Unboxing/Review: ban.do Pencil Pouches

 Ever since I found out about ban.do through their popular "I AM VERY BUSY" planner (that always sells out) I've been keeping my eye on them. Besides planners they also sell quite a few other fun, cute items from tech to fashion accessories. If there was a store closer to me that sold their stuff I would probably be constantly purchasing their items.

I finally had an excuse to make an online order when a friend's birthday was coming up. I wanted something unique to add to his main gift. Since he works a desk job I thought an eye-catching pencil case would be ideal. Of course I couldn't pass up the opportunity to add something for me as well. I think I spent a good hour going through all their merchandise before settling on the exact same pencil case except in a different design/color. The Get It Together Pencil Pouch retails for $12 on their site (a steal!), though I had signed up for their newsletter and used a 10% off coupon.

The pouches are exactly how they're pictured on the website. The only difference would be that the pink one is more of a true bright pink rather than the sort of lilac/lavender color it gives off in the photo. I tried to color correct my photos so it looked as close to what it looks like in real life, but even mine turned out with a somewhat purple-hue. I normally wouldn't go for such a color, but it's only on one side. Plus I actually think it goes well with the whole design. I ordered the white/pink one with their signature "I AM VERY BUSY" print on the front. I almost wanted to keep the "Stay Focused" one for myself too. The fact that those words are inside glasses frames didn't help the matter. (Next purchase since you know this won't be the last time).

The pouch is rather roomy that you could even potentially use it as a small makeup bag if you don't have a need for a pencil pouch. The inside is lined with a fabric with tiny red hearts. The only issue that I noticed after using this for a few weeks was that sometimes the zipper would get caught in the lining. Actually upon arrival one of the pouches wouldn't even open all the way since the lining had gotten stuck. So you do have to be careful when closing the pouch since fabric inside can easily move around.

Overall I was very satisfied with the products and packaging. Some other products that I might get in the future are the Hot Stuff Thermal Mug, Back Me Up! Mobile Charger, and the Zip Zip Keychain Pouch.

I Heart Guts Love/Review

 

When I was googling some blogs to read that related to optometry and dental school I found one (that I can't remember now unfortunately) that featured a tooth keychain. I thought it was adorable, and luckily the blogger mentioned where she got it from. That's how I found out about I Heart Guts. I don't see how anyone who's in the health profession can't get excited about all the goodies they have on there. 

My first purchase there a few months ago was the white tooth keychain and two eyeball pins. The keychain is amazing, not gonna lie. I would probably buy one of each for myself if I was in that field. The back of the white one says, "Flossin' Aint Just For Gangstas." How cute is that? The eyeball pin is pretty self-explanatory. The card that it comes on does say, "Party Pupil In The House!" For $4 it is made pretty well. Ever since I've gotten it I've been wearing it on my name tag at work. I've had so many optometry students and coworkers comment on how much they like it. (They usually think it's a sticker before the optic nerve that sticks out gives it away). I bought the second one for my friend, who used to be a coworker but is now in optometry school. I thought it was a good congratulatory gift. 

I had posted a photo on Instagram with my first purchase through I Heart Guts with a caption saying how I wished they had more eyeball related items. They left a comment asking if I had seen their plushie. I had of course, but look at all the teeth related items they have! Okay, maybe not that much more but I would go crazy over an eyeball keychain.

I had always been planning to make at least one other purchase through them and thought when my good friend's birthday was coming up it would be the perfect excuse to do so. Again, since there's only a plushie left I decided to get her the eyeball one ($20). Now she had the matching set! She ended up loving it, but her dog ended up loving it even more. I wish I could post the video she posted on her IG. But basically shows her corgi playing roughly with the plushie. All I could comment with was, "I'm surprised there hasn't been a retinal detachment yet O_O." To be honest I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of it when I received it. It's a good size and made pretty well. I'm definitely going to order one for myself in the future. The other items I purchased was the gold tooth keychain, the teeth pin, and another white tooth keychain. I got the gold one for my supervisor at work who actually used to work at the dental school my boyfriend currently goes to. The back of this one says something different though: "Can You Handle The Tooth?" The teeth lapel pin is probably my favorite out of the bunch though. It's a small size which makes it really cute and not at all obnoxious. And unlike the eyeball lapel pin it's made out of a zinc alloy rather than plastic. My boyfriend currently has it on his school bag and its also gotten a lot of compliments.

My next order will probably include the tooth and eyeball plushies. And I'll have their website bookmarked so I can wait to see if they add more eyeball related goodies.

Desk decorating

 

I've been feeling pretty relieved lately now that I don't have to think about my OATs for a while. But pretty much soon after they told me that one of the surgery staff is going on vacation for two weeks in April. So now the pressure is back on for me to get fully trained in the majority of what she does on surgery days, and on top of that, on non-surgery days (meaning days when they're doing consults and pre-ops). That's one of the reasons they want me to come in on whatever extra days I can to do training (on top of my regular two days a week + whenever there's a surgery = 3x a week typically). This week is the only week since the beginning of the year that there hasn't been a surgery date. So because of that I decided to plan to go in on Friday to get some more training. I actually haven't met the other optometrist yet that does a lot of the consults (and some pre-ops/post-ops) since I'm only there on surgery days. (The chief optometrist is there, but teaching in another clinic, though she'll always drop by throughout the day). 

In the meantime, I've finally organized my desk up to my liking. I can now sit there without feeling anxious about how disorganized everything is and then just give up and start distracting myself on the computer (oops). I picked up a few inexpensive things at Home Goods (had a few good finds, but definitely had to do some digging). Although Target does have great pieces as well, they can be quite pricey for what it is. In general I've been liking the decor items from Nate Berkus' line, but if they're not on sale they can be pretty pricey for what it is. I try to walk at the end of the aisles first since they always leave their clearance items there. That's where I picked up the items pictured above. I was itching to get a desk calendar, but after re-organizing I noticed that it was going to be way too cluttered. (My very first choice was the Stendig calendar but of course by the time I looked into it they were all sold out. Maybe for 2015...). I picked up the 2014 Sugar Paper Calendar on sale for $4. It's a good size and doesn't clash with my desk. I also found these cute greeting cards by Mara-Mi the same way. Definitely have been helping not having to spend a ton to get my place to look nicer. Hopefully I can get photos up once I feel like it's up to my standards.

Workspace Inspiration

Lots of unique knick knacks to personalize the space

Clean desk tops where everything has its place

After Holidays Haul

 

This is a bit late, but I did a little bit of shopping after the holidays. You would think after all the shopping I had to do for Christmas presents I wouldn't even want to think about it. I did have a couple coupons that were going to expire so I decided to stop by the mall.

I still had a few "Christmas" gifts that I had to give to friends (that I just waited to do at the end since I wasn't going to see them till the new year), so I managed to pick up some great 50% holiday-themed gift bags and wrapping essentials. I tried to pick the least Christmas-y ones so I could potentially use them during the year as well. 

I've been wanting to try a few things from The Body Shop so I stopped in. I only wanted to get the Vitamin E Eye Cream and the Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream, but they had a buy-three-get-one-free deal so I ended up with the Tea Tree Pore Minimiser and the Seaweed Clarifying Toner. The last two were recommended by one of the girls working there. She definitely steered me in the right direction after asking me questions about my skin type. I've used all four of the products at least once, but I'd probably need to try it more to get a solid opinion on each. So far I am really liking the eye and night cream from the Vitamin E line.

I also stopped by Bath and Body Works since they were also having a 50% off sale on certain items. My mom is always wanting candles so I mainly stopped by to pick up a couple for her. I picked Party Dress for myself (which I'm actually burning right now) and I might get another one as soon as it's all gone. While I do like BBW's candles they can be quite strong, so as nice as the scent can be in the store it can be overwhelming once you start burning it. This one is lighter and I haven't gotten sick of it. For my mom I purchased Tuscan Herbs (pretty unique and light as well), Lily Ponds, and Villa Bergamot. The last two were strong though and the last one especially smelled like a cologne so might steer clear of those.

Since this "haul" I haven't gotten shopping since, which is probably a good thing since I bank account needs to recover after the holidays. That and I shouldn't be distracting myself when this is supposed to be a hardcore study month for my OATs in February. And like I mentioned in my last post, this month is pretty hectic surgery-wise. The chief optometrist just e-mailed us the other day with a break down of the schedule for tomorrow. I need to be in there a little before 8am meaning that I'll have to be on the train by 6am...This is why I can't get any studying in after I get home from work. After dinner I am passed. out. She did mention that we're having really nice/awesome patients tomorrow though so we'll see how that turns out. Crossing my fingers for no complications and that everything will go according to the schedule.

Little Comforts

I just had to post this to say I need one of these in my life.

Stick 'Em Up

Although the winding down school year means that finals (and lots of stress) are coming up, it also signals the start of summer. For me, this also means I get to move into my new apartment! I've been looking around for some ideas to decorate the small place, and I found the site What Is Blik. They offer self-adhesive wall decals in a collection of designs. I can't help but think it is one of the best things ever invented. Basically, stick these on your wall, and take them off when you get sick of them (or have to move out). They're perfect for my temporary, school apartment. And of course, I had to look around for bird related designs.

Birds of a Feather, $40
Although it's very simple looking from afar, I love how the feather "pieces" break up into bird silhouettes flying away.

Flamingo, $30
I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of flamingos, but they come in so many different colors, it'd be such a fun and easy way to get some color into my apartment.

Brazilian Spirit, $50
I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. I'm a sucker for parrots.

Fly Re-Stik, $25
A classic, neutral bird design that I probably won't get tired of.