Elephants, Flowers and A Perfect Storm of Cute

Recently I confessed my irrational passion for little notebooks and blank books. I love them, I crave them, I always want more of them....but I don't use them. Such a dilemma.

And I've also talked about my enthusiasm for Target's new marketing strategy called The Shops at Target. By highlighting products from small shops within their big box stores, Target has figured out a way to inject some edgy entrepreneurial spirit into its massive retail machine. I'm so impressed with the concept as well as the particular products being offered through the Shops. 

Over the weekend, these two passions collided to form a perfect storm of cute. Here's how it went down:

For Mother's Day, my eldest daughter bought me the journal shown on the left in the photo below. She was wandering through Target on an unrelated mission, spied this book and thought it looked like something I might like. 

Little did she know that a few hours earlier, I had held this very book in my hands and obsessed over it. Yes, it's from Privet House, one of the Shops at Target. Yes, I love the green and white floral pattern with the bright orange binding. Yes, I am very glad she bought it for me!

As I rejoiced in that fabulous gift, I thought once again about the fact that I don't really have any need for such a book. But you know what? I didn't care at all. Just holding that book in my hands, displaying it here and there around the house, feasting my eyes on its adorableness, was so immensely satisfying that I don't need to write in it. I am happy just to own it.

So on Monday, when I found myself in Michaels, marveling over this less elegant but sturdy and quirky elephant-covered notebook (on the right in the photo), I did not think twice. It cost me one dollar and fifty cents. My gosh, I got that much satisfaction out of it before I even left the store. 

Now I have two more blank notebooks and no plans to use them. 

And I'm fine with that. The storm has ended and I am at peace.

If you have any suggestions about how I might use these blank notebooks, please advise.