18 July 2019

Ohh Deer Papergang Box 41 Review

Remember me? Hi, it's been a while hasn't it. I found that between work, home, illness and other things, I just lost the inclination to keep writing. But now that life has calmed down a bit, and I feel more settled, the bugging urge to blog has come back, so here I am with my first post in about 3 years! :o
I have been subscribed to the Papergang boxes right from the start, which was probably also around 3 or 4 years ago now, and I have honestly never had a single box that I haven't loved. Which says a lot. Every other subscription box I've ever had, I've found at least a few boxes to be lacking, but not with Papergang.
Each month they feature a different artist and their work, which makes every month a joy to see fresh new designs from artists that I may not otherwise have found. This months artist is Chloe Hall, who creates her beautiful floral designs from her canal boat home in the Midlands. She works mainly with watercolour and line drawings and builds up patterns using the individual elements that she feels work well together. In an interview with Ohh Deer, she mentioned that the design she used for the Papergang box was inspired by a bouquet that her mother had at the time.
The contents of the box are, as always, great quality, and a good variety. This month we received a canvas document holder, that happily accommodates plenty of paperwork up to A5 in size. At the moment mine is filled with the pieces that I am going to scrapbook from our recent honeymoon (another post on that coming soon!). We also received an undated calendar sheet. These are included every month. I don't personally use them, but if you bullet journal or like to keep a calendar on your desk then they are very handy as well as being pretty. Next up is a sheet of stickers which show some of the individual elements that Chloe used to build up the overall pattern of the box. These are super cute and I know they'll be used up really quickly in my journal because the colours are perfect for brightening up a dull page. Then there is the trademark Ohh Deer notebook. This month it is a little A6 lined book which has gone straight into my Pelle Dori for me to journal in. I really love Ohh Deer notebooks and I go through so many of them. They're really good quality with paper that's nice and thick so pens don't bleed through it, and the cover designs are always beautiful.
My favourite item that we received this month is this pretty letter set. The envelopes are lined with the same pattern that runs through the box, and there is the beautiful floral centrepiece at the top of the sheets of writing paper. The kit contains 10 sheets of paper, and 10 envelopes. Last but not least, is the elegant gold and navy bullet pen. I love how slim and light this pen is. Some pens can be so bulky and heavy, and I find those really hard to write with, but this one is perfect for me. It writes in blue biro ink and flows nice and evenly.

Over all, I would say this one of of the best boxes that Ohh Deer have released in a while. Its varied, pretty and really includes a lot when you consider the box price is only £10.95 plus postage. Subscribers also receive 10% discount on the Ohh Deer website all the time, which is a nifty bonus! Papergang work closely with the international company Tree Aid, and for every four boxes that are sold, a fruit or nut tree is planted in Africa to help supply villagers with nutritious food year round to eat and sell, and also protect the environment. So far the company has planted over ten million trees!

I can't recommend the Papergang boxes more, and if you do want to give them a go, you can find them *here*.

Annie x




30 October 2016

Boxcitement September Box Review

Boxcitement is a monthly subscription box for stationery, crafts, jewellery and gift lovers.
Each month the Boxcitement team choose a theme and craft the boxes around that idea. This month's theme was Patternista and celebrates pattern. It also happens to be Boxcitement's first birthday so there's a slight birthday vibe going on too.
So, what's in the box?...Well, the short answer is, lots!
I was amazed when I opened the little letterbox friendly box at just how much had been neatly tucked inside. It was like an explosion of colour and exciting goodies!
First up is a selection of crafty bits. There is a pack of four mini greetings cards that have been made using the exclusive Patternista designs. My favourite is the light blue thank you card, it's incredibly cute. There was a large sheet of patterned decoupage paper which has a different pattern on either side. I think I will be more likely to use this as wrapping paper because it's a really useful size. There is also a couple of pretty ribbons to use when decorating gifts or creating something crafty.
Next up were a couple of cute pieces of jewellery. One is to celebrate the first birthday of Boxcitement and is a dinky string bracelet with a mini cupcake bead. I've actually used this as a charm for my planner by shortening the string slightly and hooking it over the rings of my Filofax. The other bracelet is made using a handmade, etched glass bead. Unfortunately, as beautiful as the bead is, the bracelet itself is made using very cheap chain so isn't something that I would wear. Because of this, I rescued the bead and turned that into another planner charm :) The final accessory is a sugar skull shaped emery board in a fab shade of bright yellow. I love this! It's sat on my desk full time now.
Lastly, the box also included a few lifestyle bits. My favourite item in the box is a bright pink and white geometric patterned tea towel. Pretty and practical! I haven't had enough pink in my life since moving in with Tom! Also adding some pretty to the kitchen, is a set of colourful storage labels for our tea, coffee and sugar pots. Finally, last but not least, is a pretty bookmark decorated with the Patternista prints. I'm a big reader so this will definitely get plenty of use.

Over all, I'm pretty happy with this box. I love the variety and as I mentioned at the start of the post, I was amazed by how much you receive, however, there were a few items in the box that I could perhaps do without such as the ribbons and the glass bead bracelet. This is because I don't think they really added anything to the box that wasn't already there so for me they were slight overkill. But, other than this, I think this box was a really strong offering and I'm looking forward to seeing what next month brings!

You can find out all about Boxcitement, see contents from past boxes and subscribe from £15 per month *here*.

Annie xx

12 October 2016

Plenty of Pens!

Pens seem to be the flavour of the week here at Three Little Búhos Stationery, and we certainly have lots of them in stock at the moment (yay!).
Pens have always been one of my favourite stationery items so it's fab to see that you all love to buy them too. Over the last couple of weeks I have widened the range of pens that we have in stock, and there are still more to come!
Totoro pens went live last week. I couldn't resist the little faces on these pens and knew I needed to stock them. These write in black gel pen ink and have been cleverly designed with Totoro sitting on the lid so that when you remove the lid, his weight doesn't make it hard to write.

The ultimate accessory for planner royalty! I adore these golden crown pens that went live on Saturday. They come in cream, pink and blue and I definitely wish I could keep one of each. They write in blue biro ink and are the perfect size to carry on the go, or stash in your planner for easy access.
These little cuties were added to the site this afternoon and I can't stop staring at all of the sweetie shop colours. They have 0.5mm nibs that are perfect for people like me who naturally have smaller writing that gets smooshed by a larger nib.

One thing that all of these pens have in common is that they are perfect for brightening up even the dullest of desks, so if you're looking for a touch of colour, know someone else who is, or if you've begun your Christmas shopping, then these make lovely little stocking fillers.

You can find them all on Three Little Búhos Stationery *here*.

Annie x

3 October 2016

Ohh Deer Papergang Box 7 Review

I always find that subscription box deliveries make the months fly by even faster. It seems like so recently that I was writing last months box review that I couldn't quite believe it when this one arrived.
This month is full of colour and variety. I love a touch of originality and Ohh Deer products certainly have that.
There seems to be less of a theme this month than you would find in usual boxes (animals, maybe?) but I like that because it means that there is likely to be a bit of something for everyone.
So, what was included?
Animal goodness!
First up is a sheet of Zoological gift wrap designed by Jessica Willan (RRP £1.75). Hands up, I love this. All of the animals are wearing party hats! When unfolded you find all sorts of unexpected animals on there including a skunk, ram, goldfish, guinea pig and a poodle! So beautifully random.
Each box also contains two randomly chosen gift cards (RRP £2.50 each). The Hedgehugging card is just super cute and is likely to be sent to my mum at some point along the line because I think she'd appreciate it too. :)
I'm a self confessed planner addict so I was thrilled to find the My Week Turquoise Ombre Planner designed by Jamie Mitchell (RRP £9.95) in this months box. I love the watercolour shades of the cover and the zip lock pouch on the back which make it easy to carry pens and bits of paper etc around with you. The pages are also well designed. They are undated meaning that you can pick the planner up any week of the year you choose and start from there. There is a blank section for each day as well as a section for appointments and times. Great for busy work schedules!
The Stop Procrastinating post it notes (RRP£3.50) are something that I have eyed up on the website multiple times in the past but never gotten around to buying so I was really excited to finally own a set. They are the size of normal post it notes and each pad is made up of 100 sheets "to make jobs slightly less dull" as they state on the back of the pack. Fab :)
Finally is this months Riso Printed Calendar page, which I have noticed doesn't have a price listed with it this month, so maybe Ohh Deer have realised that it makes little sense to advertise them as a single month. Who knows. But I do really like the apricot pink neon shade that was used.

Over all, this box is a lot more in line with previous months than box 6 was, and to me, it seems a good, rounded representation of the things that Ohh Deer sell so I'm more than happy with it. I'm hoping for something a little festive from the next box but maybe that's me being a little premature!

Annie x

28 September 2016

The Latest from Three Little Búhos Stationery

Nearly one month in, things are going really well for Three Little Búhos Stationery.
So much so that I have widened the range. I have lots more stock on the way to tempt you, and the first few new items are starting to go live.
In the last few days I have added three new products. So what do we have?
First up are these beautiful rose gold metal pens. I am totally in love with these. There are two options in stock; pink crystals or clear crystals, and I can't decide which I prefer. These are great to write with and rather than clicking up, you just twist the pen which keeps things a lot sleeker I think.
I also added these super cute plush Totoro pencil cases. What drew me to these (aside from Totoro of course!) is their size. there is plenty of room inside for all of your stationery essentials. They're lovely and soft as well as being nice and sturdy. The quality is also really good so there's no need to worry about Totoro looking sorry for himself after a few outings.
The third new product is another pencil case. This one is a smaller option, great for carrying in a handbag if you're always on the go. The cute bears pencil case has room for around 15-20 pens and pencils on average and the light material means that it's easily able to be kept in small spaces as you travel.

The one problem I've found is that, because I'm always surrounded by beautiful stationery, I just want to keep one of everything!
I have more new products coming up over the next few weeks so keep your eyes peeled. You can favourite Three Little Búhos Stationery on Etsy *here* so that you are always the first to hear when I add new goodies to the range.

Annie x

20 September 2016

Creating the Spread # 2

I've been a little AWOL the last few days because I'm staying away from home this week and decided to give myself a few days of laziness before getting back to my normal routine.
Because I'm staying away from home, I don't have all of my usual planning supplies with me. Don't get me wrong, I definitely brought plenty with me, but not everything!
I always start off by adding washi tape to the blank page to add some instant pattern. This Grumpy Kitty Washi is available from Three Little Búhos Stationery *here*. Usually I separate the days and my dashboard using skinny washi tape but since I didn't bring any I thought I'd attempt some bullet journal style headers instead. The "this week" sticker is a custom order from Isabelle the Owl *here*.
The next step is to fill my dashboard with any little things. I also usually add the weekly menu, but this week I'm not in charge of what we eat so I'm going to add it in afterwards as a memoir. I also add a any appointments or events that are set in stone so that I won't forget them later on. The stickers in my dash board are from Ugly Bug Does *here* where you can use THREELITTLEBUHOS10 for 10% off your order and the mini to do list stickers are from Lilac & Dot *here* where you can use ANNIE10 for 10% off your order.
Now it's time for the writing. Rather than lists of chores, this week my lists are full of nice things that I'm going. I may only be staying with my partners parents but it's lovely and relaxing. I also add practical stickers at this point to go with the to do lists.
Finally, decorate! I fill in all of the little gaps so that my page is nice and full of colour and interest. Because I only brought some stickers, the majority I have used are b Ugly Bug Does and Lilac & Dot, but I have also used a super cute unicorn sticker from Beautiful Planning *here*, several stickers (including Pusheen) from Harriet Wright Designs *here* and a few randoms that I had in my handbag (as you do!).

And, done! I actually really like this weeks page. I can't decide whether I prefer the drawn dividers to the skinny washi I normally use. I think from now on I'll use a combination of both.

Annie x

16 September 2016

New to Three Little Búhos Stationery

It's been two weeks already, where has the time gone?!

This week I have been working on creating gift sets ready for the lead up to Christmas, booking stalls at Christmas markets and getting new stock ready to pad out the shelves a little bit.

Some lovely new pieces have been added to the shop today (take a look *here*) and I have lots more scheduled to go live over the next few weeks including Totoro goodies, rose gold pens and some very pretty pencil cases. Make sure to favourite Three Little Búhos Stationery on Etsy so that you can be the first to hear about it when they go live.

Above is a prototype of the Pretty in Pink Gift Set that I will be launching within the next couple of weeks once I have decided that I am 100% happy with what is included. I'm trying to create kits that include a nice range of products whilst still having continuity to them. If you have any suggestions or requests then please feel free to contact me.

The next week is going to be spent perfecting the gift sets and designing my stall for the Christmas markets that I have signed up for. Hopefully I will have lots of exciting new goodies for you very soon!

Annie x