I love stationery, anything that I can keep in my office to make it pretty and I buy countless notebooks and then feel bad that I can't find a special enough reason to start using it. I guess you can call me a stationery addict. Do you know someone in your life that is one too?
Since so many of us have been working from home this year even more people have discovered the joy of a beautiful notebook, they inspire us and keep us on track. When academic planners came out this year many decided to start the year over and I'm sure many are currently searching for that perfect planner to start 2021 fresh.
Of course, stationery doesn't include just notebooks and planners, this guide includes lots of lovely things to create the best home office. Below you will find some great ideas for gifts for the stationery lover in your life.
Tag me over on Instagram, @small_business_collaborative, if you decide to pick up anything from any of these wonderful small businesses.
Mapology Guides
Mapology Guides are illustrated self-help maps for life’s journey. Playful and thought-provoking, with the main aim to help you build an emotional toolkit as you navigate your way through life. They are designed to educate, entertain and transform.
Designed, created and published by Tina. All sustainable. Everything produced in the UK.
What I love: Although not strictly a stationery item, this could have easily fit in in my Beauty and wellbeing gift guide, I keep my guides by my desk. I wish I had a big enough space to hang them in front of me. I love how they take a complicated subject and breaks it down into a thought-provoking map and you learn something new each time you turn to your map.
Fun fact: Company of one. I collaborate with illustrators and creative writers. Female Founder. Started business at 50.
Price range: £5-50
Follow: @mapologyguides
Hot House Collection
Hot House Collection is a London based design studio with a focus on vibrant design for everyday use, specialising in all things colour, pattern and plants.
We offer greeting cards, wrapping paper and a 2021 year planner with more products to come.
Each design is an original using paint, pen and collage. All products are made in the UK, printed on FSC certified paper and fully recyclable packaging.
What I love: So many businesses started during lockdown and I love that it prompted Charlotte to start this journey. Charlotte's use of mixed media gives her designs a really textured look and I love that.
Fun fact: I started my business from my kitchen table during the lockdown and the name is inspired by our very hot house!!
Price range: £3.50-20
Follow: @hothousecollection
Hello Day
Hello Day is a high-end planner and stationery company designed for women of style. Their daily and weekly planners are designed for those who want to have a positive perspective, wake up each day with a sense of excitement and go to sleep each night with a sense of accomplishment.
Their goal is to help you to feel good about yourself and about life.
Hello Day encourages us all to greet each day with a fresh perspective. Their products are designed to help boost productivity, wellbeing and positivity. Where possible their products are made in the UK, with all of our leather and faux leather goods made locally in Stockport
What I love: I'm on my second Hello Day planner this year and I'm looking forward to starting my third one in January. This is definitely the most glam planner I've used, before I found Hello Day I swore by my Moleskine planner but when I started my business I found that it no longer fit my needs and I am so happy about my upgrade. Kirsten and Dave are also the sweetest and I love their video newsletters!
Fun fact: Hello Day is now in its 5th year. It has been run from home by Interior Designer Kirsten Wilson and her husband Dave who has this year joined the company full time.
Price range: £10-100
Follow: @hellodayplanner
The Happy Colour Shop
Brighten your day and your work from home space with The Happy Colour Shop's range of joyful stationery that puts the fun into writing lists and getting organised. Perfect for all colour loving stationery addicts, with wall planners, desk planners, rainbow pens and more. Come and explore your new-found happy place and embrace the little things in life that bring you joy!
Designed and Printed in the UK. Happy Goods for Happy People.
What I love: Fannis colours are just perfect, look at that undated monthly calendars, I wish I had a wall to put that up on just like that. It would bring me happiness every single day. I've had her dry wipe wall planner on my wish list for ages but I don't have a good space for it n my office so popped the colour-block dry-wipe weekly planner on my wishlist for this year.
Fun fact: With the vast majority of our products being paper-based, we wanted to give back to our environment and minimise our carbon footprint. Working together with a local charity Trees For Life, we pledge 30p from every sale at The Happy Colour Shop towards planting trees in the Caledonian Forest in the Highlands of Scotland. https://treesforlife.org.uk/groves/202771/
Price range: £3.50-34
Follow: @thehappycolourshop
Studio Inktvis
Studio Inktvis offers quirky fun designs that put a smile on your face! Whether you’re looking for postcards, vinyl stickers, enamel pins, colourful totes with quotes or masking tapes, you can find them at Studio Inktvis shop.
Most items are produced in Europe and are all designed by Mary-Ann Crewe Jones aka Studio Inktvis.
What I love: Mary Ann's designs are fun, quirky and colourful and there are a lot of things so you can easily put together a little dream bundle to gift this Christmas.
Fun fact: It's a one-woman show and everything you see is designed by Mary Ann.
Price range: 1.35-12.50 EUR
Follow: @studio_inktvis
The Design Palette
The Design Palette was born out of a desire to craft colourful products with bold patterns. Inspired by the latest in print and pattern, we create colourful and contemporary stationery and greeting cards. Our unique designs are thoughtfully developed entirely in-house and are a perfect match for the unordinary.
Made in the UK. 10% of proceeds go to charity.
What I love: Komal now offers 3 different gift boxes (starting at £20) that will be sent out gift wrapped with a complimentary handwriting service and free UK shipping.
Fun fact: My background is in Analytics so I am entirely self-taught :)
Price range: £6-50
Follow: @thedsignpalette
Alana Woodward Art
Nature-inspired artwork on eco-friendly stationery.
Everything is made in the UK using recycled materials and is 100% plastic-free. Alana designs all of the artwork, prints and packs your orders in her little home studio.
What I love: When was the last time you wrote someone a letter? I recently cleared out my office and found a folder that I kept with letters from my friends when I lived in Japan when I was 15. Letters are so wonderful and I think they are making a bit of a comeback this year as we seek to connect more with the special people in our life.
Fun fact: I used to work in conservation and virology, I actually trained as a scientist! Conservation is a true passion of mine so there's always a thread of this running through my artwork.
Price range: 8-16
Follow: @alanawoodwardart
Ponderlily
Ponderlily makes eco-friendly planners that work, for women who do, too - whether that work is done at home, or at the corner office - sometimes both - the heart of our company is to support women make empowered decisions with their time from work to weekend and everything in between.
What I love: The linen-textured covers of Ponderlily's planners look and feel brilliant and the colours Carina picks for her covers are always on-point. Everything is beautiful and thoughtful, both in design and production. The new meeting notes book is next up when I finish my current notebook, it's already waiting for me in my office.
Fun fact: Ponderlily is a family-owned business. I run the company while also on a 9-5, living overseas, and raising my lovely twin girls.
Price range: £7-35
Shop: https://ponderlily.com/
Follow: @weareponderlily
The Contemporary Edit
The Contemporary Edit are a luxury publishing company that create, unique and exciting stationery for makeup artists and creatives. Designed by creatives for creatives. New and innovative in the beauty industry sector.
What I love: This one is for the make-up artist in your life or the one that dream of becoming one. It's completely unique and is not only beautiful but will help with all aspects of being a working make-up artist, everything from face charts to keeping track of invoices.
Fun fact: The contemporary edit is founded by two female founders that hold innovation to the forefront when designing for creatives. They are makeup artists that have designed and created a new category tool for the beauty industry.
Price range: £37
Follow: @thecontemporaryedit
I would love to hear if you enjoyed having a look through this guide and what small businesses you will support this Christmas. Tag me over on Instagram, @small_business_collaborative, if you decide to pick up anything from any of these wonderful small businesses.