Wilko Have Done it Again!

You may remember in August last year I wrote this post raving about Wilkinson's gorgeous range of affordable stationary. Well you'll never guess what? They've gone and done it again and this time the range is, if possible, even cuter.

Project Book: £2.75 | Exercise Book: £1 | Colouring Book: £1| Desk Planner: £2

I'm an absolute stationary fiend and have been using my Wilko organiser religiously since the beginning of the year to keep track of my schedule and to do lists. There's nothing I like better than writing a list and getting organised because it makes me feel in control during the chaos that is a university semester. When I write things down, not only do I remember them, but I am so much more likely to actually get them done.

As summer approached, one of the things I was looking forward to was Wilkinson's new stationary collection (is that sad?). This new range, called 'Enterprising Britain' has a beautiful colour scheme of pink and mint; each page is fully lined and coloured; and there is an uplifting theme of positivity and affirmation. But the best part? Nothing in the range costs more than £4! I've said it before and I've said it again, I think the quality and design of Wilkinson stationary easily rivals more expensive brands. It took a lot of willpower not to buy the entire collection.

Have you bought any stationary from Wilko?

Stationery Galore

One of the (few) pros of starting a new semester after indulging in free time, festivities and general relaxation is getting your stationary organised. I've had a thing for stationery ever since I can remember- picture me circa 2001 hanging around my Auntie's office hoping to blag some post it pads and paperclips. I buy and buy notebooks like they're going out of fashion. My favourite places to get my stationary are Wilkinson, Tiger and Paperchase (mostly when they're having a sale). I think this semester I'll stick to pretty much what I done last- write notes on cheap notebooks/ scrap paper in lectures, rewrite them out neatly later and put them in a subject folder to refer back to when revising. It often surprises me how much I have lying around my house that I've forgotten about. I searched for so long for a pencil case that was pretty, inexpensive and practical and couldn't see one I liked anywhere. I found this Ted Baker makeup bag from one of last Christmas gift sets and its perfect! I love the little tab post its in different colours- those came in really handy navigating a 3000 page book. My favourite pens to use are the basic BIC ballpoints because they don't smudge- I don't actually know why I continue to carry around the inky ones. I kind of just like having a full pencil case. Side note: a definite perk of uni compared to school is that no one asks to borrow a pen. That used to drive me insane- why do people keep them?! or worse... chew and dribble on them... ew. 

Are you loopy about stationery? Please say I'm not the only one.

15 Things I've Learned In My First Semester

I've just completed my first semester of first year in university and I thought I'd share some snippets of the many experiences I've had/ things I've learned. I'm living at home so my experiences are probably quite different to many of yours. I'd love to hear if you can relate to any. Please note this is pretty tongue-in-cheek and I did actually also learn academic things- ish. 
1. You need to take out a mortgage to buy books. 2. Lecturers are bonkers.  3. Its nowhere near as difficult as I expected to make new friends. 4. Bring your own toilet paper if you visit halls. 5. You never feel on top of anything. Ever. 6. The people who say 'I done so and so during uni because of all the free time I had' are lying. No time is free. Except for the occasional (ahem) night out of course. 6. Don't watch the movie instead of reading the book (it'll save the confusion of how Romeo can possibly be chased by helicopters and how guns were around in the 16th century). 7. Reading journal articles is a great way of falling asleep. 8. Attending lectures is another great way of falling asleep (don't worry- I attended every single one. I just slept a lot). 9. Often you can't get a computer in the library because everyone is so darn studious. 10. Going up to the 10th floor of the library to look at the view is a fun but completely futile use of spare time. 11. Beware of the potential serial killer in the lift on the way to said 10th floor. 12. After lectures you might think 'YEAH that was totally inspiring' and 'WTF was that about?!' simultaneously. 13. Mochas are always a good idea. 14. After reading Shakespeare, Milton, Eliot, Wordsworth and countless others, below is, to me, the single most amusing, inspiring, memorable and relatable piece of poetry I was introduced to in my course.

15. Finally, the most important lesson I've learned is to make sure you know what hall you're in for each exam BEFORE you go in to sit it. It'll save the panic when realising you're in Economics instead of English Lit after the exam has started- yep, I really did do this.

Autumn Fashion & Makeup Haul

I'll admit it: the prospect of starting uni as well as my excitement for autumn and poring over high street shops' websites for hours finally got to me and I went on a bit of a blow out. You might look at this and think 'you were quite restrained' or, you might be on the 'omg you got all this on one shopping trip?!' camp. For me, this is way more than I'd usually haul but in my opinion, its justified by the above reasons and by the fact it was mostly paid for by the tips I'd been saving for months. 

Apologies for the less-than-great picture quality. I thought it was better to hang what I could up so you could see it better. My camera also decided to run out of charge so today's snaps are 50% camera, 50% iPhone- eugh.

Superdrug: Sleek Palette £9.99 / MUA Palette £4 Boots: Natural Collection 2 for £3.50 New Look: Coat £44.99 (£49.99 without student discount) Primark: Pink Jumper £8 / Grey Charcoal Cardigan £12 / Grey Charcoal Shoes £4 / Grey Gold Scarf £4 / Black Chiffon Blouse £8 / Super High Waist Skinny Jeans £10
Its safe to say that I am so excited to wear all of this and be all cosy for the approaching season. I had an absolute rush of happiness the other day when I first noticed the leaves on the ground (probably also fuelled by the shopping buzz).
I should probably get off to sleep now and try and rid myself of what I think is freshers flu. In all honesty I thought it was a myth/ I would definitely be immune since I'm living at home but general tiredness and a throat which feels sliced have gotten the better of me. 
If you'd like to see any Freshers/ starting uni themed posts be sure to let me know. I currently have a stationery one in the pipeline. Also leave a comment telling me what you've been hauling lately.