If you follow my Pinterest board or have just generally met me, then you would probably know that I have quite the obsession over the Kate Spade and Ban.do office supplies collection. I can't deny the way my heart beats a little faster every time I see the juxtaposition of gold, pink, black, and white. There's something about the undeniably luxurious and classy aesthetic of the products that simply captivates my heart every time I see them.
So, as a self-proclaimed "poor girl with a rich woman's taste", you can imagine my grief when I turn the stationary over and see the offending price. Nearly P1,000 for pencils? No thank you.
But less than P300 for a more vibrant, but equally motivational version? Count me in.
You can find the original Kate Spade idiom pencil set here
for $20. But if you're looking to find the same dose of inspiration but with a more reasonable price, Fab Manila has the cutest set of writing utensils for only P200! Yup. You read that right. P200 for 6 vibrant pencils with a gentle reminder to keep you motivated throughout your hectic schedule.
Other brands on Etsy have also taken to recreating Kate Spade's product; Amanda Catherine, owner of Amanda Catherine Designs,
also sells some uber bright and colorful writing materials (pictured below), but these are priced at almost P600, and that's still exclusive of shipping fee.
But after my recent discovery of the the local brand's take on the famous office
material, I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep without copping it. So a few months back, thanks to my accidental stumbling into the Grey Area PH instagram account, I was able to locate where I could get me some of these highly-coveted pencils.
To this day, I am extremely satisfied with my little find. I will admit, I was initially worried that because of it's design, the makers might've chosen to neglect
the quality of the pencil itself. But after I began regularly using the product in school I found out that the pencils' lead was perfectly dark and smooth. It had the depth of Faber-Castell and the design of Kate Spade.
What more could you ask for?
