August 2021 Printable

Welcome to August!! Are you looking forward to the 2nd half of the year?

Here is this month's date printable : 

This month's printable features some muted tones and colors. 

Download HERE.
Netprint (Japan) and IBON (Taiwan) details can be found on our instagram.

Do tag us in your creations! We would love to see them!

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A guide to TN5C's sticker paper (washi and vellum)

I'd like to introduce you to our sticker paper, which you can find in our store. 

Washi sticker paper | Vellum sticker paper

Below I'll introduce the differences between the papers; how it looks with laser printing vs inkjet printing and comparing both to a regular gloss sticker paper and matte sticker paper

Both the Vellum and Washi sticker paper are semi opaque and the main difference is in the texture. 

Vellum is smooth.

Washi has the typical washi tape texture.

The stickers are placed here on vellum paper, which is similar to tracing paper and is semi opaque.

You can see that whilst matte and glossy are fully opaque, both the washi and vellum are partially see through.

The stickers are shown here on an acrylic sheet.

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Printing on a Laser Printer

We're printed the stickers on an HP colour laser printer. 

printer settings: we recommend using matte paper. (settings are the same for both papers)

As you can see, photos and text all print nicely. 

The vellum is slightly more vibrant than the washi sticker paper. 

 

Placed on vellum paper here. 

The stickers are layered here to show the various levels of transparency.

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Printing on an Inkjet Printer

We're printed the stickers on a Canon colour inkjet printer. 

printer settings: we recommend using default settings. If that doesn't work well, try printing as tracing paper or high quality print. (settings are the same for both papers)

Photos can be printed but will not show the same sharpness as a regular print. 

Placed on vellum paper here. 

The stickers are layered here to show the various levels of transparency.

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We hope the above guide was useful. 

You can purchase the paper using the links below.

Washi sticker paper | Vellum sticker paper

The graphics featured are from our cafe circle sticker set; Available here.

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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: Midori Stand Memo

 

To do lists. We all use them, need them, can't live without them. 

This version of a to do list by Midori piqued my interest. 

(it also comes in normal memo paper)

It is essentially a memo pad mounted onto a cardboard sheet. 

The sheet matches the memo pad design and it folds up to become a stand. 

Useful it you're like me and like my notes open for easy reference. 

The folding instructions are simple. 

The memo pad comes in 2 designs, 40 sheets each and are of typical high quality Midori paper.

This means a great writing experience. 

Of course I had to pick the design with the cat. 

It feels really homely and easy on the eyes. 

It also comes in a daily time based planner, grid paper, blank, and horizontal weekly versions.

What do you think? Is this something you need? 

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REVIEW : DAISO Vertical Masking Tape Holder

 DAISO has introduced a new way to store our beloved Masking Tapes! 

Introducing the Vertical Masking Tape holder :

It comes in 2 sizes. 

Compatible with tape up to 18mm [0.7inches] OR with wider tape up to 30mm [1.18inches]

To "load" the tape, simply open up the entire box and insert accordingly. Left handers like myself can rejoice as their are blades on both sides, making it possible for left or right handed cutting. Each holds up to 3 rolls of tape. Or you can fit more if they are narrower. I was able to fit 2 narrow rolls into one space for the wide tape.

To cut, you just have to open the little slot and tear it off at the edge of the blades. So easy!

The holders are perfect for travel as they are a pleasing simple clear design reminiscent of MUJI. You can also store them more easily by lining them up vertically for a clean look. The slim design also means you can slot them into narrow spaces.

Have you tried them out? What did you think?

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July 2021 Printable

 

It's our dreamy July printable! 

We hope you enjoy this printable! 

Download here: Link

For ibon/netprint information, please see our instagram. 

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Review: Binsen Fusen

 

I'm always on the new lookout for fusen. 

I use fusen on everything, taking random notes, shopping lists, when my planner runs out of space. 

I saw these ones by Binsen-fusen and thought they were really aesthetically pleasing so I picked them up. 

The packaging is pretty basic, I liked the recommended usage mini illustrations in the back. 

Some include, gift tags on presents, for work, and to write instructions. 

I picked up 2 sizes/designs. 

The L size is 85 x137mm and is a travel design. 

The M size is 85 x 85mm and the design is more geometric. 

They both come in 20 sheets and are thick paper, almost 125gsm!

I thought they would look great in a journal layout and it does. 

The thicker paper is really good quality and it's really nice to write on.

I cut the L size fusen in 2 halves and used it in another layout and I think it worked. 

Vellum in this layout is from our store: link

Overall, I think this fusen is great! The designs are very versatile and usable. 

Although a bit on the expensive, I would definitely consider purchasing new designs in the future. 

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DAISO Grid loose leaf pad VS MUJI Notebook type Loose Leaf

 Recently I've noticed a new addition to the ever growing stationery collection over at DAISO. 

Noticing how similar they are to something from MUJI, I decided to pick it up to do a comparison! Here they are side by side :

For comparison's sake, I've purchased them both in A5 size / 5mm Grid / 20 holes.

At first glance, both seem similar enough with the biggest exception that whilst you can place the entire book from MUJI into a file, you will need to remove the cover before you can do the same with the one from DAISO. (The cover does not have holes)

And on the inside (Daiso in front, MUJI in the back)

You can see that the DAISO version is more white with less obvious lines whilst the MUJI version features its standard cream paper with darker lines. Both grids are the same size at 5mm. The paper from both are equally smooth but the MUJI paper is thicker. Recommended if you are worried about the ink going through.

Another difference is the amount of paper you get. MUJI one is 50 pages and DAISO is 30 pages. However DAISO is 100yen + tax (USD$1~) and the MUJI version is 250yen + tax (USD$2.50~) 

Note: Prices quoted are RRP in Japan.

The MUJI version also feels like a better product whereas the DAISO version seems a bit filmsy due to the thin cardboard used on the book's back cover. However this is hardly an issue if you are putting it in a file to start with. 

The MUJI version is definitely better overall but at the same time, its also 2.5 times more expensive than DAISO. However, I'm unable to say with conviction, which is the one to buy. I think its up to the buyer to decide if the small differences are worth the prices and that should also ultimately determine their choice.

Have you tried either of these notebooks? What did you think of them?

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Review: Mu Lifestyle Transfer Stickers

 

Everyone loves stickers and when I saw these ethereal designs, I was intrigued.

These stickers are by Mu Lifestyle. Each pack comes with a sheet each of 2 designs. 

Each sheets measures 100 x 150mm. 

They look like regular stickers but are transferred by placing the sticker on the medium and rubbing with a blunt object (I used the end of my letter opener).

They are very easy to use. 

First, cut out the design you would like to use. 

They are semi opaque, this makes it easy to move around to figure out the layout you want to do before committing. 

Then remove the backing paper, place the sticker on the paper, rub until you've more or less covered the whole design, and then remove the transparent layer. 

If successful, the transparent layer will lift off cleanly. 

One feature of this transfer sticker is that it can be printed on a myriad of surfaces, not just paper. 

You can even use it on glass, as long as it's a flat surface. 

The stickers are semi opaque, which means they be layered to create different effects. 

I used it here with our June printable.

The layering effect is really beautiful, the designs and colours are beautifully done. 

Although it sounds difficult, the transfer portion is simple, I also like the matte look of the sticker on the paper. It's truly unique, it looks almost like it was printed on. 

I enjoyed using these stickers and will definitely purchase more if I see them. 

Have you tried any transfer stickers? What brands have you come across? 

Let us know in the comments! 

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June 2021 Printable

Wow its June! How are your 2021 resolutions going?

Not quite where you want to be? Do not worry, there is still plenty of time!

And in the midst of it all, always remember to rest!

Here is this month's date printable : 

Featuring my ever favorite color palette...

Download HERE.
Netprint (Japan) and IBON (Taiwan) details can be found on our instagram.

Do tag us in your creations! We would love to see them!

Read More

Review : DAISO Air Kaku bulldog clips

 Do you use bulldog clips? It is always useful to have around but the lever can be a little painful to use at times. To alleviate this issue, DAISO has collaborated with Japanese stationery brand PLUS to produce AIR KAKU; clips that open painlessly. 

This product is amongst the BEST 100 : 2018 Good Design award!

The clips can be found in 3 sizes (small, medium and large) and I purchased it in the above configuration: 2 Small and 1 large clip.

As you can tell from the photos, it is indeed a little different from the usual clip. The tip of the lever is straight and not rounded. This increases the contact with the fingers so you can get a better grip. 

The length of the lever is also longer than usual and they have included a groove on the main black body to help shift the fulcrum. All these changes are supposed to help reduce the amount of strength needed to open the clip and hence reduce the amount of pain associated.

So is it really painless?

Yes it is! It is not as obvious with the smaller clips but when you use the big clip you can definitely sense the lower resistance. As a matter of fact, I was able to clip together well over 100 pages of paper effortlessly. 

I highly recommend these clips!

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