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: Style Bookmarker by Laconic

 

Planning tools are really important. 

These style bookmarkers by Laconic are really aesthetic. 

I picked up the to do list and planning/memo grid layout list. 

Each set comes with 24 sheets and each sheet is 50 x 157mm, perfect for notebooks A6 size and above. 

The top of the sheet folds down to form a page holder, hence the bookmark name. 

I like the off white paper of the bookmark, it will go well with notebooks such as Midori. 

The paper is thick and nice to write on easy on the eyes. 

You would think 24 sheets would be used up quickly but with all that space on each sheet, it actually takes a while to fill up. 

If you're looking for something that looks great and feels nice to write on, I recommend picking up these bookmarkers. 

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Decorating Muji Paper Clips

 

Muji makes great basics, from furniture, to food, to stationery, everything can be customised to your own style and taste. 

The stationery range has a lot of good things to customise, like these paper clips. 

Each pack of paper clips comes in a pack of 5 and each clip can hold up to 5 sheets of paper. 

The clips are made of paper, which is important for our purposes. 

1. Pen/Marker

This is the most basic and easiest way to customise, the downside is there is a little bit of bleed on the paper material of the paper clip but it's not terrible. 

Use a sign/brush pen for a bit of flourish. 

2. Sticker Labels

To be able to reuse the clip, use labels to customise your paper clip. 

3. Printed labels 

If you don't like looking at your own handwriting, like me, print the labels or use sticker paper. 

4. Washi Tape

A combination of the above methods and a good way to use up washi tape. 

If you collect washi tape, you know what I mean!

5. Cute stickers

I found these cute stickers in Daiso and it's such a simple and cute way to add to the paperclip. 

Here's what it looks like in my notebook!

What do you think? What is your favourite way to customise the paper clip? 

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Review: Made of Tomorrow Notepad

 

Usually we blog about things we've purchased ourselves but today, I wanted to talk about this notepad I received as a gift. 

It's by a New Zealand brand called 'Made of Tomorrow', they make functional homewares and stationery and it's all made in New Zealand.

The notepad is a part of their paper goods lineup, it's 19 x 9cm, gold foil embossed cover and has 52 pages of 120gsm paper.

Having a look at their website, you can get it monogrammed too! 

Opening the notepad up, you get this page with their sustainability information. 

The illustrations are cute and I appreciated that it's made with recycled materials! 

Also good to note is that the notepads have no plastic laminate coating and 100% recyclable. 

The 52 pages are 1/2 blank and 1/2 lined which I feel is pretty unique.

I like lined sometimes, blank sometimes so it suits my use pretty well. 

I also think it's great the paper is 120gsm, oftentimes you get notebooks that have paper that is way too thin. 

The 120gsm here works well with the sign and brush pens as well as regular pens, no bleed and it's pretty smooth. It's no midori paper but I think it's better than most other notepads I've tried. 

If you're in New Zealand and happen to see this brand, you should check it out! 

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Review: Yamato Clip Memo Tape + Magnet

It’s fusen time again. 

Feels like it’s been awhile since we’ve done a fusen review! 

This time, I would like to introduce the Clip Memo Tape + Magnet by Yamato. 

The Clip Memo Tape + Magnet is an improved version of the Fuse’n’Tape. 

It adds a clip and magnet and now comes in pastel colours. 

I purchased this fusen in yellow, it reminds me of the classic post it notes. 

The roll is 15mm wide and 10m long and fully self adhesive, like other fusen, it is movable. 

The dispenser has a clip on one side, a magnet on the other side and a paper cutter on the end. 

The clip is unfortunately a bit thicker than the usual paperclip, most likely to hold up the weight of the fusen roll but it does clip on nicely onto a notebook cover.

But again, the weight does not make it very practical. 

The paper material used is nice and thick and the paper cutter cuts the paper roll easily.

I really like the jagged edges, it looks like washi tape. 

I decorated some strips of fusen that I cut. 

I used highlighter pens here and I think it looks pretty good. 

And because the material is paper, not film, most general pens will work. 

The yellow really stands out on white notebook paper, great for marking stuff and other important uses.

Also, did I mention it won the Good Design award for 2020? 

What do you think? Is this something you would find useful? 

 

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REVIEW : DAISO Make me Up stationery range

 DAISO has recently released a new stationery range "Make Me Up"

Whilst it might sound a makeup brand, I assure you its not. Featuring pastel tones, this is quite a big collection of stickers, sticky notes, notebooks etc...

Here's how it looks like in the store

Items I picked up

Sticky notes and stickers

File pockets and clear pockets

And lastly a note book + clear book plastic cover  

Official website : https://www.daiso-sangyo.co.jp/item/9081 

Have you guys bought anything from this range yet? What did you think? 

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Review: Daiso A5 6 ring inserts

Daiso keeps coming out with amazing stationery. 

6 ring binder journals are really popular and so these inserts are extremely useful.

I picked up 4 of the designs (I'm not sure if there are more):

1. Card holder x 4

2. Double sided folder x 4

3. Pocket case x 2 

4. Clear file x 4

Each insert fits a standard A5 6 ring binder, however the width is more slim A5 than a standard A5 width. 

The card holder is double sided and holds 6 cards or as shown above, a set of kitta washi labels. 

The double sided folder is perfect for an A4 document folded into 1/3.
Also great for travel items like tickets! 

The pocket case has 2 pockets for things like flake stickers and even important items such as keys and medicine.

The clear file is my favourite of the inserts.

Each insert has 10 pockets and fits standard width sticker sheets. 

The customisability of the 6 ring binder is one of the reasons it is so popular and having many choices for inserts just sweetens the deal. 

These Daiso inserts are a perfect addition to any 6 ring binder. 

They fit the 6 ring binder perfectly and are not flimsy like other inserts. 

The A5 slim sizing might make it a bit difficult but you could easily move it around or remove it, making it versatile. I would definitely recommend this insert to anyone with a 6 ring binder. 

Which one do you think you would like the most? 

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Review : SEED Color Correction Tape

Just when I thought correction tape was pretty much all the same, Japanese stationery brand puts out COLOR correction tape. Available in 6 colors, I picked up 3 of the ones I figured I would most likely use.

From left : pink, kraft and black

They work pretty much exactly the same as their white-out counterparts; dispensing opaque tape but with color. 

One of the most obvious uses is to cover up writing mistakes but now you can use it on non white backgrounds to further hide your mistakes! The kraft one works wonderfully on...kraft paper. XD

Another excellent use in your journal would be as a highlighter or fusen whereby you can write on top of the surface with any pen you have. Makes for a wonderful pop of color!

The official website also suggests one can use it in giftwrapping, decorating, scrapbooking etc!

Have you come across these tapes? What have you been using them for?

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Review: Dear Kitchen Tape Cutter by Nichiban

I use stationery in every part of my life, especially the kitchen. 

Labelling is such an important part of organising a kitchen. 

I've always used washi tape to label but I recently discovered this line of 'Dear Kitchen' tape by Nichiban. 

There are a number of different items in this line. 

I purchased the tape cutter and another roll of tape with it's own magnet holder. 

First up, the tape cutter also includes a magnet and it is much stronger than the smaller magnet. 

You don't really need the tape cutter, the tape can just as easily be torn by hand much like washi tape. 

The tape cutter does mean tearing tape with one hand is fuss free with the addition of a slanted blade. 

Also, I hear you asking, how is it different from washi tape? 

It's plastic instead of paper which means it is more water resistant and will last longer. 

However, this means that water based pens will not work with the tape, the best pen to use is a permanent marker. 

Overall, it's a great addition to any kitchen. 

Easy to use, easy to write and looks great, it even comes in an array of different designs. 

I know I could use a labeller and I do own one but writing on tape is so much more convenient. 

Do you prefer tape or labels? 

Bonus, it has a notch for you to attach your pen. They've thought of everything! 

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