Busy B Pretty Range: A Review

mindfulness, Nicki CawoodI’m a huge fan of stationery and have been since those first days at school when there was nothing more joyful than a new exercise book and a perfectly sharpened pencil. Being a Busy B ambassador means that I have the joy once again of receiving new stationery items to use. The only difference this time is that I get to share it with all of you.

If you know me offline aka in The Real World the chances are you will have already seen or heard about my latest review items. I was sent three items from the Pretty range and oh my, pretty doesn’t come close.

The Pretty Range: Address Book

As an avid pen pal and therefore letter writer this fabulous All My Favourite People Busy B Pretty address book has the most gorgeous feel to it. The paper quality is outstanding and it is indeed where I keep some of my favourite people’s contact details. Don’t get me wrong, I run my own business, largely online, and therefore understand the benefits of digital organisation. That said, not everything should be stored online. When celebrating the joy of snail mail or happy mail, you really should have your addresses stored in a book such as this.  I expect to be using this address book for years to come.

Busy B

The Pretty Range: To Do Notes List Book

If you aren’t someone who understands the love of lists and note-taking, I’m not sure if we can be friends anymore. I’m only joking. Mostly…..

There is something incredibly productive about list-making. Shopping lists, task lists, listography; you name it, one way or another either the making of the lists themselves or the act of ticking items off offers satisfaction. This Busy B Pretty To Do Notes List Book offers all you need for list-making and note-taking sessions (and is compact enough to fit in your bag).

Busy B, Lists

This gorgeous list book features two list books inside, one lined and one plain. Perfect for all of you list-lovers. For extra fabulousness, it lays flat, has an elastic pen loop and an elastic closure band.

The Pretty Range: Pretty Rollerball Pens

To finish this bundle of wonderfulness off I received two matching black ink  Pretty rollerballs which coordinate beautifully and write so smoothly. A must-have for fans of quality stationery such as myself.

I think it’s been made pretty clear that I heartily approve of the Pretty Range from Busy B. Not only is everything here great to look at, great to touch and great to use, they all boast a practical purpose which aids you in your organisation. Like what you see? See the rest of the Busy B Pretty Range on the website (including a thermal mug!!).

This range is a clear winner for me!

 

 

My Perfect: Finding a Little Good in Each Day

Hands up if you’ve ever had a truly rubbish day…..

My Perfect

What if you’re unlucky and have had a series of rubbish days? These things start to bog you down. They make you tired, you feel low and it may become harder and harder to see the positives that are going on around you because you’re too busy wallowing or fighting through the negatives.

my perfectThis is where the My Perfect journal comes in. The brainchild of Ali Gill, this fun journal merges calming colouring (if you want to) with actively searching out a positive or a perfect in every day. I have this journal and have to say that once you’ve started using it, you subconsciously seek out something good in your day or even several somethings. It changes your outlook and encourages you to be more mindful of what is truly going on around you. 

Take last week for instance. I spent most of it in a mad panic as Christmas is fast approaching and I have a ridiculous amount of work to do. I have a bad foot and it ached with the cold pretty much all of the time, everyone seemed to be getting grumpy and a load of bills hit my doormat. All in all, a pretty crappy week. Or was it? T had a fabulous week at school, K was happy, I had a lovely breakfast catch-up with friends and one had fabulous news. I enjoyed a lovely half an hour with just me and my book and another fab morning with a super friend and her daughter. By focusing on the positives and recording them I was able to completely change the way my week went, and how I felt about it.

I’m now entering a ridiculously busy week. I finish for Christmas at midnight (and it will be midnight!) on Thursday. I have a ridiculous amount of work to do, still have some Christmas stuff to sort, it’s still cold and I have to fit a hair appointment in too. I’m already seeing the potential perfects for the week ahead. I know that when I finish piece of work x,y or z that I’m going to feel great. I’m excited about Christmas. My hair appointment might be time out of the working day but the salon I go to treats everyone as a VIP and rather than simply a haircut it’s an opportunity for some pampering.

My perfect

All of this from a journal? Yes, actually! There’s flexibility in how you use My Perfect, however, I would say try and do something daily as doing so helps you form a positive habit. I’m a complete stationery tart as many of you know and this journal just feels nice! I’m not a big one for colouring however even I’ve been tempted to doodle and colour a little. On days where I haven’t, that’s ok too. There are no rules, it’s all about creating a bank of perfects for you to reflect on in the present and to look back on in the future.

If you are looking for a gift for yourself or for anyone else the  My Perfect Journal is available via Amazon and is a wonderful treat, worth everything penny and many more asides.

*I was sent a review copy of this journal and fell in love with it. I’ve already mentioned it in my stationery gift guide but decided to do a bigger write-up, purely because I rate it so highly. Be assured that any reviews I do, I write up based on my experiences only, and nothing is written from a brand crib-sheet or similar.