Pastel Perfection from Filofax

Is anyone else a note book hoarder? I’m sure fellow Stationery addicts will relate when I confess I have a drawer full of printed presentation folders, notebooks (and pens, my other weakness).
I can’t resist them- despite knowing I will never get through them all; nor do I want to spoil their pristine condition I often find myself in line in a shop, or clicking “add to basket”.
Filofax is a brand that has featured fairly often on the blog. It’s a brand that to me reflects quality and style and I’ve been a devoted fan since a very young age.

Their notebook range instantly took on “I need it now” status as soon as I saw it, and now I have one of their A5 Classic Pastel* notebooks in my mitts I can quite safely say that any stationery junkie also needs one.

Available in a range of gorgeous pastel shades and costing £12.99 this notebook has everything you could possibly want as a place to store your plans and scribbles. It features a twin wire spine, secure elastic closure (which is tried and tested a great game for kittens), a moveable page marker/ruler and moveable index markers meaning you can arrange your sections as you wish.
It also has the unique feature of laying completely flat when folded back on itself, and also when open.

As with most Filofax products refills and accessories are available and the pages are compatible with all A5 Filofax notebooks.
Available online and in all good stationery retailers.

I almost daren’t ask this question for fear of a severely depleted bank account, but where are your favourite places to shop for stationery? And which notebook brands stand out above the rest?
Filofax will always be the one for me- coupled with my trusty fountain pen I feel like I can take on the world.

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Notebook gifted to me by Filofax for blog consideration with no obligation to post. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Stationery Favourites

For as long as I can remember I’ve been obsessed with stationery. Going shopping for a new pencil case and it’s contents was the one consolation to the end of the long Summer holidays and over the years I’ve amassed quite a collection of pens, notebooks, pencils, stickers…you get the idea! I’ve recently added a few new items to my stash which I’m really quite taken with so I thought I’d do something a little different and give them some space on the blog.
Crazy Cat Lady Pencils (get them here): What can I say? I just couldn’t resist this set of true to life pencils from La La Land. If cats aren’t your thing (although I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t be) then there is a whole host of witty designs to choose from, the perfect addition to your desk, or for a cheeky little gift to someone.

Kate Spade Note Pad (get it here): I’ve developed a bit of a thing for Kate Spade stationery since spying it pop up on several blogs recently. I treated myself to this “short list” note pad as a pick-me-up during a not so easy time, it’s perfect for setting small daily goals and feeling accomplished. There is something so charming about the entire stationary collection, I may have added some pens to my collection since photographing this, oops!
Paperblanks notebook* (get yours here): My real weakness is a beautiful notebook and they don’t come much more beautiful than those by Paperblanks. I’ve admired their designs for years, and owned more than a few in my time- as soon as I fill one up with my random notes and musings I instantly replace it, feeling a teensy bit guilty each time for ruining something so easy on the eye. My most recent addition is the perfect size for carrying in my handbag and contains everything from shopping lists to inspiration for my next blog post.

Paperchase Organiser (get yours here): Essentially the only hope I have of ever remembering to do anything! I can’t get to grips with keeping my schedule on my phone, I much prefer the old school approach so when I saw this beautiful owl organiser in store I had to snap it up to replace my mid-year diary that was due to run out. I love that you can customise the inside of these- mine has a standard 12 month diary, plus note paper, a to-do list section and a handy plastic wallet for storing bits and bobs.
Fellow stationery addicts, where do you shop for your supplies? I can’t be alone in being a pen hoarder to the extreme!

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Working from home in style with Viking

Since starting my work with Riddle I’ve had to become a lot more organised with everything. My time management skills had to improve ten fold and my habit of leaving to-do lists and bits of paper all over the house had to stop. I was recently contacted by the folks at Viking Direct and asked if I would like to pick a few bits from their range of fashion stationery which was the perfect kick up the backside to sort myself out in style…not only for my job, but for all my blogging paraphernalia too.
Obviously my old faithful Mac Book is a blogging and working essential but unlike most people I know, I’m not a fan of spreadsheets for keeping organised. I prefer good old pen and paper so when I saw this adorable Hello Kitty fountain pen it was immediately added to my “please may I have” list. I always think my writing looks loads neater when I use a fountain pen and I love the old fashioned look of real ink.
On the afternoons where I set up office in the conservatory (or when I’m cheekily writing blog posts on my bed) you’ll never see my far away from my pink Moleskine notebook and my weekly planner from Paperchase. I don’t care what anybody says, Moleskines are hands down the nicest notebooks to use- they make me feel a lot more productive too, for some reason! The planner is a recent addition to my desk and it is so, so useful as I can see at a glance what I have on for the week and how much time I have to fit in all that I need to.
Also from Viking I picked this pink 3 litre storage box to store some of the bits and pieces I get sent for review as I am so bad for putting things down somewhere and not finding them again for ages. I also have some pink plastic bucket type things from Asda for bigger items and they keep my bedroom looking a whole lot neater!
Finally- FOLDERS! I’m mad for owls so it was a no brainer when I saw the funky owl range
on the Viking site. I always feel like I can never have enough folders in my life as I use them for everything- receipts, press releases, copies of invoices, important documents, magazine clippings…the list goes on and on.

I think that just about sums up my current essentials, all you lovely bloggers (and work from home-ers) what can’t you live with out? I’m sure there are things I am lacking and I do love an excuse for a good stationary shop!

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Smiggled

I’ve always been a stationary geek; during my school days going shopping for a new pencil case and pens at the end of the school holidays was my favourite thing about going back to school, and when the craze took off I really was the girl with the most gel pens (my teachers were not impressed with my tendency to write in pastel pink).
Recently I was contacted about a company called Smiggle, an Australian brand taking root in the UK (you can click through to the Aussie site to see the full product range). To celebrate the launch of their first UK store opening in Westfield, Stratford I was sent a box of Smiggle goodness and it was just like Christmas all over again!
30 gel pens?! HELLO heaven. I apologies for the amateur scribblings, I was so excited to start using everything but I never did profess to be an artist. Neat handwriting (usually) is as far as I get on the artistic front. But still, what a package of joy and delight. I love the zippy pencil case, I’ve stuffed all my favourite pens in there- am I the only person who has a few pens reserved for “best?”.
I think it’s fair to say I’m a big fan of Smiggle- they have three more stores opening in the UK over the next month or so and I’m really hoping that they eventually decide to come to Bristol so I can go stationary shopping as often as I want…or at the very least launch as an online store. I’ve been having a browse on the Australian website and these pens as well as this iPad case feature high on my wish list.
Fellow stationary geeks, are you excited for the Smiggle?

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