Hobonichi x Steiff 2018-2020 review

After a lot of searches and saving up, I finally obtained all of my grail Hobobocni covers and wallets which is all the Hobonichi x Steiff A6 covers and wallets along with the teddy keychains that came out along with the Trinity theme. Since I have these now I want to give my complete review.

Note I did love the Steiff A6 techo even if the only difference was the bear symbol instead of the Arts and Science symbol and completely adored the Hobonichi Weeks with the fabric that they did in 2020 with the chocolate theme and 2019 with Sunday Best Teddy theme. Really wish that they would continue those even if they don't make any more wallets and covers because they looked very nice.

The teddy keychains were very difficult to get as they were a Japan only item, so I had to resort to eBay where the price is very inflated. The clasps on them are very well made and they are the same quality as small Steiff bears but even smaller! 

The covers are only in A6 size which is perfect for me as I love writing and journaling in A6. I do use A5 but for studying and keeping up my education and learning. I believe this is due to the fact that they are made of mohair which is specifically the hair of an Angora goat which is expensive. The hair is soft, has a bit of shine, and holds up well but in the end, this is a luxury fur. I have a feeling that if they did make an A5 size the cover would have been $500 USD which is taking into account that the A6 size and wallet goes for around $200. 

The sheen in the mohair is really noticeable in 2018 as well as the Cafe Au Lait cover and wallet which is very nice but also makes it difficult to get the color accurate in pictures with certain lighting. 

The Trinity cover and wallet in 2020 are unique as they used curly mohair which gives this amazing texture. All of the covers and wallets are soft but running your fingers on the Trinity cover and wallet is very nice. The rich chocolate color only makes you want to touch the cover and enjoy the curls. The Trinity cover is the only one with three book marks instead of the usual two! 

The 2018 cover is the only one out of everything that doesn't have the keychain ring but I love that they made a black mohair cover since it is the most natural fur colors and relates to the misunderstood near which is the teddy bear of Hobonichi! Hope to one day get the Misunderstood Bear teddy bear but it will be a challenge unless Hobonichi brings it back.

The covers have fewer pockets than most of the other Hobonichi covers cause they only have them on the right side instead of both sides. This is fine cause the inside is leather. The wallets have many card slots and spaces to hold cash, receipts, and other important items along with your Hobonichi weeks. The wallet is almost like a clutch that you carry in your hand while outside just without the strap. The pen holder is big enough for a pen clip so if you want to carry a pen with your weeks it is best to get a pen with a sturdy clip.

Overall I am so happy to have these and will continue using them for as long as possible cause I don't think I will buy any more covers after this. I do recommend these especially for Steiff fans and collectors cause now you can journal and write with covers that remind you of a nice cuddle teddy.

Favorite Stationery Stores to Order from Online

Hello everybody! Today I am finally giving you all my personal list of favorite stationery stores that I order from.

I took a look at all the stores I ordered from during 2020 and made this list. I believe we all had to really rely on shipping thanks to COVID but at least people are open to shop recommendations more than ever. I will be including some stuff I bought from there in case you wanna see if they have anything for you.

Please note that most of these are located in the United States since that is where I am located and most shipping cheaper shipping option from other countries to the US was halted during most of 2020. 

• JetPens (US) - I bought all my adhesive refills, a bunch of fountain pen ink, and pens overall from them! They have also been amazing with Hobonichi covers especially if you can catch them before they sell out.
• Yoseka Stationery (US) - Kokuyo PASTA soft markers, washi tape, index clips, and a lot of fountain pens and fountain pen accessories. Yoseka is great with fountain pen preorders and has a huge fountain pen ink selection!
• Baum-kuchen (US) - My go-to for Superior Labor pouches, bags, and pen rolls. They have gorgeous wallets and covers for so many different analog systems that it is hard to just choose one.
• Goulet Pen Co. (US) - Bought some of my favorite pens and ink from here. Looking for a specific pen or ink? Check them out!
• Niconeco Zakkaya (US) - Bought the most perfect stamps ever from here! They have a great range of ephemera, stickers, and all the little stuff to make your mail the most colorful.
• Goldspot (US) - All I bought were pens from here, including an exclusive Sailor fountain pen. Take a look at them for your next favorite fountain pen!
• Tokyo Pen Shop (US) - Almost all my multi-pen refills are bought from here cause they have an amazing selection of nib sizes and bundles for you to keep on writing!
• Vanness (US) - Bought J. Herbin ink from here and must say I will be buying more bottles! They have fountain pens, paper, and all the ink in most available bottle sizes.
• Galen Leather Co. (Istanbul Turkey) - Bought their brass clip and must say that they have the most beautiful leather and brass accessories you can ever want! Need a leather pen holder, look no further!
• Pen & Tool (Hong Kong) - Bought limited edition Kawecos from here and hands down if you are looking for a limited edition Kaweco, this is the go-to place to look.

Very happy to order from all of these and will continue to do so this year as well! 

Please remember to try to support your local businesses as COVID is still continuing to impact them. 

Which stationery shop is your favorite? Let me know in the comments! Thank you all for reading and until next time, stay hype!

What I learned the Hard Way in 2020

2020 was a very long and challenging year but I learned a lot which I am willing to share!

One major thing I learned was that fake leather or faux leather can peel, very very badly. After having a faux leather bag for two years most of it completely peeled off. The price pretty cheap to consider but sometimes it is worth getting actual leather (still really happy about my Superior Labor Bag).

The next thing is that it is much worth getting a higher quality item than replacing a cheaper item multiple times. Check what material it is made out of and go with what is sturdy, cause it is better to have something that will last.

Following that is only buying what you need. Adding knick-knacks and non-necessities to your credit card and your shopping cart will surely add clutter and expenses that could have been avoided. If possible make a list of what you need and if you are shopping online ask yourself if you need every item you are about to buy.

Only buy storage for what you have and not what you think you will have. Sometimes your first choice might not be what you go for and having storage you can't use will take up a lot of space you could be using.

Side Table Storage

Buy more items less frequently. Shipping and energy are an expense. Save shipping by buying everything you need in one go and physically save energy by going less.
Buy second hand as much as possible. Can save you money and as long as the item is in good working condition, it should do the job. Even better is that you find the item never used but being sold for less!

Last but not least is to always use the card you get cashback on. I really missed out on a lot of cashback opportunities but now I have a card set up for the online purchases that I get cashback on. If you are going to spend make sure you get a discount and cashback!

Let's start the year 2021 better and right! Until next time, stay hype!

Stationery Switches Made in 2020

 Hello everybody! Tsubaki here and back with something I didn't realize until recently and that is that I switched a handful of stationery. 2020 was amazing only in the fact that I really took the time to analyze all the stationery I had in my collection. Took me the entire year but the switches I made really helped me overall.

Some major reasons for switches that I used were to access more colors, being able to refill/have available refills, and efficient use of materials.

To start I switched from Zebra Mildliner to Kokuyo PASTA soft markers. Mildliners were great but Kokuyo PASTA has excellent texture, its glides on smoothly, and comes in 40 colors unlike Mildliners with 25 colors, instantly takes the cake. The Kokuyo PASTA can be compared to a crayon and I love it so much. Zebra Mildliners lastly does not have any way to refill them up they dry up or get used up versus Kokuo PASTA having refills for all of their colors and those refills being available at a local stationery shop.

Next, I switched from Kuretake Zig Glue Pen to Nichiban Tenori Adhesive Stamp. I realized after a lot of junk journaling that it would be nice to not have a wet adhesive application since it does need to dry to really stay on the page. The Nichiban Tenori allows me to apply a stamp or a strip of adhesive plus it has available refills. I can use a bit of the Nichiban Tenori and my pictures and bits of packaging and mail will stay on the page whereas it would take a lot more Zig glue to do the same job.

Now for the switch from fountain pen cartridges to converters. I really got tired of having little plastic containers for my fountain pens plus I wanted to use my favorite bottled ink colors! It is less of a hassle to just use up a recyclable bottle of ink than to keep buying refills.

Another switch is from Uni EMOTT Sign Pens to Kuretake Karappo pens. The Uni EMOTT sign pen did go through the paper in my Hobonichi which is the main reason for switching. I like the Kuretake Karappo pens because I can use fountain pen ink samples (3ml to 5ml) and kinda create a much larger range of colors. The Hobonichi is fountain pen ink friendly plus the Kuretake Karappo pens are a bit cheaper than getting the full UNI EMOTT set.

The last switch is from the standard plastic Sarasa vintage to the Sarasa Grand Vintage colors. The Sarasa Grand is made of metal and is built very well with its brass barrel which is perfect for when I take them outside to sketch. Both have refills so this was mostly a material preference.

That is all the stationery switches! The last note is that all the pens and markers switched out I did sell them as they were still good just used. Please don't toss good usable product as someone else can use it. Besides that, I finally feel really good cause I use everything I have now! Please wait to see my entire stationery and pencil case collection in an upcoming post!

Until next time, stay hyped!

Roterfaden A5 Setup 2020

 Hello! Welcome back to another post of me going into further detail of how I have been keeping up with my analogue life. This post will officially be going over my A5 Roterfaden setup! 

Just to get started I did purchase this from Baum-Kuchen and I am very happy I did, they are amazing, very kind and very responsive.

In total, I do have three notebooks, all A5 size. Two of them are Life x Kleid 100 sheets with cream paper and one Kleid Stationery 32 sheets notebook. All of these notebooks I bought from Baum-Kuchen as well.

                                 

The first notebook is in olive and it is used for sketching my current plants and how they perform. I like planting and taking care of plants so this will be my tracker for everything I learned so far. I mostly been using Uni-Ball 0.38 pens in this notebook because of the different colors!

The next notebook is my stationery swatch book and it is also in olive. I swatch my collection of favorite pens, markers, highlighters and fountain pen inks! I love the paper in these because it haven't had any problems with any of the fountain pen inks at all. I don't think I will finish this book soon since I am trying to be very sure about what stationery I do keep for the long run.

The last notebook is my thankful/gratitude notebook. I try to write in it everyday on whatever I am thankful for. I started this in Septemeber and it really has been keeping me thankful and humble especially since COVID is still upon us.

There isn't anything much in the pockets or the zipper pocket in the back besides some pictures, art and a ink swatch card. I feel like in the future I will put a list in the back pocket so I can jot down stationery I am thinking about buying.

That is my entire Roterfaden setup! Honestly this analogue system is great if you want anywhere from one to three notebooks or one notebook and many other accessories that you can put in here. I feel like this is my stay at home analogue system since all the notebooks I use in this is stuff I do at home, like draw my plants at home, swatch stationery and write about what I am thankful for. Hope that if you were thinking about getting the Roterfaden that this will give you some ideas. Until next time, stay hype!

Hobonichi Covers I am Using for 2021

Hello there, Tsubaki here! Back with some more stationery that I am using daily! September 1st (Japan Time) was the day Hobonichi released the first wave of covers along with their planners and many stationery shops here also released their stock of Hobonichi covers as well. Either way it certainly has been an adventure getting these covers.

This year I didn't plan to get any covers but when I saw CANDY STRIPPER Spruced up Cat with the cute collared cats with sewn on bows I knew I had to get it. Thankfully Yoseka Stationery had enough in stock for me to be able to order the A6 size and then I order from JetPens for the A5 size.

I started using Hobonichi back in 2019 with a Steiff weeks. Later that year I made by first purchase with Hobonichi for an A6 English planner. The first A6 cover I got was the Trinity Steiff cover for 2020 which features the adventure of three little bears trying to find the perfect planner for their king! This cover is amazing because the mohair is actually curly and a delicious chocolate color. This planner also has three page holders with each of the different bears on them. 

Earlier this year (right before we went into lockdown due to COVID) I treated myself to the Cafe Au Lait Steiff cover 2019. I wanted to get it as soon as possible before Hobonichi ran out or discontinued it. This one is a blond mohair that is short but just as soft. It has two page holders with dark bears on them.

During September  I also found a good condition Hobonichi Steiff cover 2018. This is the first collab cover between Steiff and Hobonichi and it has the same shirt mohair texture of the Cafe Au Lait but it is black! In fact the King bear used in the Trinity cover's story is also a bear Steiff bear. So in a since the story went full circle in a very cute way. Turn around come mid September and I found the Hello Kitty Hobonichi covers in A6 and A5 on eBay and I grabbed those as quick as possible. 

Now, many might ask how am I using all of these, especially all at the same time. Now I will give a full breakdown on how I am using each of these now and through 2021!

The Steiff covers which are the(From left to right) Steiff 2018 black cover, Steiff 2019 Café Au Lait and Steiff 2020 Trinity are being used for my actual A6 English planner and two Hobonichi paper(s) which I tape my watercolor and small art pieces into. I switch them around time to time. 

The Spruced-Up Cat (Lilac) from Candy Stripper is being used for tracking TCGplayer orders and uses Hobonichi Day Free A6. I like to use the Day Free for this because I actually use the calendar to mark when each new booster set, special set and collector tin come out for Pokemon, Yugioh and Cardfight Vanguard.  

The Spruced-Up Cat (Candy Pink) from Candy Stripper is used is used for Latin Language study and uses a Hobonichi Day Free. I will use a Hobonichi plain notebook after this since I don't need the calendar and it is a bit cheaper to buy. I also only need the calendar once to write down the Roman calendar dates. 

Hello Kitty (Stripes) A6 is used for TCG deck editing. This has a Hobonichi plain notebook which works perfectly because it has four different color sections which I use for different types of decks! I feel like in the future I will buy even more plain notebooks for different trading card games, especially since I started editing my Cardfight Vanguard decks first. Sounds organized if I have one for Cardfight Vanguard, another for Yugioh and one more for Weiss Schwarz.

Hello Kitty (Polka Dots) A5 is used to study Spanish and uses a Hobonichi Techo Cousin 2021. I hope to just write Spanish phrases I learn daily in here and new vocabulary. 

It is quite a lot of books but only the English A6 will get super chunky with all the decorating I do. I use a mix of washi tape, stickers, instax photos and notecards which explains why it expanded as much as it did. Currently I have no plans on carrying any of my Hobonichi planners outside however I might update you all if I figure out a travel bag system with my daily planner once we are able to travel again!

Everything that I don't have in a Hobonichi is either in my Olive Regular Traveler's Notebook, my Ace Hotel Passport Traveler's Notebook or my A5 Olive Roterfaden, which I will explain my setup in a later post.

Thank you all for reading this! It means a lot <3 Let me know if you are using a Hobonichi Techo for next year in the comments! Until next time, stay hype!

Tips on How I have Narrowed Down my Physical Manga Collection

Manga. It’s nearly impossible to obtain one absolute favorite and not slowly start to over stack your already strained bookshelves with thousands more. Especially if you are like me and have a Japanese book store within a short transit distance, multiple online shops to buy from and even a shop downtown that sells used and new books, it gets too easy to just buy more Manga and comics in general.

However, due to a blend of having massive amounts of energy to declutter and forcing yourself to contain my collection, I realized I had to figure out how my bookshelves were going to get organized. 

All of these are personal tips that I used to narrow my collection down while I had the time to do so. Please remember that you don’t have to lessen your collection, especially if your collection isn’t putting you in hardship. 

1. Compile everything you have into one space.

You really need to take inventory of everything you have. For me I had manga in two different places because when I moved most of my books were placed in my toy box because it was the sturdiest thing to put them in and the rest that couldn't fit in a large black trash bag. Seeing all of your manga will help you take inventory of what you do have, don't have and might want to update. Make sure you have a large clear space with a mat to place everything on.

2. Break them down by series.

This will make your life easier when placing them back on your shelves in the order you like. Or in alphabetical order based on title or Author. Its all up to you. It really makes everything look put together when you see your collection sectioned by series and not thrown together at random. Besides that this step helps you see which series you didn't keep up with getting more volumes for and what you read but didn't feel like continuing at all. I had several standalone first volumes that I remember reading but just didn't want to continue buying. 

So far so good right?

3. Taking note of missing volumes.

Life gets in the way and you miss a few volumes. Don't worry! For the most part you can get those missing volumes of your favorite series as long as you took note of it and use the internet to find it new and or used. This is also be a big help in not obtaining a copy of a volume you already own.

4. Extra volumes go into the sell pile.

It happened to me twice. I don't know how but I had two of the same volume 6 but somehow I forgot I bought it before! Just saying if you got extra and its still new sell it for regular price if you can. If you don't want to sell it and its a volume 1 you could give it to a close friend. Who knows maybe someone else will like it as much as you do.

5. Keep your favorites, sell the rest and move digitally.

This is where I really had to make hard choices. The manga I was close to finishing and really wanted to keep stayed while I sold the shattered random volumes of other series. You need to remember that you don't need to have every single one of your favorite manga in your physical collection. If you found and or pay for a decent manga app you can have your favorites all on your phone/tablet! However please be mindful of your storage space on your devices. Sometimes it is worth getting a phone with removal storage, large cloud storage or even investing in a large online drive. If it has been difficult to find volumes in stores or ordering them online, it might be best to go digital as long as its updated on the manga site of your choice. 

6. Would you buy this series if a HARDCOVER or COLLECTOR EDITION came out?!

I wanted to bring this up because some older manga will be reprinted in a hardcover or collector edition, like FullMetal Alchemist and Soul Eater for examples. This is a pain because if you already have the full series physically or digitally you need to ask yourself are you willing to get rid of these to obtain the new editions or do you have the money to shell out and the space to hold EVERYTHING. However if you love the series but didn't collect the volumes yet, the hardcover or collector edition is a great opportunity to get them all! 

The FullMetal Alchemist is so pretty in hardcover!

Bonus. Placing rated M and adult manga in a separate space or hidden, especially if you have people visiting your home and you don't want them to see it. Depending on how your shelf space is you might be able to place manga behind the others you organized. My bookshelves are pretty deep with a closed back so once I line all the volumes up I placed the adult manga in the back. If people don't actually go looking at your manga you could get away with placing them within the rest.

Personal example!

The reason why I curated these tips is because I wanted to share my actual experience. It took me two years to really let go of a lot of stuff (clothes, stationery and small items) and I finally got comfortable to do this with my manga. I know there are many people like me that have been collecting for over a decade but couldn't find the heart to condense the collection. It is ok to keep collecting! You don't have to let go, but when you tell yourself everything has to fit in a certain space, which is exactly what I did, you need to make a choice and I hope these tips help you on your journey. 

Thank you for making it this far! Please remember to try and support the official release to keep our favorites going, and I will see you next time. <3

Traveler’s Notebook Insert Collection 2020

Hello everybody. Tsubaki here and back with more Traveler’s Notebook goods that I have been slowly obtaining as time goes on and as these treasures pop up, especially on Etsy. These will be all the limited edition inserts from collaborations of brands and companies with The Traveler’s Company. I love these inserts because they are super unique and they are still very practical, because I do plan on using them like the rest of my inserts. 

I will try to give as much detail about each insert such as when it came out so if anybody else is interested in getting their own. 

First set of inserts are from the PRADA X Traveler’s Company pop up in NYC. I am so happy I went because I had got the last light cameo/yellow rose they had. In fact it was the one they were using for display. This insert is so unique because you can start from either or both sides. Each side has the same starting page with the box in the middle! The inserts themselves wasn’t that much. I think I paid about $15 USD for each. The dark cameo has the red rose on the other side and the light cameo has the yellow rose. 

Next is the Manual Factory Log-On 20th Anniversary insert. It has the outline of the Manual Factory bear and the quote. It is a dark blue with white text. 

Next is also Manual Factory but from the Hong Kong caravan in 2019.

This insert brings back sweet memories. It is the Mister Softee regular insert from Hong Kong!

I love Mister Softee and remember the ice-cream truck strolling in the Summer days every time I look at it.

The last two are the most recent ones I got which are from the Ace Hotel Collab in both regular and passport. I love the quote "To Begin, Begin." It really fills me up with passion to do what I enjoy.

So far I haven't found any other inserts that I really felt passionate to collect but maybe in 2021 I will continue this with some awesome new inserts. Let me know which ones are your favorite in the comments!