MACO - The Pen sized masking tape holder

Japanese stationery brand Kanmeido has launched a brand new product: A pen sized masking tape holder!

They come in 4 different colors : Yellow, Pink , White and Navy.

Each set comes with the following : A holder, 5 refill cases and 1 winder.

How it works.

Using the winder, you are able to wind up to 1m of tape you want to use onto the refill.

Once the refill is ready, you can slot it into the holder.

Up to 4 different masking tapes can be added at each time.

There are refills available for sale separately as well!

I think this is a great system and extremely handy to bring masking tape on the go. A wonderful addition to my traveling stationery kit.

What do you think?

Read More

5 Stationery Storage Ideas

Journaling, keeping a diary, writing in a notebook, that all requires a trove of pens, stickers. 

1. Washi Tape Container

I used to keep all my washi tape in a shallow drawer but it was difficult to keep the rolls in a straight line. They would roll around and require reorganisation every few months as well. 

These containers however, are perfect.

They fit both regular and smaller rolls of washi tape. Wider tape might fit but will need to be rotated. 1 box fits around 45 rolls of tape and is easy to stack. Plus the box is clear which makes it really easy to find what you need without creating a big mess. 

2. Fusen and other card sized stickers/labels

Fusen/labels tend to come in card sized packaging which makes it portable and great for your on the go kit, but what happens when they accumulate? 

I discovered this hack on instagram recently, and the idea is to store all of the card sized fusen into a trading card sleeve/pockets.  

This won't work with a business card holder, trading card pockets are wider and it works for card sized fusen packaging because of the thickness. Also, compared to business card holders which are landscape oriented, trading card pockets are portrait, which means they won't drop out easily, are easier to access and look great! 

You can buy specialty trading card folders/pockets. Daiso also sells it's own A5 folder version, which I've featured here. 

3. Sticker Folder 

Hands up if you have too many sheets of stickers! The best way to store them is in sticker folders. In fact, we carry a few designs on our Etsy store. 

Here and here. 

4. Pens 

The Ikea Raskog trolley is a popular choice for crafters because it's inexpensive, easy to assemble, comes in a number of cute colours and matches most rooms. I use the top of the trolley to store pens by filling it up with pen cups and pen holders from places such as Muji and H&M. 

5. Everything else 

And finally, if you can't find a solution for what you're trying to store. The Daiso clear shoe boxes are cheap, stackable and a fits most things. I use it to store loose items like sticker rolls, craft punches and even packaging that I want to keep. Clear always make it easier to find what you're looking for. 

Hope the above is useful and if you have any suggestions, leave it in the comments below! 

Read More

Current Bullet Journal Kit (June 2018)

I would say that kit is not necessary for a Bullet Journal but if you're like me and at least half the Bullet Journal users out there that love to embellish their notebook with colour, you probably have a kit already or are thinking of putting together one. 

I change up some things in my kit from time to time and I don't bring it out all the time but I've found that this setup works for me the best. It's all about experimenting and most importantly, getting a start. 

The most difficult thing has been finding a pouch that fits my Towbow dual brush pens and where everything is accessible. It is technically a makeup pouch but I think it works pretty well. I also keep a variety of correction accessories, pencils, rulers and post it notes because you never know when you need those things. 

Finally, it's important to find pens that you love to use. I stick to a few brands and make sure I buy a wide range of colours. It seems like a lot but one way you can slimline your kit is to pick a colour scheme every month and only bring those few colours out with you together with a core kit, which for me is anything that isn't a coloured pen. 

Here's the list of my current favourites, if you have any questions, leave them down below! 

Pouch: Ardium
Notebook: Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal
Correction Tape: Pentel French Pop My Colour
Stencil Ruler: I can't remember where this is from but I'll update when I find out! 
Page Markers: Kamindo Fusen
Ruler: Midori Foldable Ruler
Post it note: Midori MD Paper sticky memo pad
Pencil: Pilot Colour Eno
Eraser: Pentel Clic Eraser Square
Lettering Pens: Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen
Brush Pens: Tombow Dual Brush Pens
Colour Pens: Zebra Sarasa Clip 
Metallic Pens: Pilot Juice

Read More

Kokuyo Karucut Washi Tape Cutter

There are many versions of washi tape cutters, we carry some basic ones in our store, but I'm still always interested when something new comes out. 

I spotted the karucut washi tape cutter all over instagram and had to buy some when I went to Tokyo at the end of last year. 

I have to say that I'm quite fond of this cutter, it's got quite a few parts but it works really well. It's shaped like a paperclip, you press on the ends to open it up and clip it on the washi tape roll, once you've positioned it, secure it with both fingers on the ergonomically designed clip and tear the tape off. 

If it sounds complicated, it really isn't. Here's a video demonstration: 

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bjcYEJOlGM&w=854&h=480]

Overall, it's a really smart design and extremely useful for people with large collections of washi tape and it comes in 2 sizes for different types of washi tape. Would you buy one? 

Read More

5 New Stationery for 2018!

Happy New Year! 

New Year means new notebook and at the same time, new stationery! 
Here are 5 new stationery items I picked up in December for 2018! 

1. Maruman Puo Notebook System

The most interesting thing about the Puo notebook is that's it's a similar size to a Travelers Notebook insert and there are customisable options. I'll do a proper review in an upcoming blog post. 

2. Delfonics Pen Roll

Who else has the same problem as me finding an on the go pen storage solution? I'm currently trying out the Delfonics pen roll. Bonus points for matching my olive TN. 

3. Kokuyo Harinacs

Admittedly, this was a bit of n 'ohh pretty' impulse purchase. It's basically a no bullet stapler.

I'll figure out what's special about this one and get back to you. Watch this space. 

4. Mindwave Inc Schedule Marker 

Pastel is always irresistible, these schedule markers are both pretty and useful. Each colour comes with 2 film and 4 paper markers, a really good idea! 

5. Kokuyo Washi Tape Cutter

I am absolutely obsessed with these.

I first saw Kokuyo's new clip type washi tape cutter on instagram and put them on my Japan shopping list. Full review in a upcoming blogpost! 

Which of the above are you really interested in or have bought too? Let me know in the comments or tag us on Instagram. 

Read More

uni Nano Dia color pencil leads

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2500.0"] Side note: The pencils are from a collaboration between uni Kuru Toga and LOFT. [/caption]

Love the look of color pencils but really like the erasability of normal pencils? Or better yet, mechanical pencils you never need to sharpen? Well its time to add some color to your life as Japanese stationery brand uni has put out a series of colored pencil leads! 

The colors are vibrant and identical to color pencils but they possess the same qualities as a normal pencil. Erasable and fine enough to write with. [0.5mm pencil lead!]

I personally love drawing with these [blue is a common draft color used by many who draw comics] but they are also perfect to add that pop of color in your journals. And if you make a mistake? Just erase it!

Have you tried these out? Are you interested in seeing them in our store?

Let us know!

Read More

Daiso Finds!

I love going to a Daiso store, they don't always carry the same things and products are not always repeated, which makes shopping there like a little treasure hunt sometimes. 

These are the gems I found for any notebook enthusiast: 

1. Schedule Stickers: These little stickers are so sweet. They're perfect for a hobonichi, diary or even a TN planner.  
2. Template Ruler: This is great for sketching, or a bullet journal. Comes in circles as well. 
3. Vintage Accessories: This collection is quite big, these page markers are the more notebook friendly pieces but there are also items for DIY like handles for mini drawers. 
4. Index Stickers: Part of a larger collection including notebooks, I love how there are 12 sheets of 8 stickers, and how cute are the hedgehogs! 
5. Decoration Tape: Comes in many designs but I especially love this vintage travel stamps design. 

I'll be featuring and using some of these items in my planner and putting it on our instagram this whole week. Don't forget to follow us! 

Read More

Traveler's Factory, Airport

A few weeks ago, the Tea Drinker wrote a blog entry about the Traveler's Factory store in Nakameguro. Today, I'll tell you about the one at Narita Airport.

Tucked in a small corner of International Terminal 1, the Traveler's Factory store is chockfull of treasures for the journal enthusiast. 

Other than the usual items one is be able find in their usual outlets and online store, they are lots of items exclusive to the store here.

Rolls of washi tape, die cut stickers for decoration and even two exclusive Traveler's Notebook leather covers (with accompanying notebook refills) is available. They feature a print on their covers depicting the journey from Japan to overseas. (More pictures on these to come soon.)

There is even a can badge dispensing machine which has badges exclusive to the store! Though note to wise, do not try putting your coins in directly. You will need to buy a token from the store which is to be used with the machine. I saw many people who made that mistake and the staff members had to take the machine apart each time to get the coins out. 

Needless to say, I made quite a decent haul there since nothing captivates my attention more than the words "exclusive" and "limited edition".

Expect to see what I got in a later post!

A visit to this store is highly recommended.

 

Read More

Fiveday: 5 Pencil Cases we think you absolutely need in your life

As frequent travellers, putting together a kit and packing it in our luggage is essential. 
I've rounded up our 5 favourite ways of carrying pens and other odds and ends around. 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1500.0"] 1. Kokuyo Neo Critz [/caption]

A pen stand and case in one, absolutely genius I say. The Neo Critz comes in a variety of colours and collaboration designs. It comes with 2 zips and a small pocket so loose items don't get lost. Just unzip it, fold down the flaps and pick up a pen. As a bonus, these make fantastic makeup brush holders. 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1500.0"] 2. Sun-star DELDE [/caption]

The DELDE is one I recently discovered, it's also a pen stand and case in one but instead of fold down flaps, you pull the tabs of the top of the case down over it's bottom half. It takes up less table space but stores more pens. It's becoming a firm favourite but as it's quite new, the colour selection is a bit limited.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1500.0"] 3. Kipling 100 Pens & 50 Pens [/caption]

Cult item alert! I only discovered this last year but this is incredibly popular with stationery bloggers (don't believe me? Try a Youtube or Google search). I like how spacious and organised this is, it holds A LOT of pens with space for other compact stationery and the best part, it holds up very well when you throw it in a suitcase with other stuff. Also comes in a smaller version called the 50 Pens. 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1500.0"] 4. Lihit Lab Pen Case [/caption]

The Lihit Lab Pen Case looks like a smaller version of the 100 Pens. It's compact, has compartments for 3 different sets of pens and you can slot in other small items. Perfect for toting around everyday. 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1500.0"] 5. Kokuyo Pen Tray C2 [/caption]

The Kokuyo Pen Tray holds the least out of all the pen case on this list, but I reckon it's the most amazing way to hold pens. It starts out looking like a normal case but it opens out into a tray that shows off all the cute stationery I own. Also stores phone accessories and makeup. It's extremely compact size makes it suitable for purses and small bags. I really like this moomin print too, a touch of colour never hurt anyone. 

I hope this list has been helpful, if you know of any pencil cases we should check out, leave us a comment below. 

Read More