Getting to know Reema Patel

by Tony Short
Reema is behind the craft and stationery website aumsome.com, though the more you get to know her the more we think it should be renamed awesome.com. From a very young age Reema has adored stationery and that is evident in her blog and social media posts. We have really enjoyed engaging with Reema on Twitter and was delighted when she agreed to do answer some of our burning questions. 

1) Describe yourself in three objects

Oh man, I always struggle with these sorts of questions. Let's go with... a box of notebooks, a set of colouring pens & pencils and a never-ending supply of “junk” food.

2) Wood or Mechanical Pencil?

Wood. Wood. Wood. Wood. Wood. Without a doubt, a Wood Pencil.  

3) Ballpoint, Gel or Fountain Pens?

Gel Pens for those times when I need to jot something down quickly or lend my pen to someone (and have to risk not getting it back...) but as long as I have the right kind of paper, I’m a sucker for a fountain pen.

4) Sketchbook or screen?

It has to be a sketchbook through and through. Even when I did graphics or built websites in every minute of my spare time, I would often do a quick sketch on paper to plan out my idea first or use the sketchbook to help me when the work on the screen was not going how I wanted it to go. 

5) Tell us about a couple of your favourite materials to work with?

Not only am I in love with Pocket Notebooks but now am pretty obsessed with them. I have to carry one in my bag at all times. I love using Word Notebooks as mini Bullet Journals or for lists whilst Calepino & Field Notes are fast becoming books to scribble notes onto when out & about. 

Pen wise, I absolutely love using fountain pens and nothing quite beats the look of a beautiful coloured ink. Currently I’m falling madly in love with Herbin inks and their fountain pen. However, I also tend to carry an erasable gel pen on me, which I find particularly useful for my planner as my plans constantly change.

6) Which country or continent is your favourite for Stationery?

There are a lot of great European companies popping up all over the place and Japan is always a solid choice but quite honestly, my heart is in the States. Personally, I really enjoy crafting (in particular card making) and there's a lot of amazing US companies that make great crafting goodies. Many of them are some of my favourite stores in the world. Because of that, I think I'm quite partial to any Stationery or Craft items made in US and I definitely want to make visits there with an empty suitcase that can be filled with goodies just for that reason. 

7) Apart from your own blog, which other stationery blogs would you recommend following?

This list is endless. I always look at company or brand blogs. I think it's a great way to understand more about their products or the company itself and often, you get to find out about products you may not have noticed on their website before. I won't share the ones I look at - as there are perhaps too many to link to - but I will suggest having a look at any blogs run by companies or brands that you love (even outside of stationery!). An example of this is the Pocket Notebooks blog itself. 

Other than brand run blogs, I am currently really enjoying reading the posts people put up in Facebook Groups! These allow you to come across lots of different bloggers quickly. Stationery Bloggers Worldwide is one that always has something I want to read. 

And this isn’t a blog but the Wood and Graphite youtube channel is something I’ve really enjoyed recently. TJ does have a blog too, which I’d recommend you check out but I like being able to put on one of his videos whilst I’m doing something else (usually playing with my colouring pens & pencils). It’s definitely easier to multitask when you’re watching a video, rather than reading something!

8) Do you practice any productivity techniques or hacks?

I don't practice anything in particular right now but I think what keeps me productive is a very classic and very simple thing - the good old To Do list. I love lists. I can't live without them. To Do lists help me to prioritise my time as I can easily look at the list and see what is important for me to do or what's time-bound. If you're a lister, I would highly recommend having a Bullet Journal - or at least, adopting the main techniques from it and having a To Do list notebook. Bonus tip: Always carry a Pocket Notebook on you to jot down any tasks you remember whilst you're out & about. Word Notebooks make pretty excellent pocket bullet journals! 

I combine my lists with a month “overview”. This is usually the month’s calendar (I usually just print one off Google) that I can easily refer to. The calendar will remind me of what events I have (like meetings, holidays, etc), which lets me plan my tasks accordingly. Sometimes I’ll also use sticky notes on it with a task that I’m hoping to achieve that week / day. (I use sticky notes so that I can move them around easily if anything changes).


9) And… we’ve got to ask. What’s in your pencil case?

Reema Patel Every Day Carry

What pencil case? I don't have just one! I prefer to have different pens and notebooks for different things - and they usually don't overlap. 

Work tends to be an A5 hardback notebook, with a lot of sticky notes and any pens available from the office. I opt for functional but also fairly inexpensive when shopping for office supplies.

I also have a few 'out and about' items that I can carry with me wherever I go. This will always be a Pocket Notebook, a black biro or gel pen and now, a J Herbin fountain pen that I'm addicted to. Cheap enough that I won't cry if it breaks but works smoothly enough for me to love it to pieces. 

Whilst at home, that's when the majority of my stuff comes out to play. I have a lot of stationery all over my desk, cupboards, drawers... etc. Whether it's for Arts & Crafts or Planning & Journaling. I currently only have 2 pencil cases. One has all of my drawing pencils – range from 9H to 9B – alongside some erasers and a sharpener. The other has a small variety of sticky notes so I can grab them easily. But neither of these pencil cases get used all that often right now. My pen pots are what get abused these days. 

 

Reema is very active on social media with her Twitter bursting with really interesting posts. She also produces great, and extremely disciplined, a-photo-per-day over on her Instagram account. Head over to her blog to learn more about Reema.