Louis Vuitton Mirror Mirror Gold Limited Edition PM Agenda

     First of all, WELCOME to my blog, PAJE.! My name is Liz Drake, and I am a 29 year old artist and YouTuber. I have tried this blog thing numerous times, and I thought why not try it again. There are some things I'd rather post like this about, than to post an entire video. I hope to make this blog a place for reviews, close ups of art, works in progress, and everything else that crosses my mind.

     PAJE. stands for Planners Art Journals Everyday, which is basically my life. I am a huge #plannergirl, and have been creating art and using journals since I could hold a pen. Art is something I have always been passionate about, and I hope this blog will eventually reflect some of that--as well as the rest of my personality, here and there.

     Now to get on to the point of this first blog post... The actual love and light of my life... My limited edition Louis Vuitton PM Agenda from the Mirror Mirror collection in Gold;

     Really truly, I am in love with this tiny thing. I never thought a smaller planner would be at all useful. I figured there'd be little to no room, I wouldn't have the information I needed at all times, and it would just be too tiny to write in. But boy was I wrong. I am so happy I decided to try out a small planner, there really are more pros than cons when using something so sweet and small. 

    I got into planning as a child. We were always required to have an agenda with us at all times, to write down our assignments (I'm curious as to if this is still a thing, or if they just use their Chromebooks these days!). As a teen I became somewhat obsessive about planning and would plan my life down to the very minute. As you would expect, that caused a ton of anxiety, because really-- You can't always plan every minute of your life, especially when your life consists of other people with other agendas (no pun intended...sort of). So as an adult, although I have taken the planning itself down a level, I never took the size down. And of course, as the popularity of planning grew, so did my planner. But these days, I don't plan to the very second. I barely plan at all to be honest. A few to-do lists, and even those can give me a bit of anxiety when I don't see the boxes ticked off at the end of the day. Large planners themselves started to cause some stress. I had to think of all these things just to fill the pages, and at the end of the day, then feel guilty for not completing the giant list of tasks I set out for myself. Basically, I find I much rather relax with planning, write down important things to get them out of my head, and just do life as it comes. 

     With that being said; the PM or pocket size in other planner terms, is my solution. To everything planner anxiety related. Could you call it planner peace? Maybe, but that is a term I'd like to touch on in another post. The idea of planner peace, and is it achievable in any real way. What I will call this though is planner zen. I am tranquil and happy in this planner. Even with it's tinier than average rings, this thing can hold what I need, and more. 

     Now although I do admit, I want to purchase some bigger (16mm rings), these ones really aren't impossible to use. The planner itself is 5.5" by 3.75", which may seem tiny to a personal or B6 size user, after awhile it holds and feels like any other planner. I honestly don't feel like I am missing anything by not having a personal sized planner, aside from less room for cute paperclips. As for functionality, it really is equal to its larger counterparts, but with even more benefits. 

     I have found that I am not missing any page length at all. I am more of a list maker in my planners, so a large horizontal area is not necessarily required for me. What I need is enough vertical length to write a good 10 to 20 item list on one side. I assumed at first I would be writing lists by 5's if I was lucky. However, after moving my information from my larger compact Filofax (a narrow personal size. Still a mammoth comparatively.), I found that I had the exact same amount of room. That's when I realized how excessive I had been using such large planners. Sure they're super fun to decorate, but all that space (but not enough at the same time, amiright?) was just too much for me to handle. I got anxiety trying to fit my entire life into this thing, and trying to figure out what an "entire life" actually looked like on paper. 

     Not only was there too much room inside the planner itself, but that meant there was rarely enough room to carry the planner with me. I love to have a planner on the go, just in case I need to write notes, or set dates; it's nice to have along for the ride. It's also nice for when you're sitting in a waiting room, or anywhere else, and you have some free time to organize your thoughts. This little guy can fit in any purse, and honestly, I love to carry it by itself as it is also my wallet. It feels less cumbersome and awkward to carry around, and is much easier as a wallet than a larger planner. Now I am not knocking the use of a larger planner as a wallet or all around general "brain"-- there are a lot of families that need that much room, that much structure, and that is perfectly awesome! But it's also totally not me. 

     There is more than enough room in here for everything I need. The inside front of the planner has three card slots as well as a secretarial pocket, perfect for storing the most important cards as well as some cash, stickers, and coupons I may need throughout the day. If you find yourself needing more card room, filofax sells a 4 card holder than fits perfectly into this planner, and is able to hold the rest of your cards, and even some photos. The back of the planner has one large pocket, again great for storing cash, stamps, or anything else you might need "on-the-go". The planner does feature a pen loop, however the loop is the only downside. Personally I would prefer it if they just didn't come with one. A pen fits perfectly nestled in the closing strap, or inside the planner like I have mine, hanging off the top ring. A great hack is if you have an Oli clip like mine in the front, using a pen with a metal lid will keep it in place on the oli clip whenever you open your planner. Trust me, it's a life (or pen) saver when you're forgetful like me, and let everything fly everywhere when your planner is opened. 

     All in all, this is a gorgeous planner, and I can't get enough of it. I love to just flip through it's pages, feel its soft vinyl and leather, and marvel at it's golden, mirrored, beauty. It really is a gorgeous piece, and that is one reason I decided on this version of the LV PM in particular. I myself have a monogram Never Full GM, and considered a matching planner-wallet combo to compliment it. Although when I really looked at the planners available, they all had brown interiors. There are a few rare pink interior models, but none that I could find in my price range. I prefer to buy most everything second hand, for various reasons (if you'd like a whole post on this, let me know in the comments), so of course my new baby is pre-loved. And when I saw that gold, I knew it had to be mine. There is just something about their Mirror Mirror line that is so 2000s (I guess we could thank Paris Hilton for that) and really calls to me. It's bright, shiny, and when I dress it up in fluffy key chains and giant bows, its loud, obnoxious, and everything I dreamed her to be. 

     So bottom line, why a Louis Vuitton is so perfect, is the quality. The rings..the RINGS you guys... They snap open and closed like velvety butter. The entire thing is actually lined with gold colored fabric and leather. There is no "half way" with Louis, and that's what makes them so wonderful. If you are looking for a lifetime partner in a planner, I highly, highly reccomend a Louis Vuitton if you can work it into your budget (I used Tradesy and Affirm, both are great services--and no I am in no way affiliated. Just a happy customer!).

     I hope this has helped you out, either a future LV planner purchaser, or just someone looking to see if pocket size is worth the try. I have to say, it most certainly is. 

So thank you so much for reading, and I hope that you will continue following my blog, bookmark it, and maybe even tell your friends!