365 Day Photo Challenge - 90 / 365

90 / 365 - Adding to my ever growing collection of notebooks are these four gorgeous ones that I picked up from my favourite shop, Artbox!  And seeing as they are so cheap too, I couldnt help myself but buy four instead of one!



The Sketchbook Project

I love nothing more than a good notebook as regular followers of this blog will know!  So when I stumbled across this Sketchbook Project I just could not resist but to take part!

It involves me receiving a blank sketchbook, filling it in with my own arty skills then posting it back to the Brooklyn Art Library in New York!  Each book is barcoded with my own unique number and this is so I can track who has taken out my book and viewed it!  So exciting!

So, I received my blank sketchbook in the post with a little card alongside letting me know the rules and giving me some prompts!

And here is my unique barcode with my name on it!  I have never been so excited by a barcode before!

Ah, the excitement of a blank page!

So,I will keep you updated on my blog with this project and show you step by step how I am going to fill up all those blank pages!  Im now off to look for some inspiration and try not to procrastinate along the way!



Check me out - Im Notebook Addict of the Week!

My regular followers and friends will know I am not shy about shouting about how much of a notebook fan I am!  So much so, that I wrote a post about it and I sent the link off to a blog called Notebook Stories.  Well, a few months later, and they have chosen me as their Notebook Addict of the Week!
 How exciting!

My Love for Paperchase!!

And so the notebook obsession continues and what better place to spend money that I dont have than in my favourite ever shop, Paperchase!
  Yesterday, me and the girlies travelled to London on a notebook hunt, and after much squealing, oohing and aahing at Spitalfields market, we took a long walk to Tottenham Court Road where we visited the three storey stationary shop. 
  I have visited many a Paperchase all over the country, from Glasgow to Chelmsford, but I have never been to one that has more than one floor!  It even has a coffee shop, which is one of my favourtie places to sit and read a book!
  I was scared to venture in as I knew I would throw a tantrum over certain items I wanted to buy but couldnt afford!  I set myself a budget but this goes out the window usually!

How can anyone resist the pretty notebooks?!!  I spent a length of time exploring the ground floor for unique notebooks and I was not disappointed!  I had to put back one or two items because I had reached my budget already!

Prettiness!!

A Paperchase with more floors!  I was in awe as I ventured up the first flight of stairs!  I did not know what to take in first, the layout or the products!

Being the Scrooge that I am, I was not impressed by seeing the Christmas decorations so early in October, but then it is retail after all!  However, they were such beautiful decorations, I couldnt resist having a sneek peak at what they had to offer!

Paper! 

The most beautiful, elaborate paper you have ever seen!  Ideal for using in scrapbooks, instead of actual scrapbook paper, which can be expensive.



Venturing to the third floor, it was extremely colourful, parading paints, arty items, even more patterny paper and rainbow brights!

I really didnt want to leave but my goodies were wearing me down and I was tired from trying to take everything in!  Thank you Paperchase for making my day!

No, these aren't popadoms, its a stack of paper!



My purchases xxx

My Notebook Obsession

I have been meaning to write a post about my notebooks for a while, my blog has been lacking posts about my writing so what better way to start than to write about what I write in!!

I have lost count of the amount of notebooks I have but this picture should give you a rough idea!! 

There are plenty more but I couldnt fit them in the photograph!! So these are my best ones, most colourful, unique and inspiring that I have.  Most of them are not written in, just too precious.





And this is how they sit on my shelf, in the living room!!  Now, my first ever notebook was given to me at the age of about 9, it was from Avon which my mum had purchased and had peaches all over it.  Unfortunately, I dont actually know what happened to it but Im sure it was confiscated for its content!!  My love for notebooks has recently grown in the last four years.  I always bought a diary every year to write my daily activities and life stories in but as I have got older, I have found that time is lacking and by the end of the day, I just want to sit and stare at the tv instead of re-living the days events!!

This is the ONLY diary I have ever completed!!  Page by page, front to back!! It was from 1999-2001 and mainly consists of me moaning about how shit my life is!! So cringey when I read it back, but am pleased I was successful in completing at least one of my many diaries!!



This is one of my favourite notebooks, you cant tell from this picture but the cover is made out of wood!!  And the picture is embossed, which makes this gorgeous! The paper is plain inside and I love the fact that it has a binder on the side so that it is not as easy to ruin when you fold it back.

This is also embossed and was bought from Camden market.  They are handmade with parchment paper inside, and I chose the music note emblem because it represents me and all things music that I love!!



My favourite places to buy notebooks from are Paperchase, Artbox and Selfridges!!  I love stumbling on a gift shop or two especially in museums and art galleries, and am constantly on the hunt for original covers.  I do occasionally write in some of them, mainly journalling, lists and ideas.  I still alway try to keep a diary but I know that i will probably never complete a full one again! Life is just too hectic, however, if I have time to write a blog, Im sure there is time to fill out one of my gorgeous notebooks!!

So to sum up - I LOVE NOTEBOOKS!! And Im not ashamed to say it! Ill leave you with this picture, showing off my vinyl bookends!!