20 July 2012

Free For All Friday No 192

This "summer" in the UK has been cool and wet, while in many places in the US it's been even hotter than usual for this time of year. For those of us who note temperatures and weather in our diary pages, this year will be interesting to look back on later!

In addition to temperatures, some people also write things like when they see the first migrating birds arrive in the spring and last departing ones in the autumn, then look back through the years to notice trends (when some species arrive earlier than usual, for example). Other people note when the leaves turn color and fall in the autumn, which years have good or not-good colors (due to drought or other factors) and then look back through the years to notice if the leaves come down earlier or later in the year than usual.

Do you note weather and temperatures in your Filofax to look back on later? Do you note any annually occurring events to track trends?

And as usual on Fridays, feel free to discuss anything Filofax-related!

52 comments:

  1. Regarding the weather, it isn't something I have ever done. And now that I live in the Middle East, 90% of the days would be the same :(

    On a different topic, having finally got my partner to dig out her 25 year old Pocket (with the old 4-ring style), I was excited to go to the Soho store and bring back a ton of inserts for her. Once I got home, I discovered that while all the white papers had the enlarged holes in the middle to take the old and the new style, none of the cream inserts (or the TODAY marker) did, so none of them fitted. I can't understand the reasoning behind that strategy from a corporate point of view. Luckily, I also bough a Rapesco 66P punch while in UK, so I managed to bastardise the cream diary and year planner, so they fitted. Does anyone know when they chenged from the old-style 4-holes on the pocket size?

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    1. I think they changed over around 1996- give or take a year or 2! It took a while for the inserts to change over fully- for ages they were compatible with both, having long elliptical holes to fit the 4 and 6. (I was wedded to my pocket then!)

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  2. Having finally got round to ordering a personal sized filofax, i have been looking at the Franklin Covey inserts and to be honest none of them appeal to me but i still want pretty diary pages (with either week per page with notes or just week on two pages) has anyone found any other brands of 'pretty inserts' that works for them? not the dodopad, that layout wouldn't work for me at all!

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    1. Paperchase in UK seem to have some of their own-brand inserts now, with colour. I bought some to do sheets last week, with coloured blocks around the edges.

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    2. Yeah i've seen the paperchase one, and if i don't find anything else i'll end up getting those, I like the Franklin Covey ones but just not the background images or layout!
      Every piece of stationary I own seems to come from paperchase so i'm trying to find something a little different, thanks!

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    3. Daytimer Flavia pages are the prettiest things ever!!

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    4. Any idea where i could get the 2012 ones though? i've decided on daytimer for 2013 but they dont seem to have any 2012 ones in stock or on amazon :(

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    5. I love the Paperchase one but had far too much to fit in the weekends.

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    6. Hi Clareio, which format for DT are you looking for? Week on 2 pages, Day per page, day on 2 pages...?

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    7. I like the DT Flavia week on two pages, which DT size fits the Filofax Personal binder? I want pretty pages next year too.

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    8. The DT Portable fits the Filofax Personal size.

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    9. Week on 2 pages but i can't find the DT Flavia Portable ones for 2012 anywhere

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    10. Clareio: Day-Timer has them on their site: Flavia Portable pages

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  3. Does anyone know of a source of A5 lined paper with narrow lines that is still A5 when punched and in the binder, other than the Filofax brand? This week I did hack a WHSmith Chunky A5 notebook by unsweinga dn ungouling the signatures. (The stickers said £12 reduced to £3.99 which gave me about 150 sheets of think lined cream paper.) I bought all the books the shop had (3) but wondered if anyone has another source of white paper? I have seen the review of the Oxford Active book bu the margins seem to take up a lot of room. Pukka pads have lines too wide for me.

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    1. Hi Helen
      How about buying blank A5 paper and printing your own? Then punch them and you are in business. I've recently done this so I could have lined on one side and graph paper on the other side for site notes and plans.
      Steve

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    2. yes, it may come to that Steve but you know that takes more effor than pressing the buy button on Amazon! I wonder if that would actually be cheaper than buying lined paper anyway - I am happy to cut down A4. I have been digging around t'internet since posted and Avery Zweckform do lined paper that looks good and i wonder if anyone knows if the A5 Chronoplan holes line up with the A5 filofax. sigh. i am sure life did not used to be this complicated!

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    3. Helen, I use a Clairfontaine Triomphe A5 pad. It comes with 50 sheets and fits in the back pocket off my Cuban....works wonderfully!

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    4. Helen. I photocopyied an A5 sheet of Filofax paper and printed it on lovely blank A5 Sheets of pastal paper, the result was really good. I am now looking out for some A5 pretty paper to do the same on.

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    5. I am posting this from Staples Manchester. Had a few minutes en route to a textile art opening so when I saw a store I didn't know was here.....! I have a pack of A5 to try the printing/ photocopying on, am Oxford Active book sold as a single on clearance and a pad of A4 lined because it may well be just as easy to cut those down. Using a quilting rotary cutter and ruler it is deadeasy to cut multiple pages accurately. I shall hunt the Clairfontaine online. Maybe I need a section to dedicate to notes on paper choices!

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  4. I don't keep weather records every single day, but I do note when there's an exceptional day (excess heat, severe storms, record breaking cold, etc.). I also make a special note of equinoxes/solstices. I celebrate one major weather event that touched me personally every year: the great flood of 1993 where I barely got myself, my toddler daughter, and our 2 cats out in time. My entire neighborhood was swept away and I celebrate July 9 every year as a day of thanksgiving for life and family, and personal reflection on how far I've come since. :-)

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  5. So my Malden personal came (ochre). I love this style. I'm conflicted because on the front inside cover there is a fine line in black that looks like a ball point pen marked it. I know there are variations in the grain, but this looks more like a pen than a variation. My dh struggled to see it, but I can see it. Am I being too picky? Should I send it back, or just ignore it. I don't expect my Filo to stay pristine. I like the " vintage look" of the Malden ochre, and I love the way filos look when they've been used and loved for years. Should I just call this "patina" and move forward?

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    1. Personally, if your going to notice it each time you open it, I'd return it. You don't want to be put off using it :)

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    2. I bought a Chameleon from Filofax which came with a blue pen mark on the back, I sent it back, yes over time it will get pen on it by me, I don't expect it to be there on a brand new Filofax though!!

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    3. Return it hun, there is a difference between pen and natural creases. The thing is, you are always going to notice it, everytime you pick it up you will see it!

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    4. Shipped it back today. The seller is sending a new one out. I hate to be picky, but I just know this will bug me. Hopefully, my patience will be rewarded. I LOVE the look and feel of the Malden. I think it is going to be the ONE. :)

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    5. I think you made the right choice. Better to wait a little longer for a perfect one!

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  6. I use the 10% off code everytime...which has been several times, lately!

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  7. Just an update on my Scruffy Personal Classic. I sent it back to Filofax earleir this week, they phoned me the same day they recieved it, to say I could have another. I told them I wasn't happy with the outcome of the last one so really didn't want another, so they said I could choose another up to the value of £80. In fairness, they did offer to replace it with the Aston in Orchid, but I'm not thrilled with that one. So I spent all last night searching and searching and I phoned Filofax back this this morning asking if I could pay the price difference, which they agreed to... So I got.......Another A5 Holborn in Wine. (I already have the black one). It only cost me £15 extra....well pleased with the service recieved.

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    1. That's great Gail, i'd love the Aston Orchid in A5, but equally love my wine Holborn :)

      I'm getting a refund on my A5 A&£X, daren't type in in full here lol :o

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    2. Thanks for posting this as I note that my beloved cherry classic is showing beginning signs of similar wear after I inspected it following your last post. The lawyer in me is happy to have a precedent to refer to if mine gets worse.

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    3. Alison, you have intrigued me, what are your returning??? lol

      Helen, don't put up with it, I believe Classics are at the superior end of the Filofax range and should wear better than they are doing!

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  8. Do any of you pro filofaxers out there have any tips for hole punching things like plastic? I have a filofax metal punch but have a hard time trying to punch through sheet protectors and plastic folder type objects. any suggestions?

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    1. Use your 6 hole punch to 'mark' the position of the holes, just apply gentle pressure.

      Then use a normal single hole punch to get through the plastic. Yes you risk damaging your punch trying to punch plastic.

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    2. I use a crop-odile by W R Memory Keepers (I think that's what its called), bought for scrapbooking and crafting, just use a spare piece of paper as a guide for where to punch, it will go through plastic, chipboard, metal anything really !!!

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    3. I have a metal single hole punch bought on Smaxon for £2.75. Punches tough stuff and multiple pages easily. i just use the Filofax ruler or a piece of filofax paper as a hole guide. Or for one filo where I punch a lot I made a hole guide out of card and keep it in a pocket.

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  9. Do you happen to know their binder ring size? Not shown on the website, but hoping that it might be 30mm. . .

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  10. Also what is the ring spacing of their A5? 50 or 70mm?

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  11. Just a bit madness on my part. I have bought a Personal Malden in Ochre...the love is unbelievable. What I must add though is I sold the same binder a months ago as I really didn't feel the love. Where is the logic? Anybody else done this?

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    1. no but I did the opposite in a way...rejected one in a shop as it was floppy and nasty and not for me. Then went on the Flikr link above and saw a photo ( thevery first photo by the way!) of a lovely design which I presumed was an old discontinued one, looked at the caption... Ochre Malden I went on ebay and four hours later it was mine. It arrived yesterday and I love it... It smells so good for a start!

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  12. Done the opposite actually....Brought an A5 Kendal, adored it for a while, now I really don't like the sight of it, it just looks nasty!

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    1. I touched a Kendal for the first time tonight in Staples... i was curious as to what oiled leather was.... Yeeuuch! Nasty.
      On past performance that probably means I'll own one in a month or so!

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    2. Really? I love my Kendals. If you don't like it and don't want it any longer I could buy it off you? Contact me at femfuller (at) gmail dot com if you're interested.

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  13. Holy sweet mother..... over a grand for a leather organiser? I think I'll stick with Filofax!

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  14. Gail
    That is for a batch of 25!
    Steve

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  15. Oh thank goodness for that, think I should hunt out my specs. Lol

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  16. hello,

    does annyone know where to find templates to track time for activity.
    For work I have to keep track of my hours where and what I do with every client. I know that I could do it myself. But I'm already bussy enough so...can anyone help me with this. Its for the A5 or personal size. doesn't really matter....but better for the personal. Because I have this always with me.

    I do it know in Excel and write in another notebook my hours and put the data in excel. But I like it to have it within my Filofax.
    Thanx in advance

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    1. Hi Rianne
      Take a look through our collection of templates here:

      http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/p/files.html

      If you can't see what you want there, let us know what sort of layout you need and we can create it for you.

      Regards
      Steve

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    2. Hi Steve,

      Thanx I totaly missed the flexible time log. I don't know why i didn't see it before. Are the recent?

      Because i searched it a couple of weeks a go trough the files....or my head whas somewhere else. hahahahaha

      Greetings Rianne

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  17. These time and activity trackers might be what you're looking for - A5 and Personal versions.

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    1. Thanx Ray the are really great.

      I really have found what I'm looking for.
      It's just a matter of explore what I like to work with.

      Yhanx Steve and Ray

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  18. MY FFAF musing is that the baroque was on the shelves so briefly and didn't make much of an impact at the time, seemingly but there are loads and loads of baroque lovers out there. I have a mini teal which I use as my travel filo and I love it to bits. If they had had bigger sizes available (I got mine on sale)I would have bulk bought in the black and the teal. I love reading posts about them - they seem to be very sought after. I love that they are so plain and soft on the outside and then inside is the beautiful embossing.

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  19. Janet - couldn't agree more. I am totally sold on Baroques. Lovely quality; lays flat and decorative.

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