I love buying new stationery and the ultimate purchase, in my humble opinion, is a diary for the new year.

Yesterday I bought my 2010 diary from one of my favourite shops, Kiki.k – the thinner version of the diary pictured in a peppermint green colour (I had the red version for 2009). Many things have to be considered when buying a diary for the year. Portability is the main thing, as it must fit snugly in a handbag, yet be large enough for you to write in comfortably. Durability is another point to consider as there’s nothing worse than dog ears or a diary that won’t close properly after a few months of use. Outside aesthetics is also important; after all, you’re going to be looking at it for 12 months.

You also have to consider the inside pages, which is where I think the Swedish designers at Kiki.k really come into their own. Some diaries look pretty on the outside, but inside is a mess – cheap and nasty paper, not enough space to write appointments, no Australian public holidays listed, ugly typography. I made the mistake in 2008 of buying a cheap diary to save money and regretted it for the whole year, as there wasn’t enough space on each page to write in. The above diary has the perfect layout, complete with little emoticons and weather symbols so you can circle “sad face, storm cloud” on a gloomy day. Very cute!