Sunday 27 October 2013

My week #43

I am using my Qimmis Dayfiller inserts this week, you can read my review of them here.  The pages are so pretty I almost feel I have ruined them a little by decorating them.  I used the notes page for writing my daily to do lists so this layout works well for me.  

 
My week in my Filofax #43

Do you like my new Russian doll charm?  A lovely lady named June made it especially for me because she saw that I love them!  I think the orange colour  goes really well with the yellow of my binder too.

Close up

Close up

I have been looking on Pinterest this week for some Halloween ideas.  The children are at home for the next week so I wanted to find some spooky activities we could do together to get into the spirit (haha!).  We are going to draw some pumping carving designs today and we will be making these jelly worms and deadman's finger sandwiches  during the week.  

Are you excited about Halloween?
 

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Qimmis Dayfiller inserts review

Qimmis are a company based in Sweden who make Dayfiller diary inserts for your Filofax.  When they contacted me recently asking if I would like to review their products I jumped at the chance.  

There are four styles to chose from, Vanilla, Peony, Skyline and Cupcakes.  I think they all look great but I went with Peony.

Qimmis Dayfiller inserts

The inserts arrived very quickly which surprised me.  I thought I would have to wait a while for them as they were coming from outside the UK.  I was sent the week and note set which has your week on one page and a full page for notes opposite.  I love the flowers on each week, they are faint enough to write over easily but still create a nice look.



A week on one page and a page for notes

You can choose from this style or a week on two pages, a week on two pages lined or a week on two pages vertical.  They are available in A5, Personal and Pocket sizes.  You also get to choose which month you would like your set to start from which is great and the duration, 3 months, 6 months or 12 months.  I really like this as if I wanted I could order 3 months of each style and feel like I was using a new diary every 3 months!  Very handy for people who get bored easily.

Different styles and designs available
(Images taken from www.qimmis.com)

The quality of the paper is really nice and it feels thicker than the standard inserts that came with my Filofax.  I have used some of my wettest, inkiest pens for a pen test on it and there was no feathering and barely any bleeding through to the other side.

Pen test - front and back


As well as the Dayfillers there are also a selection of extra inserts including contact pages, budgeting sheets and yearly overviews available.  Qimmis kindly sent me a fold out year overview for 2014 in the Skyline style too.  I haven't used one of these before but I can already tell I am going to find it really useful!  I like the Skyline theme as well, it is quite unisex but still cheers the page up and makes it more interesting.

Prices on the website are in Danish Krone but there are plenty of currency converters listed if you google them.  Prices for the Dayfillers start at 70 Krone which is approx £7.95 or $12.80 (USD) depending on the exchange rate.


Qimmis year overview


Second half of the year

In my Filofax

Overall I really like these products.  The Peony style is very pretty and I enjoy seeing them in my Filofax each time I open it up.  I have put the Dayfillers at the front of my binder underneath my flyleaf so I can see them straight away and it provides me with a nice front cover inside.


Pretty, pretty, pretty!

Keep an eye out on Sunday for my weekly pages as I have been using these inserts this week!

If you are on Instagram Qimmis are currently running a competition to win 12 months worth of Cupcake Dayfiller inserts.  Take a look here if you would like to enter.


* These products were provided to me free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not paid to write the review and all opinions are my own.  


Sunday 20 October 2013

My week #42

The woods are full of fairies,
the sea is full of fish,
the trees are full of golden leaves,
let's make an Autumn wish.

I do believe in fairies, I do, I do!


Yes I am still feeling very autumnal!  I have sorted out my woolly jumpers and polished my boots ready for stomping on leaves.  I've also organised the bits I need for Halloween and I'm already thinking about bonfire night plans.  I just love this time of year.   

My week in my Filofax #42

It has been another quiet week, lots of my to dos were just replying to emails and completing things online.  I also spent time photographing things for some up coming blog posts.  The weather has been quite wet and grey so it was hard to get enough light for decent pictures, whenever the weather cleared I grabbed my camera and made the most of it!

Close up

Close up

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

October Filofax photo-a-day challenge, week three

It is time for another round up post!  If you are interested you can see my previous weeks of the challenge here and here.

Day fourteen - someone special

This photo is of my son, he was my first baby and my only boy (not to say that all my children aren't special to me!).

Day fourteen - someone special

Day fifteen - addicted

I have a little addiction to Jubly Umph products.  I love their jewellery and handbags.  This is the latest addition to my collection, a day of the dead fox.  It is perfect for October.

Day fifteen - addicted

Day sixteen - an event

The 14th November is when the Frankfurt Christmas Market opens in Birmingham.  I love going here, we have taken the children every year since they were tiny and it has become part of our Christmas tradition.

Day sixteen - an event

Day seventeen - top five

This is my top five planner wish list.  The aqua Malden is still top of the list but the other four change places depending on my mood.


Day seventeen - top five

Day eighteen - yay for Fridays!

On Friday I enjoyed a spot of afternoon tea to make the most of the peace and quiet before the weekend madness descended.  The strawberry tart was delicious.  

Day eighteen - yay for Fridays!

Day nineteen - in your pen loop

The elastic section of my Original is very handy for all kinds of bits and pieces.  At the moment I have a pen, a highlighter and a cute notepad in there.

Day nineteen - in your pen loop

If you want to take part in the rest of the challenge you can find the details on Friday, I'm in love's blog.


Monday 14 October 2013

October Filofax photo-a-day challenge, week two

Here is the round up of my photos for the challenge last week. 

Day seven - doodle

I haven't really drawn in my Filofax since I downsided from my A5 Apex so I had to look back through that to find these little doodles.  

Day seven - doodle

Day eight - paper

My pocket Chameleon and plenty of different paper inside my scrapbook.

Day eight - paper

Day nine - black and white

This is my pocket chameleon again with a personal size Finsbury Filofax.  I brought the Finsbury on a whim about six months ago but it didn't stay with me for very long.  I got it from a seller on eBay for a really good price but when it arrived it wasn't love at first sight so I ended up selling it on again after a week or so.

Day nine - black and white

Day ten - charming

I love this bracelet, it has beads and tiny shells on it and it reminds me of my holiday.  

Day ten - charming

Day eleven - favourite part 

My favourite part of this Filofax is the press stud, I think it is one of the reasons I really fell for the Originals when they came out along side the range of colours they are available in.

Day eleven - favourite part

Day twelve - planner paparazzi

When I read the prompt for today the first thing that popped into my head was this image so I went with it.  I always think of the paparazzi as men wearing this style of hat and waving about their cameras.  The only thing missing is a card tucked into the band saying "press"!

Day twelve - planner paparazzi

Day thirteen - how many

I am slightly addicted to Moonalisa lip butters, I have more than I realistically need but the flavours are so nice I can't resist them!

Day thirteen - how many

Thanks for reading!


Sunday 13 October 2013

My week #41

The theme this week was cupcakes and polka dots.  I tried something different with my washi tape but I'm not sure if I like it, I think I prefer placing it at the top and bottom of the page instead. 
 
My week in my Filofax #41

My week was pretty quiet, the things on my to do lists were simple and easy to complete which is always nice!  I didn't have any appointments either so I've spent most of the week pottering around the house and completing season five of Castle.  


Close up

Close up

On Saturday I received a little surprise in the post, it was these autumn and Halloween bits from Shannon.  I just love the spider and the leaf stickers the most, they are so cute!

Autumn and Halloween planning supplies 

Have a great weekend!


Monday 7 October 2013

October Filofax photo-a-day challenge, week one

It's that time again, Friday, I'm in love has set a new photo challenge. Here is the round up of my first week.

Day one - first love

Charlie Brown and Snoopy were one of my first loves, I've always enjoyed reading these books.

Day one - first love


Day two - go to

Philofaxy  is my "go to" website for anything planner related! Any information I need can always be found here.

Day two - go to 


Day three - where's your planner now?

Next to a very, very early secret Santa present.

Day three - where's your planner now?


Day four - up close and personal

Up close and personal inside my gorgeous Original Filofax, I love this stamp on the leather.

Day four - up close and personal


Day five - brand

I guess She's Eclectic is my brand as well as being a Filofax kind of girl!

Day five - brand


Day six - rings, rings, rings

My cute Hello Kitty bow earrings, my pink donut ring and the rings of my Filofax equals rings, rings, rings to me.

Day six - rings, rings, rings


There's still time for you to join in with the challenge if you like, just click here for the details.



All Stars Tour: Day Planner Development - guest post by Helen


Many thanks to Amanda for giving me a slot on her super blog. I normally blog about books, so it is nice to write about something different!  Like many people I am obsessed by organization and my Filofax.  Also, like many people, I have struggled with the inserts which are on the market, not just from Filofax themselves but from others too. Nothing seems to quite work for me.

As we are coming up to the end of the year, it is that time when we all start to think about what we will use as a diary insert for 2014. This year I have been using a week to view, with not a great deal of success. I had a look back at what I have in my diary, and frankly it is a mess. I decided I need to work out what I was using the diary for, what information I was trying to record, and then in an ideal world how would I record it. From there I might be able to choose a more suitable diary insert for next year.

A review of my entries revealed something quite fundamental. I don’t use my diary inserts for recording appointments.  I am sure I am not the only one in this boat. Outside of work I have few appointments, maybe two or three per week. I don’t put my work appointments in my Filo as they change so often, it is too hard to keep up, and it is all in Outlook at the office anyway. I don’t need to reference that information when I am not at work.Instead, I was using the diary to list tasks that had to be done on a certain day, list things that needed to be done for my own wellbeing, blog ideas, and random notes. It was all very crowded and I couldn’t see the wood for the trees.

I started to think about a day per page diary, but I have tried the Filofax ones before, and failed, mainly because the lines are very narrow, and it looks cluttered. I am a bear of very little brain, and I like everything in its place if I am going to stand a chance of keeping on top of everything. It didn’t take long for me to come to the conclusion that I needed to design my own day planner.

Out came some blank pages and a ruler and I started to sketch out what a layout might look like. One of the key items for me to include was a section for my wellbeing. I have learned recently that there are some specific things I need to do, daily if I can, to keep me in good physical and mental shape, and if I write them down, I can see when I am starting to slip. These are part of the Primal lifestyle I lead, and I wanted to put these items at the centre of my daily planner.  I also have on average about ten tasks per day, so needed a big section for this. I then split the rest of the space up to cover other items such as notes, appointments and blogging.

Having drawn up a couple of dummy pages, I trialed them for a week, to see how it worked. It wasn’t a bad first attempt. I tweaked the sizes of the sections to make the notes section a little bigger and reduced the appointments section.  

This is the layout I finally came up with.




I use them in conjunction with my week on two pages, which gives me an overview of the week. In 2014 I may try and reduce this to a week per page, or even a monthly calendar. Each Sunday I sit down and review what is coming up and then put them in my day planner. This is what I have open on my desk all day. I have noticed now that I am much more aware of when I am slipping on my Primalgoals and am much more focused on what needs to be done that day.

Making your own inserts is a great way to really get the most from your pages and here is a summary of how to go about it:


1. Review your current pages to see what is most important to you. How do you record different types of info?

2. Place whatever is most important to you in an area of the page where your eye naturally falls. For me this is the left hand side in the middle. Whenever you look at your page this is what you will see first

3. Think about what sections you need and their relative sizes. I only needed a very small appointment section, you may need the whole of one side of the page

4. Draw a few up layouts by hand and try them
out to see if you run out of space in a particular section, or if you don’t use a section at all.

5. Fine tune over time – your needs may change, and changing your inserts to match is the sensible thing to do.

I hope this is useful, and I would love to see what personalized layouts you use!


Thank you so much to Helen for writing this post, she has inspired me to have a go at designing my own inserts before the end of the year!


Sunday 6 October 2013

My week #40

I was about to start writing this post when I realised there are only twelve weeks of the year left!  How did that happen?  Where has the rest of the year gone?  I'm not sure if I should be excited or panicking! 

My week in my Filofax #40

I stuck with the autumnal colours again this week but added butterflies to the theme too. 

Close up

On Thursday I went to a VIP event at my local Lush store to see all the new Christmas products they have brought out this year.  It was a great evening and a lot of fun!  I treated myself to a massive bath bomb that is supposed to smell like a lush shop but now I don't know whether to use it straight away or save it for a special occasion.  At the moment it is sat on my bedside cabinet scenting my bedroom while I decide.

Close up

On Saturday the personalised divider I ordered from My Pretty Filo arrived.  I have seen a lot of photos on Instagram of these and knew I had to have one.  I wanted it to say my blog's name instead of Amanda so I contacted the shop and asked if they would be able to do that for me.  I got a reply back really quickly and happily they said they could make me one! 

My personalised divider

I think it looks fab, I'm really happy with it!

Friday 4 October 2013

My latest guest post is now up!

My new guest post as part of the Philofaxy All Stars Tour has now been published!   Please pop by Fennell Books and take a look.  I have written about my favourite childhood books, The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton.


Thanks