Fiveday: Scissors

It's another fiveday! and this week, we're looking at essentials. I use a pair of scissors everyday, in the kitchen, in my studio, everywhere and all the time. I can't live without a pair and it's only been brought to my attention recently that there are some really amazing ones out there. These are the 5 that I like: 

1. Raymay Swingcut Scissors: This pair topped a Japanese magazine's list of best scissors late last year and The Coffee Drinker swears by them so of course I had to pick up a pair. Interesting looks aside, it's extremely smooth to use and slices through paper like butter, an everyday staple for sure. 

2. Fiskars Moomin Scissors: The only pair on my list that are not Japanese designed. I have to admit, I bought these purely for the Moomin design but Fiskars is well known for their craft and garden products and the bright red makes them easy to spot plus the big handle makes it easy to grip so they get a thumbs up from me. 

3. Plus Fit Cut Curve Premium Titanium: Yes, that's a long name and yes, the Fit Cut comes in a few different types, this is my favourite rendition and again yes, I own a few pairs of Fit Cut scissors (including number 5 on this list). These scissors are well priced and the best multi purpose scissors ever. If you can't decide, get these, these also come in a kitchen version. 

4. Sun Star Stickyle Scissors: This was the first pair of 'pocket' scissors I ever bought, I've kept them in my pencil case all the time but I find that they do dull quite quickly so I've already gone through a few pairs. These come in a assortment of adorable colours and patterns so will appeal to children and those who like cute things (like me!). 

5. Plus Fit Cut Curve Twiggy: I've saved the best for last. The pocket version of the Fit Cut series, this pair has replaced the Stickyle scissors in my kit, I find them to be of the same quality as the full sized scissors and are better designed as they don't spring open when you take the cap off.  

There you have it, scissors for every home/craft life situation. Enjoy! 

 

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MUJI Masking Tape Case

There has been a bit of buzz about the MUJI Saran Wrap Container lately. Not for its amazing ability to hold a roll of Saran Wrap [or aluminium foil] but something a lot more closer to my heart. 

MASKING TAPE!

The case is beautiful in its simplicity yet sturdy enough to stack or carry on the go. 

There is even a built in sharp edge [originally for the saran wrap] which you can use to tear your masking tape with. 

It comes in two sizes. I purchased the smaller one which is pictured above.

Cost: About 400yen + tax in Japan. 

Also good for small rolls of wrapping paper! And...I suppose saran wrap...

 

Word to the wise: Not all masking tapes will fit in it but I am sure you will find some that will.

Or you could just buy more....#justsaying

 

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July Printable

The Number 5 Co.'s first printable is here! These date/day tags for the month of July are our new favourite thing to put in regular TN inserts. Print, cut and glue (or use some sticker paper). 

Download here. 

Tag us #TN5Cprintable on Instagram to show us how you use it! We'd love to know! 

And don't forget to follow us on Instagram or Facebook to get the next one. 

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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! 

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100yen Color Brush Pens

A while back, I did a post on the top five brush pens I loved and recently I found more to add to the list. I actually chanced upon these in an obscure 100yen shop here in Japan. At 100yen for three pens, I figured I had little to lose. 

They came in two sets and I purchased both of them.

The red set contained staple colors like green, red and blue.

The pink set contained more feminine colors such as orange, pink and light blue.

These pens are actually made in Japan.

So how do they fare? Extremely well actually. It does not seep through some notebooks with thinner paper like the Pentel Sign pens do which makes these excellent for usage with many types of paper. The actual look to the pen is rather plain but I don't mind it at all. And lets be honest, at that price, we can't ask for more.

Low priced and works beautifully. 

Have you come by any good buys recently?

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Fiveday: Multi-Pens/Pencils

Multi Pens are a great way to carry around more colours without adding too many pens in your kit.

These are a few that I have in mine:

1. Pentel Multi-8:  This isn't a pen but rather 8 coloured pencils in one. There are pre designated slots for the colours depending on what version you buy (ballpoint pen and mechanical pencil version available too) but you can choose to mix it up with refills. 
2. Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto: This and the Style Fit are customisable and probably the easiest ones to find in this list. I just love the collaboration pen holders and the refills come in special edition colours too! Most holders hold 4 colours. 
3. Pentel Sliccies: This is my favourite multi pen. I always have one in my planner, I've also lost of a few of these so I stock up whenever I can. I use the 3 coloured pen holder, blue for writing, red for ticking off my to-do list and another colour for special items. 
4. Uni Style Fit: Does a lot of collaborations too and pens come in different thicknesses and colours. Pen holders hold up to 5 colours. 
5. Uni Jet Stream: This isn't customisable but it does have 3 colours, black, blue and red. Perfect if you just need something for writing and the occasional red tick. Incidentally, this is the pen that comes with the Hobonichi as a notebook bonus. 

I hope you find this list helpful and if you know of any other cool multi pens, we'd love to hear about them in the comments! 

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TRAVELER’S notebook Mini 10th Anniversary Can Set

To celebrate the 10th year of the Travelers’ notebook, the brand has released a special miniature version of their beloved notebook. They come in 3 different colors [like the full sized ones] and each is contained in its own specially made tin can.

I purchased the Red Tin which contains a miniature brown leather notebook. It is encased in a paper “box” and wrapped up just like the full sized version. A miniature charm is also included alongside a set of papers which you can use to make your own refills for the notebook. 

A sheet of stickers and a postcard to join their contest [runs till April 2017] is included.

This is certainly one for the collectors and die hard fanatics of the Traveler’s notebook.

Learn more at the official website. 

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Mossery Planner Review

I've been using planners for years and late last year I came across Mossery at a Christmas market. I was intrigued not only because it was very beautiful but it seemed to be quite functional. 

I've used one for the first 5 months of this year but my biggest issue with it was that the cover got dirty really easily. So when they released a May-December edition with a new laminated cover, I dove in and got a personalised one with my Instagram handle on it. 

I chose the Horizontal Weekly + Plain Notes version. I used a Vertical Weekly previously and felt that because it had the whole day laid out according to time, I was not putting it to good use. The Horizontal Weekly allows more freedom when it comes to allocating time and a lot more space for notes. 

Besides the planner section, there's also a monthly overview, yearly overview, information page, blank notepaper (you can choose lined if you'd like) and other cool add ons like a section for inspiration boards and a section for goals/values/purposes. Here, I've used some of the blank notepaper to place these sticker savers from Kanmido, which I then used to keep the custom diary stickers I made using the Hiyori planner sticker printer. 

My favourite part about this planner is that it has 2 folders built into it which allows me to hold all the sheet-based planner stickers I want. It even comes with a card holder if you want to keep business cards or even instax photos. 

I can't go thru my day to day without taking a look at it or noting something down. I used to think it was a bit bulky but it's usefulness outweighs it's disadvantage and I've managed to put everything I need into this planner, a pen even fits nicely into it's spiral ring, I'm so glad they upgraded the cover, it's now the best everyday companion I've ever had. 

July - December diaries are still available at Mossery. 

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My travel stationery must-haves

So you are going on a trip. But you have no idea what to bring to journal it. 

As delightful as it is to end up bringing everything + the kitchen sink, one must consider their luggage limitations (how is one supposed to go shopping freely if they bring too much XD~)

I went on a two week trip to LA recently and here's what I brought with me :

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="748.0"] Brush pens - makes my chicken scratch look fancy right away Copic pens - waterproof and dries fast. Great for drawing too. Pencil with eraser attached on one end - for notes, drawing etc Coloured markers - for colouring Frixion ball point pen - i use this to sketch so i do not have to deal with erasing the lines later. Since it disappears on contact with heat, a hairdryer will remove all traces immediately and without any effort. Side note: I also decided that I would journal everything on this particular trip in a certain colour scheme [browns, blues hence the colours you see chosen [/caption]

Pens aside, here are a few other things to consider...

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="748.0"] Masking tape - for decoration and that emergency wrapping job you need to do (eg fragile items you bought on the trip) Bullclip - more useful than you think. (i even used it to hold my curtains shut in the hotel XD) Paperclips - one of them was sacrificed so that i could remove the sim card in my phone  Coffee stamp - a gift from the Tea Drinker White out - for the mistakes i inevitably make Tenori glue - perfect for sticking receipts what not into my travel journal Travel journal - well that's obvious xD~ [/caption]

What do you bring on a holiday?

Do tell us all about it!

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Traveler's Notebook Camel

The Camel Traveler's Notebook was released 5 years ago to celebrate the brand's 5th Anniversary. It's been so popular that Traveler's Company have brought it back as a part of their permanent range. 

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't keen on the colour when it was first announced but as the first batches were delivered and pictures of it started appearing on Instagram, I liked it more and more until I finally caved and bought one. 

The Camel Traveler's Notebook is indeed as gorgeous in real life as it looks in pictures and I can see why it was much sought after. The leather is smooth and supple like the other colours but there's something really refreshing about the camel, could it be because it's not as dark as the other colours?

A common complaint about this colour is that it scratches easily but I feel that's just part of it's charm. I adore it so much, I swapped all my notebooks over and it's now my primary Traveler's Notebook. I'm interested to hear, what's your favourite colour from the Traveler's Company range and why? 

 

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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.

 

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