3 Keys Thursday: 3 of My Favorite Things: The Stationery Edition

Photo: Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

A week or so ago, a Staples post card arrived in the mail, promising me $10 off school supplies -- $5 now, $5 later in the month. I found it a home almost immediately, in the front seat of my car.

I mean, you never know when a school supply emergency will arise.

Ever since I was a little kid, I've loved stationery products. What tops the most-wanted list varies from one season to another, but right now, three things that will capture my attention are:

The perfect notebook. Not every notebook is up to every task. I was reminded of this when I needed a Beach Pages journal and again when I went to grab a run-of-the-mill spiral bound notebook to take along on another trip. In the process, I stumbled across a project planner I'd forgotten I had. It was the perfect notebook for the task at hand, allowing me to not simply jot things down, but do so in an organized manner.

Patterned file folders. As an I need to see it person, I quickly run through all the standard colors of file folders as I color code multiple projects. Adding patterns to the mix helps me to keep things straight and it keeps things fun. Bright hues and patterns add a pop of color to my desk, as well as standing out against a sea of papers when my desk gets cluttered. I rarely buy these file folders at office supply stores; instead I look for packs of three in the dollar bins at Target or at the dollar store because really, who needs a whole box of them when the whole idea is for them to be unique? But, with a coupon in hand, a splurge may be in my future.

Almost kind of Post-it Note. I'm not sure how I organized anything before these came along. The temptation is especially great if I find a pack that's a different color combo than the ones I already have at home, for much the same reason I like patterned file folders -- more options for differentiating different projects in a very visible manner.

As we head into back-to-school season, my posts will be doing the same. I have a few topics in mind but, if you have a burning question or a topic you'd like me to address, leave me a note in the comments, and I'll try to tackle your topic.