If you’ve read my previous posts, you will know that I am just recently back from travelling in Taiwan. I also made a side detour to Italy! Alas, not Firenze, but to Pescara. As some of you planner addicts may know, there is usually quite a dilemma in choosing which planner to take with you on a journey. Should you take your normal planner? Or slim down? Or do a planner-wallet combo? Do we take the inexpensive one so you don’t end up loosing something precious in the event that you get robbed!?
Well, for me there was no question. I may have experimented a bit with other possibilities, but I always knew that the mia cara was going to be the best choice for me. I would just have to guard it with my life! 😀 lol.
And thus began my month long love affair with my dark brown Gigliodoro pocket Mia Cara. In case you’re getting confused, Gigliodoro is the former name of the Gillio brand. I found mine in a local stationery store gathering dust!!! Totally by accident (I was not searching for a planner), and it was the only Gillio brand that they had left. Although I really couldn’t afford it at the time, I naturally had to rescue the poor thing ;). I’m so glad I did! I didn’t realise at the time, what a gem I had managed to snag.
The biggest difference between the older dark brown models and the newer ones is the shading. The newer dark brown is a much darker shade of brown than the one I have. I would call mine a milk chocolate brown. The other shade is lovely, and has a lot of fans, but I do prefer the lighter shade that I own.
In my travels, the pocket mia became my wallet, receipt holder, passport cover, phone carrier, notebook, and agenda. With several credit card slots (9-10), slip pockets, a popper pocket, and long wallet pocket at the back, this planner can hold a lot of stuff without a sweat!
I didn’t baby it, and it has developed some scuffs and love marks. I don’t mind it, in fact, I love that it is gaining some character, and will always remind me of my first trip to Asia. It has also developed a nice patina (quite difficult to photograph i find), which I’m really excited about.
I am loath to moving out of my mia. I want to keep on using it and working on its patina. The only way I’m moving out of this is if I move into another Gillio as a wallet (more on that in an upcoming post). But life is returning back to normal (if there is such a thing), and I need to return to the personal size to start planning properly again.
So here it is in my Fossil Sydney Satchel, so you can get an idea of the size of it. It’s quite a chunky monkey :D, but I do love it. It’s so highly functional, and now more than ever do I have my eyes set on the cream/dark brown one that Gillio recently released. I MUST own it!!! I highly recommend owning one. In an older post of mine, I had called this the “game changer” for people who have tried and failed at using pocket size, especially as a planner/wallet combo. With all the available pockets on the planner, you don’t have to waste precious ring space with plastic credit card inserts. You can also do away with the the ringed planner portion and use the outside cover as a stand alone wallet and document holder. On top of that, you can also use the outside part as an A6 notebook/ Hobonichi Techo cover (you need to trim the hobo cover very slightly). It’s like a 3 in 1 combo deal!!!
Long story short, I love it, and think everyone should own one 😀 lol. If this was a piece of chocolate, I would actually eat it, and that’s saying something as I loath chocolate! Yes, I’m one of those rare beings. Here is a link if you’re interested in getting one for yourself. Yes, the price is somewhat up there, but you get a quality handmade product which you can use in multiple ways. Soooo worth it!!! And no, as usual, I am not being sponsored. Just spreading the Gillio love ;). And with that said, I will leave you with one last photo of my love (mia cara, got it?).
‘Till next time,
P
Random Pastimes of a Restless Mind 