A Little Stamping Goes a Long Way

I loved stationery as a child. My mom kindly bought me many blank notebooks with cute characters on them. She let me have all the gel pens in the world and a ton of stickers to boot. One thing I never ventured into was stamps. When I rediscovered stationery as a passion about six months ago, I told myself: "There's no way I'll get into stamps now. I'm too old for that."

Well, as it turns out, I spoke too soon.

I purchased three stamps recently from an Etsy shop named niconecozakkaya to try them out. It's so much fun to let the stamp add a little something to the page in an easy way. I can tell this slope might turn into a steep cliff, because I'm loving what I got!

Brass Dater Stamp

It arrived in an adorable drawstring pouch with an adjuster tool and a cleaner.

This brass stamp is the definition of "functional." One of the first things I noticed about it was its sturdiness. Even though the size is small, the stamp feels substantial in your hand. The overall look of it is very sleek and I like that it doesn't come with any additional bells or whistles. I'm able to change the year, the month, and the day to an infinite future, which is all I wanted.

I chose to test it out on the Hobonichi Techo. The process was a bit difficult at first: I took my time figuring out how to use the adjuster, and when I did, I couldn't get the angle right.

The first attempt, as you can see here, did not go well.

I learned that pressing down on a stamp is a lot more manageable with a pencil board underneath to make the surface even. After a few more tries, the stamp finally came out clearly on the page.

I'll definitely be using this stamp in other journals (e.g. putting a date stamp on my art or media reviews).

Chamil Garden Flora Stamp

Chamil Garden is a well-known brand among stationery enthusiasts for their eclectic and unique designs. There were multiple collections to choose from, but I picked this one because I liked the font. I thought the overall composition would be great for placing on backgrounds - for me to decorate around, instead of making it a center piece on the page.

The stamping process itself was also very straightforward and it came out nicely with little effort!

Knoop "Don't Forget" Stamp

The last one I bought this time around is from a brand called Knoop, which makes helpful reminder or indication stamps. This one, for example, has a very simple design, but is still memorable in its own way. I love the fact that all of the Knoop stamps are cute and practical at the same time. I noticed how intricately the stamp was made, and details such as the bracelet on the wrist showed up so well on the page even though I wasn't the most careful about stamping.

I wanted one I'd use often, so I chose this one to remind myself of important dates and tasks.

Soramame Inks

To go along with the three stamps, I also got the Soramame inks in the Yoyo set.

I really enjoy the warmth of these pastel colors.

Each one is designed to fit with your index finger, so you can place the ink more precisely on your more delicate stamps.

A part of me is hit with nostalgia every time I use stamps. I remember receiving stamps on my notebooks from teachers when I did a good job in school, and wonder if that's a part of the reason I feel good when I use them. It's a small pick-me-up every time.

I'm going to be honest and let you know that I already ordered more stamps from different places. When I get a chance, I'll share them with you in my next haul!

Here's a close up of what the Chamil Garden (top) and Knoop (bottom) stamps look like.

I flipped them over for fun (and swapped their order, too, apparently)!

A glimpse into my Hobonichi Techo the day I received them. I had a lot of fun testing them out!