Typecast

Over the past six months I've been working with online stationery company, Bureau Direct to bring you new ideas and inspiration from their virtual shelves. It also basically meant that I could indulge in all things stationery-related without having to make excuses.  As a blogger it was probably one of the best ambassador and review opportunities I've ever had which goes to show that it's not always about the money but finding a good blogger/brand relationship. Over the weekend, I created a few stationery-themed YouTube videos . I've linked these below with a bit of an intro to each of them.  I hope you enjoy them. ¨¨°º©©º°¨¨ A couple of weeks ago I filmed a stationery haul in which I showed my final Bureau Direct order and some goodies from Smiggle. This should set the mood for the rest of this post... First, I talked about the limited edition Ambition set of Field Notes notebooks (from Bureau Direct) which I'd been eyeing up for about three ...

The world is definitely split into those that understand the pull of stationery and those that only use it in a practical sense.   At the start of the year, I realised that I was leaning more to a green theme with my stationery for 2015 ; green ink in my pen, a turquoise Leuchtturm notebook, a green desk diary... Unintentionally, I've turned into a bit of a Paperways fangirl and appear to be working my way through their stock on the Bureau Direct website.  To date, I own the London themed mini-notebooks, the Parisian post-it notes, the A5 hexagon notepad and the hexagon keyboard pad and I have my eye on a few other pieces. This brand - which originates from South Korea - totally fits in with my theory that stationery should be fun, functional and affordable (almost total alliteration there).  But it was only during a Google Hangout with Penny that I realised I had so many of their products - and so did she - but just look how fantastic they all are. T...

2014 was a year of many diaries for me but I always moved back towards my Filofax; it's like my magnetic North. However, in 2015 I am determined to streamline my diary usage, carry less in my Filofax and continue to Get Things Done by using my Bullet Journal (I sometimes call this my BOAT - the Book Of All Things).  I feel I am growing tired of purple (...I KNOW!!) so there's definitely a 'green theme' for the new system - I've switched into my Sage Green Classic Botanics compact ring Filofax, I have an Emerald Leuchtturm1917 A5 with dotted paper to use as my bullet journal and a Marks Tokyo Edge Colors A5 diary in Green that will be my desk diary. I'm also using my J Herbin rollerball ink pen with the Lierre Sauvage refill as the pen that sits in my Filofax.  I'm still trying to decide whether to carry three, six or twelve months worth of diary. Reducing the pages will make more room on the rings in the Filofax but I like to forward plan. I ...

* stands up * My name is Nickie and I'm a stationery addict. Here's why: 1.  I keep a diary .  This is alongside using my Google Calendar for digital reminders. I find the act of writing something down makes it more permanent and memorable. I normally use a Filofax but love the Dodo Pad Diaries and maybe I'll try a  Marks Storage diary . 2.  I write lists . Lots of lists. Discovering the bullet journal system was a revelation because it meant I had a legitimate reason for writing lists. And the best thing? I actually get to cross things off those lists because I am Getting Things Done. 3.  I buy notebooks . I have to have a nice notebook to write my lists in, obviously! I prefer dot-grid paper but this is a recent appreciation and was discovered through the bullet journalling. Lines don't really do it for me any more. 4.  I love handwriting . My own is fairly neat but doesn't really have a 'flair' to it so I adore seeing other people...

I believe its important to write with a good pen because of many factors but mainly because I find it improves your handwriting and shows individuality. Even with my love of all things digital I'm finding that handwriting (along with spelling and grammar) is becoming a lost art. So, this month for my collaboration with Bureau Direct , I chose to compare two fountain pens from the affordable end of their range, especially as the first Friday in November is Fountain Pen Day . The two fountain pens I chose to test are the Lamy Safari  (in white) and the Platignum Studio  (in lime). I filmed a short video which compares the two pens side by side and also a writing test. As I mention in the video , I am enjoying both pens equally which really surprises me. I thought I would prefer one over the other, especially as the Lamy came so highly recommended. It's also worth noting that the "bleed through" I mention on the video is because I tested the inks...

Last week I announced my blogger relationship with Bureau Direct , a most fabulous online stationery store that I had ordered from in the past.  I have been challenged to select something each month that I would like to try out. Not an easy task when you have the pick of the website. However, I know that I want my stationery to be fun and affordable . I want it to be useful rather than decorative and I want to enjoy using it. So I took my time choosing a few items that I could use every day and got rather excited when the parcel arrived, so much so that I decided to share it with anyone who wanted to watch ... So after using everything I ordered for a few days, here are my thoughts. The mini notebooks are just the right size to tuck in the back of my Filofax or my handbag and the paper doesn't bleed as it is very good quality. The sticky notes came in tabs of 20 stickers so I removed five from each pile and stuck them on the dashboard of my Filofax to use ...