I’ve been in a funk the past few days. August feels like one long Sunday night, taunting me with the promise of going back to school on September 1st. So I’ve been having a hard time getting jumpstarted to actually make the most of my remaining weeks of summer. And really, I have 4 weeks left. What am I complaining about? But I just couldn’t get excited about starting anything, I just felt like my time to relax was running out.

Today I seem to have snapped out of it. I went out to run some errands, and at Bed Bath & Beyond, Staples, Old Navy, and Barnes and Noble I saw all the signs of fall that I love. College kids shopping with their moms for gear, new notebooks and school supplies, the arrival of fall clothes to mix into new outfits. I even went in search of a new lesson plan book. The mention of lesson plans yesterday would have made my stomach drop. But today, there are too many fun things to stay in my funk. Here are a few.

I spotted this display at Barnes and Noble today. My grad school alma mater, Pratt Institute, and Savannah College of Art & Design (I did my undergrad degree in Georgia) have joined forces with B&N to showcase notebooks and accessories with designs by their students. I love the idea, the products, the chance for students to see their designs for sale. I bought a few of the items to show my support. I could only find a page for SCAD, so search for Pratt at bn.com for those products. 

This was my lesson planner last year. I started 2 weeks into the school year, and at the time this was all I could find. The pages inside were exactly what I needed, but come on. This is just unfabulous. So I’d been hoping today to see some cute design I could snatch up before school started. No such luck. I did a little research, and all the grade books and lesson planners are this boring and dull. Where are the designer supplies for teachers? I’m thinking one of my next projects will be to design my own books.

I got this email today from Lands End, telling me the fall goodies have arrived. I don’t actually need a raincoat OR a trenchcoat, but this yellow number is like my kryptonite. I have to say, the vast majority of what Lands End offers is older than my current demographic, but they make a few things I am absolutely addicted to. Fine gauge cotton cardigans, tees, mesh summer footwear, and the occasional surprise like this coat.

Yellow is everywhere now, and this blazer from my favorite clothing company, Boden, is another thing I’m dying to get my hands on.

All this yellow is the perfect complement to my new bag, this super chic present from Adam. It may be a Birkin knockoff, but it’s purple and made of Italian leather. I saw this in a window in Vienna last week, and I was hemming and hawing about whether to spend the money on it. I fell asleep after a tiring day of running around, and Adam snuck back to the shop to surprise me with it. That guy, I tell you.