Back to Square One

It needn't be miserable, but sometimes it just be.

One of my clearest and most frequent childhood memories is the dreaded phrase "back to square one" which rang through my ears (via my mother's mouth) at the end of each school holiday. It's not even that I minded going back to school so much; in fact I really didn't mind at all. It was more the power of that phrase to make me feel like nothing nice would ever happen again. What did cheer me up, however, was the chance of getting some new stationery and yes, believe it or not, the covering of the school books. I loved the brown paper, how it all looked so fresh and nice. Add in some nice colouring pencils and there you have it...a lovely blank, brown canvas waiting to be adorned. You name it, I covered and decorated it. Books, copybooks, notebooks...pamphlets...

It's the little things that make everyday life better. and whether it's drinking your morning coffee out of a fancy china cup, covering your school books in nice paper, or spending a few quid on a fancy journal, it is totally worth doing. (all 3 options are equally important to me, incidentally). New books, new pencils, new plans, fresh starts, good intentions...it's almost like a way cooler January 1st? (And thankfully not nearly as cold)

Here is a selection of stationery things to cheer us up and help us get into gear. Don't forget we're over on Pinterest too, celebrating this very "special" time of year!