Saturday, August 31, 2013

Labor Day!!

I might not be in North America, but I still want to give readers over there a nice gift for this Labor Day weekend.




Get a 25% discount in my shop by using the code L4B0RD4Y when you check out. Minimum purchase is $3.00. Note: the vowels are replaced by numbers, so it's not an O, but a zero. ;)


Don't let this offer get away!!
thanks for reading, 

Oni

Friday, August 30, 2013

September is near!!

Wow! I can't believe how fast this year is going by! It feels like just a while ago we were still in March freezing our butts off, and all of a sudden September is knocking at our doors!

September has got to be one of my favourite months of the year. For starters, simply the words SEPTEMBER or SEPTIEMBRE in Spanish, have a really nice sound. The other three -BER's that follow it just can't compete. They're dull, grey and so cold!

Also I've always felt September as a month of renovation and restarts. I suppose that is due to the school year starting in many countries, as well as most people returning to work after the Summer or Winter holidays, depending on which hemisphere you're at.

Plus, in Spain and many other countries, the weather is still nice, and if you go to the beach you won't find it as crowded as during previous months. 

Yet those of us who aren't lucky to be living near a beach nor blessed with Spanish weather, need other things to make the return to school and work less of a drag.

Stationery is one of them, and more in tune with September, planners or diaries like they're called here in the UK. We start thinking of getting a new planner, an academic one, just because it's so nice to start one. We then actually buy the planner, only to start yearning a few weeks later for the year to end, so we can start yet another diary, in the hopes that this time, we might reach Planner Nirvana.
At least, that is what I know is going to happen to me. But more on that on a different post!

For those of you who use ring-bound planners, like Filofax, Franklin Covey, Paperchase, etc., it is easier to go about trying new formats for September, as you don't need to buy a whole new diary. Simply switching pages in your book will suffice.

Yet still, if you wanted to try a new format for the current year, the most likely option would be to purchase a whole 2013 pack of planner pages, which even though they might be discounted at this point, it is still a waste of paper and money.

What if there was the possibility of buying only the four months remaining, just to see if you do like the format, paper, size, etc.? And what if you could have those inserts straight away, without having to wait on the post man to deliver them to you?

Well then, ladies and gents, you will now be able to get them in my shop as a downloadable PDF file, complete with printing instructions, to keep you busy during the weekend.

Wanna take a look? Click me!!

I will be adding more sizes if you guys need them, so please let me know either by sending me a convo on Etsy, or leaving a comment below.
Thanks so much and enjoy the weekend!!
Oni


Thursday, August 22, 2013

Using the Aqua Mini Finsbury as my wallet

For nearly three weeks now, I have been using the Mini Finsbury Filofax I won on eBay as my wallet and back-up planner, and sadly, it is not working out as I had hoped.

For starters, I have already invested quite some time recording useful information inside my Mark's 18 month planner, and I'm already duplicating events and appointments into the Mini, so I do not wish to also copy things like postage prices, past events, lists, etc.



Because of this I have been carrying both my Mark's and my Mini, thus adding weight and volume to my bag.

My previous setup was much more simple and convenient. I wasn't carrying a wallet, instead I was using a cardholder from Bimba & Lola, that doesn't use up space and is also easy to use; I can pull and stash my cards without hassle, I can carry about 6, and also some bills, although not more than 5. And due to its tiny size, I was able to even carry it in my pocket.



The Mini allows me to carry more money bills, but I hardly ever need to. It only has three card slots that are too tight and I often find myself struggling to get my cards out.
Another thing that irks me is the fact that when I open it, people near me, like at a queue, are able to peek inside. Surely I do not have anything on the first page, but nevertheless I do not like others looking at my personal things.



Another detail I noticed now whilst paying for my coffee, is that it is more cumbersome to stash my bills, as I have to open the Mini once again.



Not to mention that the tiny zippered pocket is a hassle to use for coins! Unless you have a flat surface to lay the Mini on, it's nearly impossible to open it enough to get them.



Because I really like the Mini purely for aesthetic reasons, I want to keep on using it, but I'm not sure if its looks are going to be enough for me to be more patient and get used to it. For the time being, it still comes with me in my bag. Only time will tell if it's worth the hassle or not.