Back to School, Back to Color

Howdy, color friends! I took an inadvertent summer break from the blog, but I'm back and ready for school. The fact that I'm no longer in school has not yet deterred me from getting ready for it as September rolls around every year. On the to do list: bag, writing supplies, a new sweater and new shoes.

The bag was an easy choice, since I've been saving my pennies for a Moop bag for months. I decided on a letter bag in brown since it's very functional and goes with everything. To feed my color habit, the interior is lined with a vibrant teal:










I'm so impressed by the craftsmanship that went into the bag. The folks behind Moop love what they do and it shows--I highly recommended the bags and will begin saving for another one immediately!

Even though I'm all set on office supplies, I've allowed myself one fun, new item to carry around in the Moop bag. I went with a set of Paper Mate felt tip pens in a rainbow of colors:



Since they don't bleed through paper, they're excellent for addressing envelopes and writing out notes. We all need to do our part to keep the postal service alive, after all.

Speaking of writing notes, I received a handwritten thank you note from a lady named Rhonda at Lands' End after I purchased a new sweater from their Canvas line. A handwritten note! Bravo, Lands' End and hi, Rhonda!

My appetite for grey sweaters in the fall and winter seems insatiable, and this sweater incorporates all of my favorite elements: Natural fabric, check. Chunky knit, check. Big buttons, check. Pockets, check. Interesting neckline, check. Does this mean my prefect grey sweater quest has ended?



And what (mini) back to school shopping spree would be complete without new shoes? I recently discovered that a beloved French brand, Bensimon, is now available in the US. Even at a young age at my international school in England, I was enamored with my French classmates' cool clothes and Euro school supplies (don't even get me started on the awesome Japanese girls). My French friend wore Bensimon shoes and used a Bic 4-Color pen on graph paper notepads and ever since I've been looking for those shoes and kept a supply of those pens.

Now that Bensimon is available stateside, I can't decide which color to get...can't I have all the colors?

Bensimon by chromalab featuring bensimon

Your suggestions would be appreciated. More on our Chroma Lab activities to come soon, but in the meantime, did you go back to school shopping? What are your nostalgic (or practical) must haves?