I’m not sure if I’m a bit behind the times, but I just discovered stationery brand Smiggle and I’m having a small love affair.

The brand has some really cute notebooks, diaries, calendars and pencil cases, plus lots of storage options like desk organisers and folders.

I love the key chain pen, which as the name suggests, is a key ring and pen combo. It’s really handy if you tend to lose either one of those things on a regular basis.

It comes in pink, blue, black and purple, and for $8.95 it’s a quick and dirty Friday lunchtime purchase.

You can either shop for the brand online or in one of the Smiggle stores around Australia.

By Caroline Warnes

I had a funny moment in a Lasoo meeting yesterday morning.

We were sitting around discussing various brands and products that appear on the site when someone mentioned a brand called Ed. Everyone was all “Ed who?” and I actually thought it had something to do with Ed Hardy. It took a couple of minutes (seconds) of mild confusion before it became clear that the brand is actually called “A Brand Called Ed”.

Ok, maybe it isn’t really that funny but for a Monday morning it was mildly amusing for about two seconds before the reality of the day kicked in.

It appears that A Brand Called Ed is a stationery and homewares line that’s available at Officeworks - and it really is very cute, and affordable.

My favourite is the A6 notebook pictured here, which is a bit of a bargain for $7.99. $8 to brighten up your working day is a small price to pay.

You can find Officeworks store locations and Officeworks catalogues here.

By Caroline Warnes