Why I chose these pieces for April
Today, I wanted to take you through what pieces were selected for the April box. Items in this box was chosen with the "Sakura: Ephemeral Beauty" theme in mind.
If you've been around for a while, I have been sharing my thought process around my curation. I hope this section feels less like a reveal and more like a conversation we have been building toward
1. Uniball One Gel Pen, 0.38mm
Someone in our community mentioned to me that she loves fine point pens, and it stuck with me when I was putting this box together. Fine-tipped pens are common in Japan, designed with kanji in mind, and there is something about writing with a 0.38mm nib that makes you slow down and be a little more deliberate.
The ink is pigment-based so it sits cleanly on the page without bleeding through. It is a simple pen that a lot of people will reach for every single day.
2. Hyogensha Ippitsusen Letter Pad & Memo Block (Sakura)
一筆箋 (ippitsusen) is a traditional Japanese format that doesn't really exist in Western stationery. It is a long, narrow slip of decorative paper meant for a single short message; not a full letter, just one thought passed to someone. Could be used for various purposes: a thank you, a note left on a desk, a few words that felt too important for a text.
You find them everywhere in Japanese stationery shops, and I wanted to include them here because once you have a stack, you start inventing reasons to use them.
This set comes with both a letter pad and a memo block illustrated by Yuko Omori. They share the same designs but are different sizes, so the same illustration feels more expansive on the letter pad and more concentrated on the memo block. I love that they work as a pair without being entirely identical.
3. Kutsuwa Hancoco Layering Stamps
These pre-inked stamps are designed to be used on their own or layered together to create your own compositions. What I really like is that they were clearly designed with washi tape in mind. There is a small built-in blade on the set for cutting tape cleanly, and the stamps are sized to fit perfectly over a 15mm washi width. That kind of thoughtful detail makes them genuinely fun to use together.
4. Kutsuwa Clear Foldable Notebook Template (Blue or Smokey Gray)
This is a transparent template with shapes and guides cut into it. You lay it on top of your page and trace along the openings to add borders, lines, or layout elements wherever you want them. I am not the most artsy person, so having something like this is a bit like training wheels on a bike. I can add things to a page that I would never attempt to draw freehand, and it actually looks good.
*One of two selected colors: Blue or Smokey Gray
5. MT Washi Tape - Graph Blueberry or Mosaic Greyish
6. DAIGO isshoni. Number Notebook Grid (SF Stationery Fest Exclusive)
And a gift for 6 month plan subscribers joining us this month....🎁
🌸Order the April Box🌸