Bookbinders – a Stationery Addict’s Dream

Posted in Gifts for Writers & Readers by

Bookbinders is Brisbane’s own fabulous little stationery shop, and it’s not too far from where I work. Last week, I stopped by to check it out. Owners Leanne, Roger and Michael took me for a tour and answered all my questions. When Leanne used the word ‘toothy‘ to describe paper, my heart knew it was among friends.

Bookbinders stationery shop is sure to warm the hearts of all true pen and paper lovers. The owners are the real deal — Roger and Michael are both bookbinders by trade. They stock a huge range of premium products, from Midori Traveler notebooks and accessories to Pilot Prestige pens.

For stationery addicts outside of southeast Queensland, check out Bookbinders’ online store, but Brisbanites should definitely visit. While you’re there, check out Bookbinder’s charmingly old-world Kingsley Hot Stamping Machine (shown right) for monogramming notebooks.

Paper – Canvas of Dreams

My resolve not to buy another notebook crumbled when I saw the Field Notes steno book. It’s a handy size to carry around, and its sturdy cover will stand up even to handbag punishment. The spiral binder is at the top, comfortably out of the way no matter which side of the page you write on. The ivory paper is lined and divided into two columns with an attractive but unobtrusive shade of tan.

Bookbinders also carry paper products — toothy and otherwise — by Apica, Fabio Ricci, Hugo Boss, Midori Traveler, Tomoe River, and their own brand.

Fountain Pens – Swanky Word Swords

They cater to every pen budget, with a range that spans from the economical, everyday-carry type to the swoon-worthy, high-end fountain pens.

At AU$9.90, Pilot Preppy fountain pens are a good everyday carry solution. A Preppy is cheap enough that you won’t worry about losing or dropping it. I’d heard that fine nibs made in Asia are finer than European fine nibs, but it’s crazy how much finer. The 0.3 will be perfect for my planner, where I prefer tiny writing in a crisp line to keep everything neat. My next Preppy will be a 0.5 medium as the 0.3 is a little too scratchy (and not juicy enough) for my taste and writing speed.

Ink – Writers’ Elixir

Some stationery shops tuck the ink bottles and samples in a tantalising display behind the counter, out of reach. Not so at Bookbinders. They let customers handle the ink. If you’ve longed to experience the entire scintillating  range of Iroshizuku inks, stop by for a play at their display desk.

Especially cool is Bookbinders’ own brand, Snake Ink. It comes in nifty packaging — a tiny burlap bag like a snake catcher uses. Each shade is named after a species of snake.

I admit it — I was a sucker for their motto:

SNAKE INK: Cures Writers’ Block

Yes, thank you. I’ll take three. I demonstrated some restraint and bought only one colour, a gorgeous grey shade called Ground Rattler. It has a lovely pencil look to it.

I love the branding!

The Ink Miser kit consists of a shot glass and pipette (new word for me. I had to ask Michael to spell it for me. It’s a dropper with a long, flexible tube). The kit makes refilling fountain pens easier and tidier, and it prevents wastage.

*Sigh* Ink … It’s almost magical. It makes me want to write and write and write. Check out my Pinterest board, Writers’ Elixir, which features dreamy inks and writing implements.

Stationery – Necessities, of course!

I couldn’t resist the Maste washi tape with the tumbling pandas. Nor could I say no to the Midori pug-shaped brass paperclips. Swoon!

But the coolest discovery was the mini Midori tape measure. Smaller than one inch square, it’s the perfect size to tuck into a wallet.

Desk-cessories – aka Mind Declutterers

My favourite find was the Landscape Desk Organiser, a clever metal box with lids that come in a variety of ‘terrains’ or surfaces. I picked the business card holder style. It’s currently my glasses and pen perch. I have the annoying habit of leaving my reading glasses in silly spots and even losing them on my desk under papers and notebooks. So far the Landscape organiser is helping. Inside I’ve stashed frequently used items, like paperclips, rubber bands and lip balm. These are currently (at time of posting) on sale for a fantastic discount, so get in quick!

The Verdict

I plan to go back and pick the brains of the owners. I’d love to learn more about their monogramming machine and find out what makes bookbinders tick. I have lots more to learn and share about ink too, so watch this space!

Over to You

Do you have a favourite pen, ink or notebook? Does ink inspire you? Do you like traditional colours (blue-black), fun colours (crimson) or earthy (chestnut). Guess which I prefer!

Photo Credits

With the exception of the top photo, all images come from Bookbinders.com.au with the permission of the owners.

The photographer is Millyjane. 

Creativity Prescription

Posted in Kindling Creativity by

Feeling saggy and flat in the creativity department? Is your muse off counting stars while you’re contemplating dust motes and peeling paint?

Don’t just sit there!  Motivation is within reach. Invest time in your interests!

The Creative Doldrums

It happens to us all at some point in a creative life. Whether rejection wears us down or a nasty review rains on our parade, sometimes the creative gig is a tough act. One of the biggest joy-robbers and energy-sappers is comparison, which I blogged about here. To hang in there for the long haul, we creative types have to look after our souls.

I know this well – probably because I keep having to relearn the lesson. I still catch myself comparing. I frequently run my tank dry, neglecting to nurture my spirit and feed my passions. I continue pushing myself to build a platform and develop my craft and conjure new ideas – all while working on existing projects (and holding down another demanding career and looking after a family).

The last thing I want to do is lose the joy of creativity.

Joys of The Zone

Solitude and quiet – they are the conditions creative people crave. We yearn for isolation, jealously carving out precious slabs of  distraction-free time in hopes of sidestepping any piddling thing that bars us from The Zone.

Ah, The Zone. A true creative sighs at the thought of those hours of deep concentration and prolific productivity, where time vanishes and ideas surge. The Zone is where we cast off the wet blanket of self and blissfully commune with our art. This sublime state in the zone is called flow.

Psychologists claim that flow is the key to fulfilment and happiness. Mihaly Csikszentmihaly, the researcher behind the concept of flow, holds that creativity gives meaning to life. He explains, “When we are involved in [creativity], we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of life.”

Perils of The Zone

The pull of the Zone is strong, so strong that it wouldn’t take much to become a Flow junkie: a malnourished, greasy-haired, bug-eyed and hunched recluse (with an astonishing body of work).

Balance, as always, is the key. Writers, illustrators, creatives of all types need to make sure we stretch – physically, mentally, and spiritually. Otherwise, we get stale and our art goes stagnant.

Just as important as creating and producing is feeding. The artistic soul needs nourishment and a varied diet. Make time for pursuits beyond your art and pursue them passionately. Discover new interests, tackle fresh challenges, and take some risks. It will make your creativity thrive.

Stoking the Creative Fire

Sometimes our ‘other interests’ come with restrictions. For instance, I know someone who is a scuba diving enthusiast, but it’s not the kind of activity she can do on a whim. It’s expensive, and it requires a lot of planning. Although scuba is her conduit to flow, she has to wait for her annual opportunity.

For others, travel kindles the creative flame. For me, a theatre ticket does the trick. Or choral music. Or a simple romp with my dogs.

Here’s a list of inexpensive, easy recharging activities to indulge in. They’re guaranteed to refresh the body, mind and spirit of creative people.

  • Attend a yoga class
  • taste wines at a vineyard
  • finger paint
  • go for a walk (read more here. Seriously, click the link to read one of my most under-appreciated posts)
  • even better, walk in the rain, savouring sounds and smells
  • visit (or volunteer) at an animal shelter
  • sort through old photos
  • help a child turn a big box into a fort
  • bake homemade focaccia (with or without olives)
  • research the name of your suburb or town
  • draw a rough family tree with the help of your oldest relative
  • visit an apothecary shop and ask for a love potion (just to see what happens)
  • whittle a block of soap into a dragon shape
  • visit (with an open mind) a variety of local places of worship
  • try on a formal outfit at a vintage clothing store
  • learn some useful phrases from a native speaker of another language
  • study the structure of bridges (or a structure you are unfamiliar with)
  • interview someone you admire (not related to your art)
  • join a music group (ukuleles and harmonicas can be bought cheaply)
  • play ping-pong. Or musical chairs.
  • search a cemetery for quirky headstones
  • shop at an ethnic grocery store and, with the owner’s assistance, buy a snack typical to that ethnicity.

Check your ulterior motives at the door: this isn’t the time to fossick for a story or a subject. Instead, attack the activity like a kid – for plain old fun.

Inspiration is bound to follow, but only if you let your enthusiasm take the lead.

Over to You

Do any of the activities in my list sound like fun? What do you do to avoid burnout and stoke your creative flame? Share your ideas and tips in the comments!

Image Credits: Graphics made by ME on Canva

How Writers Can Make Kids Lifelong Readers

Posted in Rockin' Kidlit Authors & Illustrators by

 

kgik9yofrn0-mi-phamFor a long time, The Secret Garden has reigned supreme as my favourite book, but in January 2017, its forty-year rule of my Favourites bookshelf came to an end. Which children’s book knocked Frances Burnett Hodgson’s classic from its perch? Read to the end to find out!

The Secret Garden is the book that turned me into a lifelong reader and planted the seed of desire to write books. Why exactly did it make such a lasting impression on me? Was it about the book? Content, character, setting, cover design? Or was it about the reader? Age, readiness, timing? These are questions I’m pondering as a creator of children’s literature. What makes a book a classic?

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A Book Hugger is Born

I distinctly remember finishing The Secret Garden and clutching it to my heart. I turned back to the first page and hovered there for a moment, tempted to start over then and there just to extend my time with the characters in their world.

I didn’t reread it. Instead, I savoured the delicious post-book thrill. With a rainbow of emotions zinging through me, I felt as if my heart had strings and someone had strummed a mysterious new chord. Happiness and satisfaction vibrated on the high notes, while loss and longing thrummed on the low.

Sounds Almost Psychedelic…

What was it that made my eleven-year-old heart swoon for The Secret Garden? My guess: neurochemicals. A crazy literature-triggered cocktail of endorphins, dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin made me go gaga and googly-eyed over a book.

Dopamine is the main neurotransmitter of the brain’s reward and pleasure system. It plays a positive part in bonding, love, sex, and motivation, and on the negative side, it is a factor in all kinds of addictions. I haven’t been able to find any quality research proving that reading great books triggers the release dopamine, but if computer games, television and music can, I don’t see why good books can’t.

It’s all about Pleasure &Reward.

If a reading habit starts very young, children learn to associate books with all sorts of pleasant, happy things like comfort, safety, and positive attention. Books equal nurturing.

Parents can set the stage for a lifetime of reading, but what about the writers of children’s literature? Can we maximise the pleasure and reward factors of books? I think so! If we tick these boxes, we can make the reading experience truly memorable and rewarding.

Connection

Relatable characters increase readers’ engagement with the story. Now, this is coming from someone who dislikes the word relatable. However, remember: one of the reasons kids (everybody, really) read is because they don’t want to feel alone. They (we) seek connection and validation. So give kids characters that ring true. Make your protagonist not too perfect. Stick a thorn in their flesh, a flaw that they have to master. And relatable doesn’t mean vague or blank or ‘insert a you-shaped facsimile here’; it means authentic. Little details, funny quirks, secret foibles and fears—these are the things that make characters relatable. (Read this for  food for thought on ‘relatability‘).

In The Secret Garden, Mary Lennox was a sour, unlikable little girl, which would seem ‘unrelatable’. She had suffered a lot, having lost parents to typhoid and been transplanted to the other side of the world to live with strangers. Few kids today can relate to this, but most children have had moments of being contrary or have said horrible things or felt angry at everyone. Mary is relatable because her response to loss is authentic.

Significance

Make the stakes high and also meaningful to kids. Who cares about an evil madman who wants to rule the universe unless it impacts your kid protagonist personally (and your young reader vicariously)? The madman’s sinister deeds have to threaten the protagonist’s school or soccer team, and the outcome has to change the hero—not just save the universe for another rotation of the earth on its axis. Your readers must care about both the problem and the outcome.

Mary Lennox lost everything, so the question is: is restoration possible? Can she ever belong again? Can her frozen heart thaw? The garden is a metaphor for the healing of the characters and the blossoming of hope and possibility. If Mary and the garden can regenerate and flourish, it gives readers hope that they too can heal and thrive.

Agency

Give the protagonists as much agency as possible. The kid heroes, not their parents or teachers, must be the primary doers. The heroes must be pint-sized (or more or less the size of your readers) but supremely resourceful. The best way to ramp up the reward/pleasure factor is to make the kid save the day by sheer determination and clever thinking. Avoid adult saviours and magical shortcuts for maximum reader satisfaction.

Mary Lennox is left to her own devices at Misselthwaite Manor, which is sad for a child who’s lost her parents and her home. Mary uses her freedom to her advantage. Unencumbered by adult interference, she seeks and finds; she toils and reaps; she makes herself vulnerable and wins. And in all this doing, she changes, heals herself and helps others.

Senses

Let your readers ride in the skin of your protagonist. Sensory detail and visceral responses help draw your reader in. But show it, don’t tell it.

Dickon with his sweet nature is a wonderful foil for sour Mary Lennox. Compare mollycoddled Colin Craven who’s restricted to a dreary room and rigid routine for his lifetime to a girl who experienced the colourful world of India and roamed the lonely moors, a girl about whom no one cared a bit, not her distracted, socialite parents when they were alive, and not her heartsore, distant uncle. These contrasts are brilliant showing exercises to help the reader zero in on the frustrations and experience the truths in their starkness.

My New All Time Favourite Book

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The Secret Garden was supremely satisfying, but I recently read another book that pipped it. Eva Ibbotson’s Journey to the River Sea surpassed my old favourite. I loved it from cover to cover, and when I turned the last page, I burst into tears, startling my husband. “It’s the best book I’ve ever read,” I sobbed.

That perfect, mysterious chord of emotions thrummed in my soul: elation at the satisfying resolution; loss at leaving the world and its inhabitants behind. Professional jealousy and inspiration vied uncomfortably inside me. Here’s a link to my Goodreads review.

Journey to the River Sea ticks all of the boxes—and then some! Twists galore, fantastic characters, hateful villains, a setting to swoon over…

Connection – we’ve all felt friendless and alone and utterly unwanted.

Significance – What greater need than to find a place where you belong and matter.

Agency– Maia is resourceful and brave in bucket loads. Her governess, Miss Minton says, “Children must lead big lives… if it is in them to do so.” With this belief firmly fixed, she lets Maia star, doing all the exploits and working out the puzzles on her own.

Senses – a feast. It’s set in Manaus, Brazil along the Amazon at the turn of the century. The characters are British and very much out-of-place, but it is one’s attitude that makes all the difference.

My Aspiration

My highest goal as a children’s writer is to create for my young readers that singular experience of exalting in the joy of reading. I won’t mind a bit if a few neurotransmitters enhance the moment and motivate kids to keep reading!

Image Credit: Mi Pham, via Unsplash

My Favourite Five Reads – 2016

Posted in For Readers, Reviews & Recommendations by

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Some people evaluate the passing year in wins; others in sales, gigs, or publications. I have a tradition of summing up a year in titles. Out of the (nearly) fifty books I read in 2016, here is my annual list of best reads.

My Favourite Five

David Copperfield by Charles Dickensdavidcopperfield

I blogged about this one shortly after reading it. (Read it here).

I  confess that I loved  this book so much I was compelled me to buy a special (used) Folio Society edition as a keepsake. (Hey, don’t judge me. I write Victorian fiction. It’s an investment in a resource, right?)

 

JonathanStrangeMrNorrellbySusannaClarkeJonathan Strange and Mr Norrell  by Susanna Clarke

Gosh, I loved this book, but it isn’t one I readily thrust into friends’ hands. I’m not entirely sure others will love it as much as I did. It is weird and dark and really long. I put off reading it for years, because its oozing footnotes seemed like they’d be a dreary chore to read. (They weren’t!)

Ultimately, its brilliant premise won me over: What if once upon a time English Magic existed, but it faded into obscurity and is all but forgotten? And what if one man seeks to revive it for the good of the realm?

Mr Norrell is a magician and a pernickety, reclusive man who, after years of rigorous solo study, performs powerful magic that makes him an instant celebrity. Soon the English government is calling on his services to rectify civil disasters and gain military advantage over enemies. English Magic is making a comeback so big he has to take on a student. Enter the charismatic Jonathan Strange, quite a different character altogether. Together, they do great good for England, and all is well until the teacher and the pupil clash.

Susanna Clarke’s world building is extraordinary thanks in part to the footnotes I mentioned. She references a fictitious canon of books of magical scholarship. It’s fascinating how much plausibility and texture this quirky little device added. I listened to the audio version (which was exquisite), and surprisingly the footnotes weren’t a bother at all. (Reviews of the digital version indicated that the footnotes were a nuisance.) In an interview with the New York Magazine, she explains how she achieved such realism in a book about magic. “One way of grounding the magic is by putting in lots of stuff about street lamps, carriages and how difficult it is to get good servants.”

So who is Susanna Clarke? Here are some fascinating facts:

  • JS&MN is her debut novel (but she works in publishing).
  • She put ten years into the manuscript, sometimes fearing she’d never finish it.
  • After two rejections by publishers, Bloomsbury offered her a £1 million advance on an unfinished manuscript! (2003)
  • She (apparently) hasn’t written another novel.

Clarke didn’t have a name for the book’s genre, though there are plenty of possibilities offered, from pastiche to fantasy to alternative history. I believe it is gaslamp fantasy, which means it is an alternative history with a magical twist. (Read about gaslamp fantasy here.) The subplots were intriguing; the characters unforgettable; and the settings vividly eerie in their coldness. Set at the dawn of the Nineteenth Century with the Napoleonic Wars brewing and raging, Lord Byron and Lord Wellington play important parts in the book.

If you’re not up for  a 36-hour audio book or an 800-page book, check out the BBC’s TV mini series. If I haven’t convinced you, consider this article that says Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is “just as magical as Harry Potter.” I’d love to know if you’re as smitten as I am. [For grown-ups (and precocious younger readers who love footnotes)]

The Lie Tree by Frances HardingeTheLieTreebyFrancisHardinge

Winner of the 2016 Costa Book of the Year, this was another title in my  gaslamp fantasy binge. I’d seen a flurry of articles about Frances Hardinge online, and was intrigued by the woman who wears a fedora for its sense of adventure.  She’s a master storyteller: her writing in The Lie Tree is utterly captivating, the plot is surprising, and the themes are big and important—everything we bookworms hope a book could be.

The protagonist Faith, 14 and stuck in a ‘training corset’, grapples with heady topics: societal conventions and  limitations on women, the discovery of the flaws in her father’s character, the clash of science and religion in Victorian England, and the mob mentality of people. Big ideas, fresh characters, and lovely writing made this one deliciously memorable. [MG]

TimWintoCloudstreetCloudstreet by Tim Winton

I mistook Cloudstreet as an ordinary tragicomical family drama, which didn’t overly excite me even if it’s considered a modern Aussie classic and one of Australia’s favourite books. But when I saw it classified as magical realism, I was instantly intrigued. I knew I had to read it as research for my  WIP Finding Graceland.

The audio version is performed to perfection by Peter Hosking, who brought Tim Winton’s lush writing into full Technicolor splendour. Read it—you’ll never forget the characters or how the book gripped your  heart. [For grown ups]

EchoPamMunozRyanEcho by Pam Muñoz Ryan

I mentioned above I was seeking magical realism books to read, and this was one of them. I loved its light touch, but most of all I was impressed with the book’s beautiful structure.

Echo tells the stories of three young people in the WWII era, who are connected by, well … an enchanted harmonica. Now, as weird as that sounds, it is an amazing tale, full of music and heartbreak, pathos and redemption.The whole thing is bracketed in an original fairy tale. The ending is one of the most satisfying I can remember. Don’t let the harmonica-fairy tale thing throw you. This book is swoon-worthy.  [MG/YA]

Over to You

Have you read any of the titles above? Leave your thoughts in the comments. Happy reading in the coming months!

Image Credit: Ian Schneider, CC0, via Unsplash

The Arty Hearts Notebook Winner!

Posted in Spilling Ink Special! by

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Last week’s post about the beautiful designer stationery by The Arty Hearts included a share-n-win opportunity. Readers who shared the post and tagged me were entered to win a luxe notebook.

Displayed above is the beautiful tropical flower range created by designer Katrina Read at The Arty Hearts. The notebook on the bottom featuring lush banana palms and flowers now belongs to …

Jacqui Halpin!

Enjoy!

You can check out The Arty Hearts range here. Available in specialty stores around Australia. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook!

Image ©The Arty Hearts, used with permission.

All I Want for Xmas is The Arty Hearts Stationery

Posted in Gifts for Writers & Readers by

Dear Santa,

I’m ready to let you off the hook for last year’s gift-giving bungle ( An inSinkerator?  For me?  Really?? )  I’m a writer, not a plumber.

This Christmas, just leave a stash of summery stationery from The Arty Hearts under my Christmas tree, and we’re all good.

We’ll pretend Christmas 2015 never happened.

And Santa, when  I say ‘a stash of stationery’, what I mean is a haul. A big, bright, beautiful collection like this…

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from The Arty Hearts.

Or how about this…

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Swoon.

The Arty Hearts produces boutique stationery for the true paper lover. Their products feature the gorgeous artwork of Australian designer Katrina Read. Her stationery is luxurious: premium paper and quality workmanship. Her bright designs are on-trend and so cute: shells, pineapples, tropical flowers, flamingos, watermelon—FRENCHIES!

(Ooh, Santa, remind me to talk to you later about a Frenchie puppy for Christmas 2017.)

Who wouldn’t love to carry this sweet little Pocket Planner? Four darling pads of peel-n-stick notes in a slim folder decked with soothing greenery. I feel breezy and cool just looking at it. A pretty green pencil holds it all together, so it’s sturdy enough to endure a daily ride my handbag.

Open Pocket Planner – Palm Design

 

Closed Pocket Planner – Flower Design

No doubt, Santa, you’re aware one item of stationery is never enough. So I’ll take a gorgeous weekly desk planner to give my work space a pop of colour and pizzazz … And a few luxe notebooks, large and small…

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… Matching pencils, cards, wrapping paper, gift tags, shopping lists …

We have achieved Paper Nirvana. Thanks heaps, Santa!

BTW, I’ve been a very good girl this year.

Lots of Christmas cheer,

Ali

PS: Santa, you might consider shopping for the Missus at The Arty Hearts. I hear last Christmas’s Dust Buster didn’t go down too well.

Where to Buy

The Arty Hearts boutique stationery range is available at boutique retailers around Australia. Check out their store on the HardtoFind website and follow on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Share to Win a Notebook!

Start your new year right—with a fresh, clean page in a cheerful new notebook. I have one deluxe notebook from The Arty Hearts to give away to a randomly selected winner.

Share this post on Twitter or Facebook before 15 November, and tag me (not at the beginning of the tweet or only I will see it). @Ali_Stegs

All Images ©TheArtyHearts, Used with Permission

Fun Gift Idea – Busy Bee Stationery Subscription

Posted in Gifts for Writers & Readers by

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Stationery lovers are the easiest people to shop for. Seriously—give them something as simple as a nice notebook or a well-weighted  pen, and they will love you for life.

But if you want to give a gift that is full of surprises, consider a stationery box subscription. Busy Bee Stationery sends out monthly boxes of coordinated stationery for the diehard paper addict in your life (or for you).

I stumbled upon Busy Bee on Twitter and was immediately intrigued by the gorgeous range of high-quality products and the fun possibility of receiving a box of carefully curated stationery every month. Busy Bee’s Twitter and Instagram showed hundreds of loyal and happy customers. Here are a couple of shots from @beestationery’s Twitter feed:

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This one shows the August box, one of my favourites.

Taking One for the Team

In the name of dedication to the craft of blogging and thorough research (I swear my addiction to paper had nothing to do with it!), I dutifully subscribed to Busy Bee. Living in Australia meant my box had a bit further to travel, but the wait was worth it. I received all kinds of fun products—many that I use constantly, some that I’m saving for special occasions, and a few that will make nice gifts because they are not my style.

Over the months that I subscribed to Busy Bee, I received a wide range of products, from photo album and scrapbooking materials to desk accessories. There was washi tape, blank notecards, and several items from the Santoro’s huge Gorjuss range.

Most of all, I enjoyed the traditional paper products and office supplies, including:

stamper

So cute in pink!

A date stamper

It adds a quaint library-esque touch to my hand-written letters, and it’s fun to use in my journal. It reminds me to use some of my other stamp pads and ink.

lovely-notebooks

The Arty Hearts products are designed and printed in Australia!

A set of summery notebooks

These soft-covered notebooks  from The Arty Hearts are almost too pretty to use with their beautiful watercolour covers, but the premium paper inside beckons. These came in a beach-themed pack, which included beachy notecards and this cute nautical pen.

notebook

Bullet journalling, here I come!

A Leuchtturm notebook in magenta

Leuchtturm notebooks  have been on my wish-list ever since I learned that they are fountain-pen-friendly. The paper is thick enough tp prevent bleed-through. The bonded leather cover gives the notebook enough oomph to handle the occasional trip in my beach bag. It arrived in the bullet-journal-themed box with a gorgeous lettering brush pen in matching pink.

A set of 10 Staedtler fine-liner pens

I rely on my writing calendar to keep me on track and accountable, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Washi tape and coloured pens make it bright and inspiring. This set of pens is perfect for the job.

faves

The orange Jetstream pen came in my first Busy Bee box and has been a favourite ever since.

The Write Drink coaster

This little guy has a permanent spot on my writing desk. The retro typewriter adds a cute touch to my work area. A simple treasure.

A pack of Write Notepads & Co pencils

These chubby white pencils are the best. Harkening back to elementary school, they help me get in touch with my playful inner child. A two-holed sharpener was included.

My Review

A Busy Bee Stationery box subscription is a fun gift for the stationery fiend. The products are excellent quality. Brands I received included: Leuchtturm, Santori, Pink Paislee, The Arty Hearts, Caran d’Ache, Graphique, Staedtler, and more.

I loved the premium quality notebooks best of all, and the desk products (erasers, sharpeners, stamps, and writing tools) were most suited to my tastes. These simple things make my heart thrum.

A couple of boxes contained scrapbooking or photo album decorations, which are not my cup of tea. They were lovely products, but I have no use for them. There were also a couple of boxes which included Gorjuss products. The pencil-case, desk set, pens, and stamp set are sweet and good quality, but are more suited to someone much younger.

All in all, I think the Busy Bee Stationery Box subscription is a super service. The items are useful and fun. The service from Busy Bee is tops. They are quick to respond to questions and issues. The Busy Bee community is vibrant too, with customers invited to share their gorgeous photos on Twitter and Instagram. They’re on Pinterest too!

A Gift that Keeps on Giving

The stationery addict on your Christmas list will swoon for this gift. The cost of a monthly box of goodies is US$39.90, with free postage in the US. Worldwide shipping is available at standard international fees. (Postage to Australia made the subscriptions quite expensive for me. Sadly, I had to cancel my subscription, but I totally enjoyed my few months of ‘research.’)

Over to You

Okay stationery addicts, bookworms, and word-nerds, what do you think is the ideal gift? I’d love to hear from you for inspiration for future posts. Please leave a comment or fill in this quick survey about gifts for readers, writers and stationery addicts.

Image Credit: WerbeFabrik, CC0