Review of Typo 2014 Luxe Diary in Polka Dots!

Stop. Grab a cuppa tea and a snack. This will be a long-winded, very picture heavy post! I hope you enjoy it! 

I recently stopped in at Typo at my favorite mall, Fashion Valley, here in San Diego. I never really have trouble finding things I like at the lush, whimsical stationery store, and this trip was no exception. I happened upon this precious ringed planner that totally suits my style! I love the light color and pastel polka dots. It's considerably lower quality than any ringed binder I've ever owned (about on par to the Walmart planners) but for $19.95 USD, it refused to be left on the shelf. I've included detail shots of the inserts, which are almost cute enough to justify the whole purchase. 

Of course I failed to photograph the front cover, but it includes 4 credit card slots and one ID slot (clear, slip-in type.) It doesn't include a full-length pocket. The material is a pink plastic faux leather, whereas the outside is made of oilcloth. overall it's quite the solid binder and could take quite the beating. It also includes a black ink, slim silver pen.

The first page is a floral divider for "personal info."

 Behind it, there is the standard information sheet and emergency contact information. I love the font and how simple the inserts are designed.

The next 2 facing pages include a 2014 year at a glance calendar, which lists the months across the top of the page, and each of the days in columns below it. 

And behind that, there is a standard 3 years at a glance reference calendar for 2013, 14, and 15.

Next is a lovely blue "diary" tab.

Then they've included a birthday reference sheet, still carrying on with the clean, streamlined style that I really appreciate!

 The month on two pages layout is absolutely stunning! It features a lovely mint shading. The only thing that totally ruins it is the small saturday and sunday boxes. I mean come on, weekends need love too!

I'm also a big fan of the week on two pages inserts. Each new month has a notes section at the beginning. Depending on how late in the week that particular month begins, it starts further down the page. It is of note to mention, the months that start with Monday do not have notes sections. Also interestingly, they've chosen to include the month and week inserts back to back. So that means that between each of the month pages, there are the subsequent week pages. I kind of like this idea.

Pretty ditzy spot budget section~

The first page includes a very cute "things worth saving for" insert where you can place photos of things you're saving for like festival tickets, amazing shoes, and a dream car. This is what makes me love Typo...the whimsical, fun side of planning and organizing. 

Loving the budget pages. God knows I need them! 

Another very pretty, vintage style to do divider.

 Another simply designed to do / checklist. Kudos to Typo! Even though the paper is very thin, I might even use these inserts for next year! (Would you like to see pen tests on this paper? Let me know.)

The last divider!

Behind that is a standard contact sheet for each letter of the alphabet.

The inserts are identical size and punched for the personal Filofax. The only difference is the ring size, which is definitely on the small side. I have inserted a picture of Filofax personal size pages in the binder as well as the Typo binder directly on top of the Filofax Personal Finchley (to show the ring size comparison.)

A few mm smaller than the Filofax.

 A closer look at the fancy-looking pen, as well as more glamour shots of the inserts.

Overall, the pricetag and lovely inserts really convinced me to buy this little number. It isn't a fancy replacement for my Filofaxes or even Kikki-K binder, but it is a cute, fun binder that screams my personality. It almost reminds me of one of the Kate Spade planners I've been lusting over. As I mentioned before, Typo has created a sturdy binder. The problem I had with the construction was the rings. About 75% of the binders on the shelf had misaligned rings, so be sure to really pay attention to the little details if you plan to pick up this agenda. All-in-all, I don't recommend it as a replacement to the nicer binders you have, but if you're like me, you might be attracted to a sweet little whimsical lovely every now and again. And for $20, what can go wrong? 

What's your opinion on the binder? I personally adore it!