The school summer holidays are fast approaching which means that you teachers have some organising to do! Aside from all the planning and preparation needed in order to ensure that the new school year and class get off to a good start, you’ll also need to consider your supplies. Cast your mind forward; do you have enough paper to see you through the year? How are the colouring pencils looking, running low? Have you lost one too many pencil sharpeners and now finding one when you need it is a mission? Have the children snapped the rulers and how are the erasers looking? Printer cartridges run low pretty quick, have you stocked your store cupboards? The list of supplies is never ending.

Your class are likely to create project books; do you have enough treasury tags? Have you checked your glue sticks recently, are they looking dried up? It’s impossible to address an entire class without a whiteboard or blackboard; do you have the chalk or markers?

Office 365 is a website which caters to all your school needs. We really do have everything you need and more besides. From your trimmers and guillotines, to staplers and staples, we even have a great range of electrical’s for your convenience! Office 365’s range even stretches to furniture so that you can purchase classroom desks, receptions furniture, canteen tables and even lockers at the same place you’ll find your filing supplies so that ordering can be done with just one company; us!

But it doesn’t stop there! We’ve carefully considered further incentives so that we can be sure that we’re bringing you the best deal and a service which far exceeds that of our competitors! We’re so confident of our low prices that we even offer a price match policy! Further to this, if you’re ordering from a school we can accept official purchase orders faxed to our FreeFax 0800 612 9524 or sent via email with the order attached to sales@office365.co.uk! Ordering in bulk can often mean you’ll qualify for further discounts too, so don’t forget to ask.

Finally, all new customers will earn an additional 10% off their first order, plus every order over the value of £60 qualifies for a free chocolate gift! Think of it as bribery for the school kids! You can pay using credit or debit cards, or even using PayPal when you buy online! However if you’d like to discuss payment methods further, then do feel free to contact us on 0870 766 1624.

Feeling creative?  Let your imagination soar off into the clouds and build your own hot air balloon!

Using products available from Office 365 why not try your hand at these?

For the balloon, cut strong paper, with 5 Star Scissors or use soft card and cut using a Stanley Cutting Knife, making hexagonal shapes of equal size.  Using a choice of Sellotape, staples, or labels, join the hexagonal shapes together to form your balloon shape. If you’re using paper you could even cover it with Tipp Ex to give it more strength. To make the basket at the bottom of your hot air balloon, you can take a Robinson Young Insulated Vending Cup, make two holes in each side and insert a long strong length of Smartbox Pro Medium Polypropylene Twine, in each side, making sure to tie a knot  so that the string stays in place. Make two holes in the balloon and attach the opposite end of string into the balloon to join the balloon to the basket. You now have your basic hot air balloon and the fun can begin!

You can now decorate your balloon with the many choices available here with Office 365; let your imagination go wild! Decorate your hot air balloon with Avery Packet of Labels, or use Lakeland Colourthin Colouring Pencils or Derwent Academy Oil Pastels to make your balloon really take off! Once finished you can hang your hot air balloon and admire, and use the paper cup as storage for pens or any other office stationary of your choice.

For a different take on this idea, substitute the paper balloon for a small refuse bag, take outside and drop from a height and watch it catch the wind and float gently down. What a great way to pass the time at home! Alternatively, if you get bored in the office between phone calls, you could stand on your chair and drop your refuse bag balloon and watch it as it falls gracefully to the ground. Please note, if you get in trouble with the boss, it wasn’t our idea! Please we really shouldn’t be recommending standing on chairs, so do go careful!

After all this excitement, you may then want to go for a lie down….but on the other hand, you may want to try hot air ballooning for real?! If so, why not head on over to Adventure Balloons where you can enjoy the real thing for as little as £89 per person!

According to statistics, 13% of the world’s population are left handed and it is thought that being left handed is generic.  In fact evidence shows that it definitely runs in families! My family are a great example of this. My grandfather was born left handed and back then it was seen as something which should be corrected. The poor lad was forced to write with his right hand, which as you can imagine, was a real struggle. He is now ambidextrous (can write with both his left and right hands) which I think is pretty smart! My brother is also left handed and so it seems that he picked up our grandfathers gene, and so it will go on.

I do remember my brother struggling with certain tasks; tools and general products are not designed for left handed use and I remember this frustrating him greatly. Many left handed people struggle with some everyday tasks which can make you appear awkward or just hopeless. However it is not you! It is simply that you are using the wrong tools! A common example is left handed scissors. If you find that you tear the paper rather than cut it and can never seem to cut neatly along a line, then it is because you are using the wrong scissors.

Try our 5 Star Left Handed Scissors featured.

• Orange ABS handles with machined stainless steel blades
• 10 year blade guarantee
• Left-handed
• Size: 217mm
• Our price is just £1.03 giving you a saving of £6.38 off the RRP!

Left-handed scissors have their blades reversed so that the top blade is always on the left, this way you can see your cutting line. The natural squeezing action of your hand pushes the blades together and the result is a guillotine like action, rather than pushing them apart where the paper just bends between the blades.

It is always a good idea to cater to all the needs of your staff; don’t discriminate against the left hander’s by assuming everyone is right handed or can use right handed tools, consider them when making you stationery purchases!

Scissors – The hand operated cutting instrument consisting of a pair of metal blades connected so that the sharpened edges slide against each other. Without trying to state the obvious, it is important that we consider all of our customers here at Office 365, and some may have been trapped in a time warp since the age of the dinosaurs and will need an explanation as to what these strange ‘scissors’ are.

We use scissors routinely everyday for cutting various thin materials including items such as paper, cardboard, string, thread, fabric, tin foil, thin plastic, cloth and more. We also use scissors to cut hair and also in cookery, however you won’t find those scissors here, so you may want to visit a pharmacy or cookware shop instead, but it was nice to see you, come again (for your stationery and office supplies)!

Just like with pens, there is nothing more annoying than not having a pair of scissors to hand when you need them. Working in a busy office or school environment often requires the use of scissors; however with so many people using them, can you ever find a pair when you want them? We recommend that each desk has their own pair to save time and arguments! Here at Office 365 we have some absolutely ridiculous offers on our 5 Star range of scissors. Take for example these 5 Star General Purpose Scissors pictured below. Featuring:

• Features integral grooved centre grip to assist in the opening of bottles or jars
• Suitable for cutting tougher materials
• Complete with 2 year blade guarantee
• 217mm
• 92% Off!!!!
• Now just £1.05!

We also have a variety of soft grip scissors which are also made by 5 Star and have a soft rubber grip handle designed for comfort and machine stainless steel blades. Alternatively we have a selection of school scissors which are available for as little as 29p a pair! These 5cm rule scissors have stainless steel blades and are available in a nice bright red or in assorted colours packs. All made by the reputable 5 Star, you can be sure of quality and a price suitable for every budget. These really are the cheapest prices on the net, and if you find them cheaper anywhere else, we’ll match it!

Your desk – A monument of yourself, an illustration of your character and a shadow of your home. From my experience it is fair to say that your desk really does reflect who you are; warts and all and this goes for both the office desk and the home office desk! Now as well as having a fantastic range of desks to choose from, made by a quality array of different brands, we also have everything you could possibly need to accessorise it, organise it and  give it a touch of class. If you’re a desk hopper, there’s never time to allow it to get a mess, but if you’ve been lucky enough to have your own desk in the workplace, value it – and your reputation! Many people say that a messy desk is a messy mind, symbolising someone who is un-organised, incapable and out of their depth. Many employers frown upon their staff who cannot keep their space organised and will favour those who can, even in terms of promotion and pay rise. Why sacrifice such benefits and your good reputation when there are products at hand that can help you keep your desk in order?

At Office 365 you will find many desktop accessories which provide homes for all you’re little bits and pieces, making sure that your possessions are at hand when you need them, not under a heap! With desk blotters available in full and half demy options, book and magazine racks to free up space and keep your literature handy, clipboards, desk mats to protect your desks surface, desk tidies for all those bits and pieces, desk drawers, letter trays and filing units for the filing of frequently needed paperwork, hole punches, perforators, pins clips and fasteners, rubber stamps, scissors and letter openers, stamp pad ink, staplers and removers, staples, tape dispensers, telephone indexes and useful telephone arms which are great for freeing up some desk space, Office 365 certainly have everything you could need!

So now you know how to keep your desk tidy, the tools to do so, and where to get them from, you have no excuses. Turn it around now and let 2011 be the year you impress your boss, get yourself organised and further your career.

All scissors, whether used in homes, kitchens, schools or offices can take one heck of a beating over the course of day and soon become dull and useless. When used regularly a pair of scissors can become unusable within a matter of just months. Did you know that paper can be one of the worst things to dull scissors? Instead of throwing them out like many do, why not save yourself the pennies and restore your scissors to their former glory. They may seem to cost very little to replace, however when you think about how many pairs you have actually worked your way through, it soon adds up! The solution is so simple and accessible, anyone could do it! By using aluminium foil, you can quickly and efficiently bring your scissors back to life. By using products that can be found in every kitchen cupboard, this is a rather easy fix and will not require you to spend your money or much of your time.

1. Tear off approximately six inches of aluminium foil and fold
2. As if you where making a fan, fold over the piece of foil several times until it is thick.
3. With your blunt scissors, cut along the longest edge of the foil several times. If the tip of the scissors needs sharpening, simply snip the foil with the tip of the scissors. Test your scissors on a piece of paper and repeat if necessary. You will soon have a satisfyingly sharp (and dangerous) pair of scissors!

Helpful Hints & Warning!

If after several attempts your scissors still seem dull, repeat the steps again or take your stubborn scissors to be sharpened by a professional. Alternatively take a look at our discounted 5 Star range of quality scissors from as little as £0.32p!

Use different scissors for different tasks. For example keep one pair for paper cutting, one pair for crafts or sewing and another for in the kitchen.

When using scissors, BE CAREFULL, they can cut fingers!

Left handedness is fairly common with between 7 and 10 percent of the population using their left hand to do most tasks. It is a well known fact that left-handed people are sometimes placed at a disadvantage. This is due to the overwhelming majority of right-handed tools. Most tools and devices are designed to be used with the right hand. A perfect example of this is right-handed scissors, a very common tool. They are made so that the line being cut can easily be seen by a right-handed user, but is not visible for a left-handed user. Also, the handles are shaped in a way that is difficult for a left handed person to hold, and prolonged use can lead to discomfort such as soars and blisters. Mainly however, the shearing action which is how the blades work together or how they are attached at the pivot, operates functionally for a right handed user, but a left-hander will not be able to work the scissors correctly and may force the blades apart rather than cutting through the material. There is such as thing as ambidextrous scissors (which are supposed to be usable for both left and right handed users) but these do not help as the cutting blades are still set for right-handed users. So 5 Star have decided enough is enough!

Featured to your right is our 5 Star Left Handed Scissors.

• ABS orange handles with machined stainless steel blades
• 10 year guarantee
• Left handed
• 217 mm
• Save 45%!

With a saving like this, you can now pick these scissors up for just £2.82! So for our full selection of Left Handed Scissors and Right Handed Office Scissors, visit the site where you will find more massive savings like this.

Did you know?

• International Left-handers Day has been designated to August 13th each year.
• Research has concluded that where both parents are left-handed, there is a chance of around 6% that they will produce a left-handed child and two right-hander’s have approximately a 9% chance. The likelihood of one left and one right-handed parent creating a left-hander, is just below 19%.

Prices available from 28th October 2009