Review: Paperian Make-a-memo memo pad

I picked up these notepads on my last trip to Seoul from a bookstore at Yongsan station. 

I like little notepads like these, they're easy to pick up and use in my daily life. 

These notepads are by a brand called paperian. 

I picked up 3, Today's expenses, Recipe, and To do list. 

To do list and today's expenses are quite self explanatory and I think the small form factor is great for writing daily lists. 

Recipe is a nice yellow and I've been saving a lot of instagram recipes so having somewhere to jot them down is so useful. 

 The paper is a good thickness, no bleeding and ink dries quickly. 

There were no issues with using highlighters too. 

If you spot these in Korea, I recommend you give them a try!

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December 2024 Printable

 The year is coming to an end so lets get started on getting ready with this printable~

Featuring some holiday colors and neutrals, its bound to work in all layouts!

Download here: PDF

For ibon/netprint information, please see our instagram post.

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Review: Toyo dotdot glue tape

Toyo is a Singapore brand that has been around since 1994. 

They're a staple in all school shops, neighbourhood stationery stores and even supermarkets. 

My favourite glue tape is actually the Tombow Pit Air series but supply of the refills can be a bit spotty so I picked up the dotdot glue tape during a time when I was worried I would run out of glue tape. 

It's 6mm wide and there's 6m of product in a clear tinted plastic body, which makes it easy to see when you've run out. 

 

It's a bit smaller and lighter than the tombow which makes it more portable.

Both glue tapes have a roller mechanism, I found the Toyo felt lighter and a bit flimsy and once you got the hang of it, it was easy to use. Unfortunately, unlike the Tombow, the only indicator that you're using it the right way up is a little bit of grip stopper on one side, so I ended up trying to use the wrong side quite often. 

The most important test, how is the adhesiveness. 

I adhered 2 pieces of paper and then removed them. 

The Toyo was easier to remove and did not remove too much product from the adhered piece. 

So at the end of the day, the Tombow is still the better glue tape, however, the Toyo is a very budget friendly version so if you're a power user, definitely go with the Toyo. 

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Review: DAISO Safety Cutter

About a year ago we reviewed the precision cutter from DAISO featuring a compact stylish pen that had a sharp metal nib for cutting. Recently we found a new updated version from DAISO.

Safety Cutter

Whilst it looks similar in that it is also a pen sized item. There are several key differences.

Unlike the previous version, it features a retractable nib instead of a cap.

And there is no metal tip. Instead there is a ceramic knife tip.

The ceramic knife tip is very sharp despite how it looks and is able to cut very fine details!

It comes in two clear colors [greyish beige or navy]

Being a fan of monotone shades, I picked up the grey.What do you think of this handy item?

Is it better than the version before?

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Review: Stabilo Boss Original Nature Colors

I've got a highlighter collection going on but there was a special reason I purchased the Stabilo Boss Original Nature Colors set. 

The stabilo name is very well known, even the shape of the highlighter is instantly recognisable. 

The nature colours set comes with 3 highlighters in muted natural colours and 1 black. 

Black? you ask. 

That's the reason I picked up this set. 

It's shaped like a highlighter, but the black is in fact, a marker. 

The black marker is ideal for underlining or outlining but stay tuned to find out what I use it for. 

The 3 highlighters are a beautifully muted. They have now all been made into into my most used pen section. 

As with all Stabilo highlighters, they glide on nicely and dry fast so they are the best highlighters to keep around. 

The black marker uses the same flat nib as the highlights but the ink is very pigmented and fully opaque. 

I use it on my to-do lists to help me focus. 

Finished tasks are blacked out completely so I can concentrate on the remaining items. 

Of course there are a lot of other uses for the black marker but a black marker that works like a  highlighter is pretty rare (at least to me). 

My final thoughts. 

I really like this set, I purchased it for the black marker but stayed for the muted colours of the highlighters. Stabilo really hit it out of the park with this set! 

 

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Review: YAMADA Fusen Case

Recently I shared a few different ways to bring small fusen [sticky notes] on the go. So what about larger sticky notes?

Try this fusen case from YAMADA~

Size:

85 x 88 x H44mm [outer]

79 x 78 x H18 [each of the inner compartments]

There is a compartment on either side of the container [2 compartments that do not interconnect].

You can put any fusen with a maximum size of 75mm x 75mm.

Or you can use it to store small items such as I did on one side.

The clear design is reminiscent of things MUJI.

A simplistic style that will match most decor/color scheme.

I find the size very useful as you are able to carry around your larger fusen without worrying about it being damaged. Its also good for memo paper and the fact you get two compartments means you can carry other related items making things quite organized.

What do you think?

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November 2024 Printable

 

November printable! 

Download here: Link

For netprint and ibon information, please see our instagramapple

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Review: Offcut by Allegro Print

 

We should support local businesses whenever possible. 

I found this paper brand at a sustainable festival and I love what they're doing so I just have to share. 

Offcut is an upcycled stationery brand by Allegro Print, a Singaporean printing company. 
They repurpose waste paper from their print productions into refreshed stationery.

 I love the idea and the notepads they produce feel very purposeful and well thought through. 

I picked up 2 notepads, meeting agenda and assorted list. 

Whilst assorted list is a pretty standard to-do list, meeting agenda comes in 2 versions, a standard print version and a reverse version, where the text is printed mirrored on the reverse side of the paper. 

It shows through, albeit faintly but it appears to be printed that way as the printed side is a more shiny paper and the usable side is matte, which makes it a more suitable side for writing. 

I tested both sides of meeting agenda and assorted list. 

However, the paper type for each design may differ depending on the available leftovers.

 

In general, the paper used is of good quality. 

The paper for assorted list was thicker and better to write on than the double sided meeting agenda. 

Although the permanent marker did bleed through the paper used for meeting agenda, both notepads worked well with ballpen, highlighter, brush pen and permanent marker.

The reverse meeting agenda is a really interesting concept. 

I initially bought it because it seemed different.

Then after awhile, I felt it might not be useful, the text was difficult to see through the paper. 

The more I used it though, the more I understood the concept. 

First, using the shiny side of the paper for writing would not be very practical and the matte side did not look like it was the printable side so by mirroring it, both sides can be used effectively. 

Second, even though the text was difficult to see through the paper, I realised the subtlety of the lines made is easier to write on. 

If you're like me, tracing the relevant text might also be kind of fun. 

So this notepad works out well for people who like a contrast between the grid and the notes being written down. 

For more information on Offcut, see here.

I think this brand has a good identity and the products are fresh and fun. 

I will definitely look to them to purchase my future notepads. 

What do you think? Isn't using leftover materials a great idea? 

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Review: Hapila! Clear Photo Album [L size 64 pocket]

If you are anything like me, you must collect a lot of decorative papers like photos and cards. So how do you organise them?

Recently I chanced upon this album by hapila! High Clarity Photo Album [L size 64 pocket]

In case you are not familiar, L size in Japan for photos refers to the ever popular 3R sized photos found overseas.

The high clarity pockets make it easy to see the photographs or cards clearly.

So what happens when you have something bigger? For example: A postcard

That's not going to fit in a L size pocket.

Well that's not a problem with this album because there is also an opening at the top where you can slide a postcard in.

The embossed lines that originally separated the L size pockets are now holding the postcard in place. Ingenious isnt it?

Honestly, I think the possibilities are endless!

Some combinations I can think of include

- Greeting card + photos

-Travel postcard + trip photos

-Event invitation + event photos

The outer semi transparent plastic design is also very reminiscent of MUJI's simplistic style and will go very well with most aesthetics.

What do you think?

Would you buy it?

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Review: Shachihata Rotating Decoration Stamp Mini

 

Rotating stamps are so fun, you can squeeze so many designs in a small form factor. 

The shachihata rotation stamp mini lured me in with the beautiful stars design so of course I had to get it. 

(I used soramame ink pads) 

The construction of the stamp is good, it feels weighty and the rotating mechanism is smooth and easy to use. 

Unfortunately my stamping skills were a bit rusty so not everything turned out well but I enjoyed the stamp and will definitely use it more. 

What do you think? Is this something you might be interested in? 

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October 2024 Printable

Fall season is upon us and we print you a brand new printable~!

Download here: PDF

For ibon/netprint information, please see our instagram post.

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Monami Pens Haul

As a follow up to our last post, these are the pens I purchased at the Monami store! 

I chose pens from 3 different price points to try. 

The cheapest is the Flip 3 (2,100 krw), followed by the Zenith 7 (4,000krw), the most expensive is the 153 Neo (15,000 krw). 

You might have been thinking the price differences were pretty big but they're all very affordable. 

My favourite is the 153 Neo, the ballpoint pen is heavy and feels nice to hold. The ballpoint ink is 0.7mm and is smooth and pigmented. Great for work documents and general everyday use. 

The Zenith 7 is also a pretty decent ballpoint pen, not as heavy but it looks classic and quite professional. 

The multi pen flip 3 is my least favourite.

It's the cheapest but also the least pleasant to use, I guess the price reflects the quality. 

I've reviewed many multi pens for the blog but this was the scratchiest pen I've ever come across. 

If you need to purchase pens in bulk, this will do but otherwise I wouldn't recommend it. 

Also, if you purchase a premium pen at the store, you can get free engraving! 

I took up the offer and I'm pretty pleased with my pen. 

Once again, if you're in seoul, definitely checkout the Monami store! 

 

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Stationery Shopping: Monami in Seoul, South Korea

 

I just got back from a short trip to Seoul and wanted to share my experience at the Monami store in Seongsu. 

The store is outside exit 4 of Seongsu station on line 2 of the Seoul Metro. 

Monami is a south korean stationery brand, they make everything from pens to office supplies to calligraphy tools and are widely available due to their affordable prices. 

The store has been at this location for a while not and it's pretty big for a standalone brand store in the area. 

When you walk in, you're greeted by the custom ink mixing station called ink lab next to the payment counter. I think the ink lab requires a reservation but I had dropped in casually and didn't make one. 

The store sells a wide variety of items including souvenir cards...

...apparel....

...stickers, tape and paper for journalling. 

There's also a wide range of their pens, markers, pencils and calligraphy tools. 

At the back of the store, you'll find a DIY pen station, you can pick the ink refill, body, and cap to make your own pen! 

There's also a vending machine if the store is crowded and you'd like something in a hurry. 

Also, vending machines are always fun so give it a try anyway! 

It's not really a stationery store without notebooks, they had some custom notebook options and they also carried other brands. 

Like this moleskine collab with Harry Potter, which I thought was very pretty. 

I had a fun time browsing the store, I already own some of their pens and markers so deciding what to buy turned out to be more difficult than I thought. 

Tune in next week for my review on what I purchased in the store. 

If you're in the Seongsu area, and you most likely will as it's one of the trending areas in Seoul, definitely drop by the Monami store! 

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