Why oh, why oh, why?
I love love, love stationery. It is so important in my life, it is like art to me. As I sit here at my desk, I count about 30 notebooks in piles (neat piles always) around my office.
I am not one of these people who can just pick up a cheap notebook from a store and use it. I have very specific notebooks I use for very specific tasks and if I see a nice notebook that I have to have then I will not write it in it until I find the right use for it. I always, always respect the notebooks.
Just that perfect cover and those that clean paper really inspires me. (Does that make me sad?)
So my madness has taken a new step and I am now writing you a post on my favourite notebooks.
There is a method in my notebook madness
As I said when it comes to Notebooks I am a little fussy and I have different notebooks for different elements of my business and life. I need one as an Ideas journal, one for a gratitude journal, a different type for journalling, a book I carry around always for business meetings, books I use for clients and books I like to use just to scribble on all day.
Smythson Portabello Notebook
If you have not visited Smythson of Bond Street on Bond Street you have not experienced stationery. It is a British institution in the world of stationery, founded in 1887. The company is known for its leather accessories but it is really their books create the luxury of writing. They credit themselves with being the company who created the first featherweight diary that enabled us to be able to carry diaries about.
All Smythson notebooks and diaries have their famous blue featherweight notepaper which is beautiful to write on.
So one of my favourite notebooks is a bit of investment but there is not more luxurious and helps to make you feel As If than writing your goals and notes in one of these books. The Portabello Notebook, £225, has soft calf leather cover and their famous gilt edged featherweight paper.
Paperchase Kraft exercise book
Paperchase is stationery mecca. Many people experience small scaled down Paperchase stores on their own High Street but if you haven’t visited their flagship store on Tottenham Court Road, and you are a stationery lover, you need to add it to your bucket list.
The choices in PaperChase are endless and they change their themes by season but their old favourites they bring out season after season.
The reason why I love these books is because they fold really well which allows you to write easily on each side and the paper is really good quality,
These books are only £6.00 and I use them for my client’s notes, so I buy them in bulk and for each new client I start a new book.
Graphique De France Notebooks
I love these books, there is something really quality about them, even though they are not that expensive. You have to hunt around for them because you tend to only find them in little boutique gift shops. There is a range of covers so I always find it a little hard to choose which one to buy.
I use these books for journalling. I brain dump my life into these books so I go through them quite quickly. I journal at least once a day. Yes, you read that right at least. So when I journal it is important for me to have a book I love. These books are only A5 size, which I find perfect because they are not too big to pack away when you travel.
They have a really thick spiral binding, with a hardcover which allows you to fold the pages back and use both sides. The lines are wide enough because I have quite big writing and as I something I really love the paper is really good quality.
It is important for journalling to find journals that fill right for you.
Oxford Camps Refill
I am not a total snob when it comes to stationery because these books are my daily go to. I love a refill notebook. These are the books they have beside me on my desk all the time. I make notes in them all day and then put the notes where they need to go whether it be Evernote or Trello or where ever the note fits and then I can rip the page out. The paper is good quality and there are 300 pages in each.
I go through these a lot, but I also have piles of new ones lying around so that I am never without. These books I buy from Tescos, they vary in price but they are around about £5.00.
Paperchase lined leather notebook
I practice ideas so every day I make the effort to write 10 ideas on different subjects. I also do this book when the ideas strike. But as with everything I do it has to be the right book. These A5 soft leather books are perfect for me. Again spiral bound so you can easily use both sides, the paper is good quality and they are the perfect size to ensure I don’t ramble on about the ideas and the exercise becomes short and sharp but also the books are small enough to pack when travelling, along with the other books I travel with. They come in at around £12.00 so not massively expensive, although I do go through a lot of these so have to keep spares waiting in the piles.
Liberty Christian Lacroix notebook
My gratitude diary is a really important part of my ritual so I like to have a special book for this. I am not committed to one type of journal, every time I go through one, I then look for the next and go on gut feel as to which one to buy. I do consider myself a stationery connoisseur so am a pretty good judge of notebooks on sight.
This is a special one, purchased at Liberty. The Christian Lacroix is special in all ways, gorgeous covers and the designs continue inside on the paper. Amazing quality, I look forward to writing the 10 things I am grateful for each day.
It is a little pricey at £42 but it is important to me.
I will end now
I could have gone on and on and on but these are my favourites. I hope they help but I am always here to talk stationery if you need any advice.
