As many of us start to return to school, college or university over the next few weeks, I thought you'd like my top stationery picks to ease you into the new term.
Notebooks and Diaries
Depending on what your preference is, there are many great diaries that will see you through the academic year and beyond and I have a few favourites. The first is from Moleskine and is an 18-month diary with a week to view - you can purchase this in either pocket size or large size. The second is the Acad-Pad from Dodopad which is available in a variety of sizes and formats. For a luxury leather journal or personalised diary then take a look at Hope House Press (it's my friend's business and you can read about it here) . Finally, I love to stuff a small notebook into the back of my Filofax or the bottom of my bag so that I've always got paper to hand. The best place to buy pocket notebooks is... er... Pocket Notebooks as they've got tons in their range.
Pens And Pencils
A good pen is important whether you're taking notes, writing notes or essays or just doodling. I love the Cross Tech3+ which is a multi-function pen, negating the need to carry loads of pens around with you (review coming soon on this). If you're after a fountain pen, I can highly recommend a Lamy (the Safari is my favourite) or a Kaweko Sport (I was recently bought this in the mint green as a present) and I love to use different coloured ink such as green or purple! Finally, I've recently had the pleasure of becoming the proud owner of a Monteverde Prima Rollerball (video here) which is a thick barrelled, heavy pen and suits my needs perfectly. If you're after a multi function pencil then you'll not go far wrong with the Worther Pencil as a nice little twist on your traditional mechanical pencil. The different coloured leads write on different surfaces plus there is a refill to make the pencil into a ballpoint pen.
Accessories
Last, but not least, you're going to want some accessories. If you like brightly coloured fun items in your bag or pencil case then check out the full range from Smiggle who have the best ever pencil cases and all your other stuff like erasers, sharpeners and calculators. For post-it notes or washi-tape have a look at Ohh Deer and if you're after the more traditional equipment you could try the retro-styled Oxford Maths set from MapedHelix.
I'd love to hear if you have stationery favourites for Back To School time. For me, I love treating the grandchildren to a few bits for their pencil case and it warms the cockles of my heart when they come back from spending their pocket money with new notebooks, colouring pencils and highlighters (as they did this weekend).
Note: I'm working with Pen Heaven at the moment therefore a few links in this blog post point to their website. I have a review of their Cross Tech3+ pen and a set up of my new personal size Malden Filofax coming very soon.
Any images have been taken directly from the website that sell each items.