Writers Write Daily Writing Prompt: 03 ~ Guilty as Charged

To the unsuspecting bystander it may look like basic supplies - sheets of paper, pens, pencils, erasers, sticky notes, paper clips. To the indulgent it may just qualify as a guilty pleasure.

It's not only about collecting random bits of quirky stationery. It should make a statement; a classy statement. It needs to have that X factor which makes it stand out. It is when you reach the point of carefully picking your stationery rather than just buying it. It is when you begin to communicate with it instead of just by way of it. It is when your relationship transcends from being functional to being sentimental. Falling in love is a sentiment. And I must confess it happens to me. What else would explain the following?

Half a dozen beautiful and classy notebooks - bound with fabric, denim, leather and handmade paper.l; and the last time I was in a classroom was almost 3 years ago. A fancy pen stand full of expensive pens, a case full of pencils ranging from 3H to 10B, multiple rulers and unusually shaped erasers. A cool portable stapler with multi coloured staple pins. Six pairs of scissors, four kinds adhesive tape. An array of paint brushes - the kiss brush is still missing from the set though - with a variety of paints and painting ink! Multi-coloured, multi-shaped sticky notes. Bookmarks made of chrome metal, cast plastic - bearing prints of the Scooby Doo gang - and rice paper with traditional Indian art. Who knew so much could be done with bookmarks! Folders adorned with batik print, silk and hand-made paper. A miniature examination board, clad with crisp block printed cotton. Wooden paper clips and multiple sheets of coarse designer paper.

It doesn't necessarily take a William Penn window or a Sheaffer stand to distract me, a Linc store does it too! Not to brag, but I do have a good eye for pens - not just for the way they look but for the way they glide on paper. I can blissfully roam stationery fairs, and while we are at it, the Delhi stationery fair failed to impress this year. Although I was spellbound at this one stall which had the most amazing collection of soft pastels. They were importers and had fabulous sets of Gallery and Rembrandt. The sets cost upto Rs 70,000 and had I been a pastel artist, I'd have certainly ruined my bank balance that day. Saying that stores like Itsy Bitsy and Hobby Ideas are my dreamland is like stating the obvious. I'm not a brand prude though and have picked up some great things from Delhi haat and other handicrafts fairs. I think this has come to a point where I must confess that I have a tendency to go overboard.

Makes me chuckle that I had almost written about chocolate being my guilty pleasure.

P.S. - Nobody said you had to live with only one guilty pleasure. Chocolate is very much on the list, as are books, clothes and shoes. What's yours? ;-)