Back to School: School Supplies

Ah, school supply shopping! It's our favorite time of the year, when stores are stocked with matching notepads, pencils, binders, and desk accessories. We get all tingly just thinking about it! Of course, school supply shopping is a thing of the past for us (and probably for some of our lovely readers), so we just refer to it as "office supply shopping" and it's exactly the same thing! Minus the Lisa Frank trapper keeper, of course.

Start your school year right -- stay organized with an academic planner! Keep track of exams, due dates, after school activities, meetings, and your social calendar in a cute, organized day planner. We love this academic planner from Staples, as it has both a monthly and weekly calendar, which allows you to make both short term and long term plans! It also comes in a number of different styles to reflect your own personal tastes.

One of the best study techniques is making index cards! Of course this is a very time consuming task, and the absolute worst thing is when, after spending hours making hundreds of note cards, a bunch of them go missing! Now you can keep all your precious definitions in tact, and in order, with this adorable ringed note card jotter by etsy seller CrownBindery. The note card binders come in 5 numbered sets, each with their own unique pattern and 100 note cards apiece.  It's a perfect way to stay organized!

We tend to save everything, from bills and receipts to old letters and correspondence. So to keep your life in order, invest in a file cabinet! Filing cabinets definitely seem retro, since pretty much everything is electronic. But trust us, the paperwork tends to file up, so keep organized with these pretty screen printed file folders by etsy seller paulehewlett!  Not only does it look pretty, you can also organize by color / flower type! Now your taxes can be known as the pink blossoms! Tres cute. 

This Five Star 3-ring binder may not seem spectacular, but we assure you, it is. It's essentially the love child of a notebook and binder, resulting in a reusable, bendable, and practical "notebinder." Like a binder, you add in the loose leaf paper of your choice (yea college rule!), and like a notebook, you can fold it back for easy writing and maximize desk space. Because you can fit 5 subjects in this, you're pretty much set for the rest of your academic life. You're welcome.

Sticky notes document our life, so we love to find different styles to help spice things up. Take this peacock sticky notepad, for example. The twin peacock print designed by etsy seller Michelle Brusegaard is a nice change of pace from the boring yellow post-it, and will make your notes stand out from the crowd. 

If you're an iphone junky, then you'll love this iphone sticky pad by violetgiftshop. It has plenty of room to jot down your important reminders, or just to use as a sketch pad. And unlike the real iphone, this notepad is perfectly functional even if you hold it from the side. Yippee! 

We go through sticky notes like you would not believe, so it's always a good idea to have a lot on hand.  For another take on the traditional post-it, check out these cute fruit slices memos. They can serve as a desk decoration and a functional note taking piece at the same time!

These French notebooks are certainly more interesting than your typical spiral bound or composition notebook.  They have a charming antique quality and are sure to be a great conversation piece, if nothing else.

Bored of the usual square, black, paper clip holders, then check out this adorable bird holder.  The paper clips all jumble together to create a nice "nest" sort of look and keeps the paper clips easily within reach.

XOXO,

Jen & Saira

Gifts for Graduates

Happy Monday, dolls!  If your like anything like us, your Facebook news feed has been bombarded with graduation posts this past weekend and we're sure there are more to come!  As May comes to a close and June is fast approaching we can bet we'll be seeing "Class of 2010" splattered on every other car we see.  So, since graduation season is here and those parties are right around the corner, we've decided to kick off this week with a graduation inspired post.  Here are some gifts, both unique and traditional, to show your loved ones how proud you are of all their accomplishments and help them continue on their path to success!

For a less formal gift, maybe for a close friend or fellow grad, we like something the high school graduate can take off to college with them. Things like simple organization can be essential to college success, which is why we like the idea of giving a cute message board, like this magnetic one by SteelDreamingDesigns.  They can display this board to add some style or color to their dorm, but also use it to post important messages, dates, a course syllabus, assignments, pictures etc.

One of the biggest issues facing new college students is time management!  Combine lack of supervision, a flexible schedule, and constant socialization and you're just asking for disaster.  Help them tackle this first semester by providing them with a great calendar to organize their events and deadlines.  If your student is allowed to stick things to the walls (silly dorm rules..), then we think this re-writable dry erase wall calendar by SimpleShades is absolutely genius - practical, stylish, and unique!  We also love this for great wall decor for the office as well.

Something we wish we had back then was a Keurig!  When you have 8am classes, late night study sessions, or the mundane 9-5 job you'll need something to get you going every once in a while.  Instead of having to trek to the dining hall, find someone to give you a ride to Dunkin, or buy that crappy cafeteria coffee, we think it would have been so nice to have had one of these. Plus, not only will they get a quick, quality cup of coffee, think of the money they'll save just because you thought to give them such a practical gift!

If your graduate has a job lined up, then you can get something to help decorate their desk and add some personality and style to their office or cube! A business card holder, such as this adorable cast iron kitty cat one, is both functional and decorative. Pick a business card holder that is professional, but also reflects your graduate's personal style. For more college graduate gift options, try Gifts for Professionals.

Or, for something of a more traditional gift, how about a commemorative piece of jewelry. Those graduation rings that they give out are just down right ugly and no one ever actually wears them, you just get them to have them as a keepsake.  Instead, give your high school or college grad the key to her future with this cute charm necklace by RiskyBeads that we think she actually be pleased to wear proudly.

And, of course, the classic gift for graduations is a solid frame for their graduation photo. We love this "shadow box" available at Walmart that allows you to display both a photo of the graduate and their tassel, creating a wonderful keepsake. This gift is great for both high school and college graduates!

 

Finally, it's no surprise, there is one thing that every graduate needs, wants, and will be eternally grateful for, and that is MONEY.  High school students are pretty much broke and in the upcoming months they will need items for their dorm, plus books, and of course that little thing called tuition. And college grads are in the same boat!  They have loans looming in the distance, rent to pay, have been living off of Easy Mac for 4 years, and can't even imagine how they will afford a new, "professional" wardrobe.  Give them money and help them ease into the next chapter in their lives!  We hope they'll use it for those practical things like bills or clothes... but maybe, like us, they'll take some money and use it to take time to explore and travel the world..and that's ok, because after all their hard work, don't they deserve it?  We think so!

Oh, the places they'll go!

XOXO

Jen & Saira