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.

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.