Back to School with dotcomgiftshop

Morning campers! Sorry I've been away for so long, but things have been mad up here as I have just started my third year of University! I cannot believe how fast the past two years have gone, it seems like just yesterday I was stressing out over my UCAS application, wondering whether I'd get in and who I would meet. And now look at me, feverishly juggling the student magazine (t-hud.co.uk, if you're interested!), a part time job and a practical project and case study.

Although there is a lot of work to be done, I am so excited about the things I'm working on this year. I am honoured to have secured Judy of Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair as my project client, and will be working with my coursemates to produce a promotional magazine for them to send out to their mailing list. Having been a fan of Judy's events for as long as I can remember, I can't wait to get started! Keep an eye out for future posts about that.

My case study isn't quite as solid yet, although I have a placement at NME coming up in January (another dream!) so I am thinking of using that in some way.

But before I give all my ideas away, lets get back to the point. Anyone who knows me knows I have a tendency to stress and worry and that a bit of organisation goes a long way towards making me feel like I'm on task. With that in mind, I wanted to go back into University fully prepared.

Thanks to the lovely folks over at dotcomgiftshop, the first part of this was finding something to cart those heavy library books in! They were kind enough to send me this incredibly 90s-tastic bag!

 A close up of the tartan - pretty Cher from Clueless!

Roomy enough to take to lectures or the gym (as if I have time for that at the moment, but maybe soon), the bag also has a big front pocket for that library card, purse and house keys. Great for stopping you having to rummage through the main body for your essentials! It's rope straps are very comfy and feel strong even when loaded with three kilos of clothes.

So what do I keep in my bag for uni? Well, every September means a little stationery binge...

I searched high and low to find a project book notepad that had enough section for my five uni modules! Luckily Tesco had this girly one for £5 so I can keep my lecture notes organised. The little floral pads were also sent to me by dotcomgiftshop, and are the perfect to take minutes of meetings in, or write gig reviews. The bigger notebook was a freebie from Boden - isn't it pretty! I'm hoping that the blank pages will be good for writing to do lists and brainwave maps. Of course you all know how much I love my filofax - I swear I would be lost without that thing. The big scrapbook will let me doodle ideas for magazine design and make moodboards, whilst the NME was a gift from my parents for my birthday and should hopefully hold a lot of the background research I need for my case study. As for the pen and pencil, I swear by two brands - Papermate Mechanical Pencils and Pentel 'Handwritten' Ink pens. They somehow make everything look super neat without smudging, which is rare for us poor lefties!


Are you all ready for the new academic year?