The 17 best stationery buys from small independent brands

Best stationery buys from independent brands

Credit: courtesy of brands

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The 17 best stationery buys from small independent brands

By Stylist Team

3 years ago

3 min read

17 must-have stationery staples, from beautiful notepads to daily planners, curated by Stylist editors to help you plan your life this winter.

Balancing a social life, work and some sort of self-care routine can sometimes feel impossible. From work drinks to catch-ups with friends over dinner and housewarmings where your attendance means the world, there’s a lot to think about. 

Thankfully, to help you keep on top of your organisation and planning, Stylist’s editors have curated a selection of must-have stationery staples. Whether its pencils, a pen holder or planner, we’ve got you covered. Scroll down for our top picks…

Hello Time Weekly Planner

Hello Time My Week Planning Pad

If Little Miss Organised is your role model or you’re determined to be more on top of things this year, Hello Time’s weekly planner is here to help, whether it’s for work, home or both. The monochrome minimalist 52-sheet pad has plenty of space for the week’s to-do list, commitments and notes (or doodles) so you easily can keep track of your life. With a fresh new sheet ready to be filled in every Monday, you can quite literally start the week as you mean to go on.

Shop Hello Time My Week Planning Pad, £14.50

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Lethally Her 2023 Diary

Lethally Her 2023 Diary Planner

We’re less than a week into the new year, which means there’s still time to get your hands on a 2023 diary. With a page-a-day layout, Lethally Her’s vegan leather productivity planner has space for all your meeting notes, weekend plans and grocery lists – plus sections for personal reflections, goal-setting, gratitude reminders and more. A more organised, purposeful you awaits.

Shop Lethally Her 2023 Diary Planner, £27

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Paperkin Design Planner Bundle

Paperkin Designs Weekly Planner and List Pad

We’re fast approaching the busiest time of the year, when keeping up with work, family, friends, exercise, life admin and well, you know… showering, can all feel like a bit much. When you’re overwhelmed, it can help to write down all your tasks and plans to help sort out everything that’s going on – and this Paperkin Designs bundle is here to help.

Featuring a weekly planner and a to-do list, the best thing is that once you’ve ticked everything off your list or finished with your week, you simply rip the page off the pad, scrunch it up and throw it in the bin. Think of it as a mini-therapy session…

Shop Paperkin Designs Weekly Planner and List Pad, £17.99

Buy now

Fin Studio Daily Planner

Fin Studio Pinky Daily Planner Pad

Forget multiple post-it notes, phone alerts and forgotten shopping lists – this A5 daily planner pad is here to keep you organised. Each of the 50 pages has space for you to note down to-do lists, priorities, daily goals and even tasks for tomorrow, so you’ll never forget an important meeting (or to buy milk on your way home) again.

Made using recycled cardboard, vegetable ink and 100% recyclable paper, and featuring a cool pastel colour palette, it’s a must for every desk set-up.

Shop Fin Studio Pinky Daily Planner Pad at The Drop, £9

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Martha Brook Mid Year Diary

Martha Brook Personalised Absolute 2022-2023 Mid-Year Diary

If you’ve also been caught up in the rollercoaster that is 2022, there are some things you may not have got around to yet, despite best intentions. Like buying a diary/planner like you were supposed back in January (oops). Thankfully, Martha Brook London’s Absolute mid-year diary solves this very dilemma, helpfully running from July 2022 to July 2023.

Handmade in the stationery brand’s West London studio, the minimalist style features pages that lay out your week for easy viewing, as well as a yearly planner and room for jotting down your reflections. Even better? You can customise it, including embossing your name on the front in gold, silver or rose gold foil and a choice of five colours for the cover. It’s never too late to get organised… 

Shop the Martha Brook Personalised Absolute 2022-2023 Mid-Year Diary, £15.95

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Pulp Haus Twenty Nine A5 wire-bound notebook

Pulp Haus Twenty Nine A5 Wire-bound Notebook

With 120 lined and blank pages, this wire-bound notebook is perfect for jotting down meeting notes, shopping lists or distracted doodles, and the A5 size is ideal for stashing in your handbag.

We may never be far from our phone’s notes app, but – thanks to a colour choice of mocha, midnight navy and peacock blue, and the option to personalise with a letter or character – this notebook will make putting pen to paper a decidedly luxe experience. 

Shop the Pulp Haus Twenty Nine A5 Wire-bound Notebook at The Drop, £18

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Martha Brook Happiness Planning Stationery Bundle

Martha Brook personalised happiness stationery bundle

If, like us, you’ve promised yourself you’ll be more organised this year, there’s no time like the present. Whether you just want to be a little more on top of things or your planning abilities leave much to be desired, there’s nothing like some beautiful stationery to help us out along the way. Happily, the team at London-based brand Martha Brook have curated a ‘happiness planning bundle’ that will spark joy.

Packed with a collection of key stationery staples – A4 weekly planner, to-do list pad, a notebook with your name emblazoned on the cover, a gratitude journal, six postcards with motivational sayings and a chic gold pen – it leaves us with no excuse but to be the organisational queen we’ve always wanted to be.

Shop Martha Brook personalised happiness stationery bundle at The Drop, £36

buy now

Martha Brook Personalised Life Planners

Martha Brook personalised My Organised Life planner

Forget a flimsy notebook-style diary, this organiser is a ring-binder full of useful planning spreads that will help you keep on top of your schedule. Interspersed with inspirational quotes, monthly reflection pages and a pocket for keepsakes, it’s like a kind but firm, ‘get-your-sh*t-together’ best friend in planner form.

Shop Martha Brook personalised my organised life planner at The Drop, £37.95

buy now

Sloane Stationery Alphabet Notebook

Sloane Stationery Alphabet Notebook

Filled with luxurious gold-edged cream paper, these A5 notebooks are covered with lizard-embossed card in a range of colours, complete with a contrasting page-marking grosgrain ribbon. Ideal for writing to-do lists, use this to keep on top of your summer chores and plans. 

Shop Sloane Stationery alphabet notebook at The Drop, £39

buy now

Dar Leone Pen Pot

Dar Leone Romarong Bone China Pen Pot

If your WFH desk currently resembles a scattergun stationery free-for-all, we can relate. But, just like a KonMari enthusiast upon finishing The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying, we’ve realised it really is time for a spring clean.

Shop Dar Leone Romarong bone china pen pot at The Drop, £30

buy now

Fawn & Thistle Notebook and Pencil Set

Fawn & Thistle Fruity Daily Planner & Notebook Set with Embossed Pencils

With calendars slowly filling up, keep track of your plans with this exclusive notebook and planner set, made from 100% recycled paper. Plus, we left the best bit til last – the set also comes with three neon pencils, each embossed with a fruity pun to inject a bit of lighthearted joy into your WFH routine.

Shop Fawn & Thistle daily planner & notebook set with embossed pencils at The Drop, £23

buy now

Lethally Her Notebook Set

Lethally Her Notebook Combo

Lethally Her is a community-focused brand that provides products, events, and content to inspire female artists and creators to attain their highest level of badassery. They recommend using their notebooks as an extension of your mind: “your trusted place to write down your big ideas, goals, your feelings, little reminders and whatever inspires you throughout the day.” 

Shop Lethally Her notebook combo at The Drop, £25

buy now

Afrotouch Design Productivity Pack

Afrotouch Design Productivity Pack

AfroTouch Design has put together this amazing Productivity Pack exclusive to The Drop by Stylist. With bold designs, these stationery items will not only add vibrancy to your workspace but they’ll also help you plan to perfection. Be prepared to slay today and every day thereafter!

Shop Afrotouch Design productivity pack at The Drop, £25

buy now

Sloane Stationery Clever Pencils

Sloane Stationery Clever Pencils

Sloane Stationery’s Clever Pencils are here to help you get excited about planning, make a lovely gift for a friend (the etched in slogans are guaranteed to give a chuckle) or simply get your sketching creativity flowing. Packaged in a lizard-embossed box, each pencil has a unique saying complete with gold lettering and a white eraser. 

Shop Sloane Stationery clever pencils at The Drop, £15

buy now

Laidler & Laidler Personalised Notecard Set

Laidler & Laidler Leopard Print Personalised Notecard Set

Let a friend know you’re thinking of them with this beautiful set of nine monogram letterpress notecards by Laidler & Laidler in racing green Leopard Print. Paired with the brand’s signature crescent foil-trimmed envelopes in shades of mustard, moonlight and dusky pink, these are some seriously stylish notecards. 

Shop Laidler & Laidler leopard print personalised notecard set at The Drop, £25

buy now

The Drop: Fawn & Thistle Planner and Notebook

Fawn & Thistle Grr Power Daily Planner and Notebook Set

The Grr Power wildcat planner and notebook has been designed by the team to be a useful daily planner – something practical but also fun. Bound in a bright tiger patterned cover, the undated planners have 80 pages of pure unadulterated organisation. Every page has sections for date and day, a to do list, the next day’s to do list, emails, notes, a daily timetable, your daily reward and a water tracker.

Shop Fawn & Thistle grr power daily planner & notebook set at The Drop, £18.50

buy now

The Design Palette Notebook Set

The Design Palette Luxury Notebook Set

The Design Palette is a UK indie design company that creates gorgeous stationery to bring colour and joy to your planning and organisation. These luxury lined notebooks come in four different colours and patterns so you can choose the perfect bundle for you or a friend. Designed and printed in the UK, they’re printed on high-quality paper sourced from sustainable forests with 10% of proceeds going to charity. 

Shop The Design Palette luxury notebook set at The Drop, £28

buy now


Images: courtesy of brands

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