Filofax Starter Kit SUPPLIES Who is this for?

Filofax Starter Kit
SUPPLIES
Who is this for?
Hey sweets!
Ready to dive into planner fun? Great!
Before we get started, one note: this guide is not
about how to decorate your planner or how to use
washi tape to create layouts. This guide is about
getting your feet wet for the first time in
FilofaxLand and actually using it. It is a guide to
release some of the pressure of information overload out there.
It will provide you with simple tools to get started using a planner to organize
your life in a cute way. No extremes here – no boring b&w office paper but no
over the top decoration either; just enough to make it more appealing to the eyes
without loosing functionality.
I remember first starting out and getting so overwhelmed by all the tips and ideas
out there. It was fun reading blogs and drooling over pictures but it was hard for
me to sort out really basic stuff.
“What size do I buy? Do I really need a hole punch? How do I print those DIY
pages? Color-coding with pens? Why are there SO many types of pens to begin
with? Another thing I have to decide on! Geeeeez” :D
Months passed by, tons of experiments, time & money used {nope, I wouldn’t
say “wasted”! ;)} and I finally settled in with my little arsenal. This handy Kit is a
collection of the best handy tools + articles about extremely practical layouts that
I’ve used and still use in my planners. It is divided in two parts to not overload
you with too much info. In a few days you will receive the next part of it.
Ready? Grab a cuppa and dive in ;)
Filofax Starter Kit
SUPPLIES
Stickies
I completely LOVE those
stickers from The
Container Store. Although
I always aim for
functionality in my
planners, I need me some
cuteness with heart +
flower stickers. ;)
{Well fine, there aren’t
any hearts + flowers in
that packet but they ARE
very cute!}
It took me a LONG time
to find ones that were
practical AND pretty. The
Container Store ones hit
the nail on the head!
Everybody knows that
sticky notes are handy
and useful.
But cute? Hardly. Or the
ones that are cute can
barely stay in place for
more than a day. Those
darling ones from Office
Depot are perfect for that!
Many sizes, colors,
shapes {there is even a
heart one not pictured},
and they actually STICK! I
use them on my
dashboard so they are
easy to find.
Tabs! We so need tabs to
keep tabs on things! {oh,
my jokes! J} The thing is
that they can be pricey
considering how many
times we change our
minds about categories
and the set-up. I highly
recommend starting with
flags instead of tabs!
There’s a bunch in one
pack and you don’t feel
guilty for “wasting”
another one each time
you rearrange them. ;)
Once you define better
how the layouts and
sections will be, then
“graduate” to the pricier
fancy real tabs.
Filofax Starter Kit
SUPPLIES
Pens
Color-coding is fun and
really helps keeping things
organized. The problem is
that pens are in a whole
other category of goodies
to be researched and
experimented. So many
types, colors, textures,
sizes, it is crazily
overwhelming sometimes!
Sooo, to start? Get a simple
Bic 4 colors and play with
its color-coding
possibilities. After you feel
comfortable with it and
know what works best for
you, go explore fancy
brands! But to start go
simpler. Bic 4 colors is your
perfect on-the-go colorcoding ally. ;)
If you use your Filofax
mostly at home or carry one
of those handy pen cases in
your purse or even yet if the
barrel of a Bic 4 colors is
too uncomfortable for you
to write, get a pack of Bic
Cristal Ball pens. Same
thing as its cousin but
BETTER! You get all the
colors of Bic 4 colors plus
the standard red, black,
blue, and an extra shade of
green!
Now if you really can’t resist
and want to do some
serious doodling, fancy
handwriting and decorating
in your planner, go with
markers! The ones pictured
above are Stabilo brand.
Here where I live right now,
I got them at a grocery
store! :D I am guessing for
the European peeps, it is
the same. Australia and
Asia, I am not sure. If you
live on one of those
continents please let me
know! J
In US it can only be found in
art supply shops and they
get pricey. Sharpies are an
awesome alternative! They
are colorful, affordable and
easy to find.
Filofax Starter Kit
SUPPLIES
Paper, Printer + Hole Punch
This one is very important:
Paper! So necessary for
your inserts adventures.
You probably have been
drooling over all those
printables available around
the interwebs, right?
Yep, being able to
experiment with them all
gets easier with the right
paper. Heavier paper is
always best to print, as the
pages will look sharper and
neat. I use 24lb. paper
which is on the medium
side and it works fine too! :)
I always get the question,
“Which printer do you use?”
So here goes, I use an
Epson WorkForce 645 and I
LOVE it! It has a scanner
built in and it hasn’t given
me any problems since I
purchased it. It does double
sided printing but only for
letter size paper. For
planner goodies I print first
all even pages, flip them
over, and print the odd
ones on the back. I have
more detailed info on how
to print on personal size
and on A5 right on the next
page. ;)
Well, of course, you will need
to hole-punch your new
printed sheets and all other
little papers you may find
laying around at your house.
I haven’t found yet a holepunch that “solves it all”, so
my recommendation for
personal, pocket and mini
sizes is the Rapesco 66. The
only draw-back is that it is
hard to center the paper.
Besides that, it works great!
It cuts very sharp! For A5 I
use the Filofax one. It is far
from great; it is hard to grip
and hole-punch but it is
small and light so if you need
to take it back-and-forth to
work or school it is totally
doable.
Filofax Starter Kit
SUPPLIES
Tutorials
THIS IS A MUST READ!
It is easy to get the most
out of PlannerHeaven when
you have your supplies and
a system in place to work
with. I wrote a handy guest
post on Philofaxy about
how to do just that. It
includes paper comparison
{US papers vs. International
paper sizes}, how to prep
for printing and cutting
paper. Take a peek and get
ready to have all your
dream layouts at your
disposal! ;)
Printing on Personal Size!
The most popular of all
time. J I created a handy
post showing you step-bystep how to do it on Mac
and there is also a link in
there for another post {from
Philofaxy} specifically for
Windows users.
Same thing on this post but
for A5 size. You will find
that it is SO much easier to
print on that size. No
wonder, huh? J
Wrap-Up!
And this my dear wraps up the SUPPLIES section.
You should be able to get going with a LOT of stuff with just those
tools. Remember that someone will always have a better-decoratedbetter-looking-more-organized Filofax. The point is to have FUN and
stay on top of your game at the same time. Starting simple with
materials you can easily find is the key. Experiment, play around, find
what works for you, what doesn’t, try at least one whole week of
straight forward planning and then gradually move up to some more
complex layouts and decorations. Cool?
Great! Because there is more coming! :D
In a couple of days I will be back with some of my fave articles, videos,
and posts on how to make your Filofax work for you.
Filofax Starter Kit
SUPPLIES
One last thing!
Hey sweets! Raine here.
Just wanted to introduce myself in case we hadn’t met yet. ;)
I am an artist and eternal optimist, looking at the world through rosecolored lenses, and a big dreamer manifesting it all through eyecandy artwork. My mission here is to create a more meaningful life,
an easy-breezy-fun one, the kind that makes us excited to get up
everyday, ya know?
I believe that little details towards that count. I believe that colorful
and stimulating visuals can set the tone for the day. I believe we are
influenced by the small nuances around us. And that is why I do this.
I release my art and color to the world to enhance those details; to help people start the day in a
happier mind-set; to get a smile in the middle of a meeting; to giggle on a Sunday night while planning
the week ahead. Filofax helped me start it all and I am thrilled that you got “bit” by the bug as well. ;)
You will love this journey!
If you like this little Filofax Starter Kit, don’t forget to let your friends know about it! Share it away!