Getting to Know Hobonichi: Rubber Stamping

This is the first of a small series of posts where I'll share what I've learned about Hobonichi and its Tomoe River paper. This is my second year journaling in Hobonichi.

Once in awhile, I’ll take out my handmade rubber stamps and stamp them in Hobonichi Techo. It's a quick and easy way to add visual interest and color to my journal without the bulkiness that can come from decorative stickers or tapes. It's really fun to stamp! But I learned that not all ink pads are good for the thin Tomoe River paper that Hobonichi uses. I started using VersaColor ink pads at first and quickly found that the ink can bleed through the paper. Not fun!

I used VersaColor on these pages.

And the ink bled through the paper.

Thankfully, I found that the chalk ink VersaMagic works really well, without much bleed-through. I assume it’s because it’s formulated to be powdery and opaque, even on dark paper and is less “wet” than the more general-purpose VersaColor. (I’m sure there are other brands/lines of ink pads that also work with the TR paper but I’m limiting myself to what I already own.) I still need to be patient while the ink dries, and it’s impossible for the impressions to be invisible through such thin paper, but I’m happy with how the VersaMagic performs. Even the black color works quite well!

Testing various colors and designs with VersaMagic Dew Drop ink pads. Most of these designs were made from this book.

The reverse side of the testing page. No bleed-through. Not bad, right?

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Do you use rubber stamps with Hobonichi or Tomoe River paper? What kind of inks work for you?
 

Related links:

• You can see more of my Hobonichi pages with rubber stamping in this post, or at my Instagram, with #jinnienichi tag.
• This is how I keep track of all the ink pad colors, in a Field Notes memo book, of course.
• Sola at Pencils and Other Things discusses how the erasable Frixion self-inking stamps work on Hobonichi, in this post.
• Need inspiration for hand-carved rubber stamps? I recommend Geninne's Art Blog, Mogerin, and Mizutama.

Hobonichi Accessories

It’s been more than half a year since I bought my first Hobonichi planner, so I thought it’d be better late than never to go over some of the accessories I purchased with it. A lightning round of reviews, if you will. Judging by the wide variety of Hobonichi covers that are offered, and how some of them quickly sell out, it’s probably safe to say Hobonichi owes some of its popularity to its accessories. I was lured by them too, and now I’d like to gather my thoughts on them.

For reference, I got the Hobonichi Planner in English, size A6. For some pictures of my Hobonichi pages, you can go to this post or check my Instagram tag #jinnienichi.

Polyester Cover

This is the most basic, economical cover among the Hobonichi covers, and that is why I chose it. I wanted some protection for the planner and wanted to try one of the decorative Cover on Covers, which meant that I needed a very basic, solid cover. Knowing that it was of polyester material, I didn’t expect to fall in love with it, and I was right. While it’s well-constructed and provides good protection, I don’t particularly enjoy how it feels and looks. But that was okay because most of it got covered by the decorative Cover on Cover (see next section). I wish this cover wasn’t year-specific; there’s a small “2015” tag on one of the interior pockets. I wouldn’t archive my 2015 planner with the cover on but maybe some people do? The double loops on the side are a cute idea as a closure, and it’s one of the details that attracted me to the Hobonichi package. You slide a writing utensil through both loops to secure the planner closed. But in practice, I found it cumbersome, and I carry my pens separately anyway. If I were to shop for another cover and knowing what I know now, I would invest more money and buy one that covers the planner on all sides with an easier closure, like a button or a zipper. This cover has lots of pockets though. And two different bookmarks! They’re the other details that attracted me to Hobonichi.

 The cover also came with a clear Cover on Cover but I never used it, other than to test it.

There's “2015” marked on the clear Cover on Cover, too.

The clear Cover on Cover has an opening on the back, so you can access the exterior pocket on the Cover. You can't comfortably seal it shut with the Memo Pad in that pocket though.

Decorative Cover on Cover

As I mentioned, part of the reason I bought the basic cover was so I could try this decorative Cover on Cover. It was the most economical way for me to “spiff up” my planner. It’s a bit rubbery in feel but I’m happy with it, as the pattern contrasts nicely with the black cover, and is appropriate for all year round. You do lose access to the exterior pocket on the polyester cover with this Cover on Cover, but there are enough interior pockets that I don’t mind the loss.

I see that the next year’s decorative Cover on Covers are different from last year’s, and the design for the original-size planner is different from the one for the Cousin planner. I wish they would have both designs available for each size, as I like the Cousin’s design better.

Pencil Board

This pencil board, or shitajiki in Japanese, is the kind of stuff I grew up with! You slide it underneath the page you are writing on, and you get a smoother, harder writing surface. It also protects the pages underneath. I knew the paper in Hobonichi, the Tomoe River paper, was very thin, so getting this board was a no brainer for me. This board is actually not as stiff and thick as the ones I’m used to, but because the pages are so thin, I wish it was even more pliable, so I don’t stress each page so much at the binding. I’m still glad I got it, though. I could’ve reused my old (bigger) boards but this is perfectly sized for Hobonichi, and I can always leave it in the planner with its “Today” tab as a bookmark. It’s even ruled with graph grid (5 mm). I see that the 2016 version is a different color (Bordeaux wine red), instead of navy. While I like that color, too, I’m glad there’s no “2015” marked on the one I have.

Mini-Scissors: Pocket Secretary

This pair of Mini Scissors was an impulse buy. I planned to use a lot of decorative washi tapes with my Hobonichi, so I thought a small pair to carry with the planner would be a great idea. And it is, except these scissors are so thin that they are uncomfortable to hold. They get the basic job done but they are definitely not designed to do any intricate cutting or long-term use. And I learned that if I’m doing anything crafty with Hobonichi, I’m usually not without a separate case full of pens and craft supplies, including one of my many mini scissors. Oops. This pair fits nicely into one of the interior pockets though. Good to have just in case but not necessary. :)

Sticker Savers

Another item I bought out of curiosity: Sticker Saver. It’s a set of 3 clear, adhesive sheets that you use to save stickers or labels. I use them to save parts of washi tapes that don’t get used up sequentially. It’s useful but I didn’t like that they left residue on the Hobonichi. They are now attached to a separate notebook, and I do use them here and there. But the colors on the tabs are already wearing off. Good concept but I don’t think I would buy more.

Hobonichi Memo Pad Set

The last set of accessories I bought are these Hobonichi-original Memo Pads. They’re more like notebooks, bound by thread, with perforated Tomoe River pages. They are slightly narrower than Field Notes and are designed to fit Hobonichi cover’s pockets. They look nice, and I love all the colors but I just haven’t found any use for them yet. I thought maybe I could tear off a page and attach it to a page in Hobonichi where I need more space. But the memo pad grid size (3.7 mm) is different from the English planner’s grid size (4 mm). Maybe that doesn’t matter. (Interestingly, the Japanese planner's grid size is 3.7 mm.)

It looks like I made some unnecessary purchases, but I guess it was an itch I had to scratch. What can I say, it was a fun shopping experience. ;) Will you be getting Hobonichi for 2016? If so, are you getting any accessories for it?