♩ ♬ I'm Dreaming of a Filo-Christmas♪ ♫

Merry Christmas to everybody from KENT FROM OZ!

♩ ♬♪ ♫ I'm dreaming of a Filo-Christmas,
With every note and date I write ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬
♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ May your pages be merry and bright
And may all your rings and clasps be tight! ♩ ♬♪ ♫

OK, here goes from the top down. M2 Brown Balmoral, Mini Brown Chameleon, Pocket Black Domino, Personal Black Collins/Debden, Red A5 Metropol, A5 Black FC, A5 Black FC Zip, Burgundy Performore 3-ring and Black iPad Pennybridge. on my gorgeous cast iron string holder.

Beautiful Notebooks

Psssst! are you sittin' down?

I did a little internet surfing today and found myself in paradise.

I love love love love notebooks.

Not just the new and modern styles, but curiously, i love the look and style of old, well-used and antiquated notebooks.

I found a plethora of images of the words and ideas of many famous people.

It was fascinating!

Da Vinci

I spent a lot of time examining and admiring the written words and diagrams and settings.

It is sadly a dying art to keep journals and write your thoughts down.

The revival is here, but it is only kept by a small few who burn the light of centuries of journalists, scribes and ordinary people who capture the world of their lives and thoughts and preserve them on paper.

Enough said.

You my dear reader are either saying "Yea" or "Nay".

To each his own.

For me?

It is bliss!!

As a scientist and an academic, I am drawn to writings of such folk (but not exclusively). Here are a few samples to salivate over....



Alexander Graham Bell



Charles Darwin



Da Vinci



Thomas Edison



Henry Miller





Da Vinci





Da Vinci





Isaac Newton



Isaac Newton



Nick Cave (note it is a filofax!!!)





Madam Curie





Proust



Samuel Beckett





And last but not least the U.K.'s own George Redgrave (Photo and Filofax extraordinaire)

KENT FROM OZ: Innovative Bullet Journal Symbols (for the bored a...

KENT FROM OZ: Innovative Bullet Journal Symbols (for the bored a...: Sometimes, bullet journaling just needs to get crazy! PS - Filofax lovers will note a Malden mention - of course!

KENT FROM OZ: The Scent of Leather: A Little Slice of Heaven

KENT FROM OZ: The Scent of Leather: A Little Slice of Heaven: Normally I would be very candid about this confession. But I am sure you will agree with me. There are some small, simple things in l...

The Scent of Leather: A Little Slice of Heaven

Normally I would be very candid about this confession.
But I am sure you will agree with me.
There are some small, simple things in life
which makes us stop,
and for a moment,
a single drifting moment,
we lose ourselves in complete Nirvana.

Such it is
with the sweet smell
of leather

Not just any leather,
but the quality of the leather attached to an item.
A personal item.
A treasure.
Something worthwhile and purposeful.
Something useful that has meaning.
Something that holds my secrets
and is part of me.

I received a new leather binder a while ago.
It feels heavy.
It is smooth and seductive.
It fills the senses with the intoxicating aroma
of well-crafted leather.

I stop
I breath in
slowly, ever slowly
I hold my breath
and feel the flood of calming emotions

This is my confession
my hidden vice
my secret pleasure.
I love leather.

What better way to be centred with the earth.
It is rich and deep and strong and filling.

I just like it.





Cheers,
Kfroz

Midori-Style Hand-Made Binder - Bliss!!!

OMG OMG OMG!

The wonderful Glenda Slann sent me a handmade handcrafted leather fauxdori!

It arrived yesterday. When I opened the package it was amazing. The aroma of the top quality leather was just intoxicating.

Recently I posted in Facebook about wether it was time to 'dip my toes' into the Midori-style notebook covers. Glenda contacted me to show me some of her wares. It is exactly what I've been looking for. And that, so they say, is history in the making!

I've included pictures for you to see.

The finished product. The leather colour is called Mucha Mocha.

The reverse side. I decided on a middle placed band to close it.

The inside is a darker and softer leather with multiple card slots and pockets. The matching rubber bands are quite thick and match the outside cover.

Four internal bands with two petite charm page markers.

The gererous pen loop gives enough room to move the largest of pens out of the way!

I placed in my six Fieldnotes notebooks that the wonderful Michael Batzgen sent me from Germany. They are amazing as well, and they fit perfectly into the binder. The workmanship is perfect.The workmanship is exceptional. The binder is made from quality Australian leather, and it is cut, designed and finished with precision and care.

The Pocket size Fieldnotes fit PERFECTLY!!!

The pen moves easily to the side to accomodate space for closing onto 6 NOTEBOOKS!!!!

The unique designs of all the flaps and pockets are just fantastic. I am more than impressed with the whole package. The actual closing stud and rubber band work very very well and are more than secure.

The metal clasp is small, strong and elegent.

My Fieldnotes pen looks right at home. But there enough room for the fattest Coleto or fountain pen.

I am so impressed with the way Glenda has listened to my ideas and designed such a useful and unique binder. If anything will influence me to move over and use a midori-style binder, I cannot think of a better one to begin that journey.

Glenda, you are amazing.

Your ability to create such a wonderful thing is beyond words.

Thank you so much.

Plenty of room. I think I could add another 2 or three more notebooks easily.

The 6 Fieldnotes notebooks from Michael. The top one has gold guilded edging!

Look at this stitching! Strong, matching and even. Brilliant!

And of course, if we could ever be in a world where we could transfer to our readers the aromas of such a unique piece of craftsmanship, you would just swoon with the delicious leathery smells of this amazing binder.

Not much more to say now. I am literally lost for words.

Here are Glenda's details, and I could not recommend her more highly.

Glenda, you are amazing!

Please check out her Facebook page to see the work she does.    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bypaperflower/224503394410610?ref=bookmarks

Satisfaction rating: 10 out of 10!

Pocket Malden Charm

I was looking to put a charm on the Pocket Malden and ended up with this.

I took a while to find the kind of charms I liked. I initially tried to fit them onto the bookmark of the Moleskine but they were too awkward and didnt seem right.

I connected a Pewter Feather charm and a brass medallion with 'BE YOU' imprinted on it to a brass split-pin connector.

I poked a hole in the outside of the Malden (yep..I did!) and then secured it by place ing the split ends apart.

I had to put it a little lower than I wanted as the edge of the pin would have rotated and come above the long pocket edge. :-(

It gives it a little 'jingle' sound as I carry it. I can still write on the pages as it doesn't really impede on the Malden laying flat. But it is early days and I will see if I can live with it.

Why a Filofax?

My Pocket Ochre Malden Filofax with a customized clip.

Why indeed?


I guess it comes down to a number of intersecting aspects of my life:

the need to use my time better
the desire to be more productive
a requirement to have a lot of my information all in one place
the insurance that I don't forget important things

and a passion for quality stationery

I use metal tabs and paperclips for the rustic look and convenience.

My journey with Filofaxes has been fluid and long.

I have always kept journals and diaries
but never really kept them going long enough
or utilized their capacity so they served me well
they looked so cool in the 1980's and are a novelty in the 2010's.

I simply LOVE to carry mine.
My pocket ochre Malden
in all its leathery splendor.

it looks manly
it feels comforting
it is not out of place in most settings
and it just feels right

I can rely on it
I protect it
it assists me when I need it
it helps me to think
and it serves me and no-one else.

My Filofax is tactile,
made with quality materials,
ever changing and adapting
and rustic.

and it's mine.

My Pocket Malden (pre-clip days) with my Journal. My two main carries.

Enjoying the Leather of a Used Filofax

I've just had this thought.

 

Not sure if I like the fact I had it.

 

 

 

The lovely patina that is found on the covers of some of the older and used leather Filofaxes make them look amazing and feel fantastic.

 

 

However,

 

 

I think that is due mostly to the daily wear-and-tear usage of the previous owners, including the grease, sweat, oil and dirt from their hands over many years.

 

 

 

Not sure if I like that idea, however it still makes them look luxurious, warm, welcoming and appealing which beckons you to want to touch and feel the effect.

 

 

 

I think that's reading a bit weird so I will stop typing now…

Adding Credit Card Pockets to Filofax Mini - A new way to do it

I have been using a filofax as a wallet for a few years now and have never looked back.

 

As they were starting to get a bit tatty after 3 years, I decided to upgrade my wallet credit card holders in my Filofax mini Cavendish in calf leather. 

 

 

The card holders open from the inside so the risk of cards slipping out when the filofax/wallet is open is reduced considerably.

 

 

I use this as my permanent wallet. I picked up some cheap but strong credit card holders at Officeworks which has 10 pockets for four dollars.

 

I easily pulled the credit card pockets out with my hands and then removed the two studs with pliers (ok scissors, but don't tell mum).

 

 

 

To make it even hardier, I decided not to cut the pockets individually but to place it totally into my wallet. This created a bit more stability and should stop each sleeve from tearing from overuse (especially the VISA pocket).

 

I marked the holes from my previous card inserts as they were exactly the right distance and position.

 

However, putting the holes in required a hand-held hole punch, and herculean strength from me. Luckily my Australian rugged manliness came into the forefront and I was able to do it. (Ok, I got a mate to do it...but he does work out).

As you can see, it fits back quite nicely in the rings, and I am very pleased with the result.