Why I picked these pieces for the September Box 📦

Why I picked these pieces for the September Box 📦

Last newsletter I told you where this month’s box came from. Those after-school afternoons with my friends, snacks spread out across the desks, the walk to the bus stop that always took longer than it should have, with a stop at our favorite bakery along the way.

Today I want to walk you through the pieces themselves and why each one made it into the box.

If you have been around for a while, you know I like to share the thinking behind every item. I hope this feels less like a reveal and more like a continuation of a conversation we have been building.

A little something extra, for 6-month plan members

This month, current and new 6-month plan members also get the “Oedo Neko Kan” tin, a limited-edition piece from Tsutaya Shoten Books with a beautifully illustrated design that blends traditional Japanese art with playful cats. Inside is a mini, book-shaped cat memo pad, one of four seasonal designs chosen at random, along with five random rolls of masking tape from Hedera. I wanted to reward our loyal members who have committed to the 6 months, and also give a little nudge to anyone who has been thinking about joining. This is a great month to do it. And honestly, you can always use more washi tape in your collection.

A styled flat-lay of a decorative metal tin set containing washi tapes. The set includes a closed tin with a Japanese geisha illustration on the lid, an orange card with a black cat, and an open tin showing four rolls of washi tape with pink, orange, and gray patterns.

FURUKAWA SHIKO “Kyou no Otegami” Bird Letter Set

Furukawa Shiko has been making Mino washi paper since 1835, and this letter set uses Rakusui-Shi, a washi with a texture as delicate as lace, illustrated with a gentle bird motif and matched with its own envelopes. It won first place in the Letters category of the 2019 Best Stationery Award. I included this one because the texture is so unique and one of a kind. This is a great letter set for thoughtful messages, as well as collages and adding texture to your journal pages.

A Japanese letter stationery paper featuring a delicate floral border design in green, pink, and blue on a cream background, enclosed in a clear protective sleeve against a white backdrop.

ZEBRA Mildliner Natural Mild 5-Color Pack

Five double-ended highlighters in Mildliner’s soft, muted tones, with a broad tip for highlighting and a fine tip for underlining or lettering. We included a Zebra Mildliner in our very first Beta Launch box last year, and I have been wanting to find a way to bring them back ever since. These are my own journaling staples, so it felt right to include them again this month.

A package of five Zebra Mildliner natural ink pens in assorted light pastel colors, sealed in a clear plastic blister pack with a printed header card.

NB Japanese Style Sticker Sheet — Crane and Japanese Pattern

This sheet features the origami crane finished with delicate gold foil, and in Japan the crane is a symbol of peace, healing, and long life. The paper itself has a soft, textured quality you do not usually find in stickers, with a subtle shimmer from the gold foil instead of a flashy shine. I chose it for the quiet, golden-hour feeling it brings to a page.

A sheet of decorative washi tape stickers featuring origami cranes and floral motifs in pastel colors, packaged in a clear sleeve with a gold 'NB Co-Create' label at the top, set against a plain white background.

HIGHTIDE PENCO Sticky Memo Pad — Yellow

Thirty sticky sheets in a warm, golden yellow, the same color as afternoon light coming through a classroom window. The colored paper gives every note a little personality without losing any function, and it peels and sticks cleanly to a notebook, planner, or your desk. I wanted something functional in the mix too, an easy way to organize your day, in a color that already feels like that golden hour.

A pack of Penco Weekly Planner Sticky Memo Pads in bright yellow with red printed text and grid lines, sealed in a clear plastic sleeve against a white background.

HIGHTIDE PENCO Clip S — Red or Navy

A small steel clip in the classic Penco design. Each box gets one color, red or navy. It is sturdy enough for real use, but it also has that nostalgic feeling, the kind of clip you remember seeing on your parents’ desk or tucked into an old pencil case.

Two metal binder clips on a clean white background, one in red and one in dark blue, both with gray spring elements and embossed branding.

HIGHTIDE Retro Sticker — Pancake or Chocolate Cornet

This is a sticker straight off a retro café menu, printed on Hightide’s classic yellow backing paper with bold outlines and bright, flat colors, like something from a Showa-era coffee shop. Each box gets one design, pancake or chocolate cornet. If you read last newsletter, you already know why the chocolate cornet version means a little more to me this month.

Two sheets of small decorative stickers on a white background. The left sheet shows repeated yellow and red pancake illustrations, and the right sheet shows repeated chocolate cornet bread bun

MIDORI Die-Cut Sticky Notes — Flower Garden

A pack of twenty die-cut sticky notes shaped into a small flower garden, with a rabbit peeking out from the blooms. The adhesive only sits on the bottom half of each note, so the die-cut top floats slightly off the page and every cutout gets to show. The flower cutout is so detailed it almost feels like its own little paper craft. I love pieces like this, small enough to tuck into a journal spread or use as a bookmark.

A package of Katanuki Fusen die-cut sticky notes with a white background, decorated with a colorful paper floral border and a small white bunny illustration.

Golden light, retro cafes, and the little things that take us back. That is really what this box is about.

I hope these pieces find their way into yours.

Back to blog