Extra Staples #0015

Extra Staples is a series of posts where I share various links I find interesting. It is not on any regular schedule, and the links can be old or new.
 

Stationery-related

Field Notes Colors: Shenandoah — M B S-P-B
Mike Bates reviews the latest Field Notes COLORS, with plenty of gorgeous shots in natural settings. I wholeheartedly agree, Shenandoah is a classic in the making!

Field Notes Notebook Review | Pens! Paper! Pencils!
Great review of the Original kraft Field Notes. Come to the dark side, Ian! *waves* *but also claims no responsibility* ;)

Whether you feel there are too many special editions these days or not, here are some more Field Notes updates for those who might have missed them. Don’t shoot the messenger!

Nixon Field Notes | Misc Accessories | Nixon Watches and Premium Accessories
Still available as I write this. Unfortunately, US-shipping only. I wonder how much Nixon will benefit from the onslaught of new customers. What about Field Notes Brand? Interesting thoughts for another time, perhaps. Yes, I bought a few packs, as I love the colors.

Landland — Landland x Field Notes “Dead Print” Memo Books
This went on sale on Oct 20th and sold out within minutes. I had no chance. Please, please read the shop’s notes on this edition if you’re interested, because they will have a lot more available at a later date. Good luck to me, and good luck to you. And I think $15 seems reasonable for an art edition like this one. What do you think?

First Look: Pen Type-B from CW&T — The Pen Addict
A much talked-about Kickstarter pen that is absolutely mouth-watering. But alas, it’s designed for Hi-Tec-C refills, and that is a deal-breaker for me. But I’m free to drool, no?

Why Pencils? | pencils and other things
Why, indeed? It's one of those things I can't quite put into words, until someone does, and it all makes sense. And Sola does it well, concisely. Happy blog anniversary, Sola!

Erasable: A Podcast On The Craftsmanship Of The Wooden Pencil | WYPR
w00t! The Erasable guys (sans Tim) were interviewed on the radio! Congrats and job well done on spreading the pencil love.

Wishlist

Will mt ever slow down churning out special editions? Of course not but that’s ok; I get to pick and choose the ones I truly want. I plan on getting some of the Kanazawa editions and some from this year's Christmas collection:

mt ex KANAZAWA | イベント | マスキングテープ「mt」- masking tape -

(watch out for the auto-play on the video)
Christmas2015 | マスキングテープ「mt」- masking tape -
 

Things I tried recently (and liked)

Palomino Blackwing Vol. 211
I like natural finish AND the color brown, so this gets thumbs up from me. Oh, and it writes beautifully. Not as soft as the Pearl but just as pleasant. Maybe very close to the 602?

Fun

Inch x Inch: Shop
Attention Draplin fans: the monthly button club Inch x Inch recently launched an online store! The Draplin buttons are already sold-out but you can still check out his horizon posters, as well as Allan Peters heart posters and some of the past buttons. Tempted!

The Best Way to Type ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ - The Atlantic
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

San Francisco / Bay Area

Victory Point Cafe | Coffee, Beer, and Board Games in Berkeley, CA
Board games + cafe! What an awesome idea + awesome name. Their selection of games looks insane.

A 20th Anniversary Celebration of Toy Story | SFFS
A special presentation by the likes of John Lasseter and Ed Catmull, plus a screening of Toy Story? Oh boy, am I tempted. But I did spend a lot of money on Field Notes lately... Still can’t believe it’s been 20 years since Toy Story came out.

Brendan Monroe - Boiler Room at Heath Ceramics SF
You know the artist whose work was printed on the XOXO 2015 Field Notes? His solo show Morphology is being exhibited at Boiler Room. Only a few days left. (Hat tip to Lowell on Twitter!) Be sure to check Brendan Monroe’s website, too, if you haven't. Amazing.

I'd like to end with this beautiful, uplifting hand-lettering by Traci at Drinkcitra:
“Today is a good day for a good day”

Have a good day,
Jinnie (◍•ᴗ•◍)

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?