Organize time with stylish planners and calendars

Even though there are plenty of digital ways to keep track of daily appointments, people of all ages are still attracted to beautifully crafted day planners and calendars.

“I’m finding that young people, not just older folks, appreciate having lovely things in their hands,” says Emily Rembe Benak, owner of Pennysmiths Paper (4022 Rio Grande NW) in Albuquerque.

Pennysmiths Paper carries Filofax organizers, which have been made in England since 1921. They come in a wide range of sizes, and are available in different kinds of leather, including alligator and ostrich, and also in a synthetic material.

“What’s so wonderful about these planners is that you can customize them,” says Benak. “You can keep the planner for years and replace the papers you use in them as often as you like.”

Benak stocks a variety of Filofax products in different colors and prices. Her inventory ranges from small planners with a leather-like vinyl cover that retails for $35 to large leather planners for $155. Most have pockets, a place for business cards, a calendar, and a little ruler.

Benak also carries colorful booklike planners with calendars in them by the company momAgenda. She describes these planners (around $35) as having silky covers in rich reds and golds.

Kathy Hines, owner of Pen & Pad (8236 Menaul NE; penandpad.myshopify.com) stocks planners from Letts of London. They are traditional-looking planners with simple red or black covers in leather or vinyl. Prices start under $10 and go up to $50.

Hines is excited about the 2013 Paperblanks day planners ($14.95-$29.95) that have decorative patterns and floral designs on the covers. “Several of them are small enough to be great stocking stuffers,” Hines says.

There is a large selection of wall calendars at The Ark Books (133 Romero St.; arkbooks.com) in Santa Fe, as well as other retailers. For animal lovers, Amber Lotus is printing The Healthy Dog and The Healthy Cat calendars ($13.99) by Eve Adamson. These calendars include a year’s worth of tips on how to keep your furry friends healthy.

Proceeds from the Wild Horses calendar ($14.95), which has photos of wild horses by Rita and Charles Summers, benefit the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary in South Dakota.

The Ark stocks a number of calendars ($13.99) by various publishers that feature images of paintings by well-known artists including Mark Rothko, Paul Klee, Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Georgia O’Keeffe. One of the Mark Rothko calendars contains paintings that hang in the National Gallery of Art.

For a spiral bound calendar/date book, check out The Ark’s colorful Brush Dance date books ($16.95) that have ample space for writing down daily tasks and appointments, a pocket for important papers and monthly quotes.