Although it’s been many a decade since I’ve been in school, I still get sooo excited about school supplies!!!!

August is always a time that I spend pouring over various calendars, notebooks, pens and accessories and I wanted to share with you my incredible finds.

And if you’re not in school or sending the kids off this September, you might find that a good notebook or calendar comes in handy. I know I do!

Happy Shopping!

Stephanie Dickison
Paper Product & Gadget Lover

Notebooks:

Hilroy has created some really excellent back-to-school products that are fun AND functional. Take a look:

On the Edge 3-Subject Notebooks are so totally cool! They have 105 pages and are divided into 3 colours for easy information retrieval – red, blue and green. They are 9 ½” x 6” so you’ll have room to write as much as you need.

Five-Star Fun with Florals Notebooks and Five-Star Daring Dots and Stripes Notebooks are a great way to add colour to a normally boring array of paper products – black, burgundy, navy blue. Of course the tween and teen girls heading back to class are going to go crazy for them, but I love them for just being a little fun sparkle to your day. There are blue, pink or violet florals and different shades of blue, green and purple stripes to liven up the classroom or boardroom!

They also come with built-in pockets to help keep you organized. Mmm.

Journals:

Letts of London has lovely journals in all sorts of sizes with leather and leather-look covers in a variety of colours and styles.

The paper is a great quality and gives you a smooth finish when writing.

I like the Connoisseur Notebook (CSN) which is extremely slim and small (6 5/8” x 3 1/4”) and not only has a sleek look thanks to its silver page edges but the cover is so smooth, you just want to run your fingers over it all the time!

The Principle Notebook (PRJ) is 160 pages and a great choice if you are looking for a journal without the bulk. I got a purple cover for fun and a change from the usual black and I just love it!

The Tivoli Notebook (TVJ) in the Desk Size is a meaty journal that makes you want to create and spend days with your head done choosing just the write word to convey your feelings. The cover is rich and partly textured and the 320 pages allows you the room to say what you want. With my book due out next Fall, I have a feeling I’ll be filling at least a couple of these. And whether you are in school or just keeping notes from your daily life, this is a luxurious journal that is a joy to write in.

Organizers/Planners:

I loooooooooooooove the Filofax line because you can really personalize them in whatever way works best for you. Do you like a week or a day per page? Do you want a monthly view as well? And you can create sections for what matters most to you.

I first started using the Filofax system in 1989 and I still think it is one of the best calendar organizers for people who like to work with paper systems. They ROCK my world!

Filofax Domino Organizer (in Cornflower) with a smooth leather-look and a simple elastic closure for easy access and a contemporary look

There are different sizes to choose from. If you want something really compact, I’d suggest the Mini, but if you want something with more room to write, I’d order the Personal size.

I like their A6 Multilingual Diary (NLW) which is the size of my hand in a rich suede and has two days on the left hand side and a full page to write notes or whatever you wish on the right! It’s such a great little diary that can go with you wherever you may travel. It also has an elastic holder to keep your pages tightly together, which, as you know, if you’ve ever carried a planner around in a bag before that doesn’t have one, the pages become all crumpled and torn.

This is such a great little book. I highly recommend it.

If you are looking for something a little simpler and perhaps more colourful, the Letts of London Academic TWA3X planner with 3 or 4 days per page and the vibrant pattern on the fabric cover is a great choice. It’s slim and clean and such fun. I really like the look and feel of this one. A great one for the person who doesn’t want too complicated a system.

Accessories:

Hilroy's On the Edge Carry-All Bag is a fantastic way to store all of your supplies. And you don’t have to be a student to enjoy its convenience-factor. I use mine in my briefcase and you can get them edged in 4 different colours to keep your projects separate. They are clear, so you can identify the contents immediately and a card and pocket where you can list the items if you wish.

I like that you can carry things other than just paper in them and keep everything together. It’s what I’m calling my life-saver bag…

On the Edge Index Cards are great for taking notes, giving presentations and jotting down important information. They come in a pack of 100, edged in five colours so that you can separate ideas and subjects easily! They are one of my new favourite tools for keeping information that I need at the ready – and I finished school a loooooooong time ago! I’m sure you’ll find them useful for your home and office as well!

Five-Star Sound-Enabled Desk Case are so cool – I wish they’d had them back when I was in school. Basically, it’s a case that holds high-quality, lightweight speakers, powered for NXT technology, so that you can listen to your music anywhere.

I know that these are designed for students for while they’re doing their homework or for after school enjoyment, but I hook them up to my computer to listen to my music, as wearing headphones all day is hard on my hearing and sometimes I want to be able to hear the door or phone, etc.

The other great application for at home is watching television or a DVD on your computer. It amplifies the sound beautifully and you don’t have to alter your computer set-up at all – just plug in, sit back and enjoy! I know these are meant for school kids, but I’m spreading the word amongst the adults. I can’t help it – they’re that great!