Nu Notebook hack - adding a pocket to your notebook

As I have mentioned before I love notebooks so when Nuco contacted me about their new website and blog I jumped at the chance to work with them.  They sent me this gorgeous pink Nu Era pop notebook so I could share with you my little hack for adding a pocket to a notebook to keep your bits and pieces safe.

Nu Notebook - Era pop journal

I usually use notebooks this size to plan projects but I like to add a pocket to hold receipts and scraps of paper so they won't fall out or get lost in my bag.

Here is how I do it:

Pretty polka dot envelope

Step one: Find a pretty envelope and seal it.

Make your mark

Step two: Decide how big you want your pocket to be.  Draw a line to mark where you need to cut off the excess.

Draw a semicircle

Step three: To make it easier to remove the things you put in the pocket, use something round to draw a semicircle in the open end of the envelope and cut the shape out.

The finished pocket

Step four: Glue the pocket into your notebook.  I also glued a project life card onto the front of mine to make it look cute.

The pocket in use

If you can't find a nice envelope then you could use a plain white one and decorate it with washi tape or stickers. You could even make your own with some scrapbook paper, there are lots of tutorials on Pinterest to help you out.

Nuco's new website will be launching near the end of the month so I will let you know when it is live if you want to pop over and take a look.

Do you have a favourite notebook hack or any hints and tips? I would love to know!

My little trick with a paper clamp and a notepad slot

I don't like to over stuff my Filofax but I do have a lot of paperwork that I need to keep track of.  I could punch the pages and add them onto the rings but it is usually things that I don't need to keep in there for very long.  It could be bills that I need to pay or letters from school etc that once dealt with shouldn't be taking up valuable space.  

Notepad slot at the back of my Apex

What I do with this paperwork is to clip it all together with a paper clamp like this one.

Clamped letters etc

And hook the back of the clamp into the notepad slot.

Clipped and hooked

Doing this keeps all the paperwork secure in the back of my Filofax.

Everything held in place

I write the date in my diary that the bill needs to be paid or that the school event is and that the paperwork is clipped in the back of the Filofax.  Once it is completed I can remove it from the clamp.

My Filofax with the clamp in the back

Because everything is clipped together if I want to take my Filofax out with me I can easily remove the paperwork without having to search for it and opening up the rings.  This makes my binder a lot lighter!

Light and skinny again

Does anyone else do this?

Pocket size Filofax - a nice surprise

After using my pocket size Chameleon as a purse for a couple of weeks I have made a discovery.   The top opening pocket that came with the binder is actually big enough to hold my mobile phone.

In the pocket

 I had put my phone in the back of the Filofax a couple of times and just closed the clasp to hold it in place but I remembered a post by Tracy (Crazy Suburban Mom) where she had found special cases from Japan that were punched to fit into a binder.  I searched eBay and coming up empty I tried to see if it would fit into a standard clear pocket. 
I have a Nokia Lumia 610 which measures 119.2 x 62.2 x 11.9mm or 4.69 x 2.44 x 0.47in and it fits easily in the top opening pocket even with the thick plastic case I have on the phone to protect it.  The Lumia is 4.6mm or 0.18in shorter than an iPhone 5 but with the extra height of the binder above the clear pocket I think an iPhone would fit ok too. 

The phone is nearly as wide as my inserts

Having my phone in the Chameleon does take up space on the rings but as I'm not using it as my main planner it is fine for me.  I only have a month on two pages diary in there, some note paper and a couple more pockets so its not very full at the minute.  I like having my phone in the Filofax as it keeps everything important together in my bag (purse, phone, pen, diary), it's very handy.  Now if I could only find some way of keeping my keys with it all!


*Disclaimer - I have not tried to see if an iPhone 5 would fit into the top opening pocket (because I don't have one), it is just my opinion that it would probably fit.