Welcome to National Stationery Week! #natstatweek

Well that time of year comes round quickly doesn't it, yes it's National Stationery Week again folks. Well what does that mean? Well I guess it means that us stationery lovers, geeks, addicts, whatever we call ourselves get a whole week when we don't have to justify our love. We got a whole week where we can be loud and proud about our obsession with stationery. 

I think we should have a bit of fun this week what about you? 

So firstly if you are not in the 'Mrs Brimbles Happy Place' group on Facebook why the heck not? Get yourself over there pronto as there are going to be some daily fun. We are going to be focusing each day on the different subjects allocated (see image below). We are going to be sharing photos and stories and sharing the love of stationery.

Secondly to help celebrate and to feed your addiction I am offering you a 10% discount at my shop: www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/shop Just use coupon code natstatweek2016 and the money will come off at checkout. Coupon cannot be used with any other coupon nor can it be redeemed against Brimbles Boxes but other than that there is no minimum spend and no other restrictions so feel free to tell all of your friends. The discount is valid all week and expires on 1st May 2016.

Other than that it is business as usual here on the Mrs Brimbles part of the internet as it is stationery week all year round lol!

What to get the Planner Addict / Stationery Lover - Mr B's Christmas Gift Giving Guide!

If you have a planner addict, journal junkie or stationery lover in your life and you have no idea what to get them for Christmas, don't panic! Mr B (aka Jonathan / Jon) is here to help!

I gave him free run of the stock room and asked him to choose what he thought, from his perspective would make good presents. This video is entirely his thoughts / his words. I had no imput into this at all, he even filmed and edited it on his own. I have to say that Mr B is actually a really good shopper and gift giver and as one of those aforementioned persons, I would be pretty chuffed with his choices!
So no more unwanted presnts, just get your significant other to watch this video and you are sorted!





Products mentioned

Stocking Fillers:
Washi Tape: http://www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/product-category/washi-tape/
Stickers: http://www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/product-category/stickers/
Project Life Cards / kits: http://www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/product-category/p/

Carpe Diem range: http://www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/product-tag/carpe-diem/

High End Stationery
Emma Bridgwater Sticky Notes: http://www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/product/emma-bridgewater-rose-bee-sticky-notes/
Rifle Paper Co List Pad: http://www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/product-category/rifle-paper-co/
Kate Spade Pen: http://www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/?s=kate+spade+pen
Ban.do Stickers: http://www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/product/ban-do-sticker-booklet-700-stickers/
Ban.do Sticky Note Set: http://www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/product/ban-do-sticky-note-set-thumbs-up/

Planners
All the planners mentioned: http://www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/product-category/planners/

A Brimbles Box either a one off: http://www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/product/august-big-brimbles-box-single-box-stationery-only/ or a rolling subscription: http://www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/product/brimbles-box-stationery/

And if you are really stuck we can put together a collection for you, just let us know how much you would like to spend and we will do the rest! http://www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/product/gift-box-you-choose-the-value/

Paperchase Stationery Haul

Following on from my video on Friday regarding the Paperchase Blogger Event, I thought I would share with you the items that were in my goodie bag and also the items that I purchased on the day.

For more information about Paperchase please visit: http://www.paperchase.co.uk/










PLEASE NOTE: I was given this / these product(s) in exchange for my honest review and opinion, the fact that I was given these does not alter my opinion in anyway. This review is my own personal opionion on the product / company, given in good faith and has not be sponsored or endorsed. None of the links are affiliate links. Unless otherwise stated, all photography is my own.

Paperchase #SS16 Collections Blogger Event

On Wednesday I was very lucky to be invited to attend the Paperchase Spring Summer 2016 Colelction Blogger Event. The event was to showcase the new collection releases planned for next year so you can imagine how excited I was to attend.

The event was held at the Paperchase flagship store which is located in Tottenham Court Road, London. If you have never been and you are in London you 100% have to make a visit. I was amazed when I first went and still am every time I go. The store is huge and is over three floors. The best thing about this store is that you will find the entire collection whereas in some smaller stores they only have a few pieces from each range. I never come away empty handed, it is impossible not to! Everything just appeals to this stationery lover. Not only do they stock their own range of planners but they also have a sizeable Filofax range too!

Of course in true Anna style I vlogged the event...




On arrival at Paperchase we were greeted by their friendly team who showed us to an exclusive area of the store where their new collections were displayed for us to fest our eyes on and even touch which sounds a little, errrm, pervy but I am sure most stationery lovers will agree that you can only truly appreciate paper products when you touch them!

We had a presentation from the design team who talked us through each range, the concept behind it and how they come up with the design etc. I am particularly fascinated by this element and how companies follow trends or create them!

There was one collection in particular that really stood out for me and that was the 'get organised' range which has a sophisticated feel to it. A geometric wooden effect with rose gold or copper accents. I am pleased to report that this collection also features a ring bound planner in a wood effect with features similar to a Filofax Domino.

I also really liked the 'Parkano' collection with it's classic and clean black and white detailing punctuated with bold colours. To me this reminded me of the 'zentangles' or adult colouring books that have taken the World by storm in 2015. I know that first and foremost I am a stationery blogger but I do love a mug or two and thought that the travel mugs / cups and bottles in this collection were particularly beautiful.

I am not normally one for animal prints but I did find myself drawn to the 'Serengeti' collection, in particular to the stapler with a Zebra on the top which is so much fun! For me I think it is the black and white and the chevron look which really appealed.

And my last favourite from the collections we saw was the 'Mother's Day' collection encompassing beautiful contemporary flower designs. For me it was the right mix of chintzy-ness with a more classic feel. Really hard to describe but very pretty.

There were other collections available for us to view but they didn't take my fancy as much as these ones I have show you did but then not everything has to appeal to everyone! Don't forget to check out Paperchase on their social media accounts as they will share more of their collections on there for sure.

I have never been to a blogger event before so I wasn't really sure what to expect but one thing for sure is that Paperchase were really friendly to us and made us feel very welcome. It wasn't just a case of come on in and look at our stuff but they made it into a really fun event.

We were taken into the craft area of the store and on the table were various colours of Christmas trees on display. We were allowed to choose a colour of tree that appealed to us and we were then given a £25 voucher to spend on whatever we wanted to in the store to decorate our trees with. Whaaaaaat! Initially I did think about making it a stationery themed tree and I thought about hanging pens and paper clips on it but then I thought maybe I should be more 'Christmassy'! I had such a hard time committing to what to use. Everything was fabulous and it took me ages to decide on what to use. I didn't think I had commitment issues until this challenge lol! I settled in the end because I came accross a jumbo glittery carrot! I just had to have it on my tree and thought it would make a fab tree topper. I decided to go for a contrasty neon reindeer theme. It sounds 'interesting' doesn't it. I actually really liked how it turned out. I used ribbons that I found in their gift wrap section and craft section, reindeer ornaments from the Christmas section and also paper chains which I found in the pary wares section. Yes I went all round the store with my blue basket. I told you, I struggled to commit. It was a super fun challenege and it was really interesting to see everyones trees and the ideas and concepts that they came up with.

After the Christmas tree challenge we had a really fun craft workshop on how to make pin wheel decorations. At their Tottenham Court Road store they run craft workshops so it was really interesting for us to see how this may work. We made pinwheels which was really fun if a little tricky to begin with!

All in all I had a fantastic three hours which went by so fast. Paperchase were so lovely and it was truly fantastic and they made us feel very welcome indeed. If they asked me to attend again next year I would be there in a shot.

Oh did I mention that another highlight for me was getting to meet Daisy (MyGreenCow) and Chloe Murray. Both of these ladies I have chatted to for a while now on various social media platforms and it was lovely to finally meet them in the flesh:

I hope you enjoyed hearing about my day and seeing the new collections. Which is your favourite? I will be back with another post / video to share my haul from the day. I was very lucky to be given a goodie bag to take away with me plus I may have made a couple of purchases whilst I was there. I mean, seriously, did you expect me not to!





PLEASE NOTE: I was given this / these product(s) in exchange for my honest review and opinion, the fact that I was given these does not alter my opinion in anyway. This review is my own personal opionion on the product / company, given in good faith and has not be sponsored or endorsed. None of the links are affiliate links. Unless otherwise stated, all photography is my own.

Supplier Spotlight - Cloudy Cow

It's time for another 'Supplier Spotlight'. You have seen Cludy Cow on the blog before BUT you can never have too many cute stationery items right?

I took part in a 'stock swap' with some other ladies who run, well, errrr shops obviously lol! I showed you My Pretty Week last week and today it is time to share the goodies that I got from Daisy aka Cloudy Cow.

So the first thing she sent me was this super cute washi tape with lots of wellington boots on it. I mean seriously cute! I love it and it is going to work perfectly with journalling about the garden (or festivals if I should be lucky to go to any lol). It will also inject a bit of colour into Autumnal pages as I like to wear my wellies when we go for woodland walks. Perfect!

 The second thing that Daisy sent me was this super cute ice cream pen in lilac. I love slimline pens like this as they slip into your pen loops nice and easily. I also love the fine tip on them as they are great for writing small.

Don't you think it looks right at home in my purple original Filofax!

Please do go check Daisy out and show here some love... Places you can find Daisy / My Cloudy Cow:

Shop: http://www.cloudycow.bigcartel.com/ 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mygreencow
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cloudycow and also: https://www.facebook.com/mygreencow instagram: https://instagram.com/cloudycow/ and also: https://instagram.com/mygreencow

I asked Daisy if she could tell us a bit herself and the shop...

I’m Daisy, I live in the UK and am 21. I became self employed at 18, and since then I’ve managed to set up two businesses, and I also started a YouTube channel (MyGreenCow). I’m a lover of all things stationery/craft related, and share this love via my YouTube channel and other social media. I’ve always been a creative person, so it’s amazing to be able to incorporate that into my full time job! I set up Cloudy Cow so that I could offer cute stationery items you can't find as easily in the UK. But I do offer worldwide shipping! At the moment the shop has three different sections! They are as followes: 

WASHI TAPE- Here you will find a wide range of washi that is available. Not ALL the washi will be in stock at ALL times, but I do my very best to keep the shop well stocked.

POP UP - Here you will find random stationery items! It's called the 'pop up' section for a reason. The items listed here won't ALWAYS be available, they may only be available for a limited time, there will always be limited stock and they may not come back again, so grab them whilst you can! I decided to add this section, because it adds variety and a bit of fun to the website!

OTHER - Here you will find others items which will be a permanent fixture on the website, these will not be going anywhere and will be restocked regularly, much like the Washi Tapes.The recent re-launch gave me time to full revamp the website and ‘mould’ it into shape a bit. 

I’m extremely happy with how it’s turned out and this should hopefully be the start of a long journey for Cloudy Cow!


PLEASE NOTE: I participated in a swap with this other small business owner. I was given this / these product(s) in exchange for my honest review and opinion, the fact that I was given these does not alter my opinion in anyway. This review is my own personal opionion on the product / company, given in good faith and has not be sponsored or endorsed. None of the links are affiliate links. Unless otherwise stated, all photography is my own.

'Back 2 Skool' Stationery Shopping

back to school time usually means tons of really cool stationery hitting the shops! I remember fondling wandering the aisles of Woolworths picking out just the right items that I wanted for the new year. I have always been a stationery addict you see, always! Every term I always used to have a new pencil case and bits and bobs. I think all of my pocket money went to Woolworths. Back in the day we had no where else in my town to really buy stationery so Woolies it was!

Nowadays Woolies has gone and the town still doesn't really have many places to buy nice stationery. I mean you can buy a boring old yellow sticky note but that is about it, I am talking about the stationery that we all love as journal and planner addicts. There isn't much about in the high street.

I don't very often go to a supermarket as I have my food delivered but I was over the other side of town last week and so decided to pop into Tesco to have a look at the stationery items on offer. They had a big aisle of stationery and back to school stuff but I have to say I wasn't all that excited. There were a few things that caught my eye and I did manage to snap a couple of pics with my phone without too many people thinking I was a weirdo! Here are the things that caught my eye:

I did love the cloud design but like I need another notebook!!!

I didn't buy anything though. Whilst I liked them, I didn't LOVE them, not enough to part with my cash anyway. I am trying to buy less and use more and my philosophy at the moment is if I don't fall in love with it OR absolutely need it then I don't buy it. So far it is working ok. So far!

I don't know if it is me looking back with a nostalgic view on things but I personally just don't think that the back to school range is as good as it used to be. Is it just me? Maybe because kids don't use stationery any more? I dunno, maybe I am getting a grumpy git in my old age. Or maybe, and I think I have the answer here, maybe it is because I am just so used to seeing stuff on the internet from all over the World that I get to see such exciting things that I have been spoilt. I have to say I love researching and sourcing the items for the Brimbles Box and in doing so I do get to discover some amazing items.

What do you think? Have you been doing some back to school shopping?

May Brimbles Box Reveal!

It's time to reveal what was in the Brimbles Box this month, the month of May!

If you would like to watch videos of unboxings from genuine customers as well as honest reviews from bloggers you can watch the YouTube Brimbles Box playlist As I say they are all very honest so you can get a better feel for what was inside.


So what was in the box this month? In April I said "without April showers we would have no May flowers", well no one realised that there was a little clue there for the next box he he! We haven't actually had many showers here this April so I hope we do get those May flowers! This months box has a delightful garden theme.

Of course there is always a postcard from me setting the theme behind the box:

So of course as always we start with a postcard from me:

"Do you remember in April I said that we need those April showers because without them there would be no May flowers…well we haven’t really had the wet April that we usually have instead we have had warm sunny days, days that you can spend just pottering and mooching about in the garden. We have had an abundance of Spring flowers not only in my garden but also in my village which has been a very welcome sight.

I love to be outdoors, especially in the garden, I can while away many an hour sitting in the garden, sipping tea, reading a book and listening to the birds sing.  I like to tinker around planting seeds and watching things grow and my favourite is growing herbs and then picking them for tea. Oh yeah did I mention I like me tea! Well you guys already know that as I mention it so often. I very often paint, plan and journal in the garden as I find that I am more inspired when surrounded by nature.

This month I thought I would bring a beautiful garden to you. A delicious mix of flowers and veggies to get you in the mood for those long Summer days that are waiting for us here in the Northern Hemisphere (hopefully), and for you Southies something for you to remember your Summer days as you slip into Autumn!"

This month was quite hard because there were somany wonderful products, I just couldn't narrow it down so instead I bought everything and then just gave each box a random selection of products. So each box received 6-8 of the following products and the total RRP of the box was £21 so whatever you received it was all worth the same. 

 Those that ordered a planner box will have received an art (painted by me) dashboard as well as a planner charm. One of the following dashboards will have been received (randomly chosen by me) as either Personal or A5 size depending on which box size you signed up for

Please do watch the above video as you can see all the products much more clearly and appreciate them better and of course you can learn more about the products and what to do with them.

I hope you like it, it was a lot of hard work sourcing a collection and putting it all together! At the time of writing I have some excess boxes available to purchase as a whole as well as some individual items so check out my online shop for those. I also have some of the dashoards and planner charms available to purchase in my Etsy Shop.

See you next month for June’s box. Remember if you would like to order a subscription or a one off box and you would like that box to be the June one you can order up to and on 30th May from: www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/shop

London Stationery Show Roundup / What is the future of stationery?

As many of you know from my postings around social media, I visited the London Stationery Show in errr, London yesterday. Some of you asked if I could take photos and / or vlog my trip yesterday. There were two reasons why this was not possible. Firstly I have only just ordered my new vlogging camera (the old one broke!) and that should be here today. Secondly it was a trade show with companies showcasing up and coming products so photography was not allowed. Such a shame I know because so many of you wanted a virtual trip. As I mentioned it was a trade show so not open to the general public, reatailers, designers and manufacturers of stationery only. There was nothing to buy at the show but I did walk a way with an armful of brochures!

I went to a trade fair earlier on in the year where I had already met many of the suppliers that were there but it was nice to go back and chat with them to re-confirm that I love their products and also to re-confirm the inclusion of the products in future Brimbles Boxes. With the boxes I do so much behind the scenes work, researching and sourcing products, coming up with themes etc. It is hard work but I do love it else I wouldn't be doing it!

Many suppliers don't actually let you or like you selling on platforms such as Etsy so I have an online shop on my direct website now with many scrumptious new things coming that I am just so excited about. I have an order on its way from a BIG US brand. Huuuuuuuge but I don't want to tell you about it just yet, I want to make sure that the stuff actually gets here first and is OK before I do. All I am saying is that it is a well known, high end fashion brand who also has a stationery line and it is hard to get hold of here in the UK. Some of you may have guessed so if you have just keep it under your hat for a while so as not to ruin the surprise for others. I know I am being a little bit secret with many things. Believe me I really do want to tell you but sometimes these things take a while to put in place with lots of talks with companies so until it is all finalised it is pointless getting your hopes up incase it all falls through! I don't think it will but you never know. I also like to keep things secret with the box so as not to spoil the surprise for you because I know how you love to be suprised when it gets to you.

We sat in on a talk about design trends forecasting over the next months and even up to two years away. It was really interesting to hear from a design forecasting agency that specialise in this aaaaaaand I have to say that I am bang on trend lol! How do I know this? Well the Brimbles Box is actually planned out months in advance. At the beginning of the year I plotted out the themes for each month. I don't have all the art work for the dashboards completed yet but I did just send off the artwork for the July box to the printers on Tuesday and am working on the art work for August and guess what...BANG. ON. TREND. Whoooooop Whooooop! I was really excited about that and had to restrain myself from fist pumping in the air lol!

So what can we expect design trend wise emerging in the stationery World? According to the forecasting agency we can expect to see...

1. Olympics / Brazil inspired with lots of bold colours and patterns which intentionally clash. They really are so clashing that they kinda just, well, work you know!

2. A sporty influence, again keeping in mind the future Olympics things.
3. Nomadic living, the idea of travel and being free to move around.
4. Summer, pastels and all things floaty.
5. Surrealism with lots of juxtapositioning, all inspired from the release of the 'Alice through the looking glass' movie in 2016.

6. Play. Play is big, lots of interactive things, more adult colouring books.
7. Nature particularly with an urban feel.

8. Oh and technology. Lots more technology interface. It is out now but I really like the idea of the Livescribe where you can write with a smart pen and it automatically sends it to you device. Nice.

Some interesting concepts there, some of which I have mixed feelings about and others I am really excited for. I think you stationery addicts will agree that there are some exciting times ahead of us especially with more and more fashion houses extending their ranges into stationery lines.

What I can say is that all in all it was a really good show. There were not as many traders there as I thought there was going to be and there were a lot more 'corporate' type items there which isn't really us. I mean they have their place but the style of stationery I like and I know many of you do is the more cute / quirky / kawaii or fashion led type which there was less of but luckily I had already found those people at a previous show so that was all good!

Watch this space, as I say some lovely new products will be coming to my shop TODAY and also over the coming weeks and months. I will still have my Etsy shop as that is my first love but not all companies will work with me if I have that and there are some companies out there that just have products to die for so I have to have my direct shop because I cannot pass those goodies up!

Mr B took the day off work to come for a jolly. I like to bounce ideas off of him and he is not one to pass up on a trip to London. We are only 45 minutes away on the train but we don't go all that often. We were only at the show for a couple of hours as it wasn't that big so I decided to treat him to a cake at Choccywoccydoodah. We love it there and always go when we are in London. It is when I say that I am only 75% vegan because I do love my choclate I am afriad. I am good 75% of the time and 25% of the time I cave to chocolate and cheese. If you have never been and you ever find yourself if London  you just have to try it and it is also a great excuse to look at the fab shops in Carnaby street. I could drool over the Irregular Choice shoe shop for hours!

We had a little mooch around Oxford Street, went to our favourite vegan restaurant (to counter balance the chocolate!) and then made our way over to Victoria where I convinced Mr B to let me go in to Hema. He hates the place, he likes shopping but isn't keen on Hema.

I must say I don't love Hema stationery, even though I know a lot of people do but I am not massively keen (don't shoot me!). I did make a purchase though and this is my little Hema haul...

I told you it was little. We then went to see Wicked the musical. We first saw Wicked for our first wedding anniversary 7 1/2 years ago now but we were poorly and coughed and spluttered our way through it. We always said we would like to see it again and on Tuesday night we were planning our trip and decided that whilst we were in London we should perhaps take in a show. Wicked popped up on our research so we decided to book last minute tickets. It was an icredible performance and didn't disappoint and I would so go and see it again!

All in all we had a fab day!

‪#‎natstatweek‬ / National Stationery Week

It is that time of year again folks, the time of year that all of us stationery addicts / nerds / lovers (call yourself what you will) have been waiting for. Yes that's right it is National Stationery Week. Whoooop Whoooop!! As if you needed me to tell you right, I mean I am sure you statioery lovers have had this marked in your planners all year! Oh and we also have World Stationery Day on 29th April too.

So to find out more head on over to: http://www.nationalstationeryweek.com/

What's it all about? Well according to the NSW website..."One of the aims of National Stationery Week is to get people talking about stationery and writing products. What they like about them and their favourite products and brands, and even their favourite retailers. And of course, to encourage more people to write by hand and not just text or email".

How will I be celebrating? Well firstly I am offering you all a lovely 10% discount on all purchases from my Etsy shop. Just use coupon code NatStatWeek2015 from 27th April to 3rd May and 10% will automatically be deducted at checkout. There is no minimum spend. Please not that this only applies to my Etsy shop and not my direct / website shop. 

On Wednesday 29th I will be heading off to the London Stationery Show. I met many of the companies at a trade fair earlier on in the year but I am off again for several reasons...1. It is THE stationery show, 2. It is World Stationery Day, 3. To see what else is new or coming up in the Stationery World and 4. To firm up and finalise some of the 'deals' I have been talking about with suppliers for inclusion in the Brimbles Box. Exciting stuff indeedy and I can't wait!

How can you get involved? Well write a letter for a start and check out the Stationery Week website for events such as these...

Also don't forget to grab a badge / button for your website or blog:

So how will you be celebrating this week I would love to know?

The Letter Bee Box - Stationery, PenPals & Journals - April Unboxing

It's Letter Bee time again! 

The Letter Bee box is a monthly box curated by Patty from Furthermore Press. The box is aimed at everyone who loves letter writing, stationery and journals. Each box is themed and all the goodies inside the box relate to that theme in some way. This is my second Letter Bee box and I can tell you I love it!

About the box:

Boxes can be ordered through Patty's Etsy shop - Furthermore Press

Letter Bee box: $35US inc shipping in US   $30US + $22.50US shipping for UK which in totaly equates to £36. Patty also offers a Petite Letter Box: $22US + $5.95US shipping, outside of the US you need to get in touch with Patty so she can give you a quote.

As many of the items are unique and hand made there are a limited number of boxes each monthso get in quick if you want one!

I filmed my unboxing so that you can get a better sense of the products or do please keep on reading for photos of what I received.


So the theme of this month was 'eco' and recycling which I love (I used to write a blog on Eco stuff called Our Little Eco Journey). My heart started missing a few beats when I saw how much Kraft stuff was in their as I do love my Kraft paper he he!

The massive eco element of this months box is that rather than contain it all in a cardboard box, Patty sent a reusable plastic box which I think would be great for housing supplies and taking them out in the garden with you.

As usual there is a card detailing all of the items inside as well as a sweet treat and some lovely tea.

On to the items then. Please note that there were also some itty bitty bits including but I have stuck to just showing some of the bigger items.

Firstly were reusable page flags, Clips, sticky notes and note cards

As always there is a good selection of note cards, postcards and greetings cards, all centred around this months theme (not all are shown here).

There was a selection of die cuts which is perfect for adding to your journal and if you don't have one don't worry because a handmade one was also included!

A lovely selection of stickers and pens.

And last but by no means least is this gorgeous art work from Patty herself. I love it and it will sit with my one from last month just above my desk where I can see it!

Another super fun box and a delight to receive, use and spread the love when I write to pen pals. Next months theme looks fab too so if you don't want to miss out make sure you head on over to Furthermore Press on Etsy to buy yours!

PLEASE NOTE: I was given this / these product(s) in exchange for my honest review and opinion, the fact that I was given these does not alter my opinion in anyway. This review is my own personal opionion on the product / company, given in good faith and has not be sponsored or endorsed. The photography unless otherwise stated / credited is also my own. None of the links are affiliate links