REVIEW: DAISO Log Stamp [Weekly, Calendar and Tag]

DAISO is fast becoming one of my favorite places to buy journaling goods. 

Their current LOG STAMP range is a perfect example of their current lineup.

I picked up 3 of the stamps from the range.

The stamps are nicely sized. Good for use in an array of sizes of notebooks and memo pads.

They also feature a neutral color palette; making it easy to coordinate with your favorite colors.

They are also self inking and do not require you to use an ink pad.
This makes them a lot more portable as well. The ink used is black, which matches with most palettes.

The sharp lines stamp nicely and do not exude too much ink. 

The low mess and versatility makes it a perfect addition to anyone's stationery collection.

What do you think?

July 2025 Printable

 

July 2025 Printable 

Download here: Link

For netprint and ibon information, please see our instagram.

Review: Pin Note, trading card holder x notebook by Iroha Publishing

It's another purchase from Bungu Joshi!

This is the Pin Note by Iroha publishing, a notebook with a trading card holder. 

I picked up the an A6 sized Pin note that was a Bungu Joshi exclusive. 

There is also an A5 version. 

The notebook includes a hard plastic sleeve as a cover, a design sheet in between the cover and the notepaper (this is the exclusive design for Bungu Joshi), 56 sheets of 3mm grid notepaper, 2 plastic pockets at the back of the notebook and a plastic film for you to decorate. 

The hard plastic sleeve cover fits a photocard or 2 and protects it well! 

I also like the special design backing sheet. 

If you have a small acrylic stand, that will fit as well! 

Binding wise, it's a typical wire binding. Unfortunately this means you can remove pages but not add to it. 

The paper is a 3mm grid, perfectly usable for everyday notetaking. 

Overall, if you're wanting to customise your notebook cover, the pin note is what you're looking for. 

Review: DAISO High End Design Knife

I have always been one that used the conventional mini blade cutters [like a box cutter] for paper crafts. However with my recent interest in making miniatures, I decided it might be time to purchase a pen like version.

Whilst browsing in Daiso, I came across this version.

As the name implies, it is touted as a high end version of the usual design knife. However at just 200yen [USD$1.38~] , I wondered what made it different from the others out there.

Here are a few key points.

1. Uses most replacement blades
2. Embossed for non-slip grip in a easy to hold shape
3. Lightweight , low center of gravity for a stable feel
4. Comes with a magnet at the end for use as a grabber tool

Other obvious perks include the low price, classic design and portability.

What do you think? 

Would you try this out?

Review: Kodomo no Kao's Pochitto Pick!

This week's review is of the Pochitto pick! 
We've reviewed the regular Pochitto on this blog before and the Pick! is an interesting edition. 

The Pochitto Pick! is a customisable stamp system. 

You purchase an empty case which has 6 slots, then you purchase stamps, which come in a set of 3. 

  

Each set is themed and each stamp can be removed and then placed in a spot in the case. 

The stamp just clicks into place, easy! 

I picked up the task and oshi sets, there are also sets for health, weather and other stamps you might use in a diary/schedule on a day to day basis. 

I do think the Pochitto Pick! is really cute and I appreciated the customisable nature of it. Being able to swap out the stamps is pretty useful. 

Even if the Pick! is bigger than the regular Pochitto, being able to decide the lineup of stamps in the case makes it easier to carry around than multiple Pochittos. 

What do you think, do you use the Pochitto stamps? Which is your favourite series? 

June 2025 Printable

 June is here and it heralds summer in many parts of the world. 

We have designed a printable this month with the ever loved motif of a Japanese wind chime!

Download here: PDF

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

Review: LIHIT LAB Customize Open Ring A6 Notebook

Popular Japanese stationery brand LIHIT LAB has recently released a series of customized open ring notebooks where you can choose the style of covers, color of ring spine and the inserts you would like in it.

We picked up the basic pieces to try it out!

The A6 notebook open ring spine comes in a wide range of colors and will hold inserts with 17holes.

There are also lots of different color covers to choose from. Since they sold piece by piece, you can choose different colors for the front and back covers. I bought the one below to be the back cover.

For the cover, I chose something that was a little different.

The pocket type cover

The pocket cover is made up of two sheets of clear plastic that stick together with sticky dots on the inside of it. This allows you to insert whatever you like inside, making it truly customizable. It is also useful as a spare pocket!

There are many other inserts available other than the usual array of papers. Such a clear pockets, sticky notes sheet, hard plastic for writing on etc etc

I'm currently using mine as a travel notebook.

What do you think? Would you get one?

Review: Anterique's Scribble Notebook

 

Antereique is a Japanese brand that makes retro inspired ballpoint pens. 

They had a booth at Bungo Joshi and I picked up this interesting notebook. 

The scribble notebook is a handheld ringbound notepad. 

The front of the notebook is protected by a plastic sheet and the pages are cut so that it fits a mini pen.

The notebook measures 128 by 91mm and the paper is 5mm grid. 

I like the compact size of the notebook, it's definitely one I can throw in my bag and not worry about the weight. 

The notebook is secured with a rubber band, and the front is protected by a plastic sheet. 

These sound like good additions until you realise it's to keep the pen in it's holding spot and secure it when not in use. 

The pen itself is a pretty standard ballpoint pen, nice to hold and a cute retro design, which Anterique is know for. 

 

Speaking of the holding spot for the pen. 

It's quite interesting that it's carved into the notepaper. 

This does mean you have less usable writing space, but you might never lose your pen, that is, if you always return it to the same spot. 

I think this notebook is a cute concept, I'll definitely use it for awhile and see how that feels. 

Review: Benwuyou Five Hole Punch

 In Japan, its more common to find 20 ring files than the usual 6 ring files. However its hard to find the right type of hole punch. Usually its made of metal fully making it very expensive or you have to resort to buying a one hole punch and punching out all the holes by yourself. Even then, those are usually quite bulky and hard to store. Not to mention quite tedious to use.

Recently, I chanced upon this 

5 Hole Punch

To use simply line your paper against the guide on the long part of the punch.

After pushing down on the top part, you will have 5 holes punched out.

To punch more holes like 20 holes for your file, simply feed the paper back in and line it up as belows.

To empty the punched out paper, simply pop the bottom lid open. 

At first I was certainly dubious as to how well this could work but it does the job perfectly!

Its also lighter and more compact than most other options whilst being easier to use as well.

What do you think?

Would you try it? 

May 2025 Printable

 

May 2025 Printable 

Download here: Link

For netprint and ibon information, please see our instagram.

Review: King Jim Tepra RH24 Half Cutter

 Have you ever bought something vaguely useful but turns out to be..well..extremely useful?

I have been organizing my things recently and printing tons of labels on my label maker. And for anyone who uses one, you must know how troublesome it is to peel the labels off the release paper when its so small. 

As it turns out, there is a tool sold specifically for helping with that!

King Jim Tepra RH24 Half Cutter

Here is how it looks like out of the box

As the name suggests, what the cutter does is cut the labels halfway aka only cutting the release paper, making it easier to peel the label off. 

All you need to do is insert the label and "cut" it by snipping it once.

As you can see, the yellow release paper has been cut and its a lot easier to peel it off. 

And yes, that is actually a sticker [flake seal] in the picture. In other words, it totally works for those troublesome flake stickers too.

But since the cutter is designed for thin labels, what about big flake stickers that do not fit in it?

All you have to do is clip the corner!

The clipped corner is all you need to peel the sticker easily!!

Once I unlocked this hidden usage, I found myself using this cutter almost daily!

As a matter of fact, I have deemed it part of my journaling must haves!

What do you think?

Will you try it?

Review: A4 Foldable Clipboard by Abel

 

I handle a lot of paperwork/documents so I'm always in need of files and clipboards. 

I picked up this A4 foldable clipboard by Abel in Taiwan and design award label piqued my interest. 

The key point of this clipboard is that it holds full size A4 paper in an A5 footprint, then opens up into a full feature clipboard. 

The material is a strong hard plastic which aids writing, especially if you're outside or on your feet. 

There's a clip, of course and a rubber band on the other end to secure your documents. 

So you can use it as an A4 board or as a book style with A5 pages. 

The clipboard holds up to 30 sheets. 

I tested with 15 sheets and it neatly and comfortably folded. 

It protects the documents well and it's as thick as a notebook so it would fit in a workbag nicely. 

Did I mention it has a pen holder. 

Abel thought of everything, I can see why it won a design award. 

I can see myself using this clipboard a lot. 

It looks good and is really function. 

The best part? It only cost around USD5, I should have purchased an extra! 

Review: Fabric sticky notes "NUUN" by Kanmido

Do you use sticky notes as tabs in your journals or books?

Since I use the monthly calendar + free pages diary from MD, I often need to flip between the two areas monthly. To make it easier, I started placing sticky notes for fast access like index tabs. However the conventional ones made of paper or film get wrinkled or crushed easily during transport. In the pursuit of something more durable, I found these.

NUUN

Fabric like sticky notes

Available in two types: "Mark" and "Tab".

"Mark" is easy to use as a bookmark on the pages of your planner or notebook, while "Tab" is the perfect size to use as an index.

You can choose the type that best suits your usage scene and where you want to stick it.

Each pack comes with 3 different colors in 3 sets.

They can be separated for easy transport.

The fabric material of NUUN feels very high quality and matches perfectly with leather or fabric-covered diaries and notebooks.

Though a bit pricey than usual sticky notes, these are much more durable and can be used repeatedly for a long time. They use adhesive that doesn't lose its adhesive power even after repeated sticking and peeling, so you can use them for longer than regular sticky notes.

What do you think?

Would you try them?