Soooo, what came after Chamomile?

And what am I talking about, you ask.

I am talking about my quest to find the perfect Filofax fit for me.

Oh, and I said perfect! sure thing that won't happen, HA!
Which is good, thou, I can keep going with my Filofax Swap posts indefinitely, hehehe

So, here is the swap list in case you need to catch up:

• Filofax Swap (The original!)
• Filofax Swap 2 - The attempt
• Filofax Swap 3 - The "Chamomile" attempt!

So, now, let's get back to the question: What came after Chamomile?

can you guess? can you guess?

Take a peak! hehe

yessss!!!! The love of my life, BAROQUE!

Now, seriously, I am totally in love with pink, yellow, orange and the like.

Did you notice what happen there? ME with a BLACK Filofax?
That is something I had never envisioned. Only a Baroque to make me take the leap!

And I liked it :D

We had a lot of fun!

Yeah.... had, I said. :-/
That was just ONE major reason that made move out of it. And it is not even the Baroque's fault! (it is never the Baroque's fault obviously!*)

But we will get to it :)


Let's check out the good times we had:

Totally filled with good times!

I literally transfered the juices of Chamomile into the Baroque.
I still don't like those vertical slots, in case you are wondering. So I kept the pocket card slots in there for easy access.
On the left hand side I just stuffed in some informational cards, business cards and a decorative card.

I have a set of month per view and a week per view. The month per view is very straight forward - the standard one from Filofax so I am not going thru that one.

The week per view is my problem.

Since the beginning of the year I am trying to figure out what kind of combination works for me.

I need to have a glance of the week but need daily planning as well.
I tried Flavia 2 pages per day and despite of its gorgeousness I could never make it work.
Finally a couple of weeks ago I found a good home for it! :)

So, the week per view.
I certanly deeply dislike the white cheap paper with weekends squeezed in.
A while back, Josh was very nice sending me his week per view in cotton cream. Wonderful! Great paper and equalitarian distribution of space! yes!

I was happily married with that set up for a while.
I spread out my tasks throughout the week with a little check box on the side of each task. Like this:

Pretty straight forward!

It worked well for a good chunk of time.

My problem started when I couldn't do something, say on a Monday, and would re-write for Wednesday and most likely again for Friday. That, I gotta say, made me always feel very bad as I wasn't accomplishing my little deadlines. I always had to "postpone" the deadlines to later in the week. Made me feel bad.

So I decide to play a trick to disguise my mind.
What if Thursday was the final deadline but I could visually do something that implied I should start working on pieces of the task on Monday?

I then started writing my tasks along long lines that would encompass more then one day.
The page on the right was my first attempt:

See how that worked?

For example "post Spring A5" I gave myself from Thursday till Sunday to accomplish. That way I didn't feel so bad if it wasn't done on Friday; I was still on the "time-frame".
I sure got excited with my idea, but besides the fact that is a pain to turn the whole organizer to write vertically like that (and later on the neck, to read it!), I couldn't connect days from the left page to the right page.


The solution? Steve & Ray's inserts of course!
After a lot of struggle of my part and help from the authors I altered their Vertical Week Per View to look like this:

Now I could connect all the days I needed with a big line! Plus the absence of lines would help with my irregular writing. And there it is a week in use:

See that I could assign a huge task to the entire week like "prep for NY trip" at the bottom.

I was very happy with it!
No lines make me feel more comfortable to write AND I didn't feel a total failure because a task was retricted to a day and I didn't finish it that day. Very happy with it!

One thing thou: the darn rings.
I mentioned here how I really dislike those humoungous rings that don't let me write close to the edge of the pages.

My solution this time?

A mock up of the Circa system.

I did little cuts on each whole.
That way I could easily slide the pages away from the rings, write on it and put it back in place.

That worked very well for its original purpose but certainly because the design of the wholes is not made for it, I had to be careful turning pages. If I turned single pages too eagerly, they would just fly away!
I had no problems at all turning chunks of pages together.

Ok, so to almost finalize, pen loop struggle!
Why not right? I am yet to find a Filofax that holds my fat Bic 4 colors.

In this case I can't even hang it by the little "arm" because the pen squeezes my tabs. I ended up just sneaking in the pen between the snap closure and the tabs.
And it actually sits great on the tabs. It doesn't squeeze them much:

The problem is that most of the times I forget the pen is not secure at all, open the organizer and there the pen goes straight to the floor. Hehe

Now, last pic, I promise!

I know there is no need to show my stickers' storage but that is my excuse to show off that pattern gorgeousness again, hehe:

So, I got to say, all that juicy beauty and it would mostly stay closed inside my purse. Occasionally at work I would remember something and would take a quick note and put it back in the purse. 

Not fair to that gorgeousness, isn't it?

To finalize - now seriously! -  here we go, the reason I had to move out of that delicious Filofax...

pen loop? nah! 

humongous rings? .....mmmm.... well, related to it because...

...it was just TOOO HEAVY people, too heavy for me! Too bulky, too much!

(*see, it wasn't really a Baroque's issue per say, it was my struggle with personal size. Baroques are always awesome! hehe)

It certainly was VERY convenient to have all my notes with me all the time, including travel plans but oh boy...... I really couldn't handle the weight.

I love you darling Baroque but you sit prettier OPENED on my desk at home. ♥

So, I moved out.

If you hang around on Twitter and/or  Instagram you may had seen already where I had headed to?!

No?

Here it is a sneak peek of what is coming next:

oh yeah!

Don't miss it! 

The saga continues. Always! :)

--------------------------> Filofax Swap 5 - A Classy Attempt! -------------------->

Coming soon , on a blog pretty close to you!

Many smooches and hugs to you all,

LT

****

PS: Thanks Vanjilla again for hosting my Baroque post! I really had fun writing it :)

Dear Lime Tree, I hope this is just the beginning of your guest posting here! :)  And I'm fully inspired by your ideas again, my Sister in Baroque! :)

Pretty Little Things #10

Monday morning, here I come! :)