Did you know that either of those things existed? Well come on, keep up. They do indeed and the second one just happens to have just been awarded to a very good friend of mine, Nickie from I Am Typecast, so I grabbed the opportunity to have a chat with her about the title. And thought I would share with you some of my current favourite notebooks.
Like Nickie I am a lover of writing things down, as you will see below Nickie says you don’t need to worry about the battery running out on a notepad. Or indeed a pen. You can carry them everywhere and when you need to write something down, they are ready for you. Unlike my phone which often refuses to unlock, or is stuck in my bra handbag and is hiding under a pile of sweet wrappers important papers. Not so a notebook. Always there, and always ready. I like to think of it as a being a hug for my words, the two sides of pages akin to open arms ready to grab my thoughts and give them a hug.
That’s weird isn’t it? But do you know what I mean?
Shall I shut up and we just move on to the chat with Nickie ahead of some pretty pictures of notebooks?
So you have just been crowned Stationery Blogger of the Year. This came as no surprise to any of us that you would be awarded this but were you surprised? If you had had five minutes on stage to accept your award, what would you have said in your acceptance speech?
Absolutely I was surprised. I follow a huge amount of stationery blogs – although many of them are part of branded goods and/or Etsy shops – so to be recognised as someone who is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about stationery by the ‘people in the know’ is a massive achievement for me.
I hadn’t thought about an acceptance speech but I think I’d have to thank my mum for being the initial enabler and then leapfrog to all the people who send me links daily to the weird and wonderful stationery items which send me down that rabbit hole where the pretties are found.
Where you have you put your trophy, and can I have a pic of you with it please?
At this moment in time, my trophy is in its presentation box ready to take with me to a conference over the weekend where I can show it off. After then I will take pride of place in my home office on my shelving unit below my running medals.
Have you always been obsessed with stationery? Since a child? or since you started blogging? Can you remember when the obsession started?
I’ve never known a time where a new notebook and pencil didn’t excite me. I was that girl in the newsagents eyeing up the exercise books and smelly erasers at the beginning of term and spending my pocket money on rolls of holographic stickers. I was always drawn to those shiny red Sylvine lined books to write stories in so I’m glad that they’ve recently seen a revival (but I’m not too enamoured with the new cover – it’s the exact same shade of red that we all remember but it’s textured and not smooth – don’t tell them I said that though)
If you had a tenner to spend in a stationery shop what would you buy?
I’m a sucker for accessories such as magnetic page markers, planner charms or cute sticky notes. I like unusual coloured ink for my fountain pen too – my current colour of choice is a purple/grey.
In a time of electronics and things needing to be plugged in why do you think stationery is becoming something that so many people are enthusing over?
Stationery brings the analogue into a digital world – I think Ryder Carroll who brought the ‘bullet journal’ system to life mentions that in his explanatory video. If my phone runs out of battery then I can’t access any of the information any more but my notebook will never ‘expire’ until it runs out of pages. Also, have a notebook to write things down in helps to order my thoughts. There is actual scientific proof that this works too (plus the aforementioned stickers cheer up a very mundane list).
And finally, your desk is on fire, what is the one item from it you would save?
My Filofax.
The photo at the top is just a small selection of the notebooks I brought back from the London Stationery Show were I spoke to brands about social media and starting their own blogs. It was lovely to talk to the companies about their products, including Leuchtturm whom I have loved for years but didn’t know that the word is German for lighthouse. Did you? I have a few of their notebooks but got this one specifically because I want to start bullet journalling (if you dont know what this, seriously Google it, it’s like a cult) and this one is ideal. Oh and they said “we can personalise it for you”. Who can resist a personalised notebook!
The others are all lined up on my bookshelf ready to be put to use, or have been shared with friends who have a similar stationery obsession.
There really is something about a notebook isnt there? I have always taken one away on my trips to Africa or Jordan and when I picked up the Leuchtturm today it was beside one that I had used when I met Syrian refugees. All the emotions of sitting with families and hearing their stories came flooding back as I read through my notes, and the answers to my questions. I know that would never have happened if I was just reading through my notes on a computer or tablet. There is something about those hand written words in a notebook that is somehow magical. Thought provoking and really meaningful.
So here is to National Notebook Day today!
And to wishing that being was everyday