Summer ending and school starting has always been an exciting time in my family: new backpacks, notebooks, pens, and folders have always been my thing! This year, however, we are all met with so much uncertainty. I miss my students, (who will be in first grade when we go back. AH!) and I am so ready to welcome a new set of little Kindergarteners in August. No matter what school will look like, we all deserve to have a workspace that is pretty and functional to keep you motivated. The 2020 Erin Condren back to school collection has something for everyone. Let's take a look!
Acrylic items make any desk look put together. This collection brings us three beautiful new acrylic pieces to add to your desk. One of the items I am most excited about this release is the acrylic wet erase desk stand ($18.00).
This stand comes in midcentury circles and focused themes. The stand holds your phone with room for a charger at the bottom and space for a to-do list on the right. A thin wet-erase marker fits nicely on the same ledge that holds your phone. I'm excited to place this on my desk at work -- my phone tends to get lost in all the materials on my desk, so having a designated spot will save me so much time! I plan to use a Sharpie to list out daily tasks I need to do that tend to slip my mind (coughattendancecough) so they are always front and center.
The new Acrylic Nesting Desk Organizer Set ($24.00) is a four-piece set that includes a designer desk tray, accessory tray, pen holder, and a mail sorter. The accessory tray, pen holder, and mail sorter are completely clear acrylic. The designer desk tray has a minimalistic gold foiled midcentury circles design lining the bottom. It looks perfect styled next to the wet erase stand! For scale, The accessory tray is sitting next to the Layers Note Cube ($10.00), which was previewed in the Summer Seasonal Surprise Box. The accessory tray is smaller than the Notes Cube, and will not fit a stack of Post-Its. Erin Condren products do not disappoint when it comes to color, and this acrylic desk set really letss the beauty of the products shine. Rounding out the new acrylic items is Square Prism Ruler in clear ($10.00). It fits perfectly inside of the desk tray for easy access! My favorite new item to style in the new acrylic set are the Gold Metal Scissors ($22.00). They bring another layer of sophistication to any desk!
Have you missed the EC file folders? I have! They are back in six packs in Midcentury Circles and Layers designs ($14.00). They look so chic styled in the acrylic mail sorte
The new Hexagon Pencil Holder ($14.00) has three tiers of storage for your small, medium, and tall desk accessories and comes in three shades: blush, denim, and pool. In the bottom tier I stored my new Productivity Binder Clips ($6.50), Glue Tape Runner Duo ($9.50) and my Focused Magnetic Bookmarks ($8.50). The middle tier is the perfect height to hold your favorite Dual-Tip Markers and the new Pastel Dual-Tip Highlighters! The top tier is deep enough to hold the stunning new Turquoise Ombre Acrylic Scissors ($20.00) that are almost too pretty to use!
Yes, you read that correctly! Pastel Dual-Tip HIGHLIGHTERS ($15.50)! These were sneaked in the summer Seasonal Surprise Box in dark blue and gray tones. This NEW five-pack includes grey, blush, pool, orchid, and monaco. The thin side of the marker is similar to the thicker tip on the classic Dual-Tip Markers.
Each highlighter is very subdued and minimalistic. Out of the five, my favorite is blush. There are many, many pink highlighters out there but I have never seen a pink as light and dainty as this. It is a true "blush" pink! A gray and blue set came in the Summer 2020 Seasonal Surprise Box. Based on my pen test swatches, I can confidently say that the SSB Dual-Tip Highlighters are the same as the "grey" and "monaco" in the new five pack. Is it worth it to buy the new pastel pack? YES. Absolutely. The three other colors (blush, pool, and orchid) are so beautiful and original that I guarantee you do not have highlighters like them in your stash right now.
As a Kindergarten teacher, style needs to be accompanied by function. Clipboards are a must have in my classroom, and I am excited that Erin Condren has released a new clipfolio in three patterns: Charcoal Focused, Kaleidoscope Quote, and Colorful Midcentury Circles ($26.00 each). I received the Kaleidoscope Quote pattern, which is printed beautifully on the front of the thick cardboard folio. I wish the design was printed on the back since it will be covered with papers that are clipped to the front. The folio is held closed with an elastic band that matches the blush background. Inside of the clipfolio boasts two kaleidescope pockets. The pocket on the left is just short of half of a 8.5 x 11" paper deep and is gusseted for extra storage. The pocket on the right hand side leaves about 1/4 of your paper sticking out of the top, but is not gusseted. Each clipfolio comes with a letter sized notepad that tucks into the right pocket. I clipped on the new Metal Clip Pen Holder ($5.50) to have a pen with me on the go! I'm probably going to pick up a few more of these. They give off an old-school money clip vibe to me, and the metal elastic stretches to fit all of my most-used pens.
While I love the aesthetic of the clipfolio, the functionality is not there for me. The cardboard material leaves imprints every time I write on it and the folio does not stay completely closed if the elastic band is not holding the cover down. This clipfolio will function perfectly as my "emergency catch-all" that is only used a few times a year for drills. I will clip emergency checklists to the front, keep several copies of my class list in the gusseted pocket, and store all emergency reference sheets in the deep pocket on the right.
PetitePlanner lovers! There are THREE new accessories for you! First, the PetitePlanner Sleeve ($8.00) from the Seasonal Surprise Box is available to purchase in two colors: clear glitter and blue. A few Seasonal Surprise Boxes ago (I think? Someone correct me or help me out here if you remember!) there was a Velvet Pencil Pouch ($12.00) with an elastic band. It now comes in Black Velvet and Blush Corduroy! Store up to four of your favorite PetitePlanner books on your desk in the new PetitePlanner Holder ($6.00)! This thing is so freaking cute, folx. It functions exactly like your typical magazine holder would, except it's tiny for your PetitePlanners! *hearteyes*
Two brand new, entirely functional accessories are the Sticky Note Booklets in Focused and Midcentury Circles ($10.50 each). Each booklet unfolds to reveal 10 different sticky notes in 4 different styles: square, rounded tabs, circles, and lined. The Focused booklet features all solid-colored notes with exception to the rounded tabs, which have 5 different colors on the square ends. The other new accessory I'm excited about is the Phone Card Holder ($15.00), which comes in blush glitter, pastel, and purple glitter. The criss-cross design makes two pockets for your cards which are securely attached to your phone with 3M adhesive.
I saved the best (in my opinion) for last. The rainbow accordion zipper pouch from last fall is still one of my favorite organization tools. When I saw the two new colors for this launch, I knew I had to have them! The Accordion Zipper Pouch comes in Navy Ombre and Plum Ombre ($14.00 each), each with silver hardware. Six individual pouches are sewn together to help you keep your items organized, whether that's planner supplies, handbag must-haves, or beauty items for traveling. There are two handles, one on each end, to make organization on-the-go even smoother.
The shining star of this release was a complete surprise: a new Pencil Case ($20.00). This case is made out of the same neoprene material as the folios and has the same hard divider with FIVE (!!!!) pen loops on each side. The top has an open pouch to hold small items like paper clips, glue rollers, or page flags. Underneath the divider you will find an open base to store more pens, small sticker sheets, or the new Pocket Scissors ($10.50). I received the Neutral Layers design to review. I am not sure if you will be able to customize your pen case like you can a folio, but I will update this post as soon as I know!
WOW! That was a LOT. This has been my favorite release in a long time! There is something for everyone, whether you are looking to spruce up your workspace, add some more tools to your planning collection, or organize your stash. I'm excited to add all of these into my daily routine, but I especially cannot wait to get back into my classroom and set up my desk!
Thank you for coming to my little corner of the internet. Which item are you most excited about? Comment below!