Mustard's T-errifyingly T-rrific T-Rex stationery collection

Are you looking for the perfect back to school stationery or just wanting to add a splash of colour to your personal collection?  Well then, let me introduce you to Mustard!  I came across this brand during National Stationery Week a couple of years ago and if you are a long time reader of this blog you will definitely have seen some of their products in my posts before like rainbow sticky notes and pug page markers.  Their style is so iconic once you are familiar with the brand it is easy to spot their designs!

One of their newest collections is T-rex and it is full of bold, clashing colours, pop art style elements and features the coolest dino in town.  He appears on a range of products from notebooks to dinosaur shaped highlighters and Mustard sent me a few different things to show you!

The T-Rex collection

The magenta T-Rex notebook is perfect for bullet journalling, drawing and notes as the paper has a light dotted grid pattern on it which is enough to give you a guideline to work with but wont intrude on anything you write or draw over it. 

Size wise it fits nicely in all of my bags and it doesn't weigh very much either so it's perfect for toting too and from work or school.  It doesn't take up a lot of room on my desk either which is definitely another plus point for it!

Stained edges

The edges of the paper are stained pink to match the dinosaur illustration, elastic enclosure and pen loop, adding an extra pop of colour to the book and if you don't like pink (I hear you, but I disagree!) then it also comes in blue too.

Peeking dinos

You can pair your notebook with some matching page markers, I think they look so cute peeking out over the top of the cover!  The sticky ends are alternated so you can also have little pairs of feet sticking out the bottom of your notebook and they are repositionable if you need to move them from page to page.

Dino-mite highlighters

The pink and lime highlighters are super fun, I received one in my National Stationery Week box a few months back and thought it was brilliant!  T-Rex is carrying all his essentials in his backpack and looks all set for his new adventure wherever it may take him.

The round barrel makes them comfortable to hold

The highlighters are a great way to brighten up your desk and you can play with them like toys if you feel inclined (hands up, I totally do that with full on roaring sounds too!) but they are also easy to use and comfortable to hold once you open them up.

Mini pencil case

The last thing I want to show you is this handy mini pencil case.  It has an elasticated loop attached to the top and bottom ends so you can place it over the notebook to keep your pens safe and readily available.  It holds around five or six pens or pencils easily and along with the pen loop on the notebook you should have enough space for your supplies for when you are struck by inspiration!  The case should fit most standard size notebooks too if you are eyeing it up and think it's a great idea!

I took a few of my T-Rex products with me when I went to celebrate World Calligraphy Day a couple of weeks ago and what did I spot?  A dinosaur trail around the city centre and the stop I found was the T-Rex!  So I dug my notebook and highlighters out of my bag and snapped a couple of pics with it because it felt so serendipitous!  Or should that be seren-dippy-tous?  Sorry, is that one too many dinosaur puns?

Snap!

A terror of T-Rex

If you have taken a look at the Mustard website and spotted something you love or fallen for the charming Mr T-Rex then you are in luck as I have been given a discount code for you to use!  Enter this code at the checkout for 30% off an order of £35 or more.

Amanda30

The code is case sensitive and expires on the 7th September 2018.

Happy shopping!

National Stationery Week - a week in pictures

So National Stationery Week is over again for another year!  Did you have fun, I know I did!  I thought today would be a good time to do a round up of all the days we celebrated together. 

My stationery themed jewellery for the week

In honour of the seven days of stationery I wore my stationery themed jewellery with pride.  The name badge necklace is from Finest Imaginary in collaboration with Onr Shop and my pastel pencils pin is from Ip Dip Design on Etsy.  I love them both and received lots of compliments while wearing them!

Box of supplies from the NatSatWeek team

I was sent a huge box of stationery supplies by the NatStatWeek team and sponsors, it was filled with items which matched the themes for each day of the week.  I used these products to take photos based on the themes and shared them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter daily as well as my post for World Stationery Day. 

Monday - #makeanote

Monday's Make A Note day was sponsored by Nu:notebook and I was given this gorgeous pink Spectrum notebook.  I was out and about that day so I took it with me and snapped this pic in the park.

SNT Thank you cards

Say Nice Things surprised me with this lovely set of Thank You cards, they come in packs of four and are perfect for sharing your gratitude with someone.  I can't pick a favourite but I love the little foil accents on each one!

Tuesday - #penandpencil

Tuesday was Pen And Pencil day, sponsored by Staedtler.  I used a couple of their pigment liners for this shot along with my copy of Stationery Matters. 

Wednesday - #stationerytheworldover

For World Stationery Day I made a paper clip out of felt shaped like the Earth and then surrounded it with lots of stationery goodies!  I have made myself lots of plushie paper clips over the years, all based on this tutorial by the lovely Mrs Brimbles if you are interested in making your own.  #stationerytheworldover was sponsored by the Stationery Show London, I really wish I could have visited this year but the dates just didn't work out *pouts*, maybe next year!

My personalised paper clip

During the week I received this amazing paper clip from Handcrafted by Sheree, she also sent me the die cut of my blog logo that I used in my photo for World Stationery Day.  Aren't they cute?

Thursday - #workhappy

Thursday's Work Happy day was sponsored by Mustard who have the perfect range of products for brightening up your desks!  I love the doggy page markers and rainbow sticky notes so much but the T-Rex highlighter is my favourite, it's just too cool!

T-Rex highlighter in use

I use highlighters a lot in my bullet journal so I tested this one out on Work Happy Day and wrote over the top of it with my Artline calligraphy pen as if it was going to be the header/title for a section in my notebook.  It writes very nicely and is comfortable to use.

Friday - #aplaceforeverything

I think this year was the first time Santoro have been involved with NatStatWeek, they sponsored A Place for Everything day.  I used some of their cute products for this photo but now my eldest daughter has claimed the A4 folder for her art work and my youngest has her eye on the pencil case and Clipboard planner!  Ah the joys of raising stationery addicts!

Saturday - #getcrafty

Saturday was Get Crafty day and Crafters Companion sponsored this one.  They sent me a set of dual tipped Spectrum Noir metallic markers in precious metals and these pens are brilliant for working on coloured cards and paper.  The inks really stand out against darker backgrounds and are very nice to work with. 

Sunday - #signaturesunday

Signature Sunday was sponsored by Cross so I used the super swish Bailey ballpoint pen they sent me to write a quick blog post.  Click on the photo to enlarge it if you want to take a peek.  The Bailey pen also came with it's own leather case so I will be able to pop it in my bag and not have to worry about scratching the black lacquer or chrome areas.

Personalising my notebook

The end of National Stationery Week made me feel sad so I cheered myself up by personalising my new notebook using a couple of the Spectrum Noir markers.  Now every time I use it I will remember what a great time I had during NatstatWeek and look forward to NSW19!

How did you celebrate this special week?

Thanks for stopping by!

National Stationery Week - #makeanote Notebook Love's Inky thinkings notebook review and giveaway *Now closed*

Hello!  Happy National Stationery Week!  Today's theme is make a note so it's the perfect time for me to review this gorgeous notebook from Notebook Love and offer you the chance to win one for yourself as well!

First of all let me tell you a little bit about Notebook Love, it is family run business by husband and wife team Kate and Consol and they are nuts about notebooks!  They have been designing and making their own fabulous notebooks, journals and jotters since 2016 and I am a big fan.

Inky thinkings

Kate sent me this super pretty pink and purple Inky thinkings notebook to try out and it is an updated version of their highly popular inky blue notebook.  The cover is made from thick textured card and has a contrasting pink elastic closure.  The inside of the cover is the same shade of pink as the closure instead of plain white or cream which is a nice touch and pulls the whole look together and hey, in my opinion, you can never have too much pink!

Cream pages with light grey rule

There are 192 pages inside made from Forest Stewardship Council approved paper and they are a nice creamy colour.  The rule is quite wide and a light shade of grey so if you felt like doodling or sketching in this book they wouldn't interfere too much.  I prefer lighter lines in my notebooks as it makes them much more versatile and I think it just looks nicer than a darker rule.  The paper itself is a little toothy, in a good way, and feels great to write on.

#makeanote

So do you like what you see?  Would you like to win one for yourself?  Of course you would!  And.... if pink is not your colour (gasp!) then the winner will have the option to choose the stunning blue Inky thinkings notebook instead!

How to enter:

Leave me a comment below telling me which Inky notebook you would like to win, pink or blue.  That's it, nice and easy!  I will number the comments and use random.org to select a winner.

The rules:

• One entry per person
• Open to UK residents only
• Giveaway ends 12pm on Monday 30th April 2018, comments after this time will not be entered
• The winner will be announced on this post on the 1st May 2018
• The winner will have to contact me within 72 hours or a new winner will be selected
• There is only one prize and no cash alternative
• People under 18 must have parental permission to enter this competition

Good luck!

Waverley Genuine Tartan Cloth Commonplace Notebooks

A couple of years ago I met the lovely people from Waverley Books during my visit to the Spring fair and they introduced me to their wonderful line of Tartan notebooks.  I was given a Caledonia cloth notebook to review and I was really impressed, you can read my post about it here.  Anyway Liz got in touch with me again to say they had added more tartans and sizes to their range and would I be interested in testing some out so I said "Yes please!" and here we are!

First of all let me tell you a little bit about commonplace notebooks in case you haven't heard of them before.  These books were made to be used for compiling your thoughts, ideas and information.  They were small enough to fit in your pocket or bag so they were at hand when you were struck by inspiration or simply remembered something you had to write down.  I can imagine a poet feeling compelled to jot down a verse while watching a glorious sunset or a scientist sketching herbs and flowers while recording their properties and uses during the 17th century. Okay, so I might be getting a bit carried away now, let's get back on track!

Waverley commonplace pocket notebook

All of the Waverley notebooks are made using genuine Kinloch Anderson tartan which is the company who supply tartan for kilts for the royal family!  How swish! There are currently over 40 different kinds of tartan available for these books so if you are Scottish or have some Scottish ancestry you might be able to find the right tartan for your clan!  If you are not associated with any clan then the tartans I am showing you today are perfect for you as they have been created by Kinloch Anderson and can be worn by anyone.

The notebooks come in large (£14.99), pocket (£9.99) and mini (£7.99) sizes and I have some of the pocket and mini ones to show you today.  

All of the pocket size notebooks have coordinating elastic closures and matching stained edges.  They also come with a bookmark telling you about the tartan used and an information booklet about Waverley Scotland, commonplace notebooks, tartan and a clan map of Scotland.  

One side blank and one side lined

Both the mini and pocket size books contain blank pages on the left and lined  pages on the right so you have space to draw, doodle and write.  The 80 gsm cream paper is smooth and very nice to write on.  I would definitely say it is fountain pen friendly too as I have used a few different inks in mine over the last 18 months and none of them have bled or feathered. 

The notebooks also come with a ribbon page marker and eight perforated pages at the back which can be removed easily without leaving you a messy edge behind.  I hate tearing a page out of a notebook if I need a piece of paper for something so I love this idea, it's fantastic!

Business card holder & expandable pocket

The mini and pocket books also have an expandable pocket at the back to hold anything you want to pop in there and a space for a business card, bank card or loyalty card as well which is super handy!

The mini notebooks are the exact same design as the pocket size books but a little smaller and come with an elasticated pen loop that matches the colour of the closure and a coordinating pen.

The history of commonplace notebooks inspired me to take these books outside to photograph them.  They feel like they belong among nature instead of sat on a desk so I took one or two with me any time I went on an adventure or somewhere new......

Castle Grey mini notebook

Romance pocket notebook

Black And White mini notebook

Thistle pocket notebook

Heather mini notebook

Rowanberry pocket notebook

Hunting mini notebook

Dress pocket notebook

And after all that time outside there's nothing better than coming home for a nice, warm cup of tea and shortbread while spending some time journalling in my Dress tartan notebook!

Which of these is your favourite book?  Are you suddenly feeling the urge to buy one and take a holiday under the "luxuriant skies" of Scotland or to study the works of Thomas Campbell and Robert Burns?  Please say it's not just me!

I would like to say thank you to Waverley Books for sending me all these gorgeous notebooks and if you want a sneak peek at the new tartans which will be released later in the year you can check them out here!

Bye for now!

Artline Monday - Getting organised as a busy mum

When I first became a mum, nearly 14 years ago, I never really had to write anything down.  I could always remember phone numbers, appointments and birthdays etc without any trouble but as time passed and we added another couple of children into the mix suddenly trying to keep track of five people's lives and schedules in my head was an impossible task.  I was completely unorganised and I hated it!  I decided I had to do something so I brought myself a planner and put my whole life in there.  It was nice to have everything I needed in one place and always to hand.  I never wanted to go back to feeling like I was overwhelmed so I used the planner daily and I have been for the past four years.

Nowadays I am pretty organised and on top of things, though there are still blips along the way, today I thought I would share some of the things I have learned to help you add a little order to your busy family life.

You don't need to buy a fancy planner to get organised, you can use a notebook,  some paper or a diary (whichever you have to hand) and a pen or two or three, I really like pens!

Notebook and Artline pens

I think some people feel daunted by the idea of planning but it isn't that hard.  You just need to get into the habit of writing things down and referring back to your notes.  Here are my tips:

Created using Artline Stix drawing pens
and brush markers

Write it down

School picture day, after school clubs, Charlie's birthday party, write them down in your notebook or diary.  Even if you have a good memory it is worth making a note of them, knowing these things have been committed to paper stops me thinking about them at 2am and saves me stress and brain space.  

Depending on how busy you are, how old your children are and how many of them you have it might be a good idea to have a page or two dedicated to their activities and social lives.  My eleven year old could fill a page on her own with her drama club, choir practice, football practice, ice skating and shopping with friends... the list goes on and on.  All you have to remember is to check each section you create when you are looking through your notes and reminders.

I'm a very visual person so I love adding a splash of colour to my pages and using different coloured pens to highlight information helps me see what I need to know quickly when I look at my notes.

Make plans

There are a couple of plans I am talking about today, the first is to plan out your week or month so you can see what things you have on and what you need to do.  For example a dental appointment on the 5th, buy an anniversary card and gift before the 18th for mum and dad, pay the phone bill on the 22nd... I usually give myself a double page spread for each month and I write down any events and appointments on the one page and use the second for my to do lists and goals.

Goals are my second type of plans, what do you want to do and how can you achieve it?  Maybe deep cleaning your house sounds like a massive task which puts you off starting?  I know I would rather sit down with a cup of tea and a biscuit instead of saying to myself "Today I am going to clean the whole house"!  But if I break the whole house down into rooms it feels less scary and if I break down what I have to do in each room into simple tasks like put things away, dust, polish and vacuum it feels much more manageable.  I'd create a to do list for each room and then add the things that need to be done.  Small steps feel easier to complete and you can break down most goals this way if you take the time to think about them.  Then you just have to write them down and tick them off.

Be prepared

There is a reason this is the Scouts motto!  If you know you are going to be having a busy day or week try to be prepared for it and get everything you can out of the way early.  All of my children are in school now so mornings are especially crazy in our house.  My husband is usually out of the door before the kids are awake so I am on my own trying to wake, feed and nag them into getting ready for school so no one is late.  I find it easier to sort out everything before I go to bed the night before, I leave three bowls and spoons out on the draining board, I put water bottles and snacks into their bags which I leave by the front door with their shoes and coats.  Then there are book bags, homework and PE kits to be added depending on what day it is and yes, I have these days written down in my planner so I don't forget.  Doing these things in the evening only takes me a few minutes but it saves me so much time the next morning!

Routines

Setting yourself a daily or weekly routine is a really great way to keep organised.  If you are a stay at home mum or a working mum it is really handy to plan your days and see what time you have and when you can get things done.  I'm not saying you should schedule your days down to the minute but doing certain tasks on the same day each week makes them second nature and helps you stay on top of things.  I know that I do my online food shop on a Wednesday and that the car needs filling up every Thursday too but I still write this down just in case my brain gets distracted by something else and doesn't remind me!  

I have tasks I do daily after the school run, the first is to put the kettle on and then while it boils I quickly wipe down the surfaces in my kitchen .  Once my brew is ready I sit down and check my online banking and pay any bills that are due. After that it's time to put the laundry in and then I can check my emails and start my work... you get the idea.    

I only stick to my routine Monday through to Friday though.  During the weekends I just like to go with the flow and enjoy spending time together as a family and after we have been at school and work all week none of us wants to have to adhere to a timetable on Saturday and Sunday too. 

So, have I tempted you to pick up a pen and start planning?  There really is something very satisfying about crossing things off your list or marking them as done with a big tick!  I also get to let my little artistic side out when I'm making notes as I usually add some doodles or try my hand at different fonts and lettering styles, if I'm going to have to keep looking at my pages each day I want them to be fun.

I hope you found my tips useful!  

If you are a fellow pen addict and like the look of my Artline pens you can check out their products here.  They are also on Facebook and Twitter if you want to give them a like or follow.  I have to say I am a big fan of their calligraphy pens, I have been practising with them recently but I will save that for another post.

Thanks for stopping by!

Planner Friday - May

I've really been looking forward to this month's Planner Friday because I love the bullet journal layout I created!  The full post is now up over on the Trendy Twine blog.

Hello!  Welcome to Planner Friday!  I am Amanda from She's Eclectic and I'm here on the Trendy Twine blog once a month to share my planner ideas with you.

This month I used some Annie's Paper Boutique stamps to create a bullet journal layout about the things I love.  It was fun to sit and think about all of my favourite things and then getting them down on the page.

Things I love

I found lots of bullet journal inspiration on Pinterest and got some nice ideas for different kinds of banners and borders. Then I combined those with my APB stamps and doodled everything else.

Annie's Paper Boutique products used:

Clear stamp block with gridlines

Foodies planner stamps

How's the weather planner stamps

You & me planner stamps

Perfect pairs planner stamps

Weekend banners planner stamps

Hello fall planner stamps

used but not pictured:

Get it done planner stamps

Check it off planner stamps

Happy Halloween stamps

Drinks & more planner stamps

You can read the rest of my post here.

Thanks for stopping by!

One year in my Van der Spek Nomad TN

I have been using my Van der Spek custom Nomad travellers notebook for a year now so I wanted to give you a little update on how it is ageing.  When I was deciding on which leathers to choose for this cover I went with a couple that I knew would change with use, Janet leather 104 for the outside and undyed 102 on the inside.  I didn't want the cover to stay looking pristine, I wanted it to develop its own character over time and look well used and loved!  

Out and about on my travels

Catching some sun

My TN has some battle scars now, my cat decided to sharpen her claws on it a while ago which left some white marks where a small amount of leather had been scratched off.  I used a brown ballpoint pen to colour over those marks as I thought "freckles" would look nicer!  There is also a mark on the right hand side of the front of the cover, this is where I tried to rub out a small water spot but ended up making it worse.  I don't mind these imperfections though, I never wanted to keep it looking perfect.

Front of the cover with my original sample
of Janet leather 104

Comparing my cover with my original sample of Janet leather 104 I think the TN has developed a slightly richer colour and it definitely has a lovely shine to it now.

The back of the cover with the Janet leather sample

Those marks on the back of the cover are from when I took this photo.  I didn't notice the drops of water on the one piece of wood when I was taking the shot and I'm still not sure why only the one spot was wet!

TN in the wild

The undyed leather on the inside of the cover has not really changed.  In fact the sample piece of leather looks like it has gotten darker even though it has just been sat in a box for the last year.

Undyed leather 102 

I have four notebooks inside the cover now and a zipped pouch, I really love a chunky TN!  I use one for water colours, one for journalling, one for notes and ideas and the fourth is for sketches and drawings.

View from above

Playing with water colours and stamps

Journalling

My year in pixels

The next photo is from when the cover was brand new, as you can see there are no marks or scars on it but it is also a more matt colour with almost no shine to it at all.  If you want to see more photos from when I first received the TN check out this post and you can see how my custom cover was made here.

My TN when it first arrived

Look at the shine the leather has developed over the past year, I can't wait to see how it changes again over the next 12 months!

Love that shine!

Let me know if you have any questions about my TN or Van der Spek below and I'll try and answer them.

Thanks for stopping by!