Guess What I Got Today, Finally!!!

My Holborn Zip!  I won it with free shipping but decided to pay extra and have it shipped faster.  Well that "faster" turned out to be alot slower!   Let's see, I ordered it on August 13th from Ebay.com.  Then It was shipped to the wrong person.  I got hers and she got mine.  Then the company thought it was best for each of us to just mail the switched FF back to each other.  Which in theory makes sense, but waiting on others can always be a test in patience.  The company that we bought these from offered free inserts to cover the extra postage and the hassle of dealing with this complication.  In hind sight, I wish I would've just asked them to send me another one overnight, and then have us send them back the wrong ones.  Oh well.  I'm alot wiser now. 

My Red Personal Cuban as My Prayer Journal

Because of the very nature of a Prayer Journal, I don't feel comfortable showing everyone what I've been writing in it, so I'll just tell you whats going on in this FF.  I started using my Personal Cuban a few weeks ago as my prayer journal.  I try to study my Bible everyday and when I come across a scripture that I feel is pertinent to someone I know and/or love, I put it in my prayer journal, under the corresponding section, for the corresponding loved one.  I also have the week on two pages in this FF.  I use that for writing in anything that stands out or that I learn that day from reading the scriptures and other devotionals.  A verse, or a quote or thought that I want to remember.  Something that means something special to me that day.  I love using this FF for this topic.  When I pray, I just go through the sections and then I'm done.  It helps me to remember people, things and the like that I ordinarily might've forgotten to pray for.  I feel that using this FF this way has brought my prayer life up a notch and I feel at peace knowing that my loved ones are "covered"! 

The ball point pen is from Vera Bradley.com and I just used ruled paper in all my sections.  My son serves in our military so I included the "Soldier's Prayer" in the front.

Just Fyi I'm Still Waiting For My Holborn to Come

OK - I Am a Filo-Freak, But I'm Also Organizer Crazy

I was doing some shopping at Walgreens.  I usually go there once a week to see what I can get really cheap.  I match sales with coupons, sometimes I can get things for free.  Anyway, I was picking up some 2 packs of erasers for .29 cents, when my eyes fell upon this Franklin Covey Organizer for $16.99.    It was an A5 size, so I was thinking that I could use the papers inside for my Filofax.  I love when each month has a month at a glance and then a breakdown of the weeks, WOTP.  None of these papers are dated, so I can start and use them anytime.  When I bought it I also had two $4 off coupons, so I got it for under $10.  I really feel like I scored.  Now, as I'm looking at the cover, it's beginning to grow on me.  It's not leather, but it feels very supple.  Here it is pictured:

I'm not crossing over, I'm just taking advantage of a bargain that might suit my needs. 

My Malden at Work

I'm using my Personal Ochre Malden as my daily organizer.  I keep my calendar and a note section in it.  I think I'm going to add an A-Z section soon too.  When I get to work I open it up to the current week and anything that pops in my head that I need to do, mostly at home or as errands gets put in there so I don't forget.  I love having it open next to me, it inspires me to write in it. 

I also picked up this wonderful pen at Office Max called Tul.  It's a black fine point pen.  I love how it writes.  It was a happy purchase.  Very reasonably priced!

I'm Very Steamed!!!!!

.....Where O where is my Holborn today, 

O Where O where could it be.....!!!!! 

I ordered it over two weeks ago,

O where O where could it beeeeeeeeeeeee?!!!!!!!

..........urgh!

(to the music of Where Could My Little Dog Be)

Crossing my fingers and hoping that my Holborn comes in the mail today!  Please, please, please!

Rapesco Adjustable Diary Punch 66-P

I am preparing for when I receive my A5 Holborn Zip by getting the journaling pages ready to go.  I purchased this gorgeous journal here.  (Thanks to Gail for posting that great idea.) I also picked up this paper punch here, it's for personal diaries.

Originally, I was using my Crop-A-Dile to punch holes in papers that I wanted to add to my Filofaxes.  It worked really well, but it was tedious, one hole at a time. 

This Rapesco punch works really well.   I was able to punch about 10 papers at a time.  The only thing was that I had to punch one side for the A5 and then flip the papers over to punch the other side.  I used a post it note as a guide to line up the edge of the papers.

First, I ran an exacto knife along the edges of the journal to remove the paper.  These journals have really sturdy bindings.  I posted pics below so that you could see my progress as I prepared the paper, and also to get a good look at the punch. 

My A5 Chameleon

 This is my cherished Chameleon, I found a pen that matched it at Vera Bradley.  I love their ball point pens.

 I have some post-it arrows from Barnes & Noble and a couple different post-it pads, along with a small Moleskine in the front pockets.  I picked up some magnet bookmarks at the Container Store as well.

 Then I have two envelope pockets for tucking papers and photos that I don't want to lose.

 My dividers are: calendar (week on two pages, vertical), GTD! (get things done), Project breakdown, Internet art classes that I signed up for, Things I want to remember, Yearly goals, then the alpha tabs.

 Under the "things to remember" tab I have a list of how I'm using all of my Filo's.

 I'm using the Alpha dividers for filing things that I want to keep for future reference.

Then finally, I have my menu planner page.  I found the pad in a drawer in my kitchen while organizing, I've had it for so long that I don't remember where I got it from.  It's very handy though.

Filofax Mix-up With My A5 Holborn

I was thinking how nice it would be to have a Filofax for taking sermon notes at church.  I knew I wanted to get an A5 to do just that and could kick myself for not buying the Chameleon when it was $40 a little while ago on the USA Filofax website.  Makes me sick to think about it.  But, anyway I decided to get an A5 Holborn Zip, after watching this video by FiloObsessed.  But alas, they don't exist on the FF USA website.  So I did what any self respecting citizen would do and I went to Ebay.  That's where I found it.  A beautiful Holborn Zip in Wine:


It came with free shipping, but I paid a few buck extra to get it faster.  About 3 days later, it came in my mailbox.  I was so excited to get it open and touch it and smell it, but to my surprise it wasn't MY Filofax but a completely different one, actually a more upscale one to be truthful.  This is what I received:

It was a gorgeous Filofax but it wasn't the one that I wanted.  So after many ebay messages back and forth with the seller we realized that the labels were switched at some point.  Someone, not 2 hours from me, in this whole great big country, just 2 hours away, had received my beautiful Holborn.  Well, to make a long story longer, she sent me my Filofax and I sent her this one.  We should have our correct Filos by the middle of next week.  The company that we purchased these from offered us refills of our choice to compensate for the mishap.  I got the magnifying glass, the world map, a ruled notepaper pad and 2 envelope pockets.   So all is well,  after-all, I should receive my Filo in a few days.

In the meantime I'm preparing beautiful papers to put inside it.  I'm "Filo-lifting" the idea from Gail right here.  I bought the papers she used right here and here.  Can't wait until I get the Filofax and get it all set up. 

If anyone knows what the lizardy looking Filo above is called I'd love to know.  The inside looks just like the Osterley. It's not on the FFusa site.

That Which is First #Filofax

It all began innocently enough.  I watched some youtube videos on planners (Mostly Filofaxes) and getting organized and then I had to own one. Then two, then three, then four, then five, six, seven, ahhhhhhhhhhh!

To be honest, I am using all of them for some facet of my life.  They each have a purpose.  So since I've made this committment to the Filofax planner I intend to record my experiences here on this blog.

Whenever I say I love something I say I am a "freak" about it.  Well that's just it, I am a "freak" about Filofaxes.

I used to use planners all the time.  Although, I've never owned a FiloFax until June of 2012.  Just simple store bought ones, I remember picking a really pretty red one up at Target once.  I loved using them.  I put everything in them.  They were a solid, dependable resource that was always with me.  It was like a "mini me" that never forgot or lost anything. 

One day my dbil (dear brother in law) gave me a used pocket pc which actually stole my affections from the hand written planner.  I used it religiously for about a year when one day it just wouldn't turn on.  That was it!  Everything I stored in there was gone!  It was like a death in the family for me.

The solution, in my mind, was to purchase a new one.  I said to myself , "That would never happen to a new one".  So I did, a new one was purchased and used for about another year or so and then one day, guess what it wouldn't do?  That's right!  It would'nt friggin turn on!  Sooooooo, I gave up.  White flag flying.  I burned both of them in a funeral pyre in my backyard.  It was a very solemn occasion.  

At that point, I neither turned to technology or the hand written calendar.  I did neither and for a very long time I floundered in forgetfulness and chaos.  Until, that is, my organizing everything phase kicked in.

I organized every closet, drawer and cupboard in my house.  I developed "systems" for everything.  I was tired of looking for things, tired of piles, tired of confusion.  So, since I'm a visual learner, YouTube was where I turned.  I found wonderful videos on organizing everything, which also led me to the Filofax world.  I say world because I found a world all unto itself for FiloFaxers.  (noun, meaning someone who loves, uses and is devoted to using a Filofax(es)).

I've found that I'm very happy in this little world.  I feel I'm back to my old organized planner self again.   But, in a better more sophisticated way.  This blog is dedicated to that journey.