december essentials

December brought with it some weird weather (one day, it would be freezing - so much so that the overnight frost did not clear at all, and the next, it would be quite sunny with no frost?) and also some good news (more on this if it materialises into brilliant news). Overall, it's been quite a decent end to 2012 and I look forward to what 2013 brings.

As with every month, here is this month's essentials:

1) A Christmas jumper!

I opted for a Christmas jumper dress instead as I can't wear trousers at the moment due to the surgical scar, so jumpers are currently a no-go (but jumper dresses are a happy alternative!). Instead of a picture of the dress on a hanger, you get one of me wearing it!

2) Pens!

I went through four of these pens this month (when usually I go through one or two), but not because the ink ran out. The ball at the point fell out of two of them, rendering them useless. I emailed Pentel to let them know that this is the not the first time I've had this happen but that this is the first time I've had two balls fall out in a few weeks! They didn't even bother to reply - I would have thought feedback, good or bad, would have been appreciated so that they could improve products and stuff?

They do write smoothly but I cannot recommend these pens for problems I have had with the tip. I only have two more of these pens to get through (including the one in the picture) so after that, I won't be purchasing any refills for them. I think I will stick to my beloved Muji pens in the future.

3) Glasses

Being Chinese, I'm obviously short-sighted (I hope no one gets offended by that! I regularly poke fun at the stereotypical parts of my culture/race!). I normally wear contact lenses when out and about but with the cold weather and central heating on, they have made my eyes quite dry. As a result, I have resorted to good old fashioned glasses.

This is the pair that I currently love; my Marc by Marc Jacobs cat-eye tortoiseshell glasses :) They are super light so are perfect for everyday wear.

A short list this month as the other essentials are more boring things like scarf, gloves, ear muffs, a wool hat, etc. due to the weather :)

What did you need to get through this month? Considering Christmas was in December, I am guessing that many of you required a drink or two to get through the festivities ;)

One last thing: happy new year! I can't believe it's 2013 tomorrow. This year has just flown by...

my filofax week #37

I hope you all had a brilliant Christmas. Although not evident through looking at my week, I was busy for most of it - but doing what is a secret, unless it is fruitful ;)

I decorated the blank spaces this week - and I think this is why I've had the dilemma of running out of space all too often. However, I do write down all of my to-dos for each day; and this alone, takes up a lot of space. This is why I think I need to upgrade to a two-days-per-page diary insert. I have opted to print out the ones made by Ray and Steve to trial for a few weeks and then go from there.

Or maybe if I cut out all the frills and became less obsessed with having a decorated planner, I might have more space? But then, why would I want to do that ;)

How was your week? After Christmas, New Year's is the next thing to celebrate and prepare for; so onwards and upwards as we embrace the dawning of a new year :-)

filofax award ceremony

Although I have felt more and more let-down with the Filofax brand of late, I wanted to do this post for a bit of fun anyway.

So, it's coming to the end of another year and what happens then? Award ceremonies! Welcome to this year's Paper Lovestory Filofax awards. Tonight, we will find out who the most stylish is, who is the most unpopular binder and also the ultimate prize, the Judge's Choice!

Without further ado, let's get this show on the road!

The first award tonight is for the Most Stylish. *Picks up the golden envelope and rips it open* The Deco! This is probably not the first surprise of the night, with the Deco beating off stiff competition from the Regency, Osterley and Temperley Affair (I still have a love of this binder) to win this.

The second award of tonight is for the Worst Dressed. I think you can pretty much guess who this will go to! And, to nobody's surprise, this award is a joint one and goes to the Temperley Ikat and the Temperley Violet.

The Ikat was so poorly received, this binder was said to be "the worst thing since the release of the Apex" by Tracey and the Violet wasn't spared either! It was likened to a "car tyre that has got a nail stuck in it" by Imy. Having seen a Violet in person, I have to agree. The leather feels very plasticky, and that alone, is a fashion faux-pas.

Next up: Most Popular. Who else could this go to but Mr. Malden? The majority love the Malden, but I, for one, am at a loss as to why? I had in my possession (for a short while) a Vintage Pink Malden but I just didn't fall in love with it?

And to counteract that, Least Popular. Owners of this binder, please do not be offended. This is the consensus I came to after some research on Twitter and various blogs! The Apex. Sorry, but the bright pink and the bright blue/aqua elastic just doesn't appeal to me (and many others), but I guess this is the reverse of the Malden where I am in the majority as opposed to the minority?

Now, this is a special award tonight. It is for who is looking the Most Elegant. Of course, the winner would be the Osterley. I am biased as that is my own personal favourite Filofax model but it is, indeed, a very beautiful binder.

A fun award now: The One No-One Gets. Who else would this go to but the, aptly named, Enigma?

Most Versatile is up next. We're not talking about feats of gymnastics here - more like who appeals to everyone, age, gender, etc. As if there could be any other winner! The Finsbury! For your price-tag that appeals to every audience, you're a deserving winner!

Now, we are talking about gymnastics. The award for the Most Flexible; who else would this go to but the Lizard Flex? Here's your £50 pilates voucher to keep up that flexibility, Mr L. Flex!

And the last award of the night. The one everyone wants to win: Judge's Choice. The recipient of a invisible trophy in the shape of a gold Filofax 'f' is........ the........ Osterley! Winning her second award of the night, it is Miss Osterley. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the culmination of tonight's awards ceremony.

However, before I head to bed with a nightcap and my Kindle, I have one confession to make as 2013 draws nearer. Although I have just written this post about a Filofax awards ceremony, my plan for 2013 is to move to a different organiser brand. I am tired of all the ring drama (that sounds dirty, but it's not) and having experienced enough of that for a lifetime, I have taken the plunge. As a result, I will be selling all of my Filofax collection (barring my Slimline Deco as I love that too much still - the rings are okay on it and touch wood it stays that way!) and have already sold a considerable number in my collection!

Sit tight for an update about my new binder (hopefully soon!).

*** Please remember that this is only a bit of fun. These opinions are largely my own and designed to be for a laugh so please don't take this post too seriously. ***

stationery addicts anonymous, meeting #6: Rebecca

This week, I really do have an anonymous addict ;) She goes by the name Rebecca (real name or not, I'll leave that for you to decide) and there are no links to a Twitter account or blog ;)

Without further ado, here is Rebecca's three favourite stationery items.

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I found it hard to choose three favourite things but I just eventually thought what would I pretty much always buy when I see it in a shop!

1. Japanese Paper Pads

I love these little pads! My dad gets them for me when he goes to Japan with work, Every page has a different design on it and they come with a page of stickers in the front. The problem is I don't want to use any of them cause I can't get them back!

2. Cute Sticky Notes

I love love love cute little sticky notes in the shapes of animals or in bright colours. I use them in my work or through my diary. I tend to get these from Japan too or from shops like Artbox.

3. Composition Books

The final thing which I love are marble fronted composition books. They're great as journals or for taking notes at uni. They're not the best quality but I just love the classic design of them.

And that's it. The the three stationery items I am most addicted to along with many many more!

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I am really envious of these three choices! The Japanese pads are so cute and the notebooks - oh my, wouldn't you just love to see a bookshelf full of these with all of them filled?! I would!

Thank you, Rebecca, for being brave enough to talk about your addiction :-)

How are you all coping with your addiction? It was Christmas yesterday (this is a scheduled post, I'm not posting this today as today is actually my family's Christmas day as my mum was working yesterday. As a result, we are doing Christmas today!) so the question is, how many of you received stationery items for Christmas ;)

merry christmas, everyone!

This is a scheduled post - before any of you think that I am blogging on Christmas Day! This Christmas, my mum is working the late shift at the hospital so we are doing Christmas on Boxing Day instead. That's the thing with working for the NHS, she has to work either Christmas or New Year's and this year, she drew the short straw (well, neither strong is that long to be honest)!

It's not my finest, but I am going through a bit of a creativity/blogging block at the moment! So that's the reason behind this somewhat 'peachy (coloured)' 'card', if you will. The main thing is that the sentiment is there. I wish you all a very, very Merry Christmas and a very, happy new year. I hope that 2013 is the year where all your wishes come true and is also your best year yet.

Texture Credit: Hybrid Genesis

Much love, Angela x

my filofax week #36

It's been a bit of a rollercoaster of week for me. Loads of life admin (to be expected this time of year), loads of family related stuff (again, to be expected) and loads of exciting opportunities. I might never reveal what happened on the Wednesday, but then again, I might - but in the future ;) You'll just have to wait and see.

The pen that got the most use this week was my black Muji Erasable because a lot of things were moved around this week. The raccoon sticker was from Imy :-)

How was your week? Are you all prepared for Christmas?  :-)

Sukie travel journal

A few months ago, all of the focus was on the Midori Traveller's Notebooks. I won't be migrating (just yet!) but I do have a travel journal from Sukie. I've had it since I was 15 (I think?) and back then, I had no idea what to do with it. It wasn't until I was 18 that a month-long holiday in Hong Kong inspired me to use it. That summer, I kept it as my daily journal - what I did, what I wore, what I ate, what happened in Hong Kong and in the world that day, what I was feeling (i.e. missing home, not missing home, etc), etc. I honestly love this Travel Journal and I wish I was going on holiday again just so I could use it! However, as I am on a 'mini-gap-year' at the moment, I have used it as my journal. I've recorded the same types of things (what I wore, ate, felt, did) as well as planned events for 2013 (Chinese New Year hotpot, anyone?).

This post is obviously meaningless without pictures, so here they are.

The front cover is very worn - but it has flown to Hong Kong with me and back! And I have had it since 2005 (I think? Or it might be 2006, or 2007 - I can't remember!).

Inside, there is plain paper and also lined paper:

Brown envelopes for slipping in momentos. I have used some for putting in tickets, interesting newspaper clippings and other stuff to remind me of the holiday.

And also clear pockets. In this one, there is a ticket for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. That summer, I saw it in Hong Kong and I kept the ticket:

Squared paper too!

And the back cover:

A closer look at the brand name:

On the website, prices for a Travel Journal is listed as £10.50 but I think I bought mine for £10. This isn't much of a price increase considering how many years it has been since I bought it. All of the paper used is recycled and although this means the quality isn't great, it is sufficient for a travel journal. I have stuck in all sorts of momentos and as a result, the thickness of the notebook has increased for me, and because I stick in things, the poorer paper quality isn't such an issue.

Personally, I love the retro/vintage feel of this journal but I don't think I would buy one again. It costs more than the average journal and the paper quality isn't the best. I know it is more eco-friendly than other journals out there but for me, the price and quality of the paper are the two biggest deterrents when it comes to these Sukie travel journals.

{ photos updated 27.09.15 }

stationery addicts anonymous; week 5: Mai

Another week, another meeting. I hope you all find solace in the fact that you are not alone in this addiction :) This week, we meet Mai; a self-confessed stationery addict. 

Remember, the first step to conquering this addiction is to admit that you have one. Moreover, if you find your addiction getting worse in these initial stages - don't worry: it has to get worse before it gets better :)

So without further ado, let's hear Mai's story of her addiction.

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I'm only going to show you one component of my addiction. Just this one image alone can tell you that I'm an addict. As you can see, I have an addictive personality (only for stationery...and coffee). I have a love for washi tapes. I use them for scrapbooking (I'm an untraditional scrapbooker, it's more like tape cool stuff on a page rather than decorating it all pretty). I use them to decorate my planner. I use them to decorate my knitting tags that I attach to my projects. I use them to make personalized cards. Washi tapes are AWESOME!!!!!!!

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Thank you, Mai, for sharing your story with us. Hopefully, through empathy, we will all be able to conquer our addiction ;)

my 2013 happiness project

Back in 2011, I tried to start a Happiness Project but failed because I hadn't started it in January. For me, this was annoying because the book started in January and so I had to start halfway through the book and not read continuously. So, my goal for 2013 is to try this project again. I will read each chapter in advance (in fact, I've already read January's and taken notes so I'm adequately prepared!) and hopefully, this will make the project more of a success.

Although Gretchen Rubin has designated goals for each month, I have mixed these goals around a bit as with January being a month of 'more energy', I can't really go any proper exercise at the moment as I'm still not back to the 100% I was at before the surgery. As a result of this, I have rejiggled the goals a bit and instead, my January is a 'Friendship: Make Time For Friends' month.

I feel that is an adequate goal as I've found it hard to travel on my own these past two months and so trips to London and other places have been minimal as either the pain gets a bit too much (I can only bend down every so often at the moment!) and I get tired seriously easily (what is up with that?). I've been improving steadily though!

Anyway, with me being back in London in the new year (can I get a 'yay'?), I will have a lot more time for friends. And there will be ample more opportunities for socialising too! I've used the same goals that Gretchen has used in her book:

1) Remember birthdays (yay for being organised and for keeping a diary!)
2) Show up (I always show up unless I have a genuine reason not to, so this one should be easy!)
3) Be generous (I love giving gifts so, again, this one should be easy)
4) Make three new friends
5) Don't gossip (quite easy too, I love gossiping about celebrities but people I know? That's just too far.)

Hopefully by the end of this month, I will be feeling more fulfilled and happier. I've missed my friends and I'm really quite excited to see them all on a more regular basis :) And how will you find out if this worked? Well, I will be rounding up my first month on my own Happiness Project at the end of this month and I will be preparing for the start of February - a month which will concentrate on 'aiming higher'.

my filofax week #35

It's been a bad end to the week - the shootings in Newtown broke my heart and there has been some drama in my family life too.

Here was my week - it has been a somewhat muted week compared to normal as the majority of what's happened this week doesn't really fit in with my weekly planner, and so has been written in my journal instead.

How has your week been?

getting in the Christmas spirit with candy canes and washi tape

It's Christmas in just over ten days and I don't think I've really mentioned or done a proper post on anything Christmas related? Well, to be fair, I had no reason to... until today!

On Wednesday, I was in town and headed into a shop called 'Home Bargains'. I think they are kind of like Poundland but not everything is £1 in price - things are usually discounted at around 60% (sometimes more, sometimes less). Anyway, I found these candy canes! They were twelve for 79p and well, I couldn't resist. I intend to give them out as a way of spreading some festive cheer :)

When I got home, I was thinking of a way to make the labelling of them more creative and then it hit me: washi tape. I have so much washi tape, I was bound to be able to choose twelve different patterns and colours. 

This was how the first one turned out. I basically cut some washi tape and then wrapped it around the candy cane, but at the same time, ensuring that the label bit was long enough for someone's name to be written on.

And the end result? Twelve cheerful looking candy canes, each labelled! A good final touch would be to add a ribbon to each, and then hang each one onto a Christmas tree. I have yet to source out any ribbon though so these pictures only show the candy canes 'washi-taped'.

stationery addicts anonymous, week 4: Kate

Hi guys. Welcome to the third meeting of SAA. If you're are not familiar with this by now, please take a look at the minutes of the previous meetings: one / / two / / three.

This week, we meet Kate. Say hi to Kate :) We will now hear her story.

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Hi, I'm Kate and I'm a stationery addict!!

I can't remember when I first got into stationery, but at school I always had a few favourite pens, which were like my comfort blanket. I remember during a fire drill I dropped one under a table and I had to go and get it, even though the rules were to leave all our belongings in the classroom! My mum used to buy me pretty stationery, e.g. notebooks, pencils and erasers from museum gift shops etc, but I could never use them because I thought "Once they're used up, they're gone!"

When I was about 11 or 12 I got about £5 pocket money per week, and we moved to a town with a W H Smith, so every weekend I used to buy a new pencil case and folder- I had quite a collection! Ever since, I have loved stationery so much. When I lived in France during my teens, I couldn't buy much because I didn't visit shops very often, but the stationery I did have (like a folder with a picture of an x-ray of a hair dryer with little gremlins hidden inside) were my pride and joy!

When I was preparing to move to university, one of the things I was most excited about was stocking up on stationery! I decided that it was best to buy great quality stationery less often, rather than cheaper quality items very often because they were rubbish!

Since then I have discovered the world of Filofaxes, and all the cool stationery things that go with it! In the past year and a half I have discovered and bought some amazing stationery, and I love them so much! Here are 2 of my favourites (unfortunately, I couldn't choose a third that stands out about the rest of my rather large stationery and craft stash!!)

Lamy Fountain Pens

I love these pens! I have 6 Lamy FPs in total, but I could buy a lot more! I have 2 types, the Safari (plastic) range and the Al-Star (metal) range, but I guess the Vista (transparent) counts as a separate type, and I also have a red Safari mechanical pencil!

I love these pens because they are lightweight, perfect for my little hands, and are so cheap! I'm not scared about damaging them like I would be if it was a £100 pen! But they are so cheap that I can buy lots in different colours!

My pens have different thicknesses of nibs, because I selected which nibs I wanted when I bought them- from Extra Fine, to the standard Medium- I think this is ones of the beauties of the Lamy range, where the nibs are so cheap and easy to replace!

I use bottled inks in them, except for the Apple Green pen, in which I'm using the standard blue cartridge you get when you buy a Lamy FP. I love playing with fountain pen inks in proper bottles, which you put into a converter into the barrel of the fountain pen! Many a messy finger!!

These are the Lamy FPs I have:

• Aqua Safari, my first one!! I think it is 2011's limited edition special one! This currently has an EF nib, which is actually quite scratchy- I need to use it some more so it softens up! It has my beloved Diamine Registrar's ink in its coverter, but I find that the colour of the ink comes out a bit lighter than I would like!

• Pink Safari- I just love the colour of this one! It has a Fine nib, which I think is actually very similar to the Medium nib. I have a Diamine Cerise ink in here, but I don't really like the colour of this ink.

• Apple Green Safari- this year's limited edition colour! I love this colour- I was so annoyed that I had missed the lime green coloured pen from a few years ago, but when I bought the Apple Green I was really happy, because the colour is much nicer than the lime green Lamy, which is actually quite a yellow colour in comparison!

• Lamy Vista- this Lamy range originally served as a demonstrater pen, so that people could see how the pens worked- but they were so popular, they made them into a real range of pens! I mixed the ink myself, from the Diamine Cerise mixed with some Waterman purple, which has produced a nice dark pink colour. This has a Medium nib, which makes the ink come out a bit too thick for my liking!

• Black-Purple Al-Star- This is a lovely pen! I use it in my purple A5 Malden Filofax, with Waterman purple ink- I have had a real purple thing going on for a couple of years! It currently has a Medium nib, which makes the ink colour come out less deep than with a F or EF nib, so I might change it!

• Raspberry Al-Star- This is my main pen, with my favourite Diamine Registrar's ink in it, and an EF nib. I use this for my normal writing (unless I am using a cheaper pen).

It is my dream to eventually use up my cheaper pens, so that I only have my fountain pens left to use as my every day pens!

Sticky page tabs

I love these things- they are so useful! I use them in my Filofaxes, notebooks and uni books to mark sections, show where I finished my work, or as a 'Today' marker. I like using them on dividers instead of proper tabs because they are so flexible.

The beauty of these things is that they are completely movable. They aren't permanent, they are easy to remove or add as necessary, easy to carry so you can use them on the go, or you can build up quite a collection at your desk!

I use ones mainly from Avery, including the pink and blue medium sized ones, and the Martha Stewart for Avery tabs, which are a lovely range of pastel colours. They come in a range of sizes, from tiny to large. I also use some from 3M Post-It notes.

Here is a photo of my collection!

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Thank you, Kate, for being brave enough to talk about your addiction this week :) Aren't you just jealous of her Lamy Collection? And also those sticky tabs! A girl can never have too many ;)

Together, we can fight this addiction (or enable it hehe). If you don't already know, Kate blogs over at The Life of The Perpetual Student and also tweets as KateB_TPS, and she is lovely (trust me on this!) :)

geeky chemistry theme notebooks

You know those stores in little towns that sell all these random bits and bobs? From gardening equipment to kitchen utensils to homewares? Well, my sister was in one and she found these notebooks. We've never seen anything like the before and with both of us being quite nerdy (we got similar UMS marks in A Level Chemistry!), this can definitely be classified as a good find.

Here is one of them:

She bought five or six in total (I can't remember the exact number) and each had a different element with a phrase to describe the element. It was tabbed (I forgot to see if these were movable!) in the same colour as the notebook. The notebooks were either ring bound or casebound and came in a variety of sizes, from A5 to A6. 

The brand appears to be called 'One Big Element' and I only found a Facebook and Twitter page for them. I don't think they are overly popular as I've never seen them sold in a large chain stationery shop.

Because of how little known they are, I knew the paper would be the ultimate test. Is that why they are outcasts in the world of notebooks? I mean, it is quite a saturated market. The paper wasn't that attractive to the eye and it doesn't feel great to touch. However, I was pleasant surprised when I did some pen tests on it:

From top to bottom: gel, rollerball ink, erasable, gel, fineliner, fountain pen, permanent pen, felt tip and gel.

And overleaf:

The only show-through present was from the permanent pen. The sheets are also perforated so they can be torn out with ease.

I think they were around £2 for a ringbound one and slightly less for the A6 casebound ones, which, to be fair, is quite a lower than average price for a notebook like this. Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised by the quality of the paper and anything that plays to the 'geek/nerd' crowd is always a winner with me!

my filofax week #34

You may (or may not) have noticed that I have renamed these post tags as 'my week'. There is a reason for this and you shall see why soon!

This week:

Interesting points to note:

{ I developed a massive crush on Ryan Shay after this week's Suburgatory episode. I'm a little envious of Tessa Altman at the moment! }

{ I have some exciting things happening over the next two months and most of my time has been absorbed in planning for these things. }

{ With the weather being so dreadful, I rarely want to venture outdoors! And with myself still recovering from surgery, I still feel a bit of pain sometimes when walking around so coupled with the cold, you can see why I'd rather stay indoors! }

How was your week? Would you like to be featured one week? Email me if so :) paperlovestory @ outlook.com :)

planning a house move

My parents have been house hunting for over three years now and having helped them through the long and arduous process (I have enjoyed it, though!), I feel now is the perfect time for me to write this post. Having put in offers in several houses during these three years, and with each house buy falling through (mostly due to our change of heart, if I'm honest! We are a seller's nightmare, it seems.), we have finally found the house of our dreams. I know, I know; looking at our track record, what's to say we won't pull out of this one?

Well, to put it briefly, this house is in a far better area than the others, the price is right, it requires a little bit of work (which is ideal for us because we want to be able to put our own stamp on the place anyway) and it is within a decent commutable distance of London. Anyway, we are now in the process of preparing for a house move and I thought I'd do a post on this. I won't be posting much about moving with kids but some of the advice can definitely be applied to any move.

The main sections of this post are: preparing for the move, utilities and packing.

 Once everything finalised and the contracts have been exchanged, this is the time you'd want to start the bulk of the preparation. By now, you should have an idea of your move-in date for the new house.

This is when you should be decluttering your house. To be honest, you could even be doing that before the exchange of contracts! Any household items that are broken or defunct should be taken to a recycling centre and any items you no longer use could be sold on eBay/Gumtree or put on Freecycle, or donated to local charity shops.

Due to so many false starts with my family moving, I have been selling my old clothes/belongings on eBay for the past two years and have got rid of a lot of clutter already. However, it's never too late to start! If you are an eBay newbie, Caribbean Princess has done two posts about it (here and here) and I have also done a post on tips for selling on eBay.

Moreover, the last time we moved house was eleven years ago and combined with my father's love of hoarding, we have amassed a lot of clutter.

The key here is to start early (cliched as it sounds, starting early really does help reduce the stress of an event, which has 'stress' written all over it) and be organised (but being readers of my blog, you would already be quite organised :-) ).

Next, changing addresses, sorting out the utilities in your current and new house and also, arranging when/where you will pick your new house keys up from.

Some companies require a month's notice for termination of contracts or even moving a contract (I'm looking at your, internet service providers) and so, it is best to also do this early! Also, these companies need to know of your new address too!

A basic list of these companies are:
- the TV licensing authority
- internet service provider
- mobile phone contract provider
- gas/electricity/water companies (if necessary)
- banks and building societies where you may hold accounts/mortgages/loans with
- DVLA (if you are in the UK)

A more complete list can be found here on the Homebase website.

Once you get to your new house, you'll have to make sure water/gas/electricity is all turned on and if not, get that sorted.

Finally, the most stressful part: packing. Try and obtain boxes free of charge from somewhere. Supermarkets are a good place to start or even your workplace! Same with bubble wrap; instead of shelling out for rolls and rolls of the stuff, why not try a supermarket? The fruit aisle has an abundance (I speak from experience here - I have no shame!) as does the vegetables aisle. They will only throw it out anyway so you might as well take it for a better cause, right?

When each box is packed, make sure you label it with what room it goes in, or even better, what is in it. That may seem excessive but once you get to your new house, this will prove invaluable.

Now, choosing a removal company. See if you can obtain recommendations from family and friends and even if it means paying a bit more than the cheapest company, a company with a recommendation is better than going for the cheapest one and then finding stuff missing/stuff broken in transit. It is also important here, to take an inventory. Even if you just count how many boxes and what labels they have, that is a start. It's sad that we live in a world where we can't trust anyone anymore but it's better to be safe than be bitten by the dishonesty bug.

Although this concludes my somewhat basic guide to house moving, this link here provides a more thorough one. This link also has a useful checklist and timeline for moving house.

Basically, my tips are as follows:

1) Start early by decluttering and by packing away things that are not currently in use. (We recently took down our greenhouse in anticipation of our move.)

2) Sort out your utilities. And remember to change your address! Changing it a few days before is better than a few days after, especially when it comes to a TV licence!

3) Start packing.

4) Find a removal company.

5) Arrange for a time and place for the pick up of your new house keys.

I've watered down a lot of the house move but that is because I only wanted to mention important tips. There are many more I could have included but for the sake of keeping this short(ish) and sweet, I have narrowed it down to five tips.

I hope this has proved useful to some of you :) I will probably blog again about moving house after the actual event so sit tight!

stationery addicts anonymous, meeting 3: Millie

Welcome to this week's meeting. I hope that as time goes by, you become more willing to accept your addiction and may even pluck up the courage to speak about it at one of these meetings :)

This week, we meet Millie. *collectively* Hello Millie. Without further ado, let's hear Millie's story :)

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Hi all!  I'm Millie, and I blog over at Planet Millie.  Whilst my blog is a lifestyle blog, I talk about stationery a lot, so I guess it's natural that Angela has asked me to take part in this series on stationery!

I don't really have favourite stationery items, so this list was hard to compile.  Over the years, I've recycled quite a few items (and bought a lot more!), but I guess I don't really have many stationery items that I get attached to these days.  In the end, I could only identify two items that I love and would be sad to lose in a fire.

1.  Red Plaisir fountain pen.  I seriously love this pen (more than my Lamys!).  The pen is lovely to hold, it's pretty and the nib is a pleasure to write with.  This pen is new to my collection - I only bought it this year, but it was an excellent purchase!  Red is my favourite colour (along with orange) and the pen is such a vibrant, shiny colour.  For bonus points, this pen is dead cheap and can use a converter.  After a bit of experimenting, I've inked it with orange.  It's a match made in heaven!  This is my go-to pen for writing!

2.  Harley Davidson Waterman ballpoint.  My second favourite stationery item is a pen too!  But this is a ballpoint.  I use it mostly for scribbling and throwing in my handbag (never throw a fountain pen in a handbag!).  I've had this pen since I was a teenager, and it is one of my favourites for a number of reasons.  Firstly, my Mutti bought it for me! :) Secondly, it's a Waterman and so writes really nicely.  I don't really use ballpoints (this is one of only a handful I own), but Waterman do make good ones.  Like my Plaisir, it has a lovely smooth finish and is satisfying to hold.  Lastly, it's a limited edition Harley Davidson tribute, with flames on the barrel.  It was a present when I was going through my teenage motorbike phase (everyone has one of those phases, right?).  Sadly, I never did get a motorbike, but this pen is definitely a pen I would consider saving in a fire.
 
And for those wondering, my heart belongs to the BMW touring bikes range, but I won't say no to a Harley!

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I love love love the Red Plaisir fountain pen - the colour and the design is just droolworthy. Millie's blog is definitely worth a gander for more things relating to stationery, notebooks and also some interesting posts about the environment. And the best bit? Not only is the blog really, really well-written, Millie also lives in Lincolnshire (only the best county ever to live in).

Thank you, Millie, for being this week's addict. Remember, you are not alone. Together, we can overcome (or carry on enabling) this addiction we all share. :)

compact osterley: blog planner

With my Slimline in use as my daily diary, I didn't really know what to do with the Compact Osterley in my possession. So, I decided to set it up as my blog planning binder for the time being. Surprisingly, I've managed to fill it - surprising because I know a lot of you out there only have a section dedicated to it in your binders/planners :) 

Here is the tour (more pictures than text, once again!):

At the front, the 365 'One Line A Day' prompts from Tami Taylor:

Then a section with notepaper. For random notes and whatever else...

A monthly planner I use for recording when blog posts are scheduled for:

A 'blog post ideas' insert section:

A more thorough blog post planning section (and an eBay insert on the left!):

Now, a section where there are different coloured inserts. Imy sent me these :) The green section is dedicated to custom inserts I want to make:

Blue notepaper is for planning a new blog layout, as and when I feel like it:

Orange is for a secret project ;)

Red is for another secret project ;)

More notepaper...

And then a random section where lists reside. The first list is my '101 things in 1,001 days' list:

A 'bucket list' on the left and a '30 before 30' list on the right.

I am happy keeping this binder as my blog planner for the time being until I find a better use for it :)