Saturday, January 16, 2016

Planner Theme Blog Hop~My love for Filofax



Hey everyone!  If you came from the talented Becca Whitham's blog, you are in the right place!  I'm joining in with these fabulous crafty ladies again this month, and we are sharing our planners!

I just jumped into the planner world last year. If you are new to the planner world...I will warn you, it is easy to become overwhelmed (and addicted, lol).  I started with the Erin Condren Life Planner, I actually did love it, but I started joining Facebook planner groups, and discovered Filofax.  I love both planners now, for different reasons...but I am still so new to the planner world, I'm still learning everything!

For the Erin Condren Life Planner, I love that it comes completely done.  No accessories required, though the matching items are so tempting!  It is perfect to use at home for bills, and family info.  I love that is pretty, and I don't feel the need to decorate it (though lots of people do), and I love the overall layout. It's just too big to put in my purse...so I find myself not using it as much.  But, it's pretty pricey for to use for just one year.  But, I did find it to be good quality.

Then last June, I discovered Filofax...and the bargain hunter in me loves the Filofax much more.  The Filofax is a planner that comes from the UK.  They come in lots of styles, sizes, and colors.  My favorite is the Personal size.  I love that you can get buy it on Amazon, and depending which planner you choose...the prices are more affordable.  I love that it fits in my purse, which makes me use it much more...and helps me track our expenses to stay on budget.  I love that you can decorate it as little, or as much as you want...which makes it even more fun to use!  Most of all, I love that you can use them year after year, and just switch out the inserts for a new year (for about $10).

My collection of Filofax's are all leather, and sad but true...they make me happy just to look at them! I ordered a them all at once from the UK Amazon, and saved over $200 that way...but if I had to do it over, I would have just started with one.  In case you are new to planners, you don't NEED more than one...but I like to change them out every so often, like you do purses.  My current favorite, is the Filofax Malden Personal Organizer Ochre, which is a super soft leather.  Make sure you read the description, as not all Filofax's are leather (especially the super cheap ones).  ;)

So, here is my current collection:




Another fun part of Filofax's is how much you can accessorize it.  I recently made some charms, that hold the place like a bookmark.  If you are a CTMH girl, the Base and Bling items would make awesome charms for your planner!  But, when I first started out...I just made a dashboard.  I don't know who named it dashboard...but, a dashboard is a decorative page you see first thing when you open your planner.  So here is the one I made:



For my dashboard, I was inspired by Kelly Latevola's YouTube video.  She made the most amazing video showing No Line Copic Coloring!  I used the stamp set Watercolored Anemones, from Wplus9.  I second generation stamped the images, and then gave it my first try at No Line Copic coloring.  I loved it, and I'm so happy I finally tried it out!

For the inside I wanted to make shaker inserts to divide the pages, which were super easy using CTMH Flip Flaps.  So easy, if you saw my Easiest Shaker Card~EVER YouTube video, this was pretty similar, and still no Fuse Tool required.  I used the Crop-a-dile Big Bite punch to place holes in the Flip Flaps after sealing.  The sequins are too big to fit through the holes, but glitter or seed beads won't work for this easy insert.



I hope you had fun peeking in my planner, and you can incorporate some ideas in your own planner.    Now on with the hop, to see what the Amy McVey has to share about her planner!

Thanks for joining me!!!









14 comments:

  1. I cannot stop looking at the rainbow of planners! I just learned way more than I ever knew about customizing and such--thank you!!! Definitely going to be "shaking" things up a bit over here soon! I hope you realize what a talent you have for coloring--I am always blown away, and this is no exception. I sooooooo wish you could come give me lessons! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Amie!!! They are so fun! I think I have more planners and purses than shoes...seriously! Lol Ah, thank you!!! I still feel new to coloring, but love sharing what I've learned so far! Me too...I sort of can! Check out my 2 CTMH YouTube videos, where I share how to marry the ShinHan markers. They aren't the best videos, because I have no clue how to edit yet...but I think you would like them!

      Delete
  2. I am so new to this planner business and I love all the info you gave!!! Love the money saving tips, because you are exactly right in the fact that it's easy to go overboard in spending if you don't know the ins & outs. And PS: your "dashboard" ;) is GORGEOUS! Like, breathtakingly gorgeous! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kelly!!! Just trying to share what I have picked up so far! Thank you, it was sooo fun and I can't wait to have the time to no-line color again! You have to watch Kelly Latevola's YouTube video-She's the brillant one! I just changed the colors etc. :)

      Delete
  3. Your work is beautiful. I'm looking into the different kinds of planners because my day planner doesn't keep track of enough. But I might want to spend more time decorating than actually planning after seeing how pretty they can be.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Becca!!! It's truly an honor coming from you! Amazon has a great return policy...you could check them all out and keep your fave! ;) This blog hop is this only reason I took the time to make my planner so pretty. I have good intentions...but I wait for the *perfect* idea, lol!

      Delete
  4. This is so stunning Stephanie! I'm thrilled that I inspired you to make such a gorgeous piece :) Those layered sentiments are perfect!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, thank you so much Kelly!!! I am thrilled you took the time to visit my humble blog and comment! All of your cards inspire me, your cards are AMAZING!!! Insert an emoji with me bowing down to you, lol!

      Delete
  5. This is so stunning Stephanie! I'm thrilled that I inspired you to make such a gorgeous piece :) Those layered sentiments are perfect!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, thank you so much Kelly!!! I am thrilled you took the time to visit my humble blog and comment! All of your cards inspire me, your cards are AMAZING!!! Insert an emoji with me bowing down to you, lol!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is so cute Stephanie! I love everything you share, especially in videos. You are the reason I have built my craft hobby! I just started 8 months ago and I have gotten so many ideas from your videos and today, I joined your blog! I love the planners, very cute! Please keep sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, thanks so much Michelle!!! What a sweet comment, you totally made my day! I'm so happy I could inspire you! I only started a few years ago myself, and I've had so much fun this last year using all kinds of new products (that are not CTMH). I will be sharing on Instagram for now, while we are still settling in! But, I promise to get back to making videos once I have more time! Thanks for taking the time to leave such a sweet comment! Hugs
      Delete

      Delete
  8. Hi Stephanie Love all your work Your cards are beautiful!! I love your adorable shaker insets Can u tell me what stamp set the little boy is? Thanks for sharing Your are so talented

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Jen! Ah, thanks so much!!! I used a stamp set from The Greeting Farm. It was a Christmas stamp set, that I'm not sure if it is still available. I showed it in one of my haul videos. Thank you so much for your sweet compliments!

      Delete