Every now and then I will browse the #mahalmade tag on Instagram to check out photos posted by people that are using my charms and how they use them. Quite a few of the lovely ladies seem to have been clipping them onto journals and personal organizers and their captions included the tag #filofax. I didn’t know what “filofax” was so I took a browse through the tag and did my research and I found myself in personal organizer world filled with washi tape, fun post-its and other decorative elements… AND. I. FELL. IN. LOVE! By nature, I am into all kinds of things that allow me to express myself creatively. I scrapbooked for a bit then found myself getting too lazy printing photos to use and I eventually stopped, but my stash of fun papers lingered around.
The filofax/personal organizer world was calling my name! An actual Filofax was not– they cost a bit more than I wanted to spend on something that I wasn’t sure I’d stick with, so after doing some research I opted to go a less expensive route. I found myself at Staples and I purchased the light, minty blue Martha Stewart binder ($9.99) as well as a few inserts, and I wanted to share with you what I have so far! This is just a couple days in– nowhere NEAR a lot of other peoples’ organizers but it’s a process :).
Here is my binder. It’s a 1″ binder and inserts that are 8.5″ x 5.5″. It did not have a closure but I found something online where the girl used the MS nameplates and a piece of elastic to go around the binder. I have lots of decorative elastic from when I made headbands for my daughter, and I had this perfect sparkly minty blue ribbon that was PERFECT. The binder itself is nice. It is a three ring binder with a single pocket on both the front and back pockets. The inside of the binder is cloth while the outside is a faux leather type of material. From the going store-to-store that I did before I finally purchased this binder, the light blue gets dirty pretty easily so just something to be aware of if you decide to purchase one. It does feel sturdy though unlike some of the other small binders that are currently available.
Here’s what my binder looks like when you first open it. I bought the clear vinyl zipper pouch from the MS line. Inside I have a couple of black pens and four Sakura Soufflé pens which are pastel and dry matte. They’re amazing. I bought my Sakura pens at Michaels. They came in a set of 10 for $24.99 but I used a 40% off coupon for them.
On the inside cover I have a heart chalkboard sticker that I’m using as a color key, each color represents a different family member.
I used some of the decorative paper I also got at Michaels a couples months ago to make little folder pockets to store things such as sticker sheets and other cards in. And those little bunnies! Sticky tabs I bought at Daiso… for $1.50! Aren’t they adorable?
Uhhhh yeah, have I mentioned how ADORABLE these bunnies are????!!!! And they even have backs on them haha.
For the calendar inserts I searched for printables online. I found these month calendars on Etsy from the shop Organize With Katie so I printed them out then pasted them onto more decorative paper. Next, I needed weekly pages. Initially, I bought the MS 2014 inserts but considering half the year is already gone it just didn’t make much sense so I returned them. I thought of designing my own bit dating them all seemed more of a pain in the butt than it was worth so I ordered a set off of the same Etsy seller. I would have preferred a different font but I can always worry about that next year. Here is what the pages look like blank:
They are one week on two pages. Here is my layout for this week (week 27):
Really simple, mainly because I don’t have a whole lot to decorate with haha. With it being the week of Independence Day, I decided to go with patriotic red, white, & blue stars, bunting, and a strip of glitter tape.
From the Martha Stewart Home Office line I also purchased a pack of these four slot clear inserts. They have flaps that go over each row so that the contents don’t spill it. One pack came with five sheets. Right now, I just have my daughter’s school photo. They’re the perfect size for wallet photos, business cards, journal cards, etc.
I also made mini calendar cards that I can slip in between my weekly pages so I don’t have to flip back and forth to check dates. These are also printables that I found online and pasted onto paper. The calendar is actually a one year calendar but I cut out the individual months to fit my needs. You can get it here.
Lastly is my current “today” marker. I saw something like this on Pinterest but I can’t find where it’s from so I made my own for personal use. I don’t have a laminator but that’s fine since I’ll likely be changing this out for different paper patterns anyway.
And that about sums up the beginning of my organizer. I’m hoping to make this a weekly post to share my layouts, crossing my fingers that I do (eek!). I’m super excited to work on my organizer more! Right now I’m looking for washi tape. I’ve found tons of stores online that sell them but I have a hard time finding designs that I like that I would see myself using often. Do you keep a personal organizer/filofax? Please share your favorite shops to purchase supplies!
