This will hopefully become a bi-weekly feature on the website. I’m a little stationery obsessed and I want to share products I’ve seen that I like or have purchased. (Though I don’t purchase all I like… if only I could have an unlimited stationery budget!)
HOBONICHI TECHO AVEC
“Why the !@#$ did I buy a 2020 planner?!” — a common sentiment of 2020
Because I am continuing my education, a planner is essential to balancing school life, work-life, and writing life. My original 2020 planner, a Passion Planner, ended up causing anguish due to empty and blank pages for most of the first half of the year. Passion Planner is perfect for goal-setting and realizing goals, but it has reflective check-ins to evaluate yourself, your progress to your goals, and how to move on from there. When you’ve done nothing, it creates more hardship than aid. Thus, when I saw this was out, I decided to purchase it. The freeform Hobonichi style meshes well with the chaos of 2020 and the fact that it starts in July means I have no stress over missed months.
One of the main appeals of Hobonichi are the covers. I have several A5 covers, including a couple of Hobonichi-branded ones, so I did not buy a cover for this Avec.
A planner exists to be used, so if you are like me and struggled with your 2020 planner, perhaps switching for the remainder of the year is an option for you as well. If you do not want the Hobonichi, an undated planner would be a good compromise. In fact, before deciding on the Hobonichi, I was debating getting an undated planner. Thanks to this chaotic year, I will no longer purchase dated planners. Undated all the way!
LETTER WRITING SUPPLIES
One of my good long-distance friends surprised me with a letter last week. In order to write back, I pulled out my washi, stickers, pens, etc for the first time in months. It single-handedly got me back into the comfort of using stationery again. Writing the letter felt reflective and nice as well.
We hardly ever get legitimate mail anymore and sending a letter or receiving a letter is something special. Just receiving it can brighten a day! Furthermore, according to this recent article on NPR, writing and giving gratitude letters can provide a mental boost that lasts for a long time. While I agree that reading it out loud would be embarrassing, what harm is in sending it through the mail? It also is tangible and they can go back and reread it whenever they need a pick-me-up.
It is very easy to get into a rabbit hole of pretty stationery. It’s not necessary. The words are what matters the most. However, because I am a tad obsessed, I do enjoy the process of decorating letters as much as writing them. Jetpens has a blog post detailing all the different ways letters can be decorated.
I prefer a simple take on letters. I typically take a plain sheet of paper, sometimes a blank Tomoe River sheet or sometimes a sheet from a Black n’Red spiral notebook, and run a strip of washi on the top and bottom border. From there, I may add a sticker or two that complements the washi on the corners. Letter sets are also an option, though I am rather wordy so I prefer the larger sheets to talk about everything I wish to speak of. One of my favorite combinations is the following:
Iroshizuku Ajisai Fountain Pen Ink
What if letters aren’t your thing?
Starlight Novelists did a group postcard swap in July. Postcards are another way to express gratitude and can be as wordy (as your handwriting permits) or un-wordy as you desire. Either way, the recipient will get a piece of “happy mail” in their box!
I have the 100 postcard set that features Studio Ghibli frames from Chronicle Books. So long as you have your friend’s mailing addresses, why not send a postcard? I’ve done it to wish them a happy day, thank them for being my friend or helping me, or even just because I thought about them. There’s no obligation for them to write back and it can make their day a little brighter. 🙂 And since it’s 100 postcards, I have no worries about running out anytime soon.
One last thing this digest! While playing with a washi roll, I found inspiration for a story. These are the washi I compiled into a sort of “image board” to try and springform a story off of. If you are a stationery obsessed writer as well, why not give it a try too?
Much love,
Desi