Quo Vadis diaries - a warning 12/08/2010
For anyone who is a regular user of Quo Vadis diaries, please take note. Increasingly over the past few years we have noticed that some diaries sell out early and no more stocks are available from Quo Vadis. This year the problem has increased, and the diaries with limited stocks now are the President, Minister and Executive diaries. These might only last a few weeks, if that, and once they've gone they've gone. Some of our customers have used the same diary for 40, even 50 years, so it would be awful if you had used the same diary for most of your life only to find it sold out and gone. If you want a diary for 2011 and haven't bought one, please don't delay. It's not a cheesy sales pitch, just information to warn you. As for 2012, the earlier you buy the less chance you have of being disappointed. We will start stocking the 2012 diaries from around July. If you want to be informed of when they arrive we will announce this on our email newsletter, if you want to subscribe. Newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/336vyxv Quo Vadis diaries: http://tinyurl.com/2fed87l 3 Comments \"How Twitter made handwriting cool\" 11/01/2010
 There was an article in the Daily Telegraph last week aboutt he rise in popularity of traditional stationery such as notebooks, and the popularity for handwriting, despite the rise of technology. It made for an interesting read and has many good stationery links, amongst them Bureau Direct. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/8080511/How-Twitter-made-handwriting-cool.html We've been slack at updating the blog, so apologies to anyone that reads it. First day of a new month so a new leaf and new Product of the Month. We have decided to make the Moleskine Desk Calendar our featured item. This little gem was a new product for 2010, and it sold reasonably well, but it was taken up by Jo and Charlotte here in the office and they both swear by it. I managed to miss the boat, as they had sold out by the time I got wind of how useful it was. I have my 2011 calendar put aside though, so I will see how I get on. The item itself is simple, but often the simplest ideas are the most effective. It is a chunky pocket Moleskine book that opens out into a free-standing desk diary/calendar. The elastic strap holds it upright, and you tear each day off as you go along. Got plans for a future date? Just leave yourself a note, and when the day comes around your prompt will be there. Ditch the fancy technology and stick to a method that works. Dominic, 01 October 2010 Click here to find out more  We have launched our new Pink Shop 07/20/2010
Whilst we offer stationery in almost every colour you could imagine, pink stationery seems to have a particular following, more than other colours. We have thought before about putting all our pink stationery in one place, and we have finally decided to do just this. I was surprised at how much we had, and we haven't even made an effort to source dedicated pink stationery yet. This is just what we found when we skimmed the pink items in the range out, so if you're a pink fanatic and there is something you might fancy the idea of, just let us know. Click here to find out more - http://tinyurl.com/33oh9o2  Rhodia Luggage 07/02/2010
The fantastic new Rhodia luggage range is now available. We have had a good look at them and they are everything you would hope for from Rhodia - a very smart and stylish range of black luggage with a gorgeous orange lining. The outers have a tough but tactile fabric with great attention to detail - leather trim, Rhodia zips, padded handles and straps and more. Inside there is good use of space with multiple pockets, padded laptop sections, space for pens, keys etc. The image shows the backpack laptop, and there is also a shoulder bag and a very neat cabin suitcase, designed for the overhead locker on a plane. http://tinyurl.com/3yynuoq  Another recipe...Ken's Family Stew 06/11/2010
Ingredients 750g diced lamb or steak 2-3 cloves of garlic 1 onion, chopped ½ tsp of cumin seeds ¼ tsp of ground ginger 1tsp of ground cumin 2tsp of ground coriander ¼ tsp of tumeric pinch of chilli powder pinch of cayenne pepper 6 cardamon seeds 300g jar pasta sauce stock red wine diced vegetables - carrots, swedes, turnips * Add some oil and fry lamb/steak until browned * Remove from the pan and keep with the juices * Add a bit more oil and fry the onion and garlic in the same pan * Add cumin seeds and fry for couple of minutes * Mix the ginger, cumin, coriander, tumeric, chilli and cayenne and add to the pan, with extra oil if it is too dry * Add the pasta sauce and then add the meat and juices * Add the cardamon seeds, season and then cover with stock and wine (add 2 parts stock to 1 part wine - approx. 400ml stock/200ml wine) * Simmer for 1 to 2 hours * Cook the diced vegetables, seperately, and add to stew for last 30 minutes * Serve with rice or mashed potatoes * This stew is better if made the day before and kept Our POTM for June will be the new Moleskine Recipe Journal. This is one of 6 journals in a new range, but we have chosen the recipe book as it seems to be the most practical of them. It has organised sections for keeping recipe ideas from starters to cocktails. Follow the link below for more information and a neat video. http://www.bureaudirect.co.uk/main.asp?sitepages=potm We are also going to publish some our personal favourite recipes - think of them as a gift, something to add to the journal to get you started. First up is Jo's Apple Cake - I can vouch for this one as many a Monday morning I have been lucky enough to get some leftovers from her weekend baking! Jo's Apple Cake Ingredients 300g sugar 3 eggs 1-2 tsp vanilla essence 200g melted butter 300g self-raising flour ½ tsp salt 1tsp bicarbonate soda 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1tsp mixed spice 2-3 apples * Preheat the oven to 180°c. * Beat together the eggs and sugar until pale. * Add in vanilla and melted butter and then fold in the sifted dry ingredients (flour, bicarbonate, cinnamon, mixed spice, salt). * Peel and dice the apples and then add to the mixture. * Put in a lined 8 inch cake tin and bake for 30 – 45 mins, depending on oven. * It is ready when the mixture is almost set in the middle but not quite.  Moleskine Passions 05/18/2010
The new Moleskine Passions Journals are now in stock (well, some of them...some are still due). They are an unusual item, not necessarily everyone's cup of tea but a great little way of keeping very detailed records on your favourite subjects. These are film, books, music, wine, recipes and wellness (their name, not ours). Check out the video link below for more details and a much better idea of what they do. Our page link for all information and videos - http://tinyurl.com/3x4g5ue Schoolshop is launched 05/14/2010
It has been a few weeks in the making, but we have now got our first launch of the School Shop up on our site. This is a shop-within-a-shop, focused on selling items to both schools and parents. We are particularly specialising in handwriting - we now offer a wide range of pens and pencils aimed at children from early years through to teenage years, all of which have been designed with improved handwriting skills in mind. See the Stabilo and Griffix ranges in particular. We are also selling a selection of other items, from handwriting exercise books to school bags. We hope to add more over the coming months. Check out the school shop and see what we are offering. Please contact us if there is anything you want to know or you feel we should be selling - http://tinyurl.com/3787pp5  Product of the Month - May 2010 05/14/2010
A bit later than planned (it's been a busy few weeks here at The Arches), here is our Product of the Month - the Barcelona photo album. It's a great value item (only £15.00) and has a hard linen cover in black. Inside there is a choice of either black or white pages. It's a beautifully simple album, not at all fussy, and we like it! Enough said. Take a look - http://tinyurl.com/2vuywhv  | AuthorWe specialise in stationery. We love our stationery and wish we could sell more. We are also a family company and still operate as a small close-knit team of 4 people. ArchivesDecember 2010 Categories |
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