Pens Envy ! What little girls are really lusting after !

No, I didn't accidentally miss out a letter or become a psychoanalyst ! It's what happens when little girls go back to school and start comparing the contents of their pencil cases ! They always lust after the designer labels - and for little girls, that means anything they've seen on TV - and the more glittery, sparkly, cute, pink or scented, the better. So Sophie was ecstatic when she got these funky little stationery items to show off to her friends !

First up, those clever people at Henkel have obviously realised just how much little girls love cutesy feminine stationery and have come up with a whole range for them. Called "Just 4 Girls !", it basically takes all the office/classroom classics and gives them a makeover - think pink ! The bright pink Sellotape dispenser didn't actually make it out of the house ! I pinched that one for the computer desk where it looks much prettier than our old office reject one - yes, Mums are allowed to suffer from Pens Envy too !! And the Pritt stick is actually very clever - it's pink in the tube but goes on clear. You'd think Sophie had learnt some great new magic trick with the way her friends apparently oohed and aahed over this little feat of sticky magic !! I have to admit that I had been won over by cheaper own-label supermarket glue sticks and the smell of a "real" Pritt Stick was really reminiscent of school ! I have to admit, it does stick better than the cheap alternatives too so you do get what you pay for.

It's great having all this funky stationery but you also need somewhere to stash it all and this microphone-shaped pencil case apparently ticked all the right boxes as far as Sophie was concerned. It has the all-important (to 8-year-olds) TV endorsement with the X-Factor logo emblazoned on the front and is roomy enough to fit all the essentials in easily. One little thing that could have been slightly better is the length - it's 26cm long which is only a few centimetres shorter than a standard 30cm ruler, so for just a smidgeon of extra fabric, they could have made it big enough to accommodate that too. But Sophie wasn't at all worried about that - she was too busy singing into her pencil case as she danced around the room doing a Leona Lewis impression ! And to think I had to make do with singing into my hairbrush in front of the mirror when I was her age !! Available at Rymans, it costs a very reasonable £3.99.

And, also from Rymans, this very cute keychain notebook with mini pink gel pen. Let me summarise here in a few words - pink ... hearts ... cute animal .... sold ! Just ask any 8-year-old girl if you don't believe me. Sophie wanted to attach it to her pencil case and take it to school but I had visions of it being used for "psssst pass it on" notes behind the teacher's back (she's thankfully too young to have progressed on to sending sneaky text messages in the classroom yet) so she had to leave it at home. She did stash the pink pen in her pencil case to show her friends though ! Available from Rymans, there are a whole range of Paul Frank Love items and, as they are all well within pocket money prices (starting at just 99p), I think Sophie will probably end up with the whole range.

star rating : 5/5