Quirky Uses Archives - Strange & Charmed

5 Quirky Uses for a Filofax

5 Quirky Uses is a new periodic feature for Strange & Charmed. For each post, I will select an everyday item and suggest five alternate uses or ways to upcycle the item in a fun or unusual way. Keep up with these posts with the Quirky Uses category!

True story, everyone! For some reason or another (all completely legitimate in my mind) I own four Filofax style planners. Two are actually Filofax brand name, one is my lovely Kikki K Time Planner (discontinued) and one is my personal sized Kate Spade! Now, the thing is, although I bought each planner with some grand idea of how I was going to use it in a slightly different way, I have recently woken up to the idea that these planners need to be repurposed or sold. Since, I like many other Filofax enthusiasts own more than one planner and refuse to sell any of them (are you kidding me, they are each beautiful and unique!) I have opted for repurposing the extra three I never use. So, I came up with a list of very useful ways to use a Filofax style planner, so we can all justify our obsessions and have them all!

1. A Home Binder: This would be perfect for any extra A5’s lying around because you can store documents folded in half and punched! A home binder is a place where you can keep all the important information for your home and items in it. Warranty information, insurance paperwork, schedules for regular maintenance and even home decor information (like the color paints and types of flooring used in case of repair). Anything that refers to your home (owned or rented) can be stored away inside in case it needs to be referenced.

2. A Dedicated Blog or Business Binder: If you run a side business or a blog from home, having an extra binder around that stores all your important information and schedules is a great way to repurpose a Filofax. Yes, some of your business information may also be important in your day-to-day planner, but having a dedicated place for business information, projects you are working on and specific business contacts means that you don’t have to cram it all in your daily carry and I think giving your blog or business its own binder that you leave at home and only take with you when needed is a great way to actually help you “switch gears” throughout the day.

3. A Gratitude or Happiness Binder: I am a major proponent of the importance of gratitude journaling and I think that it’s an awesome idea to repurpose a beautiful planner or Filofax into a place where you can store and write about all the things that make you happy and thankful in your life. In a way it could be like an inspiration board but instead of posting things on a single surface you have pages and inserts to decorate and theme out for each element of your life that makes you happy and grateful. You can keep gratitude lists, lists of your favorite things like books, movies, people and places. You can include pictures, sketches, or collages; the possibilities are endless, and at the end of the day it can be your happy place to help you lift your spirit and find joy in your life!

4. A Personalized Devotional: No matter what your religion or spiritual status, many people like to find peace and solice in a daily devotional. You can use a Filofax style planner to create your own with your favorite verses, prayers and inspirational stories and create your own schedule for private study. There are so many people out there who are trying on a daily basis to create a closer bond with their religious or spiritual side and creating a personal devotional is a wonderful activity that would give you time to both create and reflect on the subject.

5. A Health & Wellness Binder: If you are struggling with a health issue, trying to lose weight, or just want to keep a closer eye on your health in general, having a dedicated binder for your Health & Wellness may be a great way for you to track your day-to-day condition, the foods you’re eating and even your mood. I think a Filofax would be a wonderful place to store information like healthy recipes, exercise routines and important information about your physical and mental health so that you have all that information with you when you visit your physician. I think even expectant mothers would find this sort of binder useful as they track and almost journal their experience of pregnancy into motherhood that can then be something of a keepsake for them and their family.

I hope you have enjoyed these tips and if you currently use a Filofax for any of these purposes, please let us know in the comments below and be sure to leave your tips on getting started or elements that would be helpful for others to include if they were to start one of these binders for themselves! As always, if you have any additional uses for a Filofax, please leave those below so we get even more inspiration from the community!

lifestyle Quirky Uses

5 Quirky Uses for Makeup Bags

5 Quirky Uses is a new periodic feature for Strange & Charmed. For each post, I will select an everyday item and suggest five alternate uses or ways to upcycle the item in a fun or unusual way. Keep up with these posts with the Quirky Uses category!

If you are like me, you probably have a few spare makeup bags or cosmetic cases lingering around. I tend to collect them! Whether it’s a free gift with purchase or part of a limited edition makeup set, or even just a cute pack of patterned bags, I have accumulated more than my fair share of them! So, what do you do with all those spare bags? I use mine for a number of purposes, so hopefully this list will inspire you to pull out an extra bag and put it to good use!

1. Organize Medicine: Makeup bags come in a variety of sizes and shapes which makes them perfect for organizing. Keep frequently used medications together in a bag to keep everything in one place. No more missing pill bottles for you!

2. Save your tech: In this day and age many of us carry around extra chords, cables, earbuds and other random tech gadgets everywhere we go. Save your gadgets and chords by keeping them in a dedicated “tech bag” so you don’t have to wrangle wires and detangle knots every time you need to charge your phone!

3. Emergency Bag: Now, when I say emergency bag, I don’t mean medical or other serious emergency. More like those little day-to-day emergencies where we are dealing with a broken nail, hair disaster or other last-minute mini emergency! I like to keep a bag filled with personal supplies like feminine products, hair ties, lotion, etc in my car for any issues that might arise. A spare makeup bag can be a perfect way to keep these sensitive items in order and easily accessible!

4. A Cute Clutch: I don’t know about you, but I have some pretty cute makeup bags! I just picked up this adorable three pack of makeup bags pictured above from Forever 21 and I would totally use any of these as a clutch! Slim bags in cute patterns are the perfect size and shape to store your phone, some cash, cards and a lipstick or compact! Check out these cute and very affordable makeup bags that would make awesome clutches!

5. Store your unmentionables while traveling: Whenever I am traveling I like to keep my delicate underclothing like bra’s and panties separate from the rest of my clothing. Makeup bags can be a great way to keep your dainty items private and protected while you’re traveling!

So, do you have a bunch of extra makeup bags like me? Do you just store them away or do you try to use them for organizational or other quirky purposes? Can you think of any other ways to use a makeup bag? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Quirky Uses

5 Quirky Uses for Empty Wine Bottles

5 Quirky Uses is a new periodic feature for Strange & Charmed. For each post, I will select an everyday item and suggest five alternate uses or ways to upcycle the item in a fun or unusual way. Keep up with these posts with the Quirky Uses category!

For my second installment of 5 Quirky Uses I decided to focus on an object that fills many a recycling can, wine bottles! There are many arts and crafts projects that involve empty wine bottles that are easily accessible through Pinterest, but to stray away from those more complicated upcycling projects, I decided to focus on uses for the bottle whole! So, without further ado, here are 5 ways to use an empty wine bottle(s).

Stuff them into tall boots to help them keep their shape.
Fill them with a string of lights for an interesting lighting option.
Fill them with water and use them as a vase for long flowers.
Stick a taper candle into the neck and use them as a candle stick.
Fill them with sand, cork them and use them as book ends.

Quirky Uses

5 Quirky Uses for a Mint Tin

5 Quirky Uses is a new periodic feature for Strange & Charmed. For each post, I will select an everyday item and suggest five alternate uses or ways to upcycle the item in a fun or unusual way. Keep up with these posts with the Quirky Uses category!

I love breath mints and especially the cute tins they are frequently stored in. But what do you do with those tins once your mint supply runs out? It seems such a pity to just toss the empty tin, so put yours to good use with these 5 Quirky Uses!

Wrap up your earbuds and store them inside the tin.
Use your tin as a travel pill box.
Store quarters for parking meters in the tin and leave it in your car.
Use the tin to make a mini first aid or on the go sewing kit.
Keep hair ties and bobby pins in the tin for quick, organized access.