Stylish Office Supplies

Since style at the office isn't limited to what we wear, I thought I'd discuss some stylish (and a couple of not so stylish) ways to add some personality to your daily gig.

I will preface this by saying that I checked out several big box stores for fun stuff and came home empty-handed. So, while I heart Target, et al., they weren't doing it for me in this arena.

First, a few rules:

1. A little personality goes a long way at the office. You can be a zealous sports fan/cat lady/dog lover at home, but at the office, just a few choice items will do. As with any accessories, choose one or two pieces as your focus, and the rest of what you have can be basic. For example, a cat of the month calendar and some cat-themed sticky notes are fab. Those plus a cat stapler, cat pen, cat mousepad, cat magnets, and cat folders will mark you as more interested in cats than your job. And while that might be true, there's no need to advertise that to your boss.

2. Remember that you are at work. Sticky notes with snarky quotes are fine if they can exist in mixed company, but do you really want your supervisor to see that file with the "File This Under U for Useless" note on it? Ditto for anything religous or even mildly sexual.

3. Fun and unique does not equal kitschy. I think glitter pens with fluffy tops can make any woman look juvenile and take away from her being viewed as smart, capable, and worthy of being taken seriously. No matter how relaxed your office environment is, avoid all things Hello Kitty or anything that looks like you might have loved it in middle school. (Miley Cyrus fans, I'm looking at you.) Tow the line between fun or a little silly and just plain frivolous.

On to the shopping!

I may or may not have just dropped $80 on office supplies at Galison. Their selection is great, their prices are good (a few items- the exact some ones- were lower here than at other sites I checked out), and I even found a %15 off coupon code (thank you, Google). I'm particularly keen on the holiday gift card and tag sets and the way you can shop by theme or collection, so you can coordinate your supplies if you wish.

See Jane Work is another source for cute, unique supplies. Check out the magnetic birdie paperclip holder, fun pencil cups, and the animal tape dispensers. The Pulling it Together blog is entertaining and useful, too.

I also found Sorting with Style in my search for fun supplies. You can shop by style or collection here, too, which makes it easy to find what you like. I'm currently obsessing about the leaf paperclips and the (dog) bones paperclips.