My fountain pen has arrived!!

It's here!!

Fits lovely in my little pen case

Snuggling with my new fauxdori

I will do a proper review once I have had the time to use it!  I put an ink cartridge in it last night and it started writing straight away - result!  It also doesn't have any issues with my left-handed-ness so that's always a bonus :)

I love it!!

I still need to find some paper to re-do my inserts on in my planner but I have noted that the 'Red & Black' series are 90gsm and they don't bleed through or have hardly any shadow so I may look into getting some of those to cut up but I have got some paper already at home that may do the trick...just need to get some more printer ink!  One day I will be totally equipped I'm sure!

Until next time, take care xxx

Fauxdori made by Karen

I have received the most lovely present from my friend, Karen who has made this stunning red leather faux dori for me!  

I have put on a couple of Fossil charms but I wasn't happy with how they scooted around so I have tied a little knot in the elastic and now they stay put!

Inside she has put a couple of Gorjuss notebooks and I am intending on using one as a 'brain dump' or running 'to-do' list (already started!) and the other I am using as a food diary as I am trying to lose weight and am exercising but something is going wrong and I'm thinking it could be all the nibbles I forget I'm having...

I have never really used anything like this before but I think I am going to like it...a lot!  She only gave it to me last night and I have already customised it a little and started writing in it so that's a good sign!  I like how it is really light and fuss-free too, time will tell how I get on with it.

You should check her etsy shop out - as she is starting to fill her shelves with all kinds of goodies for planner people including inserts, dividers, charms, dashboards and the like and I'm not being biased by saying that the quality is superb!!  Get on over there!!  She does custom stuff too if you contact her.

Until next time, take care xxx

VDS and Fountain Pen Case

My fountain pen has still not arrived :(

I have been thinking about how to store it though, and I don't want it to be with my planner just in case it leaks...and I don't want it leaking in my bag either so off I went looking for a suitable pen pouch/case/tin yesterday lunchtime.  I wasn't impressed really with what was on offer in the multiple shops that I went into although I did see a beautiful Aspinall mock croc leather one in Homesense for £19.99 that tempted me but it was in an aubergine colour and that didn't really grab me.

As I wandered back into work I nipped through Primark and there, sat lonely on a shelf, was a brown mock croc reading glasses case and it was perfect!!  And also just £1.  So I tried my other Waterman Phileas fountain pen in and it fits beautifully.  Along with the velvety lining of this case I feel like it will look after my new Carene nicely, when it arrives!

Quick pic took this morning to show you how lovely it matches my VDS Senior.

A good match don't you think?!

I wish my pen would hurry up though....I am crossing my fingers that today is the day!!

Until next time, take care xxx

Fountain Pen & Planner Bliss (Hopefully)

I can not resist a bargain, especially when it is something that I have been yearning after for years and once this item became available for order at a drastically reduced price then I just had to have it.  I cannot wait for its delivery and I'm hoping that it will be waiting for me when I get home tonight - why is the wait so painful??  Lol.

This is what I am talking about...a Waterman Carene in Black Sea - the most beautiful fountain pen I have ever seen!!

Inspired by the form of a sailing vessel, Carene pens have a dynamic style enhanced by the elegance of their trims. Its powerful streamlined silhouette reveals a highly contemporary design and when the cap is removed, the Carene reveals its luxurious curves.

Features

• High gloss deep black lacquer cap and barrel
• Unique 18K solid Gold inlaid nib
• Gold plated appointments
• Can be used with either cartridge or bottle ink (Converter supplied)
• Limited 3 Year International Warranty

All I need now is to find some fountain pen friendly paper to print my inserts on as I really don't like bleed through, this is going to look so gorgeous in my planner - if you didn't realise already, I have the strongest love for my VDS Touch Me in Senior size, my everyday carry and also the VDS Touch Me in A5 Manager size with gigantic 35mm rings - this is seriously one beast of a binder!!

The pens that are in the pic are the Frixion LS metal barrel and although I love the ability to erase any mistakes or cancelled appointments, they cannot be compared to the luxury of a beautiful fountain pen. 

Off to find some nice paper...

Until next time, take care xxx

Notebook Collection

I did it, I went through my house in all the drawers and cupboards and on the shelves and I managed to pull together all my notebooks from their hiding places...I think I have got them all but you never know where they might still be lurking!

To be honest it wasn't as bad as I thought - which is why I think there could be a few more somewhere - although I have managed to fill the shelf (that isn't even up yet!) with what I have found.

All but two of these are empty.  One is my journal and is about half full and another has some pages written in (the leather wrap around one) from over 10 years ago!  It seems that I started using it as a journal back in 2003 but then the dates on the entries jump a few years each time!  

I've found a few more since this was taken, now filled the whole shelf!

I've now also sourced the brackets so as soon as they arrive I will be able to put the shelf up above my filo shelf.  My little room is getting more organised and I am feeling a lot happier about it :)

I even managed to get my pictures/wall art up in between rearranging my stuff to make it look more aesthetically pleasing.  A day well spent!!

Now to relax start studying in it and enjoying the calm and tranquility that reigns...for now!

Until next time, take care xxx

My little planning space

I have spent the last few hours trying to get some kind of organisation going on in my little room and it's filling up fast with all kinds of stationery, files, books and the obligatory 'happy bits' that I see and can't resist buying but I really need to STOP as I am running out of space!!

I wanted my little room to be somewhere I could hide out and do my craft bits, plan and study and generally relax but it is turning into chaos and I need to get a grip on it QUICK!

It has set me off thinking though, why do we feel the need to surround ourselves with 'things' - surely there cant be that much joy in ten packets of the same pen? Or multiple multiples of post it notes - seriously, I don't even use that many!!  But how could I resist this while I was out shopping yesterday?

Even my office at work is starting to acquire the notebook thing...

And pen pots...why do I keep buying these??  The lovely snakeskin ceramic ones were from Asda in their clearance for 90p each...although they are supposed to be for the bathroom but I thought they'd make nice pen pots :)

The 'leather' organiser I got from the Range and didn't really think I'd use it...didn't take me long to run out of space in it though!!  Even the little drawer is full!!  I have THREE huge pencil cases that are all full to bursting with every kind of pen, pencil and highlighter imaginable and these don't include my fountain pens (another fetish) or felt tips for colouring in!  I got this set and the colouring book from my best friend for my birthday and although I haven't managed to do much colouring in, I love it!

Even my little storage area is starting to overload...

Those drawers are FULL and so are the boxes.  This is where all my new pens and packets of post it notes are kept, well some of them...the rest are in another box(es) along with enough stickers to keep a children's nursery going for a year!  I don't actually use that many stickers either, go figure!  The boxes are full of stamps and inks.

I've sorted my 'platform' out so it isn't piled high with mountains of post and stuff to do.  This area isn't finished yet, need to still get some covering (using old postcards, photographs, concert tickets and other memorabilia under a sheet of perspex) and sort out the wiring for my colour changing globe - this is an amazing light that seems to make the book wallpaper look so real!

I've found the other end of my shelf that my filofaxes are on (it was a huge shelf cut down) and I am going to put it above the filo's to put all my notebooks on...the job now is to retrieve all the notebooks from their hiding places and see exactly how many there is and whether there is too many for the shelf space that I have...

Right, off to seek out the notebooks...I may be some time!

Until next time, take care xxx

New Flex Planner!

I've bought a new A5 Flex in lovely smooth purple - which happens to be the colours of the Insurance Institute which is the qualifications I am doing - how cool is that!

I bought the paint brush notebook at the same time as it matched perfectly with the colour scheme and I like the creativity it suggests.

Unfortunately my new Ipad Mini Cover doesn't fit in the Flex so I am looking for a new one, I will use the lovely leopard one when I'm travelling instead and don't need the Flex for study purposes. I've already got my eye on a lovely champagne gold one...

Until next time, take care xxx

Flex Planner for Study Purposes

I am quite excited.  I have just received the result of my first assignment in Insurance Law and I got an 'A' - I am very proud of myself!

I am also excited to learn that the format for future exams is changing as of the 1 April 2015 to a multiple assessment which is coursework following by multiple choice exam at a time chosen by me - this is very different to the three hour written essay exam that could only be booked in either April or October.

For people like me who know and understand what they are learning only to forget absolutely everything come exam time then this is wonderful news!!  I may finally get my qualification.  This pleases me a lot!!

What also pleases me a lot is the fact that when I upgrade to the mixed assessment format in April I can choose the textbook to be via e-book rather than the chunky (and extremely heavy!) textbook that it currently is.  This means that I can have it on my ipad mini - much easier to transport around and read on the commute!!

This also means that I can properly utilise my A5 Flex which I was trying to use by photocopying the pages of my text book but they were still hard to read on my ipad but this way, this way I will be able to not only read the text but also annotate it and highlight and even get the 'text to speech' going if I wanted to!  (Which to be honest I probably wont as last time I tried it I found it too be too much like listening to a 'speak and spell' and the whole sentence was lost in bad translation!)

The ipad mini fits perfectly in the flex, even with the keyboard attached!

Much sleeker and lighter than a massive textbook

I am looking forward to studying again - I realise how sad that sounds - but I miss it, I miss the organisation and scheduling that is required with proper studying.  I miss the notebooks and the highlighting...yeah, that sounds even sadder!!  Lol.

I'm looking forward to the wonderful bonus paid by work for each exam passed and then the award for getting the qualification - does that make me sound any less sad?  I thought so!

I could do with making a small monthly calendar for the Flex though, I could just print one out and have it bound, it'd only be for reference purposes...

Obviously my timetable will be scheduled in my delicious Van Der Spek Senior as this is my ultimate tool in keeping me in check.  I may have mentioned previously how delightful and exquisite the Van Der Spek Touch Me range are...maybe just once or twice.  I have the A5 Manager size too with the 35mm rings and that is such a beast of a binder that there is no way that I could use that on the go, not without some sort of trolley device!  But I may store used paperwork/notes from the Flex into a section of the Manager...that's actually quite a good idea :)

Roll on the 1 April - this had better not be an April Fool's thing or I will not be impressed!!!

Until next time, take care xxx