I admit it: I have been seduced.
Last month, welcomed to the busom of Bureau Direct’s #StationeryWednesday family, I had a plan. I knew what I wanted, I welcomed the change of schedule (see what I did there?) to my life and I have not looked back. Not so this month. I had plans for fountain pens and coloured ink, having coveted the Herbin pens that were spoken so highly of by Being Mrs C and Typecast.
Then came the weekly #StationeryWednesday email* from Bureau Direct. It pops up every week with new offers, and at the beginning of the month there is a discount code. It’s all terribly exciting, and makes me feel like I am a member of an elite club. And oh my some of the things that are showcased.
*follow the link to sign up for your very own slice of Stationery Bliss every Wednesday.
Drool-worthy.
Which is how I came to be seduced by coloured paper and washi tape. Which is how my monthly review bundle bore no resemblance to the one I had meticulously planned.
Instead of beautiful fountain pens and rainbow inks, there were Vellum notelets from Crown Mill, vibrant and luxurious with contrast edging. I eschewed the red, fearing it too agressive, and went for bright blue with a navy contrast edging. They are dreamy. The kind of notelets you buy just to hold and stroke. They disappeared into DH’s office and have not been seen since. I assume I will get a Thank-you-for-my-super-40th-birthday-you-are-an-amazing-wife-and-I-love-you-so message very soon.
The rainbow Mini Cube Pad from the same company, as vibrant and luxurious as the notelets, was more of disappointment. At least in the size category. The clue was in the word Mini. It’s too small for me to find useful as a noteblock. Not that I write essays on note-paper, but an effective note has space for several items. And this only does that if you have Borrower-sized writing. It has been “borrowed” by the children, who love the glorious colours, and I am unlikely to see it again.
The other note paper I got came in the form of this amazing roll of Mark’s Sticky Roll Memo, like a very long Post-it note on a handy roll so that you could rip off a length as needed. No size issues here. And I simply adore it. But as SianTo said on the Domestic Goddesque Instagram feed, it’s almost a shame to use it. It is so cute and so awesome and I am so in love with it that I just want to keep it forever. I will be buying another roll next month for sure!
And then, there is the washi tape. The biggest seduction of all. If there’s one thing I am not in need of, it is tape. I counted and I have close to 35 rolls of washi tape, 12 of coloured duct/Duck Tape and innumerable rolls of packing tape, masking tape, sellotape and electrical tape. But have you seen the MT designs by Mina Perhonen? Frankly I am gutted that I didn’t see all the fabulous Christmas range before I got my hand on these babies. It is such good quality: easy to cut, adheres well, and did I mention the designs? The joy of using it in our secret project for DH’s birthday was tempered by the knowledge that I was actually using it, which meant that it would one day run out. Torture.
A word of extreme caution. The Washi Tape starts at £2.95. When choosing your roll, do not assume that all designs are the same price: select the design you wish to buy from the drop down menu to check the price. You may find that your roll costs £7.95. Which may have happened to me.
Costs of items mentioned:
Vellum Contrast Notes: 12.95 for a pack of ten notelets and envelopes
Rainbow Mini Cube Pad: £3.95 for 312 sheets
Mark’s Sticky Roll memo: £4.95
MT washi tape: from 2.95
*Disclosure: I am part of the Bureau Direct #StationeryWednesday group. The aforementioned items were sent to me to review, though the choices and opinions are all my own.*
I am every so slightly addicted to stationary too. I splashed out on a Smash Book this morning and have far too much stationary already too!