Archiving and Storing A5 Inserts

At this time of year my A5 organiser needs to go on a diet. This year more so than other years I've had more and more appointments popping up in the next year as early as June 2024, I was getting appointments for 2025, at first I just used my simple year planner, but as they multiplied I needed something with more detail. 

In the end I got to August and started thinking about my inserts for next year. The result of which you will see in an earlier post. Basically my usual inserts with a little bit of a tweak to the design.  

Once printed I wanted to get them in to my organiser. I had to archive the first 6 months to get them in. My Van der Spek 35mm Customs have been retrospectively fitted with 30mm Krause rings. This makes them more manageable but obviously it reduces their capacity a little, but makes the full organiser less of a brick to carry!

For the past few years I've been using other A5 organisers to store my past years of inserts. I have them going back to 2017 and before then. I also have some years of personal size inserts when I was using that size as well. 

Using an organiser is an obvious but not the cheapest way of storing your inserts and spare inserts. I decided to look for an alternative so that I could get back my organisers for normal use. 

It's not difficult to find suitable boxes, a visit to your local stationery store or supermarket with a handful of pages will quickly find a size that will work. I have done this for most sizes. I have some small plastic drawers I use for a lot of my spare pages, blanks etc. 

Don't just think of looking in the stationery section, also consider looking in the food storage and household sections of any shop. There will be something that fits the bill. 

For my previous years inserts I thought using something that held them in the right order would be a useful solution. 

I discovered that Filofax still makes storage binders which are a simple plastic cover with posts to put your pages on. They do these in A5, Personal and Pocket size. 

I also discovered some cardboard A5 organisers with a 6 ring mechanism, they did them in packs of 2 for quite a sensible price. 

I ordered some and they arrived and despite them only having 20mm rings, I was able to just about squeeze 3 years worth of inserts in to each one! 

Now they aren't easy to turn the pages when they are this full I know, but for occasional access they will be fine. I also like that they aren't made of plastic. 

I've ordered some more so I have a future supply of them available as well! 

How do you store your spare pages and/or previous year's inserts? 

Fill 'Er Up: Nan's Daily Pages

So, I've got my A5 organizer ready to switch to. (See my previous post here.)

For me, the thing that makes it hard for me to switch right now is that I had so many forms and inserts in my previous half-letter size. Here are some examples: 

To use my new A5 organizer effectively, I'll need the following: 

• Diary insert: two pages per day is a must for me. I always need space for notes and supplementary information. 
• Project tracking forms
• Habit tracking forms
• Monthly and Yearly calendars
• List forms (to do, to read, to buy, etc.)

Luckily, Filofax USA was having a sale, and I got an A5 One Day on a Page diary for 2024 at a reduced price (I'm starting with A5 on June 1, 2024). To make it two pages per day, I can add a sheet of blank lined paper in the middle as needed. 

I also like to design and print my own forms, so I created the two-pages-per-day insert of my dreams and printed it on pre-punched A5 paper. 

I took inspiration from a variety of sources in developing this two-page diary:

• Daily page designs sold on Etsy
• Ryder Carroll's Bullet Journal Method
• Commercially available journals such as The Goal Crazy Planner and the Full Focus Planner. I often buy these not to write in but to get ideas from. 

My reason for using the 2ppd format is that it gives me the best snapshot of what was going on in my world and in my mind on a given day. The things I write jog my memory and inspire my future endeavors. To make it work even better, I added my own touches, shown by the icons at the top of the right-hand page:

• 🌞 (sun) Today's weather
• 🌎 (globe) In the current news
• 📅 (calendar page) Today's personal events (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.)
• ⌛️(hourglass) Today in my life: a memory or milestone from my personal history

Let me know what you think in the comments!

Now Is the Time! by Nan

The first thing you need when switching to a new organizer is, well, a new organizer. (See my previous post here.)

Or, an old one. 

Since I generally don't sell or throw away unused supplies, I have a few A5 organizers packed away. My favorite A5 is still the first one I ever bought: a leather Belgravia in red. 

Since weight is one of my concerns, I got out my kitchen scale and took some statistics. 

Empty, this A5 weighs 344 gm (12.2 oz). 

By contrast, here are three of my favorite half-letter (Franklin Planner Classic size) binders I've been using:

That said, part of the reason the A5 weighs less is the smaller ring size (25 mm/1 in as opposed to 1.25 or 1.5 in in the Franklins). However, because I can use lighter-weight paper and accessories in the A5, I believe I will be able to carry just as much in terms of contents. 

I'll talk more about those contents in a later post. 

When Is the Time? by Nan

I sang in a choral concert this spring. The program title was "When Is the Time?" It got me thinking. For at least six months, I've been thinking about switching from the U.S. half-letter size that I've been using since 2020 to A5. 

I even tried it for a few weeks last year, but the experiment failed. But why? I eventually figured out that I had gone into the switch unprepared. I didn't have my preferred diary format or all of the supplies I needed. Whereas, in half-letter, I had everything I needed at my fingertips, and I was used to using it. No wonder I couldn't make a go of A5. 

But why was a Filofax fan using half-letter (Franklin Planner, specifically) in the first place? After all, I had been using A5 almost exclusively since 2005. Well, during the 2020 shutdown, I was laid off from my job. To help rebuild my career, I started taking some classes. And then I was introduced to the wonderful world of American paper supplies. All of my class materials were letter-size, and half-letter organizing materials abounded. In A5, my options were limited because that paper size was hard to come by in my home country. So switching to half-letter was the obvious choice, and it went swimmingly. Sort of. 

I was unhappy with the bulk and weight of American organizers and the quality of the paper. I longed for the sleekness of European and Japanese organizers and the smooth, high-quality paper. Unfortunately, the only way to get smooth writing paper without ink bleed-through is to buy thicker paper, which I was getting more and more frustrated with.  

Fast-forward to 2024. Amazon now ships all kinds of A5 planners, paper, notebooks, and binders all over the U.S. I'm running out of excuses to stay in my half-letter comfort zone. 

And that brings me to the last hymn we sang that day: "Now Is the Time." 

I plan to start using an A5 organizer on June 1 of this year. As I prepare and then use my new diary pages, forms, and tabs, I'll keep you updated on how it's going!

Are A5 Organisers Too Big and Bulky?

How do you manage to use an A5 organiser, aren't they too big and bulky to use on a daily basis? 

That is one of the various questions I've been asked in the many years I've mainly used the A5 format. 

What are the advantages of using A5? 

• Larger page size that gives you plenty of space for even the busiest of people.
• The ease of being able to create your own inserts. 
• A5 paper is available locally (for me) 

Yes if you use a large ring (30-35mm) size A5 then yes it can get quite heavy and bulky. My current A5 weighs in at 1.16 kg (2.56lbs) that includes:

• 15 months of week on two pages inserts printed on 80gsm paper (2024 included)
• All my accessories, pens etc
• Information and notes pages etc etc. 

The A5 I'm currently using is a Gillio A5 Compagna that I bought several years ago in navy blue. I have fitted 30mm rings to it. 

In my case my A5 mostly sits open on my desk like in the photograph above. Therefore the weight and bulk is less important to me. 

However, there are times when I travel with my organiser and I need something a bit more compact. How do I cope with that? 

A5 organisers are also available in smaller ring sizes. In my 'collection' I have A5's in 35, 30, 25, 20 and 16 mm ring sizes:

• 35mm - Typically Van der Spek Customs or Touch Me Manger size.
• 30mm - Typically Filofax Malden, Finsbury etc.
• 25mm - A lot of Filofax and other brands available in this size.
• 20mm - I have a Filofax Fusion A5, but this size was also used in the Filofax Adelphi, Luxe and Pennybridge Zip organisers. 
• 16mm - Filofax Heritage, Chester Compact A5

See this list on FiloWiki for all Filofax model details. 

I have found using smaller ring sizes when travelling not a major problem to overcome. This last summer I travelled to Slovenia and Austria for three weeks and I needed to use something a bit smaller and lighter. 

I opted to use the organiser section out of my Filofax Fusion iPad case/organiser which has 20mm rings, it is also fairly hard wearing and light. 

I reduced the number of pages I was carrying by omitting a lot of my reference/information pages that would not have been used during the trip. 

I was still able to carry my 12 months (2023) diary insert, blogging calendar and some notes and information pages. Basically just the essentials for the trip. 

When at home, in the past I have used the Filofax Heritage on my desk with just the 12 months of diary inserts, blogging calendar and a few notes pages. The other sections I have put in another A5 because I don't refer to them every day. The advantage of this set up was I could easily carry the Heritage in my messenger bag. 

Read the full review I did of the Heritage Compact A5 here. One disadvantage to the Heritage is the lack of pockets in the cover for additional paperwork and cards etc. 

Please note: Exact ring mechanism measurements can vary depending on the date of manufacture. A5 Compact size organisers made before August 2021 come with slightly smaller 15mm rings; those made from August 2021 onward contain 20mm rings.

There is also the Filofax Chester Compact A5 which gets over this issue. 

With so many options available in A5 I'm sure there is one that will be the right size for your every day needs. 

Here are my top tips for how to use your A5 without it becoming a back breaker!

• Choose the right ring size binder for your every day needs, don't go too big!
• Be strict with what pages you keep in your A5, do you really need lots of spare pages, just in case!?
• Consider splitting your sections between every day and not so frequently required. 
• Use a second A5 for the less frequently used sections so your every day ones can be contained in as small a ring size as possible. 
• When travelling only include the pages you will actually need on that trip, remove unnecessary pages and leave them at home. 
• We all have a tendency to add to our organisers, no matter what size, set yourself a reminder to review the contents of your organiser on a regular basis, I do this every 6 months. If nothing else it will refresh your memory as to what is stored in what section. This is something I need to do myself after discovering the weight of my current A5 set-up!

Are you put off from using an A5 organiser? Would you reconsider using one now? 

Using an A5 Original for work - by Anita

Since purchasing my first Filofax back in 2009, I've consistently been in personal size, apart from a very brief attempt at using an A5 as my only binder. Whilst personal is a great size for me, the skinny pages aren't so good for when I want to write longer notes, so at some point, I decided to try an A5 for planning projects as well. In theory it made sense, but I tended not to use the A5 as my focus was so much on the personal. Therefore some years ago, I made the decision to sell my last A5 and donate any remaining A5 supplies to a friend. 

However, circumstances do change and I then changed jobs after having been in the same role for 13 years! Somehow it felt like time to try something new, so I just happened to mention that I was maybe considering trying an A5 for work and then a friend kindly provided an A5 Original. 

As I tend to prefer older models, the Original is actually one that I haven't seen much, apart from occasionally at one of the Philofaxy meet ups. 

Steve previously wrote an excellent review of the model when the the Original was first released back in 2013, so this post is going to be more about how I'm using it for work.

This is the aqua colour, which I've realised is one of those colours that is very hard to capture properly as it tends come out too blue in photos. I really love this colour as it's a lovely mix of both green and blue. I love the simplicity of the design and don't mind the internal layout, as I don't need to keep much in the pockets anyway. However, that black elastic pen loop doesn't match the rest of the design at all, and Filofax could've done much better in my opinion. 

Taken on an Ikea bag - still too blue!

I changed jobs in 2020, so all of my training was done by Zoom, and at the beginning I was writing lots of handover notes for clients that I would be taking on. Sadly due to client confidentiality, I can't share any of those pages, but it's not pretty with lots of scratchy notes, crossed out stuff when my boss changed her mind and then highlighted sections for important things and to-dos.

As I've been in my job some years now, the notes written in my A5 have reduced as I've done my training, but it's still been a very useful tool to keep everything all in one place.

Here's an mocked up example of what a page might look like (and you can see how long it is since I started writing this post from the date!):

As per normal, I'm using up some old diary inserts and the butterfly pages are from a very old notebook that I tore the pages out of and hole punched. As I gave away the small amount of A5 inserts that I previously owned, I'm pulling apart old A5 notebooks and using that paper up.

My work set up is very simple

• Date and day highlighted in pink
• Any to-dos are highlighted in green and I'll put an asterisk next to anything urgent or important
• Separate to-do list by client for any tasks that will take longer to do 
• No diary in the A5 as I use Google calendar, which is shared with my boss
  
• When I first started using the A5, I briefly had two jobs, so just split the Filofax in two with a couple of dividers and also used small sticky tabs for anything that I needed to return to on a regular basis, e.g. notes on an individual client, as a reminder whilst the work was still new to me. 

Well, I admit that I started writing the draft for this post such a long time ago, that my set up has changed quite a bit now! 

• At the beginning, I used the A5 for everything for work
  
• As time went on, I realised that it could be useful to also use a spreadsheet to keep track of client information, and I found that I was using Excel more, as it's easy to copy and paste details from an email or software. Also, as it's a remote job, it's easier to share the document via Google drive
  
• So, therefore I was using the Original mainly for meeting notes, and then realised that I just find notebooks easier for when you're writing more like that, and also I had no need to move pages around
  
• A5 Original returned to its previous owner (a big thank you to my friend for allowing me to try out the A5)
  
• Current set up:
• A4 hardbound notebook (2017 day per page diary that I got for 50p, which I bought as it was cheap and I liked the silver colour) - meeting notes, brain dumps, ad hoc lists and for when I need to figure out something more complex
• Excel spreadsheet - summary for monthly work by client and sheets for each client with important dates, to-dos, waiting for items and notes. 

I might not be using a Filofax for work any more, but I couldn't be without my faithful personal Kensington, which is my external brain for everything else!

Filofax A5 Compact - Ring Size Change

I didn't spot this change, thanks to Tim Edwards for spotting it and sharing it the other day. 

When Filofax originally released the A5 Compact Heritage it was fitted with 15mm rings, these have now been changed to 20mm rings. 

Attached to the description on the Filofax website is this note: 

I also noticed that they appear to have dis-continued the other A5 Compact size organiser from the Chester range. 

How Compact is Compact A5

I was asked recently about how I manage to use A5 for all of my planning requirements. Also how do I manage to carry around an A5 (when I need to) and what I use on a regular basis.

L-R Top row: Chameleon A5 , VdS Custom A5, Holborn A5 
L-R Bottom row: Chester Compact A5, William Hannah A5, Heritage Compact A5

Naturally I try to use what I already own. I had a look through the Filofax site to dig out their size information and came up with the following table it was quite surprising. 

Model	Holborn A5 Clasp	Lockwood  A5 Clasp	Heritage Compact A5	Chester  Compact A5	William Hannah A5
Height	235mm	230mm	233mm	235mm	222mm
Width	185mm	195mm	185mm	178mm	168mm
Depth	35mm	40mm	28mm	25mm	35mm
Ring Size	25mm	25mm	15mm	15mm	20mm discs

I have certainly used the Holborn, Heritage and Chester in the table above. I have a Lockwood, but it is the Zip version rather than the clasp version. 

I have included the William Hannah A5 Notebook, which whilst it is a different system, it is as capable of being used as a planner as easily as a ring bound organiser. It is narrower in overall size because the disc system takes up less space in the spine of the cover. 

Out of the above selection the Holborn A5 clasp is a winner for me, with it's excellent internal layout, I get around the single pen loop by using a Lamy Multi-Pen, which has a pen and pencil insert. 

My A5 Custom Van der Spek is my most used A5, it has similar dimensions to the Filofax Lockwood listed above and it is fitted with two pen loops. 

Slightly older now, but the A5 Chameleon from about 10 years ago is another A5 organiser worth considering with 25mm rings and two pen loops, the rear inside cover has a notepad slot as well. The size is the same as the Holborn A5.

What can you fit in to 15 or 25mm rings? 

I have no difficulty fitting a full 12 months of a week on two page diary insert printed on Clairefontaine 80 gsm A5 paper. In 15mm rings I have to be a little more selective about what other pages to include, but I can carry all my essential information and some spare inserts in 15mm. 

I don't have to make this sacrifice with 25mm rings, I can fit in all of my pages with dividers etc in to that size without any difficulty. 

To carry any of these A5 organisers doesn't require a large bag, I use a small camera bag/messenger bag as my regular every day bag. It has an iPad slot in the back of the internal compartment. It will hold any of the organisers whilst still leaving me room to carry other essentials in the bag and without it getting too heavy on my shoulder. 

It helps if you review the content of your organiser on a regular basis making sure you aren't carrying around notes and pages you don't currently need, archive them if they are no longer required. 

I've focussed on the A5 size in this post, mainly because that is the size I'm more comfortable using, but the same processes can be applied to other sizes to use smaller size and thinner organisers to make your planner easier to take with you anywhere, so you always have the information and your diary to hand. 

Mulberry A5 ring mechanisms

The Mulberry A5 organisers are a little unusual in that the ring mechanism uses the same ring spacing as Filofax Personal size. (The left hand ring mech in the photo above) 

This is ok if you are using their own brand inserts, but it can be a bit limiting if you want to buy pre-printed and pre-punched inserts. 

Oliver, one of our readers contacted me about the prospect of changing the ring mechanism in his Mulberry A5 for one that was the same spacing as a normal A5 Filofax. 

I approached this cautiously at first having investigated this with another reader in the past. Whilst the rings on theirs were the removable type, they were the PXR type, which uses two posts and spring clips to hold ring mechanism in place. These are not only difficult to remove, but virtually impossible to obtain new. 

There is another possible solution to this type, but I need to investigate this idea further. 

Oliver and I hooked up with a quick video call to investigate his Mulberry A5. 

I first of all guided him in to removing just the top cover. This is fairly easy to do by just easing it off one section at a time. We then removed the tabs with the rings open. 

He then showed me the inside of the ring mechanism, so we could establish the type of mechanism fitted to it. There were no holes in the ring halves that would have indicated it was the PXR type.  Looking down the length of the ring mechanism with the rings open we couldn't see the posts on the underside of the ring halves. It was therefore a safe bet that they were the PER type of Krause rings. 

The next step was to pull the rings apart to investigate the mountings of the base plate. After a few attempts Oliver managed to spring the ring halves apart and we were then able to see that the base plate was '3 point mounting' and the mounting distance was the same as available from Gillio and Van der Spek. 

Oliver was able to reassemble the original Mulberry A5 rings and he ordered a set of Krause 25mm rings which arrived a few days later. I gave him some tips on how to install the rings and my in-box pinged this morning with the above photograph. 

Oliver now has an A5 Mulberry with conventional spaced A5 rings. 😊

My first A5 Van der Spek after 7 years of use

I did my original review of this particular organiser in July 2014 

There is also a 'making of post' 

Looking at that post makes me almost feel like I'm back at the workshop in Puttershoek with the Van der Spek family, watching them put together my actual organiser and it drives my memories to remember the sounds and the smells of the workshop. 

I did a post after using it for three years in 2017, 

Almost 4 years further on I was reminded by someone in the Facebook group asking about this particular leather, so it was time to do another update. There is sometimes no short cut to see how a particular leather will withstand daily wear and tear other than actual long term use.

The leather colours are 6202 (Ciocolatio) on the outside and 6208 (Cuoio) on the inside.

Here are the photos taken this week. 

Whilst this particular organiser hasn't been in constant use for the last 7 years, it has certainly travelled a lot of miles/kms. I used it for our North American trip back in 2015. 

The outside has become quite 'shiny' the interior nappa leather shows 'finger scratches' easily as you can see, but these disappear with a gentle rub with a damp finger tip.

The Krause rings are still perfectly aligned and show no signs of any gaps.  

Overall it continues to be a useful organiser. 

Further Information.

Web Site: https://www.vdsshop.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/VDSleathergoods
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vanderspekorganiserfans/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vdsshop/

Van der Spek Custom Layout Update

In co-operation with Petra Van der Spek, I came up with a new internal layout that I liked better than their standard layout for A5 organisers. 

Here in the photo below is the new optional layout on the left and the normal layout on the right for a Custom A5 Van der Spek.

The first obvious difference is the change to the number of card slots, these are replaced with other slots. 

The image below shows the full internal layout. 

The rear inside pocket arrangement is the same as the normal layout with a full height slip pocket and a full height zip pocket, with the zip on the outer edge so it doesn't get under your pages. 

The new optional inside front layout has:

• Three vertical card slots
• A business card horizontal slip pocket behind that. 
• A deeper booklet slip pocket above the business card slot. 
• Two full height slip pockets. 
• Elasticated pen loop.

The revised front layout has become so popular, it is now an option for all Custom A5 organisers on the Van der Spek website.

Source:Instagram @vdsshop 

You can now specify the 'Steve Layout' as well as Janet Leather! 

Further Information.

Web Site: http://www.vdsshop.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/VDSleathergoods
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vanderspekorganiserfans/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vdsshop/

Red A5 Belgravia review - by Anita

As mentioned in my previous post, I have more recently moved back into A5 for work. I contacted Alan to see what he might be considering selling and decided on a red A5 Belgravia, as I saw one in personal size at a London meet up years ago and really liked it. Plus, a red A5 with 30mm rings is perfect as it's one of my favourite colours and will give me lots of storage space. (Stephen K was correct about there being a new red Filofax in the future)  

As always, I'm interested to learn more about any models that I haven't owned before, so my first point of call is the catalogues page on Philofaxy to find more information. 

The Belgravia was first introduced back in 2002:

The leather on the exterior is wonderfully soft and feels slightly padded.

I think that it's a nice shade of red and I like the minimal styling. 

On the left interior, we have eight card slots with a further deeper slot at the bottom, a full length zipped pocket, a full length slip pocket behind and a pen loop. On the right, we have a notepad pocket and another pen loop. 

One downside to this model is that it sadly seems to suffer with cracking on the interior next to the rings. 

However, as the rest of the binder's structure seems solid, I believe this will only be a cosmetic flaw and I'm hoping that it won't get any worse. As I won't see the cracks when the Belgravia is in use, I decided to go ahead with my purchase as it's a wonderful Filofax apart from this. 

I forgot to photograph them, but Alan also very kindly added in some lovely extras with my Filofax, an A5 notepad (Fabriano EcoQua dot grid notepad) and a Filofax pin badge. I think that all of us should own these badges, so that we can identify a fellow enthusiast more easily! The notepad is perfect as it is 85gsm paper and the pages are glued for easier removal. 

As I'm still doing mostly training sessions, I'm using it mainly to take notes, but may make or buy some dividers to help me keep track of my to-dos. It's also perfect timing to get my A5 now as I will soon be starting another social media job, as well as my current bookkeeping role. 

 

UPDATE as of 23/01/21

Sadly in the short time that I've been using my Belgravia, the cracking has worsened (as mentioned in Feld Effekt's comment below), so unfortunately I would not recommend this model either. It is a shame as otherwise it is a lovely Filofax.  

Moving back into an A5 for work - by Anita

Over the years, I've owned a number of lovely A5 Filofaxes, but eventually sold them all as I never fully used them. For a very brief period of time (not even a week), I used an A5 Malden as my only binder, but realised that it was just too large for me to carry around. I guess that my defining moment was whilst packing for a weekend martial arts course and realising that my A5 wouldn't fit in my bag! 

Due to COVID-19, our household has been shielding since March, so I feel very grateful that I can easily work from home. In my previous job, I had been using a slim hardbound A4 notebook, along with Wunderlist to track my recurring tasks. For some reason, I have never used a Filofax for work and now that I think about that, I'm actually not sure why! 

I have recently started a new job solely working from home, so decided that it would be the ideal time to treat myself and use something nicer for my new role.

Until my new A5 arrives (a red Belgravia purchased from Alan), I am using my DIY A5 binder: 

Contents:

• Dashboard - a wonderful birthday card that my lovely husband gave me years ago
• Held together by individual binder clips that I previously purchased to store inserts
• An Oli clip to function as a fastener and pen loop
• Spare envelope for holding bits and pieces
• Inserts - I'm on a mission to use up what I already own, so I'm tearing pages out of notebooks/diaries and hole punching
• Dividers made from origami paper - my first attempt in the photo, so I may change these slightly
• Back page - I purchased something from the Getting Things Done shop ages ago and this alternative workflow diagram was included. 

Today was my first day with my new company, so I haven't written much yet, but I will be using it to write notes during subsequent Zoom training meetings and for an online course that I will be completing. 

So, will I also be using personal size in parallel for non work use? (question from David P)

To be honest, I'm not sure yet... However, I could see myself moving over to A5 for both work and personal use now, as portability won't be a consideration for quite some time due to COVID-19 and working from home. 

Once my Belgravia arrives, I shall be writing a review and then further posts on how my work and personal set ups develop. 

Van der Spek Touch Me A5 Manager - Short review

I've wanted to try out a Van der Spek Touch Me A5 for a while, there has recently been a restock and some new releases of the Touch Me range, so I ordered one quickly before they sold out!

The organiser arrived via FebEx quite quickly given the current state of lockdown! 

The Touch Me range is Van der Spek's 'ready to ship' range, you can choose silver or gold rings or size of Krause rings they fit. You can have your initials embossed on the cover. You can also add a flyleaf if you require one, but that is the limit of the options/customisation. 

Otherwise you select the organiser size and colour from a limited range of leather colours and you order it and it will be shipped to you within a few days. 

The organisers are made from leather sourced from a French tannery. They are assembled in a workshop in India that Petra and her father set up a few years ago. They went over there to train the staff in the use of the machinery they had shipped to India. 

The result is that the organisers are made to a high standard from good quality leather and they are then fitted with Krause rings. 

The design is very good, I have 'Touch Me' organisers in other sizes and I've found them to be very good. 

I opted for silver 35mm rings for my A5 Touch Me.

The inside cover and rear cover feature secretarial flaps, and the inside cover continues the full width behind these, unlike on some more expensive organisers where it becomes synthetic leather. 

The inside front cover features one of two elasticated pen loops, a full height zip pocket, a full height vertical slip pocket, two horizontal slip pockets, and a secretarial flap tops this off. 

The rear inside cover has the other elasticated pen loop, along with another secretarial flap which also features six horizontal card slots, with a larger horizontal slip pocket at the foot, and a full height vertical slip pocket. 

The Van der Spek A5 Manager Touch Me doesn't have any stiffener in the cover between the layers of leather, so it quite floppy and soft. 

It also includes a full width back pocket which can hold full size A4/Letter size paperwork. 

I've moved all my pages in, this includes this years and next years diary inserts! 

See the Van der Spek website for full details. 

Thank you to Petra Van der Spek for supplying the organiser for this post. 

Further Information.

Web Site: http://www.vdsshop.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/VDSleathergoods
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