My Modalu Pippa and what's inside....

Let me first start by saying I love this bag. It is perfect for me in so many ways. I saved up and was put on a waiting list to get this bag. Now it may not be that expensive to some but at almost $300 it was pricey for me. I am not very good a reviews but I will do my best.

The bag is gorgeous soft leather. The zips are sturdy and easy to open and close. The handles are soft and comfortable to hold. There are seashells on the ends of the zipper pulls, and the lining is a light colour with seashells on it. I am not totally sure I like the black around the zippers but I don't think I would want it to match the leather either. I like how the handles on this model are sort of cinched together whereas the newer ones are just basically looped and fastened around the rings. The rings are also nice and strong, there is no pull on the bag at all, and as you will see I have quite a bit in it.

I got the bag in Shark and it is a wonderful grey colour. I love it.  There are a couple of marks on my bag that I will post a picture of, mostly on the zipper pulls. I wrote to Modalu about it and they advised me to take it back to the point of purchase and seek a replacement. I am not sure if I will do that or not. I have been using my bag for about 3 months now and the leather has just gotten so soft and lovely, I don't know if I want to 'work-in' another one. Let me know what you think I should do in the comments below. 


On to the pictures

This is the front of the bag. The gold Modalu plaque and two great front zips

This is the back view. On some of the newer ones, and the different colours, the zip is covered by a piece of leather.

A side shot of the three zip compartments. My favourite feature I might add (the compartments, not the zips lol)

One of the 'damaged' zip pulls. It is smooth to the touch it is almost like the colour faded for one reason or another.

The other zip pull that is having the same issues. I don't know what to do...I am so conflicted

So here are the three compartments. Two taller ones and a shorter middle one.

In the front pocket that is closed I keep my blackberry in there, and the one that is open has my keys, altoid smalls in a playboy tin, and ruby red grapefruit sunkist mints

This is the front main compartment.

In there I keep my Matt & Nat pouch with a cover girl compact and a kabuki brush, my benadryl itch stick (I have mondo bad hives) Elizabeth Arden 8 hr. hand cream, Tino by Mikakuto apple candies, and my Dr. Dre monster beats designed by Vivienne Tam

This is the middle compartment

In there I keep a pouch with straws in it (ya I am that weird) a pack of band-aids/plasters because of the hive issue and I have kids, my Matt & Nat make up pouch, some tampons and my Kobo touch.

This is the back main compartment.

In there I keep my Filofax Finsbury compact, my wallet and a pouch with some crystal light, true lemon, true lime and the like.

In the very back zip I keep some loose papers, a coupon pouch, and my bus pass

Here is another shot of the white specks on the inside of the front handle

And some on the side of the bag.

It doesn't seem to be getting worse, so I am really torn as to what to do. I realize bags will age and wear, but is this normal or a design flaw? I don't know. Help is greatly appreciated.

As always if you like this post or any of my others please follow along so you don't miss out on the next one.

Finsbury Compact review and set-up

I will start off by apologizing for the lack of creativity in the title. I couldn't come up with a single thing. Total block.
I did tell a few people that I would review and post on my new Finsbury compact that I purchased at the same time as my Malden. So here it is.

I LOVE this binder.....for the most part. I love the colour, the feel, the size, and most of the layout. I am not a fan of the pen loop, though it is elasticized, it is up a bit too far for me. But I did manage to find a pen to fit that I think is a pretty decent one. I am using the Zebra F-301 BP retractable pen.

The leather is not as soft as the compact Chameleon. The leather on the Finsbury I find is more textured, but I feel it is more durable. There is a small 'tear' in the leather in my Chameleon.

The overall layout is basically the same though.

The main difference between the two is the zipper pull at the back. In the Chameleon the zipper is concealed, in the Finsbury the zipper is exposed, so pages and other inserts tend to get caught in the pull itself. I fixed this problem for the most part by inserting a business card holder, and putting in a couple of business card type things to give it a bit of structure.

So without further ado, the pictures.....

Not quite true to colour, but close

The pen loop. See it's up pretty high.

The inside front cover. It has some address labels, a Tim Horton's card, some notes, and a Roots tag

My 'dashboard' I used the flyleaf that came with the Chameleon for this. I took it out of my A5 and I don't really use much, except the tabs on occasion, which are Martha Stewart by Avery.

On the back I used some washi tape and attached a sheet of the Martha Stewart by Avery little tear-drop stickies.

My first sheet of stickers. These are stickopotamus binder stickers. They come pre-punched for the binder, I love them, can't wait to get some more.

On the back of that sheet I have some Avery transparent sticky notes in yellow. They are pretty good. You can write on them and then stick them over top of other writing. There is an example further on.

This is a Martha Stewart by Avery double pocket document protector, I cut it and punched it to fit.

Inside it I keep some more Martha Stewart by Avery stickies, and some colour-coding stickers from the buck store.

Just another shot.

On the back of that pocket I have some of the transparent stickies in pink

Here is my finances page. It is from Day Runner I believe.

The top tabs I am using right now.

Here is my blogs list.

Here is a list of ideas I have my own blog.

This is an invite list to my son's Victory party. He BEAT cancer, so we have to celebrate of course.

I took a today divider and cut it in half. I think I used an personal one, but I honestly can't remember.

Here are the filofax stickers. I love them.

Here are some more colour coding stickers.

And on the back, some moleskine stickers

Here is one of the transparent stickies in use. Not perfect, but it is a good space saver, and they are useful. I also interleave a pocket sized note sheet if I need more space since I use the WPP layout.

A very fuzzy picture of the other half of the divider marking my notes section.

More stickopotomas stickers

And some more...see told ya I love them

I am using the fashion colours lined paper pack and the mixed pack of 100 sheets. Love it.

I am using a top tab to mark the blank pages

And some blank sheets

Top opening envelope with some more Martha Stewart stuff...I really like her line, can ya tell?

This is the top-loading business card holder I am using. I have a picture of my dad on the other side. The Relay for Life card I got at the relay this year. The other two cards I am going to use as encouragement notes to leave behind for people who need them.

Here is the back zipper. On the Chameleon it is covered by a flap of leather. This one is exposed, so the papers get caught.

Inside the back zipper

More Martha Stewart stuff, some pictures my sons drew, and some stickers....I love stickers!!!

just to show you how tight the front pocket is right now. Hoping it will get loser with time and use. I just have some extra pocket sized note sheets in there.


As you can tell, I try to utilize as much space as I can in this binder. I LOVE it!!! Now if they made one in the Malden design without a zipper, I might just have to get it. The compact size is wonderful, it fits in my handbag, which is the Modalu Bristol/Pippa bag (did not get it because Pippa Middleton used it, but I did find out about Modalu because she used it. I can do a reveiw if any of you would like, just let me know in the comments.)

As always thank you for checking out my blog. If you like what you see, please follow along, so you don't miss a post.

I understand the fuss....

Well, after watching Tracy's video, I ordered the A5 Malden in grey last week and it came in yesterday. It is be-a-utiful! I think I am in love. The only real complaint that I have at this time is the cover. I love the look and the smell, but I have sensory issues with my hands and the cover is so slippery. I usually have to pick it up with both hands, but I can carry it in just the one hand.

I have taken out a few sections from my Domino and added a couple of accessories. So here it goes, another picture heavy post (I certainly can't be the only person that likes them lol)

I chose the grey one. I really love it a lot. I am not a super fan of the glazed cover as I said before.

This is the inside front cover. I really love the zipper pocket. The pen is a papermate inkjoy. I love them.

This is a Martha Stewart by Avery accessory. It is like a photo holder I think. It has two pockets with flaps on them. I have some small stickers in the top one, and some Martha Stewart by Avery repositionable tabs and teardrop thingys.

This is an extra flyleaf with some SMASH tape on it. Not sure what I am going to do with them yet. They come off fairly easy, but the tape is paper so you have to be a bit gentle or it rips lol.

On the back of the flyleaf I have some happy face, and some star stickers. They come off really easily.

Here are the new tabbed dividers I made. I used some scrapbooking paper and the paper SMASH tabs. I really like the way they turned out.

This is just a boring old world map, but I like having it. I am not really sure why though. On the back is the time zones.

New behind the info tab I have an Expenses sheet. I am trying to track all my personal spending. I am not sure if you can see it or not, but I went to Michaels twice in 4 days which is a lot for me, since it is on the other side of town and I don't drive lol.

Here is an updated list of the blogs and websites I frequent. All of the filofax blogs I check are highlighted lol.

This is just the back of the page. I really like filofax blogs lol

This is the blog mindmap from mikesmind. I have checked out other ones but this one really works for me the best.

This is in my SWAP section. It is another one of those Martha Stewart double pocket things. I trimmed it to fit better. I had to cut off the top flap, but there is still a bottom flap. The top has my address labels, and the bottom one has some of my stamps in it.

This is a filofax business card holder top opening one. I have some air mail stickers, and some cards I use to when I send my swaps out.

Here is a sheet with some new swaps I have signed up for. I am just awaiting partner assignment.

In the event section, I have a site map for the Relay for Life I did on the first of June. I am the team captain. My team raised over $1400

This is my week so far.

I ordered the contemporary notepaper and I love it!!!

At the back I have another business card holder with a few cards in it.

Another double pocket thingy at the back with some more stickers in it.

3D Tangled picture thing from the case of the movie.

In the back pocket I took out the notepad, because I don't really like plain white paper. And I put some stickers in the back. That I stole from Tracy, so thanks for the idea!


So that is the basics of my new A5 Malden, and some of the things I changed. I am contemplating ordering the personal size one but I really like the compact size. I saw that they made one in the Malden line but it has a zipper so I am not too sure. I will check it out if it comes to the US site.

Next time I am going to review the new blue Finsbury Compact that I got at the same time I got the Malden.  As always if you like this post or any of my other ones I would be very honored if you would follow my blog.

Til next time.