ZenPop November 2018, Japanese Stationery Subscription Box

ZenPop November Stationery Box 2018, Winter Magic Pack

This box actually made really good time this month getting here, arriving early last week, but I was in California.  It arrived around the 12th, which is really good.

ZenPop Japanese Stationery Pack has 10 or more stationary items per box.  You can make a one time purchase, or select a subscription plan of 3 or 6 months.  One box per month and those who get a subscription receive a bonus item.  A single box is $29.50, 3 months is $28x3 = $84, and 6 months is $27.50x6 = $165.  Shipping is free (boxes come from Osaka Japan so this is a great deal) and plans don't automatically renew (which is fantastic).

All quotations throughout this post come from the info paper.

November 2018: Winter Magic Pack

"2019 is a special year for Japan because the current emperor will abdicate in May.  The abdication will mark the end of the Heisei era, and the government will announce the name of the next imperial era in April 1, 2019.  We are so excited to welcome this special year with you.  We hope you like the adorable stationery in this pack.  And we hope your new year will be filled with peace and positive growth!"

I actually really like this box.

I'm starting with my favorite item.

It's so cool.

 Kokuyo Harinacs No Staple Stapler

"This is one of our most unique stationery items we have ever included.  You can staple papers without any staples!  Can you guess how it works?  This works great for about 5 sheets of paper or less.  It punches a hole and folds in on itself.  Perfect for keeping notes or receipts together.  And there are no staples if you have children around or you need to shred stuff.  Cool, right!?"

I'm constantly trying to find staples when I staple things together, and have since just resolved to folding paper in various ways to keep them together, which never works.  This little paper-less stapler does the job well and easily.  I'm so glad this was included in the box.  This will probably get the most use.

It's neat how the paper is punched out and then tucked back in.

 Doggy One Point Markers

"2018 was the year of the dog.  But dogs are cute no matter what year it is, so use these adorable sticky notes when you need a smile or for a little extra boost in your life."

Being a 1982 babe, I was born in the year of the dog.  This box is nice because they're celebrating the end of 2018 and beginning of 2019, having both dog and boar items.  I love these cute little doggies.  So adorable.

Otoshidama Pochi-bukuro

"Pochi-bukuro is a special envelope used to give Otoshidama.  Otoshidama is a custom where money is given from Parents and relatives to children on new year's day.  Children in Japan really look forward to getting their Otoshidama every year.  Make someone smile and give them something nice in these gorgeous little envelopes."

I've heard of this tradition, giving money in small envelopes.  I'm trying to figure our how to use them.  This pack comes with 3, and 2 of my nieces and my nephew are old enough to get excited by small amounts of money, so I should practice this tradition with them.  Or maybe I'll get gift cards or something.  Just the right size for that.  We'll see.

Winter Ippitsusen

"Ippitsusen literally translates as "one stroke paper," and it's meant to be used to write a quick note to yourself or someone else.  Of course you can use this pretty pad of paper any way you wish!"

This is really pretty paper.  These are suppose to be Winter themed, but with polar bears being in the north, and the nice constellation theme, I can use this all year long.  Sample pages are shown a few images below.

Kokuyo Beetle Tip Highlighter

"This highlighter has a tip that looks like a beetle horn, and you can use it 3 ways!  Make thin strokes, make double lines using two tips at once, or use the fat tip to highlight normally.  I'm sure there are more creative ways to use it as well, just gotta try it and see!"

This is an interesting highlighter.  Never seen one like it.  With the different shaped tip you do have to look before you mark, but getting different types of lines from a single tip is a neat feature.

Sakura Knock Ball Pen - Lamé

"This ball point pen has sparkly colored ink.  It's not lame it's lamé!  It has a translucent body, a unique shape and a handy little clip.  Use this pen anytime you need to add some color or sparkles to your day."

A nice sparkly pink pen.  I'll have fun using this.

Winter Washi Tape

"You'll get one of 8 different possible winter patterns of washi tape in this pack.  Cozy crafting time is coming!"

This washi tape is very pretty.  I love the deer with the simple Winter backdrop.

2019 Desk Calender

"In Japan, it is said that the animal of the year (from the twelve zodiac signs) will bring the luck to your family and prosperous business if you have the zodiac animal with you.  2019 is the year of the boar, so this desk calendar might bring good luck to you."

A nice simple desktop calendar.

Each sheet is double sided and features an image tied to that month.

Winter Letter Set

"In East Asia, there is a traditional way to think of "seasons", which we divide one year into 24 seasons.  Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter are all divided into 6 micro seasons."  There's some good info of each micro Winter season on the information paper: Rittou, Shousetsu, Taisetsu, Shoukan, and Daikan.  Right now where I live we're in Shousetsu: It begins to get colder and colder.  It starts to snow, although it won't lay at this period."

I'm so glad this stationery set is large enough to send in the mailing system.  Deer again, a theme I don't mind repeating, and the little chickens are cute, too.  Really like this item.

Shibanban Flake Stickers

"Shibanban's washi new year stickers!  Let's say goodbye to the year of the dog.  All the designs of the stickers are something to bring you luck, such as noshi (folded paper), daruma (good luck doll) or inuhariko (papier-mashe dog)."

More cute dogs.  I really like these stickers.

Fun designs, especially the dog on top of Mount Fuji.

BONUS ITEM

Only received by those who subscribe to a 3 or 6 month plan.

Kiguru - Me Eraser

"A cute addition to your pencil case, this eraser comes in black or white and features a costume wearing bird!"

A simple, but nice easier.

Tiptoeing on Route 66 and Driving through the Desert

I just got back from a short trip to California.  With the passing of my Grandfather we had some stuff to finish up, one of which involved his RV which is registered in CA and required an in person visit to the DMV.

Yay!  A trip to California just to visit the DMV.  Sounds like fun, right?  Well, my Mom decided a side trip to Disneyland for just us two was in order, like old times when we would visit my Grandpa in Ventura and do a day trip to the Disney parks.  All those early mornings getting back to Ventura around 3:00 am.  Ah man.

Which DMV would be the best to visit?  I was assigned research duty, as it's something I actually enjoy, and found Needles CA to be the best bet.  The town where Snoopy's brother Spike lives.  That's the only reason I even know about Needles, good ol' Spike.  This DMV had good ratings compared to Barstow and other locations I looked up.  And the ratings and reviews held up as this DMV was such an easy visit, with a portion of the time my Mom and I being the only ones there along with the employees.

From previous trips through the desert I knew Route 66 ran through Barstow, but I didn't know there's a strip of it in Needles.  One of my bucket list items is to drive down as much of Route 66 that remains from Chicago to Santa Monica.  The whole notion just feels so romantic.  Unfortunately much of it is destroyed or changed.

My Great-Grandparents and Grandparents traveled down 66 in its heyday.  My Grandma was telling me that she remembers going down Route 66 when she was a kid on a trip from Riverside CA to Iowa and back, in the 1940's I believe.  Which means that little strip of Route 66 in Needles that I got out to walk on was traveled on by my family long ago.  It was a really cool feeling trying to imagine what they may have been thinking and seeing.

To get back home we traveled down route 95 to Las Vegas, and parts of it reminded me what it must have been like traveling down Route 66 way back when.  Single lane roads.  Trains going this way and that, and even stopping for a train.  Desert mountains on either side.

When we went through Searchlight Nevada the time of day was somewhere between dusk and twilight, the lights of the city advertising gambling, saloons, restaurants, and whatnot's.  It felt like a step in time.  As we approached Las Vegas I put on classic Frank Sinatra, completing the affect of the evening.

Such a pleasant little trip.

Cute Paris Alleyways, Shops, and Yummy Treats

After visiting the Grevin wax museum in Paris, 2016, my Mom, Tata Patou, and I exited into this enclosed alleyway of shops.  There's probably a technical definition for what this type of place is called.  We don't have them here in this corner of the States, at least from what I've seen.  It's charming.  So many cute shops.  And a nice pastry cafe called Le Valentin.

So Yummy.

Such a cute shop.

On to the Sacré-Coeur.

 Photos by Sarah and Robin Stufflebeam

How I Got Three October Mickey Mouse Memory Plushes

So how did I get three October Mickey Mouse plushes?  Dumb luck, and being in Paris the day or so after its release.  So this is really a tale of how Europe benefited from Disney taking extra Mickeys from the China stores, as they don't have the demand and always have extra, and putting them in Europe/UK Disney Stores.  Meanwhile in the U.S.A. people camp outside stores and stay up late for the Mickey plush to sale out within minutes online.  Drama.

But seriously, the only other plush I've bought is the May plush.  The last few months have been crazy.  I collect what I like, not to sale, and being the nerd I am the October plush looks really cool, representing the year 2000.  It seemed impossible getting the plush and pin set this month, being in Europe, but it just so happened that our tour guide allowed us an hour and a half to wander around the Opera de Paris area, and there was a Disney Store right across the street in a shopping department store type place.  I wasn't even thinking they would have pins or plushes left, just assumed they would have sold out.

The main goal for visiting the Paris Disney Store was to see if they have exclusive Disney Store France items.  Dublin had notepads, bags, and mugs in the Irish spirit.  I didn't visit a Disney Store in London, but in YouTube videos I've watched they've showed London exclusive items.  The entire Tokyo stores are pretty much full of exclusives.  Japan has a lot of fun Disney merchandise.  In the Paris store they had a Minnie plush wearing a cute outfit and candles made in France.  I didn't get the Minnie plush, but I did get the Tinker Bell candle that smells so good and is really cute.

I wasn't even looking for Mickey Memories, getting distracted by 90th anniversary stuff, getting a small gold Mickey.

While in line for the check out my Mom was like, "Isn't that the monthly Mickey's?" I looked where she pointed and gasped, seeing several Mickey's hanging in green nerdy fashion, staring at me.  This is something you wouldn't see in a U.S.A. store.  We got one each, and when we were leaving I realized my brother Micheal, who's a computer programmer, would love a Mickey.  We asked if we could get another, and they let us!!  The U.S.A stores has a one plush per person policy.  The online store has a one plush per household policy, even stricter.

Really lucky.

The ceiling inside the shopping center.

The golden Mickey and candle I also got at the Paris Disney store.

I got the May Mickey Memories plush/pins and the September Mickey Memories pins online, not wanting to deal with the store crowd.  The only time this year I went to the Disney Store to get an exclusive LE item was for Mulan.  My Mom and I got there an hour early, 4th and 5th in line.  Nobody else came.  When the Disney employees let us in, they informed us they only got 5 Mulan dolls.  It was fortunate that everyone who showed up got one, and that no one missed out.

Be Happy Now

"Don't wait for tomorrow.  Don't wait for the right job, the right house, the right salary, the right dress size.  Be happy today.  Be happy now." ~ Joseph B. Wirthlin

This quote was just what I needed to read.  I do get caught up in the waiting, thinking when this, this, this, and so on are accomplished or received I'll be happy.  I am happy, for the most part, but I do have the habit of getting caught up in worry and negative thoughts.  Oh, and goodness, "Don't wait for the right dress size," hit me pretty hard.  That's something I struggle with.

Okay, inner me!  Stop it!  I can be happy now.  Stop stressing.

That's a good goal.

Walking Around the Latter-Day Saint Paris France Temple

Less than two weeks ago I had the pleasant opportunity to walk around the Latter-Day Saint temple grounds in Paris, France.  It's located close to Versailles about 2.3 kilometers.  This new temple was under construction when I visited Versailles in April, 2016, so a visit then wasn't practical.

This temple was announced in 2011 and completed in 2017.

What makes this temple unique is that it doesn't have an angle Moroni on its top, and the overall design is different than other Latter-Day Saint temples, blending beautifully with its surroundings.

I loved walking around and taking these gardens in, looking up at the beautiful facade.  There's also a small visitors center with elder couple missionaries, ready to answer any questions.  In the visitors center there's also a small replica of the temple with rooms you can look into.

It's interesting, I visited this temple after visiting Versailles, taking in those gallant gardens with their fountains spraying in magnificent fashion.  Yet I loved visiting this temple.  It's not grand like Versailles.  These gardens are small and simple.  Even so, no amount of grandness can compare to the sweet feeling of the spirit.  I'm so glad I had the chance to visit this beautiful place.