Filofax review: my slim magenta Flex by Filofax



WARNING:  Lots of droolworthy pictures below...

I don't think you guys 'get' the Flex yet! I'm still surprised that Filofax addicts aren't raving more about the various perks of the Filofax Flex binders. So I thought I'd share my thoughts with this Filofax review of the slim Flex by Filofax. I have it in this pretty magenta colour.



This is an older post and sadly Filofax don't make the Flex anymore. But I hope you'll still enjoy the nostalgia of this post and others I've written about the Flex ...

How I use my slim Filofax Flex as a mobile phone cover 


I've already shown you how I use my A5 Black Flex as my Kindle cover. Now I'm going to show you how I use my slim magenta Flex with my smartphone.  

(Note:  I do take pictures using my smartphone, so it's a tricky one as I can't take pictures of my smartphone being used with my Slim Flex, because I'm using the phone to take the pics... sorry.  There are some sexy pics of my Slim Flex further down though, so don't fret.)

I do a few casual shifts in a bar around the corner from where I live, and so I like to nip down the street with as little as possible holding me down – usually because I'm running late!  My slim Flex fits perfectly in my little handbag, and what's more, my smartphone fits perfectly in my Slim Flex!

When I get to work, my handbag goes into the office, but I like to keep my phone behind the bar, and it just feels safer slipped into the inside pocket of my Flex because it's not on display.

During a quiet moment I sometimes like to sit on a stool with my Flex open and my smartphone on one side of it, open on a cocktail app, with my notebook on the other side with my scribbled notes and diagrams of different cocktail recipes I am trying to learn.  It just makes sense!


Think outside of the box with your Flex Filofax 


You have to stop thinking about the Flex as a Filofax planner in the traditional sense, and start thinking outside of the box.

What else can a slim Flex hold?  Your passport, receipts, notes, cards...  the Flex isn't here to replace your Filofax, its here to compliment it!


Use your Flex alongside your Filofax


You can slip your slim Flex into pretty much any personal organiser. You can play around with colours too and accessorise your personal Filofax with a Flex.

For example:

  • Team an A5 Aqua Chameleon Filofax with a slim Flex in slate
  • A magenta slim Flex looks pretty cute slipped into my new chocolate personal Aston.  
  • I bet it would look even better slipped into an Orchid Aston with the pink stitching!  
  • Contrast a lighter shade of Filofax like the Mushroom Aston with a Black Flex.  (Sorry... I'm a little obsessed with Astons right now).

Here are some pics of what my Slim Magenta Flex looks like with some of my other Filofaxes ...





As you can see, the sizing of the Slim Flex is ideal for a personal Filofax.  This is my slim magenta Flex popped into my personal wine Holborn zipped Filofax.  

I love my new Holborn zipped because I can literally chuck anything I like in loose, and then zip it up to keep everything together.  That's why the Slim Flex works so well with it.  I don't have to fit it into any slots or pockets, it just sits there, like it is laying back on a sun-lounger!


How I use my slim Flex with my personal Holborn zipped Filofax

 
Wondering how I am using my Slim Flex with my Holborn?  Well, I just love the little bound Flex Notebooks!  You can get a lined one or a plain one and they're great for scribbling in.  I know you can use Filofax paper inserts for this, but there's just something about scribbling in a little bound notebook, making doodles, sketching, jotting things down...  

I am also experimenting with a new diary system whereby I want to start using a Flex bound diary insert as a way to permanently record important dates and things I have done and then use my Filofax more as a non-permanent planner, which is what it is really designed for.  

I have always found the non-permanent nature of Filofax inserts annoying as I never feel I can relax knowing all my info is there forever in proper chronological order.  

You can use your slim Flex to keep a small collection of mini-notebooks to compliment your own Filofax system.  You can fit 1 to 4 slim notebook inserts into these Flex binders after all!  

Or how about making it your sticker and post-it station?  Now that's a good one!

You might think the Slim flex will dominate in your Filofax, but it can quite neatly slip into the back and out of the way.  It doesn't even fall out when you open your Filofax up, because your Filofax inserts press the Flex against the back cover.





How I use my Filofax Flex with pocket, personal, and A5 Filofaxes 


With my pocket Guildford I used to slip an old stretchy hair-band over the back cover so that I could slip a thin notebook in the back and the hair-band would keep the notebook in place by its spine. 

Well, there's no reason why you can't do this with a personal-sized Filofax and a slim Flex binder!






It would provide extra card slots, notebooks, a jot-pad; not to mention those all-important slip in cardboard pen-loops.

Sometimes I use my slim Flex cardboard pen-loop on its own in my personal Aston - you can just slip it into the front or back pocket.






But don't stop at the personal size - swap your slim Flex over to your A5 Filofax!  If you are using your Flex as a sticker and post-it station, it's great because it can pop into your A5 Filofax even easier...






Don't you think the Aqua of my A5 Chameleon looks even more fun and girly when teamed with my slim magenta Flex?  Well I do!  Hee hee.






And last but not at all least...






Don't look so baffled!  Its fun, cute, and most importantly - it works...  

Besides, I like to mix up different sizes, it adds character to my super-system of organisation.

Don't be afraid to share your thoughts in the comments below, I love to read and respond!



See you in the comments ...


Loved it and want more?





Filofax Vlog: my Holborn zipped Filofax is also my new clutch bag!



They both arrived this morning and I am absolutely smitten. Maybe I should think about joining a Filofax addicts anonymous group? I am developing quite a Filofax collection.


I hope you enjoy watching me in my madness. You might also enjoy reading the story of how I discovered these two beauties.

Let me know what you thought of the vlog.



Thanks for watching!









Loved it and want more?




Aston Filofax and Holborn zipped - love at first sight


ASTON FILOFAX (Personal)


I saw and held an Aston Filofax today. As a Filofax addict, I should have known better ...


What happens when you can't decide between two gorgeous Filofaxes?  Well, if you're anything like me, you basically end up with two stunning new organisers, and a rather alarming dent in your virtual wallet.  I couldn't help myself.

I didn't purchase them both on a whim though.  No no... When you are deciding on your next Filofax, it is, of course, essential that you check every single review, blog post, and Youtube video.

I exhausted them all, and a week later I came to the conclusion that if I didn't purchase both of these stunning planners, there would always be that - what if...?

It all started when I was browsing the Filofaxes in Paperchase on Tottenham Court Road - Not because I was looking for a new Filofax, but because I couldn't resist. I never can.


The Aston Filofax 


I picked up this ordinary looking Aston Filofax and was immediately taken aback. It felt... right. Suddenly the rich dark chocolate colour was just so... me.

The leather was soft against my fingertips, and ever so slightly cushioned. The graining was so subtle, and the stitching - talk about elegant.

It fitted into my palm so comfortably that I had to have a private moment with the Aston right then and there, whilst standing in the middle of Paperchase, with the security guard looking on suspiciously as my eyes rolled back and my fingers fondled the merchandise.

When I opened the snap and looked down, I knew exactly what to expect - I held my breath, almost hoping it wouldn't be so... but it was. The Aston leather cover was totally flexible.  It bent right back onto itself like the cover of an old paperback book - heart-wrenching perfection.

Now then, in the reviews, the Aston Filofax is often referred to as plain and lacking that certain je ne sais quoi; I assure you these people don't know what they are talking about!

I honestly don't know how anyone can hold this beauty in the palm of their hand and not experience the magic.  The Aston, in my opinion, is just so classy and sexy; but in an understated, elegant sort of way... a bit like me I suppose.  Dogs look like their owners, do Filofaxes?

The price tag brought me back down to earth though - Eighty quid?  Yikes.  Better think this through. Reluctantly, I returned my soul mate to the shelf and sheepishly walked away, past the freaked out security guard and out onto the sunny street.

My love encounter wasn't about to end there though.  It was when I pulled my stubby old 80's burgundy planner out on the bus to console myself (it has always worked in the past) that I knew it was over between us.  I craved the elegance and subtle beauty of the Aston like nothing you could possibly imagine.

So I spent a whole week scanning my laptop for reviews and pictures and deals. That's when I came across a Youtube video that compared my beautiful Aston, with a Holborn zipped. Suddenly I was very, very confused.


The Holborn zipped 


I have never been a fan of the idea of a zipped Filofax.  Perhaps they remind me of those bulky zipped school pencil cases from back in the day. I was always more of a slim leather or tin pencil case kinda schoolgirl.

My opinions were challenged though when I watched greedily as an American woman ran her hands all over this Holborn zipped Filofax in a Youtube video, whilst comparing it with my beloved Aston. I couldn't figure out the feeling I was experiencing at the time, but I know now - I was jealous.




Initially, it was the colour that attracted me. Not burgundy, but a beautiful classy wine colour.  Then it was the look of the buffalo leather.  Bear in mind that I had never handled buffalo leather before, but as soon as this American lady described it as "buttery", I knew I was intrigued.

The smooth leather caught the light in the video which totally enhanced the wine colour.  I think I watched this video five or six times in a row trying to imagine what it felt like to hold it in my hands.

When the woman started to reveal all the pockets and space there was inside, I realised I had a problem. This Filofax was like a little clutch bag!  I am a woman okay?  The idea of a Filofax/clutch was too much... I had to have it! A woman can never have too many bags.  It wouldn't be like I was purchasing two Filofaxes... because obviously, that would be nuts! No, I was going to purchase an Aston Filofax planner, and a Holborn Filofax clutch bag -  This is my story and I'm sticking to it!

So that's exactly what I did. Thoughts and comments anyone?



Stay tuned for more about these beauties!









Loved it and want more?




Never Miss A Post...