National Stationery Week #7 Shops

Shops that sell any kind of stationery are my favourite kind of shops. So I’ll pop into Paperchase every now and then to have a look around, I’ll browse the stationery section of Hobbycraft as well as the arts and craft, and I will cast my eye over the notebooks in WHSMITH.

To mark the end of National Stationery Week I thought I’d share my experience of a couple of shops and also list a couple of independent shops that are on my bucket list!

Paperchase, Tottenham Court Road

I’ve been to this Paperchase a couple of times. I love that it has all the stock of smaller stores and more, but also that it has has creative magazines, some home ware and art prints too. It also has a selection of art supplies; papers of every colour, paints and pens. For the frugal shoppers who still want to treat themselves to some stationery there is also a sale section!

Tiger

A bit like a little Ikea, the path to the till in Tiger winds through displays of all sorts of products; from fanciful home ware and party decorations to a selection of candles and foods. Their stationery section is worth a look! On my first visit to the shop I picked up three or four notebooks. I was visiting a friend at the time and returned home on the train with a rucksack stuffed to the brim! 

Some of my very favourite shops are independent. Some I’ve gone to with purpose others I’ve stumbled across and they’ve made my day. They’re the ones with so much gorgeous, practical design in them, and the ones with so much to look at that I could lose an hour amidst their walls.

I found this gem, Smug, after I’d been to a fair at the London BDC in Islington a few years ago and I have been back since. The first time I visited I picked up a copy of Flow Magazine. It is for paper lovers and always includes some insightful articles.

A few little slices of heaven I haven’t had the good fortune of visiting yet.

1. Choose Keeping Stationery

2. Present and Correct

3. Quill

I hope you have had a lovely weekend! May you have a very good week to come - whether it is full of pens, pencils and notebooks or not!

Katie

National Stationery Week #6 Novelty Stationery

Today is the penultimate day of National Stationery Week and so far I’ve shared my wish lists for both notebooks and pens. While they are my favourite they’re not the only pieces out there. There are so many fun, whimsical bits and bobs to choose from in this world but below are a select few! They're frivolous and I am not sure I'm going to hurry to purchase them but I like them none the less! 

1. I love houses and buildings in design and appreciate architecture. These desk organisers would bring some of those iconic buildings into your home or work space. 

2. As functional and nifty as staplers are have you ever seen one as snazzy as this?! 

3. I remember the times when I'd carry my school work on a floppy disk so every time I'd write something on one of these sticky notes it would be a trip down memory lane! 

4. I haven't jumped on the washi tape band wagon but this robot tape dispenser might convince me! 

Happy Saturday!

Katie 

National Stationery Week #5 Pens Wish List

On Wednesday I shared some of the pens that I have in my pencil case. I’m always on the lookout for more though! I’m drawn to the pen section in shops. There’s something about all the colours and options!

I’ll always prefer to buy new pens in a real shop because then I’ll have more of an idea of what they are like. But have you ever heard of Cult Pens? It has the widest range of pens on the planet and that’s quite exciting!

I spent a little bit of time perusing their site while clutching a cup of coffee. These are just a few of the pens that took my fancy in that time. Click the links for a better look!

My Wish List

Clockwise from Top Left

1. Faber-Castell Pitt Artists Drawing Pen Metallic

2. Uni Jetstream Colours Hybrid Ink Rollerball Pen SXN-150C

3. Pentel S360 Colour Pen Set

4. Copic MultiLiner SP Colour Brush Pen

5. Gelly Roll Stardust Pen

6. Faber-Castell CX Colour Ballpoint Pen Set

There are too many out there to put them into a concise list but this is what I've got at the moment. Maybe I'll get my hands on them soon.

Katie 

National Stationery Week #4 Katie Sarah

Yesterday I shared some of my favourite items in my pencil case. They’re not particularly the items I use to create my handcrafted greetings cards with on the day to day. Those pieces are on my desk. Among other things they include…

One. Uni-ball Signo Noble Metal Silver

This silver gel pen flows really smoothly which I’ve found can be a bit of a problem in other pens.

Two. Gelly Roll Stardust Clear Star

This is a relatively new purchase and I love it. I use to add a bit of sparkle to all sorts of different pieces in my work.

Three. Winsor and Newton Galeria Iridescent Medium

I was originally given this a gift a few years ago. I don’t regularly use it with acrylic paints instead using it to add shine and sparkle to pieces of paper before I work with them. I’ll also use it watered down with watercolours for some of my designs.

Black Fine Liners

I like to try out different fine liners and I am always experimenting with what works best for me. Some of the ones I am using at the moment are:

Four. Derwent Graphik Line Maker

Five. Pilot DR Drawing Pens

Six. Uni pin Fine Line

Seven. Pentel EnerGel

This is a pen that I actually picked up from around the house. I use it every now and then in my cards.

Eight. Fiskars Scissors

I make all my greetings cards by hand - with no machines or die cutters in sight - so these scissors are absolutely amazing! The ‘big loops’ are a life saver on your hands when you’re using them from hours on end.

Nine. Winsor and Newton Watercolour Paints

I use these paints for both my cards and illustrations.

Its been quite interesting looking at what bits and pieces I have both on my work table and in my pencil case. Its made me think about what I like using and what other pieces I'd love to have!

Have a good one!

Katie 

National Stationery Week #3 My Pencil Case

Hello and welcome to World Stationery Day! A day to celebrate the written word and all things stationery.

I have a confession. I am currently using a wash bag as a pencil case. It is from the Paperchase Nordic Nights range. It is a range which I fell in love with the moment I saw it.

I have a mixture of pens and pencils in this case. Having them all in one place means that I can carry them from room to room and place to place - to wherever I want to be at the time. It means that I have every pen at my fingertips. It is actually very handy!

In this pencil case are the pens I use to make lists with, to conjure plans with, to scrapbook with and to just write with. They’re not necessarily what I use to make my cards and creations with. I’ll tell you about more of those pieces of stationery tomorrow.

Inside my great big, giant pencil case:

One. Papermate Inkjoy

Two. A lime green Berol Broad pen

(A favourite from my school days)

Three. Hotel Pens

(Is it just me or are hotel pens some of the smoothest writers out there?!)

Four. Pigma Microns 

Five. Paperchase Pen 

Six. Stabilo Pen 68 Mini

Seven. Pentel Sign Pen

Eight. Staedtler Triplus Fineliners

I hope you're having a good week!

Katie