S.O.S! MAYDAY, MAYDAY! Call Batman.... no call Mr Philofaxy!

I will admit I am being a little dramatic but I really do need help!  This morning I found a pen mark on the front cover of my lovely yellow Original Filofax.  I know in the grand scheme of things it's not the end of the world but I am upset about it.  So far I have tried the things I have at hand to remove it, spit on my finger (yeah that was wishful thinking!), a wet wipe and using a rubber/eraser on it but these haven't worked.

Black ballpoint pen mark

Does anyone know how I can get rid of this mark?  Being on the front cover I can't just ignore it.  I'm not the kind of person who would cover it with a sticker or decal, I need it to be gone.  If it had happened to my Malden I might have been able to put up with it eventually as part of its character but not on my happy, sunny Original. 

Any hints or tips would be very appreciated!

Thanks

Cool Pencil Case goodies!

Are you ready for a cuteness overload?  Well here it is!  Let me show you the fab goodies Cool Pencil Case sent me to review for you.

Goodies from Cool Pencil Case

Rilakkuma chocolate & coffee bubble & double stamp pen
and Peas in a pod plush pencil pouch  

Aren't they adorable? I will tell you about the pencil pouch first because it is my favourite.  As you can see when you remove the peas from the pod you are left with a very roomy pencil case.  The lining inside the case is a pale yellow that complements the peas nicely and the plush exterior is incredibly soft.  I find myself stroking it whenever it is within my reach!

Peas out of their pod

The website says the case can hold 20-25 pens, I popped 25 in easily and that included some of my bigger/fatter multi pens too. 

Full of pens

You can use the case in a number of different ways.  It holds plenty of pens if you remove all of the peas or you can leave them in and use it as a pouch to protect your phone when it is in your bag.  I quite like these guys guarding my mobile and cushioning it from any knocks and blows.  My phone is quite large but the pouch is big enough to hold it and the peas and still zip up.

Protecting my phone

If you want to leave one of the peas inside you have enough room for about 12 rolls of washi tape or you could hold correction tape, rubbers/erasers, a pencil sharpener and a couple of pens.  It is very versatile.

Holding washi tape

The Peas in a pod case costs $12.65 which is about £7.50 but that includes the three plush pea toys too so I think it is worth it.  I just love their little kawaii faces.  They are so cute and almost as soft as the pod pouch.

On to the Rilakkuma chocolate and coffee bubble and double stamp pen.... Rilakkuma is a sweet little bear character from Japan and he is really cute.  As you might have guessed from the name this pen actually has bubble mixture and a wand inside it so you can blow lots of tiny bubbles with it.  My inner six year old LOVES this pen, I mean bubbles are right up there with rainbows and unicorns for me!  

Both stamps in action

There is also a roller stamp on the top that prints little Rilakkuma bear heads and coffee cups with hearts on them.  The second stamp, which is hidden underneath the roller stamp, is of Rilakkuma's head and says "sweet to bitter" around the edge.  I used both of these stamps to decorate the pages in my Filofax last week.

The pen costs $4.65 or around £2.75 which is a bargain for a pen, two self inking stamps and some bubbles! It is available in pink, brown and yellow with each colour having a different design of roller stamp and all of them write in black ink.   

They go so well with my yellow filo and colourful journal

Cool Pencil Case have a great range of products for sale including fun stationery as well as lots of quirky pencil cases, I'm sure there is something for everyone there.  They offer a free shipping service within the US and a flat rate shipping fee for international customers so you can order as much as you like and not have to pay a more expensive fee.  Now is the perfect time to place a back to school order if you have children or if you just like fab stationery you could treat yourself... you know you want to!  

Oh dear, am I enabling again?

Sorry!

*Disclaimer - these products were given to me free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not paid to write the post and as always all opinions are my own.

My week #30

This week was the first week of the summer holidays so I decided to go with a fun and happy theme for my pages.  

My week in my Filofax #30

I kept my to do lists to a minimum because I just wanted to relax and enjoy the children being at home.  We inflated our pool and have spent a lot of time in the garden, either in the pool or playing hide and seek and having some pretty big water fights with the family next door.  It's been a really fun week!

Close up

Last week I showed you a list of posts I wanted to write, I have now crossed the first one off.  I managed to fit in my review of a gorgeous journal I was sent and then my August Linky Box arrived sooner than I was expecting so I wrote about that too.  I'm hoping this week will be as productive!  I can't wait to tell you about the parcel I received from Cool Pencil Case so keep an eye out for that post this week.

Close up

I also spent an afternoon updating the look of this blog (I retreated indoors during a very heated game of who-can-empty-the-pool-fastest-just-by-splashing!). What do you think?  I thought I might miss the green but to be honest I don't!  

Thanks for stopping by.

Lokta journal review

Hello!  Today I want to show you a gorgeous Lokta journal made by the Anglesey Paper Company.  "What is Lokta?" I hear you ask, well it is a kind of handmade paper that is environmentally friendly, ethically traded and chemical/acid free.  The paper is made from the bark of a plant that is stripped away and as the root system of the bush is not damaged it grows back making it 100% sustainable.  I think that's pretty cool! 

How my journal arrived

There was a great choice of covers available but I was drawn to the Batik Multi Square journal the most because it is so cheerful and I love the colours!  The design was created using wax lines applied to the Lokta paper which was then hand painted using natural dyes so each journal is different. 

The colours are stunning!

The journals have 80 unlined sheets of Lokta paper inside them and measure 9" x 6" which is slightly bigger than A5.  It feels really lightweight though so they are perfect for carrying around in your bag to use as a notebook or a journal.  This size costs £9.95 and shipping is £2.95 within the UK (international shipping is also available).  I received mine within 72 hours which is pretty impressive!  

Information about the journal

The journal comes with a little information sheet telling you more about the paper and how and where it is made which is a nice touch but there is an article on the website that goes into more detail and I found it really interesting.  I do like to learn new things!

Handmade Lokta paper

I really like the texture of the paper, it feels kind of rustic and shabby chic but it is still easy to write and draw on.  Knowing each sheet is handmade also makes it a bit luxurious too.

The pen test

As you can see I used ballpoint, gel and fountain pens to test the paper and there was no feathering or bleeding through to the other side.

My sketches

I wanted to see what the paper was like to draw on so I did some Jubly Umph based sketches.  They're not my greatest work but I'm quite rusty!  It felt good to pick up a pencil again so I think I will keep using this journal to practice my artwork and try and improve it.  It is just the right size for me.  I find too much blank space intimidating and then end up not drawing anything and if it is too small I'm not inspired enough. 

As well as the journals there are a whole range of Lokta products available from gift wrap to photo albums in lots of different designs and styles.  I was looking around the site and found this incredibly pretty table lamp which isn't made from the Lokta paper but it is still going on my wishlist!  

Thanks for reading!

*Disclaimer - this product was given to me free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not paid to write the post and as always all opinions are my own.

Linky's super stationery box - August '14

It's here, it's here! Yes it is that time again, my Linky Stationery Box has arrived!  This is the August box which has already sold out but there are a few of the September boxes still available if you want to bag one for yourself.

Like last month's box (which you can read about here) it arrived in some pretty gift paper just like a present and inside my box was wrapped with lovely ribbon and festooned with gems and sequins.  I like the red, white and blue theme that is going on.  It seems very appropriate as it was Prince George's birthday yesterday.

Ok are you ready to see what is inside? Warning - this is pic heavy!

I love the polka dot tissue paper!

Goodies, treats, pompoms, feathers, confetti and sequins

it's so exciting!

Some cute postcards and sweets.

Yes I'm eating the popping

candy while I type this!

How adorable is the hedgehog rubber? The washi tape,

mini highlighter and paperclips are sweet too.

A little set of embellishments. 

I love the attention to detail on this envelope! Inside are

some notepapers, cards and stickers.

A pretty pastel dashboard and butterfly paper for

my Filofax with a matching pen.

Now for the wrapped up pieces!

I love this pink notebook, the floral design 

is very "in" right now.

I can't wait to use these stamps and the 

mini envelopes are so colourful 

and just my style!

The last item is this yellow pencil case

which will go perfectly with my

yellow Original Filofax.

Inside view of the case and the pencil crayons 

it came with.

Wow there was a lot of great things in here!  I'm finding it hard to pick a favourite but I do like to doodle and colour in my blog stats on my diary pages so the pencil crayons in the case are especially great for me.

The box costs £15 plus p&p and you can buy one at a time or pre order the following months boxes too.  Now as I said last time, each Linky box is different so what I got in mine is tailored to me.  If you would like to see the contents of some different boxes then you can see what Anna, AKA Mrs Brimbles, got in hers last month and this month too.  

I would love to know if you have brought a box and if you did what did you get in yours?

Thanks for stopping by!

My week #29

A little birdie told me the summer holidays have finally started!  Yay!  I just love this bird print washi tape and I have brought a new blue ink pad for my stamps so I went with a completely blue theme for this week.

My week in my Filofax #29

The to do tag I have popped on my rings is a list of posts I want to write but haven't got around to yet.  I am going to keep moving the list over each week until I have checked them all off.  I think it is a good way to keep on track of what I need to do and will inspire me to get them written and published.  I haven't listed them in a specific order, I will just tackle them as and when I can during the school holiday.  Hopefully they will all be checked off by the start of September.

Close up

Close up

As you can see I am still using my Feeling Happy Planner Stamps to record how I am feeling each day.  I think they are really fun!  I spent most of the week feeling happy and excited for the school hols to start and my parcel from Coolpencilcase.com arrived with some products for me to review so overall it was a fab week.

Picture by Kawaii Studios

Ruth at Kawaii Studios has been busy making lots of super cute planner charms recently.  Her Etsy shop reopens again tomorrow (22nd July) so if you have been admiring my sweet cupcake charm and want to get one of your own pop over tomorrow and take a look.  Her products usually sell out pretty quickly so you will have to be fast if you want to get your hands on one!  

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

My week #28

I love coffee!

Ok, my secret is out... I love coffee!  Especially caramel or mocha flavour with cream on top, stick a green straw in it and I'm one happy, caffeinated, bunny!  When I saw these coffee stickers from Annie's Paper Boutique I just knew I had to buy them for a coffee themed week.

My week in my Filofax #28

I haven't moved back into my Willow Filofax again, I am still using my yellow Original.  The pink and green colours look a lot better against a pink interior so I popped the pages out of the Original and put them in the Willow just for these photos.  Is that cheating?  I guess I'm fussy when it comes to the pics I take.  

Close up

I tried something new this week using a set of Feeling Happy planner stamps, I really like the idea of keeping track of my feelings but not writing a full diary/journal.  I wrote a bit more about them here for my Design Team post on Twine it up with Trendy Twine if you want to take a look.  

Close up

I don't think I have shown you my Kawaii Paperie owl paper clip yet, I'm keeping it on the back pocket of my Willow because the colours match perfectly.  It is so cute and makes me smile!

Well I'm off to finish my iced coffee before all the cream melts! Thank you to everyone who asked about my toothache last week, it's all better now.

Thanks for reading and have a great week.

It's Planner Friday again over on Twine it up with Trendy Twine

My latest guest post is now live over on Twine it up with Trendy Twine, please pop over and take a look.

Hi! Can you believe it is Planner Friday again already? I can't, the month has flown by! 

I explained in my first post how I go about decorating my diary pages and what I put in them, in this post I want to show you my pages for this week and which Annie's Paper Boutique products I have used on them. 

   

How my week started out

Now for an English woman I have a pretty big coffee addiction! I mean I like tea, I really do but sometimes only coffee will make me happy so I dedicated this week to my love of that little bean. 

Pictured: Feeling Happy Planner Stamp Set

At Home Planner Stamp Set

Trendy Page Dots

Coffee Sticker Medley

Rose Bud Dye Ink

Personalised Journal Tags

You can read the rest of my post here, I'd love you to come and say hi!

My week #27

Last week's pages were so bright and colourful I thought I would go for a more toned down, classic look this week.  I really like the gold and brown colours together.  

My week in my Filofax #27

It was my wedding anniversary last week, eleven years!  It feels like it was only a few weeks ago I was telling you about my tenth one.  We were supposed to go out and celebrate it over the weekend but I have been suffering with a bad toothache so we've postponed it for now.  Hopefully we can do something this weekend instead. 

Close up

Close up

Sorry this is such a short post but I am just back from the dentist and still feeling a bit rough.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!