Reflections on a Love of Stationery

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When I was a little girl, I used to go to the five and ten with my mom. My mom didn’t drive, so we’d walk downtown — or at least that’s how I remember it. Though I loved walking up and down all the aisles to see everything this amazing store had to offer, the stationery aisles were always my favorite. If memory serves, that was where I found my flowered binder in fourth grade, splurging on pink looseleaf paper to put inside it.

Later in elementary school, I discovered the stationery store about eight blocks away from the five and ten — one big place that put single aisles of school supplies to shame. I could literally buy paper by the pound, a concept I'd never before imagined. I could mix and match by color, size and texture.

These days, I indulge my love of office supplies in the stationery aisles at Target and office supply stores. Though I've outgrown my affinity for pink looseleaf paper, as a writer, I'm particular about the pens and notebooks I use. My collection of notebooks, folders, sticky notes, pens and the like probably rivals what I found in those stationery aisles so many years ago. 

There are some loves we never outgrow.

About a decade ago, when I was teaching organizing by STYLE to my elementary school students, I brought a bit of my love of office supplies to my fifth graders. Each month, I offered a school supply giveaway, with one winner in each fifth grade classroom. This gave my students an opportunity to experiment with different organizational tools, but I got a payoff, too -- it was a lot of fun to watch my students get as excited about school supplies as I had at their age.  

These days, organizational supplies have moved far beyond binders and pink looseleaf, which is a boon to all of us who organize differently. In most areas, five and tens are long gone, replaced by dollar stores, office supply stores and, of course, Target and WalMart. Much as I enjoy my weekly trips to Target and my time spent wandering the stationery aisles there, it's not quite the same as meandering through the five and ten.

Finding the "just right" tool for each of our organizational needs can be a challenge but, for me, sometimes it's still as much fun as walking up and down the aisles of the five and ten.

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. 

I Can Stop Any Time I Want

Although I identify as an I need to see it/drop and run kinda girl, I also have to admit to a heaping helping of I love stuff. Not surprisingly, my weakness is organizers, containers and stationery products. Two years ago, I had to declare a moratorium on the purchase of notebooks and sticky notes; my collection had become substantial enough to provide precisely the proper notebook, sticky note, sticky flag or sticky page marker for every conceivable occasion.

Although I could blame 31 years in education for my love of school supplies, the truth is, I've loved stationery products for as long as I can remember. The paper aisles at the five and dime were always my favorite as a kid, and when my mother took me to the stationery store on 36th Street, I was in heaven. Paper by the pound? Yes, please!

There's a fine line between "just enough"and "too much" though, and, on more than one occasion, I've crossed it. Still, I love going to my basement and choosing just the right tool -- the right bag, the right notebook, the right folder or file -- for whatever project or task I'm working on. I take great pleasure in selecting precisely what I need, whether it's a writing implement, a notebook or an acetate envelope to keep my papers pristine. Unfortunately, the thrill of these discoveries only entrenches the habit.

Developing self-control in this area is a one step forward, one step back process. Sure, there are weeks I come away from the stationery aisles at Target empty-handed, and months can pass between visits to Staples. But then there are the times when I purchase not one, but two planners (okay, three if you count the undated one that perfectly fit the three-ring mini binder I had in the basement -- which doesn't count because it was in the dollar-ish bins).

The acquisition has slowed substantially, but the love lives on, so I guess that's progress. Meanwhile, admitting I have a problem is the first step, right?

How about you? What stuff can't you get enough of?