First I thought I might just get myself an A5 Filofax, and fill with my own paper. But after looking around, I still find they are all rather bulky which is why I stopped using them as diaries back in the day. So when I spotted the Filofax Clipbook, I was sold from first glance! Not only does the A5 version take ALL the normal Filofax (and copy-cat A5) inserts, it is easy to punch your own A5 sheets such as A5 sketchbook paper, copy paper and such into it using an A5 diary punch. And it lies completely flat and folds over! It's relatively easy to open the rings unless it is stuffed full. I have not one, but two, OHTO Tasche compact fountain pens (see photo above) attached to the floppy spine without issue! :)
The colour I have is the 'Duck Egg' which is new for 2017.
The Clipbook comes with a lot of different inserts already, such as blank diary sheets, plain, lined and square paper etc. But I wanted to pimp it to suit my needs, and because the paper that comes with it doesn't like fineliners and fountain pens, it had to go!
By accident found some nice inserts which are for the Simple Stories A5 planners, I use a set of dividers, and some very nice plastic moveable bookmarks. I will deal with the other hardware such as pens, paperclips and such in another post :) I also bought a planner band from a seller on Etsy to keep it more snug in my handbag, but I'm thinking I might make a zip-up planner bag at some point instead.
So what do I actually keep in my Clipbook?
Splash page
Use the packaging for the Clipbook as a plastic front and back sheet! Instructions are on the packaging :)
I have a selection of decorative A5 card from a magazine, I think these designs are from Docrafts.
Always, always include contact info in case you do mislay your precious notebook! A reward sweetens the deal, but also be prepared to pay up!!
First section
My regular journalling notes. I use a variety of ways of dating, this wreath design being my favourite. This is the main part of my Clipbook. I use a dotted paper specifically for A5 planners from juniq paperworks which you can buy on Amazon, as it holds up to fountain pen/fineliners without bleed through or feathering.
Second section
Meeting notes; I use a pack of preprinted template sheets sold by Paperchase.
Rough notes; I use a cheap plain A5 copy paper I bought on eBay, which actually holds up to fountain pen!
In this section, I tend to pull out pages and file these after I have used them as they are just there for convenience of always having a notebook on the go. I file all my paperwork using themes, but that's for another post.
Third section
Art, and more art. I have punched holes in A5 sketchbook sheets and inserted here, along with some doodling prompt sheets.
Fourth Section
Diary - I use a preprinted 2 weeks to view format which I bought from WHSmith. In between the spread I insert a To-Do sheet, these ones came with the Clipbook. That means the weekly view is the diary and the to-do list for that week! I also have in here a year pull-out from Filofax for overview in here.
Plastic pocket
I always need a stash pocket, this is the Filofax top opening one for A5. It's slightly oversized for the Clipbook (normal A5 Filofax planners are bigger) but it's not an issue and at the back, it doesn't block access to pages. I keep smaller things in here such as my plastic ruler and glue dot sheets. I also appear to have a mini colouring in book! :)
I love my Clipbook! It's the perfect all in one for me, and it goes everywhere with me. What's your favourite planner/notebook/diary??
