Valentine’s Day Stationery: Miscellaneous

Welcome to the third and final part of the Valentine’s Day Series.  If you haven’t found a present yet, well… time is definitely running out!  But don’t fear – for Reema is here!  Wow, that was pretty cheesy, wasn’t it?  Moving swiftly on, there’s only a few days till Valentine’s so this last post will contain a whole bunch of ideas that I’ve titled as “miscellaneous” stationery as they don’t quite fall under any one category.  There’s still plenty of time to do these ideas because even if you do a “simple” version of them, they could still be really thoughtful and sweet.  So without further ado, let’s jump right into the first one.

Valentine’s Day Stationery: Memory Books & Journals

The second part to the Valentine’s Day Series is a little bit more time consuming or creative than the first but the results are so worth it.  You don’t have to create a beautiful scrapbook, like the photograph below.  Honestly, it doesn’t need to be a work of art and I will list some easier ways to achieve the same effect but it gives you the option to be as creative as you’d like with this!

Instead of scrapbooking, let’s focus on memory books or journalling.  I really love these sorts of books.  One of the best presents I got from my friends was back in school.  They all got together to create a book for me, writing messages and adding photos in it.  Everytime I look through it, I recall all of the amazing moments and memories with them from school – some of them are things that had happened when we first met and I had forgotten all about them by this point!

For example, one friend wrote about a time that we were messing around and she was trying to push me into a spider web so I was resisting (as I hated spiders and it was also just gross!).  However, her purse fell on the ground whilst we were wrestling and a boy tried to run off with it.  I immediately stopped wrestling her and stopped the kid.  It was a natural reaction – one that I didn’t think anything of.  But she wrote that it was that moment that she knew I was a good friend – one that would defend her friends and fight for them, even if they were trying to do something, by her own admission, kind of mean (like push me into a web).  That moment impacted her in a way I never knew about until I read what she wrote on this book, years after the event.  Sometimes, you never realise who you’ve impacted or how you’ve had affected them – and sometimes the ones that have left lasting marks on you will never realise either, unless you tell them.

Valentine’s Day Stationery: Notepads

Since Valentine’s Day is around the corner, I thought it was the perfect time to do a little mini series on thoughtful gifts  ideas and all of the Valentine’s stationery that you need in your life!  You can read the introduction here before we dive into the first idea.  This one is probably one of my favourites.  It’s so simple and easy to do, you have no reason for not doing it.  It’s inexpensive but thoughtful and you could even turn it into a game…  So let’s jump right in and see how this idea might work for you!

Valentine’s Day Series: Stationery, gifts and ideas to be more thoughtful than costly

This week, I wanted to share with you a whole bunch of amazing products and ideas to show people how much you love them…  And I’m not just talking about your partner but also ways to show your parents, siblings, friends – anyone really – that you love and care about them.

Now I don’t think I’m a romantic person, by any account and I don’t really do Valentine’s Day myself so I won’t even pretend to be a master of romance.  But I’m a huge fan of valentine’s stationery – like kind of obsessively so – I don’t know why, I don’t get it either…  I think it’s partly because I don’t like the idea of people doing something for someone they love just once a year so I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day myself but I love the idea of spoiling the person you love and making sure they know that they are loved so the stationery and products associated with it are brilliant for that.  I’m one of those people whose hand will automatically draw hearts when I’m trying to randomly doodle on the page.

I do appreciate that Valentine’s Day can also sometimes give people the excuse they’ve been looking for to pamper themselves and their loved ones – it can give a couple who may not be very romantic the chance to be more romantic without feeling too awkward or out of place.  You definitely don’t need an excuse to pamper yourselves or your loved ones but sometimes, sadly, you feel like you do – and Valentine’s Day could be a perfect opportunity for that.

Honestly, I think a part of me would like to believe in the fairy tale idea of people always declaring their love for the other and showing their loved ones how much they care on a daily basis.  Of course, I’m fully aware that this doesn’t happen often – I know I definitely take my loved ones for granted at times and I’m sure I’m not alone in this either.  But I like to think that you just know your loved ones love you, that they care about you and worry about you no matter what happens.  I like to think that people will show you that love, care and concern spontaneously throughout the year, through their daily actions or small surprises, simply because they want to.  Not because society (and by society, I really mean the commercial industry in this case) has told them they should.  (The same goes for you, by the way – it’s a two way street!).

Personally, I’m a huge fan of the small things people do for you.  Like one gift I loved was a set of rings from my mum when I was younger.  I came home to find them on the pillow, with a handwritten note to say “to my dearest princess”.  They weren’t expensive or anything but the fact that she had written a note and made a little bit of effort to show she cared meant the world to me.  I remember that feeling of happiness and that’s worth more to me than the more expensive gifts I’ve gotten since.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

– Mary Angelou

So, on that note, I wanted to share a few ideas with you that might help you give that warm fuzzy feeling to your loved ones.  A lot of these you could do for anyone you love, not just your partner or someone you’re romantically interested in.  You could do some of these for your parents, grandparents, children, siblings, any relative or friend!

Business Series: Chroma Stationery

This business series is something I love.  It allows me to feature companies that I adore and people I look up to as role models.  Today’s post is with a very inspiring lady, who envisioned beautiful stationery and has worked incredibly hard to make it happen.  I’m thrilled to be able to share today’s Q&A with you as I first found the business when it was relatively new and since then, have seen it grow immensely (and at such a rapid pace!).  So, without further ado, let me present to you: Gabi, founder and Girl Boss of Chroma Stationery!

P.S.  If you haven’t heard of Chroma Stationery before, you’ll need to check out my previous post on it – I shared two notebooks that I purchased back when the store was quite new.  I fell in love with Chroma Stationery when I first came across it and I love seeing how successful it is now.

Field Notes Byline

When I think of “Field Notes”, I instantly picture one of their pocket notebooks.  Whether it’s their Kraft series or a limited edition version, it’s always a pocket notebook that I think of in the traditional sense of the word.  I think of the 5.5″ x 3.5″ staple bound pocket notebooks that they commonly produce.

If you didn’t already know, Field Notes release a special new limited edition notebook every season.  These limited edition versions are only printed in small batches and once sold out, are gone.  The number of packets printed for each edition is listed on the website, as well as on the inside covers of the notebooks themselves.  And let’s be honest, every time they do something new and amazing.  They play with the quality of the paper, the colour of it, the cover material, perforation and many more things as they look to create new exciting products.  It’s always exciting to see what they come up with every season.  In Summer 2016, they launched the Byline edition – and like always, it was a surprise.  The Byline edition is completely different to the other series in that it is a Reporter’s Notebook.  A proper top spiral bound flip book sort of reporter’s notebook.  Today’s post will be a look into the Byline edition. 

Business Series: Pau and Ari Designs

I’m really excited to kick off this Business Series with one of my favourite stores for beautiful stickers and that’s Pau and Ari Designs.  If you’re into stickers or decorating your planner then this one is definitely for you.  I especially love that the products are unique, handmade creations that help to support a small business!  I’m honoured to be a part of the PR team, sharing the amazing goodies they create over on my Instagram account.  The store is named after two awesome ladies – Pau & Ari, of course.  Pau (or Paula) runs the Etsy store – doing everything from admin to designing to packaging the items – whilst Ari helps out by designing some of the stickers.  The store is based in Spain but her postage is very reasonable (it’s cheaper than some local stores!) so I’m forevering spending money over there.

Today, Pau is sharing a little about her etsy store and how it came around.  There’s even a discount code – and I’ve decided to hold a giveaway too – at the end so be sure to check that out!

Update – tons of exciting news!

I am really excited and I just HAD to share this with you.  I have tons of new updates to share with you, and they are all so exciting that I don’t even know where to start…  But there’s a discount code to one of my favourite shops for stickers at the end!  There’s just so many things to work on right now (yay for being able to multitask!) that I wanted to take a moment to just share them all with you…  Right, let’s do this.  Sneak peek of what I’m talking about today includes:

• 3 Blog Series
• 1 Blogging Team
• 1 PR team
  • & 1 Giveaway
  • & 1 Discount Code
• many exciting posts coming up.

National Stationery Week – Write a Letter Day

A few weeks ago I spoke about a letter writing challenge called Write On and if you read that, you’ll know how much I love receiving or writing letters!  So I’m absolutely thrilled that there’s a day dedicated specifically to this – because it’s just an amazing thing to do.  I’ve shared with you my love for writing letters, a list of ideas of who you could write to if you wanted to and even wrote a letter to you all…  However, the one thing that I haven’t shared yet is why I love letters.  I thought I’d take a moment to do that today.

Receiving a letter is far more special in my eyes than getting a text or email.  It’s so much more effort and feels all that much more thoughtful and considerate.  I love receiving letters in the post, they brighten up my day.  On the days that I’m sad or if I miss my friends, having a letter to read can really help – whereas a text or email doesn’t quite have the same impact.

Even now, I can think of many letters that I received that made me smile so much.  Just thinking about them has put a smile on my face, whilst I type this and has made me feel so relaxed.  It makes me feel loved, just remembering the kindness of my friends.  One wrote a letter to me that ended with “now stop smiling, your colleagues will think you’re mad”.  It made me so happy because I was grinning like an idiot the whole way through and seeing that showed me how well my friend knew me, it just made me laugh!  Another friend sent me a card that said “you are awesome” and she included this adorable little inflatable monkey with the card, that I keep on my desk as a reminder that hardwork and dedication can help me achieve my goals (as that’s what she had written in the card).  Whilst another friend surprises me with random letters asking me how I am, how my blog or job is going, if I’ve opened up my etsy store etc…  All of the things that she could ask me by text or phone but she thought she’d write to me and I love that.  It shows that no matter how far away you may be from your friends, they’ll always carry you with them in their heart.

So if you’ve taken nothing away from this week then take this message: write a letter to someone, tell them how thankful you are to know them, show them that you care – trust me, you’ll make them happy.  And they’ll remember it for a while.  Surprise someone – I still get told about the time I surprised a few friends with some cards when they needed it most.  That little gesture of thought and care is something they still talk affectionately about and appreciate.  Do it, you’ll be thankful later.

National Stationery Week – Handmade Day

Day 6 of National Stationery Week is here and it’s all about handmade goodies!  I’m a huge fan of crafts and handmade goodies – in particular, I’m trying to dedicate more time to making cards to send to people.  As I get around to creating more, I’ll be sharing these creations with you – in particular on my Instagram channel, so follow that if you’re interested to see more.

However, for now, I wanted to give you a quick update on something that I’m really excited about.  I have mentioned this a few times in passing or hints but I thought it’s about time to make a quick announcement…  I’m working really hard on opening up an online shop!  I’m currently creating designs for the items I plan to stock and trialling them but it will be an Etsy Store for foiled goodies.  Starting with stickers, I’ll go into various other planner accessories and soon cards too.  I have some designs ready for listing and am definitely working to get more up and ready.  The main delay right now is that I have had to send back some of the equipment I wanted to use to get it fixed and the company hasn’t done anything about it in weeks!!  Incredibly frustrating, yes, but it’s given me some more time to create some goodies and focus on my blog so it’s all good in the end right?

I would love to hear what you think of these samples and what you would like to see more of!  If you have any suggestions or ideas then please do let me know.  You can follow my instagram to see more sneak peeks as they are ready and some examples of them in use.  I really love creating these goodies so I am happy that I now get to share them with you.

Is there anything that you’ve handmade today?  I would love to see what you make!

If you have a blog or instagram account, which you’ve been creating and adding things on then please do send the links my way!  I’m really excited to see what everyone has created or plans to create.  Thank you!