happiness is cute stationary

all images via o-check design graphics

Choosing special back-to-school stationary and decorating it myself was always a ritual for me in the last weeks of the summer holidays. Each school year (which commences in January/February on this side of the world) I chose a new 'theme' for my school books. One year, following the fad at the time, it was suns, moons and the iconography of astrology, which I snipped from a big sheet of shiny wrapping paper and carefully pasted onto my folders and exercise books. Another year I covered them in comics and old newspapers, protecting the surface with clear adhesive plastic. I suppose it made french grammar lessons slightly more interesting to have a fun book cover to stare at. Whilst I am still an advocate of DIY, ready-made notebooks and other sweet back to school ephemera are no longer in short supply. I adore almost every product by O-Check Design Graphics, a Korean company that borrows the charm of the French language for its text labels, and nostalgic illustrations to adorn the covers of its notebooks and diaries. Best of all it's not too expensive. This year I will be going "back to school" for the first time in a few years, and once again, choosing pretty notebooks is a pleasant distraction from those new school year nerves!