We love stationery! Blogposts weekly every Friday and free printable monthly.

Friday, March 15, 2024

Review: eric×kleid loose leaf diary A5

Stationery brand Kleid has collaborated with eric to produce a loose leaf diary for 2024.

Eric is an eraser stamp artist and illustrator who started in 2007.
Their works are popular and notably features a world full of small nostalgic everyday things.
There are two types available: kraft paper and cream paper.
The kraft paper used is an ethical material containing over 40% recycled paper. Durable and easy-to-write kraft paper, which is also used for envelopes, creates a stylish finish just by writing on it. The cream paper is the same paper used for books. It is flexible, easy to turn, and has a soft color that is easy on the eyes.

Here, we have chosen the cream paper edition.
Size: 210 x 148mm
Paper: 32 sheets
Made in Japan

Specifications
- 2024/2025 annual calendar
- Annual schedule (2023.12 - 2025.1)
- Monthly schedule (2023.12 - 2025.1)
- Notebook (2mm grid)
- A5/20 holes
Since it is a collaboration between eric and Kleid Diary, each page is filled with their signature whimsical illustrations.
Even the notebook grid pages have a faint border of illustrations.


I have opted to use it with the Campus A5, 20 rings slim binder.

The transparent clear rings fit perfectly with the minimalist design of the diary pages.

The paper is smooth to write on and does not bleed through. Personally I also like the navy print as compared to a typical black. This is because since I generally use a black pen, it stands out more against the navy print. In addition, navy and cream is one of my favorite color combinations.

What do you think?








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Friday, March 8, 2024

Review: Ukanmuri Clip by Sun-Star

 


A quick review this week. 

Study stationery definitely deserves it's own category. 
The designs that come out are completely different from the usual stationery. 

Part practical, part aesthetic and part ergonomic. 
Like this Ukanmuri page holder clip by Bandai Namco. 

It's use is pretty straightforward. 
Hold open textbooks, recipe books, music scores, notebooks, basically any book for easy reference 


First up, it comes in a very pleasing pastel colour, which would fit into any study inspo instagram post. 
Then it's made a of a nice soft plastic, no hard edges, which means it's easy to hold and it doesn't crease any pages, because that can be pretty frustrating. 
The clip's grip is pretty strong too, so even the most firm of book spines can be tamed. 

Finally, the unique U shape means that important content won't be blocked. 


Simple and straightforward, this is an essential stationery item. 
 I now need it in several other colours! 

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Friday, March 1, 2024

Review: Mildliner Brush x Ocha Collab

 


We’ve reviewed mildliner on this blog before but I have to tell you about this set! 

This is a collab by mildliner and Ocha, an illustrator.



Each set comes with 3 brush mildliners, a template and examples of how to use the template. 
You will need an fine ink pen or marker to complete the illustrations as per the examples.=

There are also birds and marine life templates but I of course, chose the cat set. 


The drawings are incredibly cute and easy to replicate with the template. 
It was also fun to play around with the template and try different variations 

The brush colours were perfect and worked well together too. 

If you like the style of the drawings and have always wanted to pick up some brush mildliners, this is a great set to get. 

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Friday, February 23, 2024

Friday, February 9, 2024

Review: Aderia Retro Frixion Pens Set by PLUS


"Aderia Retro" is a range of products that have been inspired by Aderia glassware, which was once used in Showa era homes. One of the representative products are printed glasses with cute patterns such as flowers and animals.

They have collaborated with stationery brand PLUS to create pens with the "Aderia Retro" pattern.

Details:
Ball diameter: 0.6mm
Ink: Friction ink (water-based gel ink)
Ink color: 4 colors (emerald green, sky blue, navy, soft green)
Size: Total length 148mm


Very eye catching designs suitable for everyone.

Here are the swatches:

Since the pens are FRIXION pens, the ink is completely erasable just rubbing it with the end [or any exposure to heat about temperature of around 65c].

Frixion pens have always been a fave here at TN5C for its versatility and ease of use. These nostalgic designs make them a treat to use. 
What do you think?

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Friday, February 2, 2024

Review: Mococo pouch by Kokuyo

 


I am obsessed with puffy pouches at the moment so when I saw the Mococo pillow pouch by Kokuyo, I couldn't resist. 

It comes in 3 colours (white, blue and red) and it's dimensions are 18cm x 7cm x 10cm.




It's main selling points are that it opens 180 degrees to a flat position, making it great for access to pens and the pillowy texture can protect your more fragile stationery. 


With it's soft texture, it can fit quite a few items. 
My only worry is that the fabric might be easily stained if you store pens that might leak and that sort of thing. 


As a bonus, if you have small toys like nendoroids or figurines, the pouch is the perfect protection for them on the go. 

I love this pouch, the material is a lot more pillowy than it looks which in turn feels quite protective. 
As mentioned above, I do worry about staining but I think it could be solved with fabric protection spray. 

It's also not as bulky as you would think, the cushion allows it to fit into bags easily. 

I do think it could do with an extra pocket for loose items but it's great and I hope they will release more colours! 


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Friday, January 26, 2024

Friday, December 29, 2023

Friday, December 22, 2023

Review : Midori MD paper correction tape

This year we reviewed a lot of correction tape and it seems fitting that we end the year with a review of one more.

Whilst getting ourselves ready for 2024, we have also purchased MIDORI's very own correction tape that is made specifically for MD paper.

The cream tape dispensed is 6mm wide.

The packaging is as one would expect of the MD range. Very sleek and simplistic.

There are japanese instructions printed on the back of the package and english instructions on the inside of the package.

So how does it compare to the other cream based correction tape that we have reviewed so far?
As you can see, it is the least opaque compared to the other two but as the label promises, it is an exact match for MD paper.

For those who use a lot of MD paper based products, this is a must have! The lack of opacity doesnt bother me since one would just write over it anyway. However, I do wish they put out other widths as 6mm is too wide even for their own lined books.

What do you think?















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Friday, December 15, 2023

Review: Maruman Smart Review

 



I like the form factor of the Maruman mini ring notebook system, so when I saw these study aids, I decided to take a closer look. 



The binder itself is also a part of the Smart review system. 
It has been designed so the tabs are easy to see through the cover. 

The colour is not usually what I would purchase but the brighter the better when it comes to notes. 
I also like that the spine is the push open mechanism in plastic that is easy on the fingers, metal is fancy and all that but can pinch and that hurts. 

So yes, the binder comes with a set of colour coded dividers with laminated tabs. 
To write on the tabs, I recommend a permanent marker or some labels. 



The looseleaf refill set comes with 90 pages of 6mm spaced lined paper in 3 colours. 
Great for separating your notes visually. 


The vocabulary note set works with or without a card that allows for quick referencing and studying. 
The card is sold separately but even without it, the sheets are great listing and marking off things that you will or have already studied. 


How does the card work? 
It's red so whatever you write in red will disappear with the card over it. 


like so!

Very useful, first off, it's less effort than flipping pages or folding sheets and I think the red keeps you awake, I definitely need help in that department. 


A comparison of the mini binder next to the slim A5 binder. 

All in all, a very tidy study set from Maruman. 

I'm going to take my time filling these up but what do you think? Is this something you'd like to try? 



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Friday, December 8, 2023

Review: Hapila! Scissors Cleaner Pen

 One of my biggest pet peeves is to use dirty scissors. So you can imagine my dismay when the only pair in my pencil case gets dirty. Cleaning it with napkins used to be an option but it doesnt quite work if the scisssors gets sticky. 

Well here's a solution!

Hapila! Scissors Cleaner Pen
According to the writeup on the back of the packaging, it not only removes dirt from scissors, but also makes them slippery, and also has antifouling properties.


This is how it looks like within the packaging. There appears to be a fair amount of cleaning solution in the pen too.
Here is how to use it.
  1. Clean the scissors with a dry cloth to remove dust.
  2. Apply the liquid from the pen to the surface.
  3. Rub clean with a dry cloth.

It works really well! The stains are gone and the scissors now has a glossy finish making it harder for future stains to adhere.

I had thought about replacing these scissors but it looks like i will not have to! Definitely a must have in one's pen case!

What do you think?


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Friday, December 1, 2023

2024 Diary First Impressions: Hobonichi A6 Almost Daily Notebook - Tomitaro Makino

 


Now that it's December, I thought I would write about the diary I'm planning to use for 2024. 

I haven't used a Hobonichi with quite a few years but these botanical illustrations by Tomitaro Makino are so pretty, I decided to give it a go again. 

I purchased the Japanese A6 version, it's a semi hard cover and comes with a pencil board with a pen holder, a Hobonichi brochure and a card with information about the illustrator. 


Since I last used hobonichi, they've made a few changes, the most important being thicker paper. 
I had a few issues with the paper being too thin last time so I'm looking forward to seeing if this improvement makes the Hobonichi a better notebook. 

The inside layout is very similar to previous iterations of the Hobonichi, but the paper definitely feels thicker. 

It's January start so no writing yet but let me know in the comments if you'd like a longer review. 



First impressions wise: 

I don't remember this spine coloring but it's very helpful! 
I wished the cover was a bit more hard cover than semi hard cover but I understand that contributes to weight. 
The illustrations are so pretty, I might have to put a plastic cover over it. 
and finally, I love the addition of clear pencil board, it's simple and pretty. 

I'm very excited to start using this notebook, what about you? 
What's your 2024 diary? 





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Friday, November 24, 2023

December 2023 Printable

 

The last month of the year is here!
Are you guys excited for the holiday season?
Here at TN5C we want to kickstart your holiday cheer with this month's free printable!
Download HERE.

Netprint (Japan) and IBON (Taiwan) details can be found on our instagram.

Do tag us in your creations! We would love to see them!

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