Gillio Firenze Mia Cara in epoca pink

Earlier this week I was lucky enough to spot this stunning Gillio in a resale group on Facebook and just had to buy her. She unfortunately arrived while I was at work but an early morning trip to the local Post Office the next day meant that I didn't have to wait too long to unpack her and discover the beauty and craftsmanship of Gillio planners for myself!

She is very pebbly and a glorious pink colour. She has the most amazing leather smell and is buttery soft.

The back is just as pebbly as the front.

On the inside left is a popper pocket, a zip pocket and a slip pocket. There is also a pen pocket.

The actual planner part has three credit card slots on the left hand side and a further pocket which fits business cards.

The planner part comes out from the outer jacket and could be used separately. There are six credit car slots on the right hand side of the outer jacket, the cards fit in horizontally and behind the card pockets is a slip pocket.

The popper pocket is nice and deep and could have a multitude of uses.

The outer jacket has an amazingly large pocket along the full length of the back and this is going to be very useful for putting all those papers I usually have getting screwed up in my bag!

I have spent the morning tweaking my setup and am happy with how I have her set up. She is quite full and gloriously robust!

Gillio Planners come in a multitude of styles, sizes and colours. There is a wealth of information on the internet about them (including the Gillio site) and also many YouTube videos. I hope you have enjoyed the photos and thank you for reading!

LilyLouise

Wellbeing Diary/Journal

Quite recently I decided that I ought to track my food intake and exercise, not for weight loss but rather to see if I had any food triggers. I suffer from chronic migraine, which means I have a migraine for at least 15 days each month. I try not to use medication to combat my migraine but rather acupuncture and supplementary medications. I have found this approach to work really well and have recently been interested to see if there are any food triggers.

Whilst on holiday in The Lake District I took the annual pilgrimage to Lakeland in Windermere and came across this rather perfect Wellbeing Diary by the company BusyB. I had not come across their products before but am rather impressed by this diary.

I took the sticker off the front cover and was rather surprised that it lifted without leaving any sticky residue.

Rather nice front cover, there is a well placed pen loop on the side where I keep my pencil.

First page

First comes the actual diary section which is labelled clearly!

Each week has two pages to record information, there are 54 weeks of these double page spreads!

The left hand page is clearly labelled with Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

The right hand page has space for snacks, exercise, fruit and veg, water , goals, to do, weight and rewards.

Next is a section clearly labelled for Recipes.

There are 3 double page spreads as above.

Then there are 4 pages with a recipe section on the left hand page and a pocket on the right hand page.

Next comes the Information Section.

A brilliant page on portion size and a food colour guide.

A double page spread then tells you the important calorie content of common foods.

There are 2 double page Inspiration pages.

And 7 single note pages finish off this brilliantly put together Wellness Diary.

I am really rather impressed with this accidental purchase and will be looking into the other products from the BusyB company very soon!

One Book July 2015

It suddenly dawned on me over the weekend that Wednesday was July First which meant One Book July was almost upon me and I had not even thought about it!

I decided that after my extravagant Erin Condren purchase that I needed to use only items that I had in the house. So what follows below is a picture story, with some words, of what I am using for One Book July this year.

On my search for something suitable to use I discovered this Filofax Flex notebook I had purchased a while ago but never used and knew that this was going to be perfect. The yellow band is a hair band as I needed something to keep it together in my bag.

I have three notebooks in the Flex. The main one and my planner for the month is the daisy covered Moleskine. The Flex notebook here is going to be for journaling as I want to challenge myself to journal during July.

I am also going to use the Flex as my wallet. I have my main cards in here, along with my driving license. In the zipped pocket are stamps, a prayer about being a single parent and my nail file.

The other notebook is a thin flex notebook that I am going to use for shopping lists when I go grocery shopping.

Inside the Daisy covered Moleskine I have set up the five weeks in July. Each week has a different washi theme and is followed by four double page spreads for bullet notes and tracking how much water I drink daily, among other things as they come up.

The top photo shows how I am going to track water I drink during each week and is the first page of my first double page spread following my weekly spread. Each weeks washi theme is continued along the top of the note pages.

In order to forward plan I have two double page spreads for both August and September and a list for October.

For my one pen I am going to use this gorgeous black gel pen. I have been writing with this pen for most of June and it is very smooth and has the perfect width nib for me. It also makes me smile whenever I see it. I like it so much I bought another ten so that I don't run out any time soon!

So that is my One Book July 2015 setup. I had a wonderful time setting it up and I hope that I enjoy using it as much!

If you have not heard of One Book July then head over to YouTube and search One Book July 2015 where the genius ladies behind the challenge share their idea and set up videos. On Instagram search onebookjuly2015 and have a look at what other people have got planned.

Are you going to take part in the One Book July Challenge?

Filofax as a wallet

A very common question popping up in Facebook pages is about using a Filofax as a wallet. I think there are two obvious choices when it comes to using a Filofax as a wallet, either a compact zipped or pocket zipped. You can buy various models of zipped Filofax, I have a Pennybridge compact zip, Malden compact zip and Malden pocket zip. All three of these are great to use as a wallet. The Pennybridge and Malden have the same interior set up and I am going to talk about the Malden but everything also applies to the Pennybridge.

Here they both are next to each other! The pocket on the left and compact on the right. I set each one up and then used it for a few days before swapping into the other!

I moved everything into the pocket Malden first.

 

Inside the Malden

The pocket Malden has three external card slots and then another four card slots and a deeper slot on the inside as well as a zipped compartment which is perfect for coins. There is a secretarial pocket at the inside back which I use for receipts and bits of paper. 

Outside the Malden

On the back of the Filofax is a pocket which I never really found a use for on this size.

I use the rings to hold some card holders, open topped pockets and zipped pouches. The card holders are quite tight getting a card in and out, especially from the lower pocket and so I made a small cut in the shape of a V to make it easier to get cards out.

In the photos above I have filled it with the things I need in my wallet. I keep my mostly used cards in the inbuilt card slots and my loyalty cards in the rings. I keep coupons in the open top pockets and coffee loyalty cards in the zipped pouches. 

I found that this worked brilliantly as a wallet. It was a good size for my bag and didn't feel too big for everyday use.

After the pocket Malden came the compact.

Inside the Malden

As you can see from the photo above there are many more inbuilt card slots in the compact Malden. They are also the perfect size for cards. There are six external ones and then eight further card slots with a long deeper slot. Again there is a zipped section which is perfect for coins. The secretarial pocket on the inside back of the Filofax is perfect for receipts and papers.

Outside the Malden

The external long pocket is the perfect size to fit an iPhone 6 in and this meant I didn't need to carry my bag with my everywhere!

I had the same type of inserts as in the pocket but personal size ones. Top opening pouches, zipped pockets and card holders. The personal size card holders hold 6 cards, although I think the ones I use are called business card holders.

I made the dashboard in the front of this Malden and it is double sided so that I can flip it over. The card holders hold my loyalty cards and I have stamps and other loose bits in the zipped pocket.

Both work brilliantly as a wallet and I got comments on both of them when I was out and about. They have different plus points and I am glad that I have both and can alternate between them depending on my mood and needs! If you prefer a long larger wallet then the Compact size would be perfect and would also be better if you have more cards. The pocket is a slimmed down version and cannot hold as much change or as many cards but if you prefer a smaller wallet then it would be the one to choose!

I know people who use a pocket Finsbury/Malden, a mini Malden/Finsbury and I have even used my Kate Spade Wellesley Zip as a wallet! For me none have worked as well as the two models I have written about here.

I would love to hear about your experience of using a Filofax as a wallet, please comment below and let me know what has worked and what hasn't!

Everyone needs a hello post!

Writing a blog is certainly not something I ever thought I would do but here I am writing my first post!

So, why a blog? I have a bad habit, I have a planner problem! I love planners, all planners whether they are bound, coiled or have rings! I own multiple Filofaxes in different sizes, a Cath Kidston Diary, a vds planner, Kate Spade Wellesley, Kikki K, a Fauxdori (or two), an Organised Mum planner, a Ban.do planner, Kate Spade Agenda and today placed an order for my third Erin Condren Life Planner.

Some of my planners.

I have tried lots of different inserts, bought them printed, printed my own, bought and then printed them and even used the ones that came with the planner! I bought a laminator so that I could make my own covers and dividers. I love stickers and washi tape and pens and pencil cases! I know I am not alone in my planner and stationary problems, there are many other blogs and YouTube channels out there and I love reading/watching them.

I have always had a planner for as long as I remember and I thought I might write about them, about why they bring me joy and how I decorate them, how I colour code and what products I use, which Etsy shops I use and how many charms I own! I thought I could review them and other products as they arrive and review the everyday life of my planner.

Finally here is a photo of my current planner, my Erin Condren Life Planner uncoiled in my Gold A5 Kikki K.

So, that is the reason for my blog! Thank you for reading.

Now to plan my next post!