Neko Box - Minimalist

          I have been really happy with all my Neko box Subscritions and this box is no different. The theme for the box was Minimalist, and I love the information in the booklet about Japan or places in Japan.

     The first things I took out of the box were the bowl and spoon, both by Minorutouki. The bowl is a Wabisabi bowl, and the spoon is a ceramic Broth spoon.

          I’m not a tea drinker but this is a perfect size cup for drinking Arabian Coffee. The Minimalist Tea Cup is by Miyama. 

          My favorite things in every Neko box has to do with culture and in this box, it was this Lucky Zen Daruma by WaZakka. You are supposed to color in the left eye and make a wish, then display it somewhere that you can see it. Once the wish has been fulfilled then you color in the right eye.

          Another item that screams culture to me is the Red and White Furoshiki (wrapping cloth) by Yamada Seni. 

          Finally, an art print by Neko Box. I love to use these as inspiration for painting or as part of a mixed media composition or even as part of my journal.

The Zakka Kit - August

          So let us take a look at one of my favorite box subscriptions, The Zakka Kit - August 2018. The theme for the box is Inu, which means dog in Japanese. 

          This first item is a self inking Dog Stamp by Kodomo No Kao. The ink is pink and the dog is really cute.

          The next item is the Shiba Inu washi tape from ACT x Friendshill. It features Shibata-san in various cute poses. 

          I loved the Shiba Inu stickers included in the box. They are by Mindwave.

          I love using double sided tape and this next product made me very happy. It is a dot liner glue tape by Kukuyo. These were two case colors blue or pink and I got the pink.

          The mini dog notecards and envelopes are really cute. They are by Classiky x Toraneko Bonbon, and they will make great gift tags or can be used to hide moments in your bullet journal.

          The dog roll stickers are by Classiky x Toraneko Bonbon and they would be cute to add to gift wraps or even on journaling pages. 

          And finally, two pens, one is a Sarasara Clip Vintage Pen by Zebra and the other is a Coat Highlighter by Tombow. 

         

New Subscription Alert: Inspire Me Korea

          This is the first box from this subscription and the reason I got it was a) because it promises a look at the culture and b) it promises Korean goods. So here we go. The first thing that I noticed was that there was no information card to tell me what is in the box. However, if you go looking on their website you can find some information there. The theme for this box is music.

          The first thing to come out of the box was this issue of Inspire Me Korea. I think I’m going to look around on the internet for the previous issues. It has some interesting stuff in it about the people, places, and culture. 

          This hat is one that I have seen a few Kpop artists wear, one of which is one of my favorites Taemin from Shinee. 

          Korea is well known for its sheet masks and this box contains one; I can’t wait to try it out!

          The next item is a cute one, it is a sheet of Chibi stickers of the members of different Kpop groups. The names of the members and the groups they belong to are listed in case you can’t tell who they are. 

          Next up is something yummy. Included in the box was a pack of Butter Coconut cookies and a pack of Kimchi Ramyeon. The cookies disappeared before I could show you what they looked like on the inside (they disappeared into my stomach übber yummy) and this is the Kimchi ramyeon. I like mine with no soup and an egg so that is why it looks like that. BUT YUMMY!!!!!

          Also included in the box are some Kpop cards and some buttons with Kpop lyrics on them. The cards are EXO members and the lyric button one belongs to BlackPink (Hit you with that...) and the second I THINK belongs to BTS (Don’t hate me, while I like BTS I don’t actually Stan them so I’m not familiar with all their songs) .

        I like this box so far. For what it processes to do, it is doing it well. So I’m looking forward to the next box from Inspire Me Korea.

Neko Box - Matsuri Festival

          The Neko Box theme is “Matsuri Festival” . I’m going to share the information from the box because I think it is really interesting. 

           Now let us get into the box itself.  Everything inside is wrapped so well and the padding is super safe. 

          The first thing I took out of the box was the Leaf Chopsticks by Kawasemi. They are made from natural wood. They really look beautiful and I’m hoping to learn how to use them soon. 

          The next thing to come out of the box was this beautiful (I’m using this word a lot I know) bowl. It is by Saikai Touki, made from Arita porcelain and made in Saga prefecture. 

          The textured sake cup by Minoru Touki came out next. It is Mino porcelain made in Gifu prefecture. 

          This summer wind chime (Furin) was made by Yakushigama. It also has kanji on the paper with the translation of cool, refreshing. 

          I nearly missed this fan under all the stuffing and objects but I’m glad I didn’t. The Uchiwa is by Shin Nihon Calendar. It is made from paper and bamboo.

          Finally, this Matsuri art print from Neko box printed on Japanese paper.

          I’m so glad I decided to invest in this box. I’m learning about the culture and collecting beautiful but useful things along the way. Things I will probably not find here in Kuwait.

          

The Zakka Kit - July 2017

          The July theme for the Zakka Kit is Wagashi. Wagashi, according to the information card, are Japanese sweets made from rice flour and sweet bean paste.

          I keep hoarding the wrapping paper. One of these days I’m going to use them for a project that is percolating in my mind.

          This washi tape is designed by Shinzo Katoh and Seal Do. It features cute rice dumplings called dango.

          When I first saw this I thought it was a Japanese treat until I saw the word eraser; it is by Iwako. There are seven different colors and this is the one I got.

          Watercolor pencils by Sakura. They can be used like normal color pencils or with a watercolor brush and some water. 

          These are vintage note cards by Classiky. You can use them for mini recipes, reminders, gift notes and inspirational quotes. I’m probably going to use them in a project or as gift notes.

          So these are stickers and post-it notes (the smaller of the two) by Nihongo Flashcards and Round Top. I love that the names for the food are in both Japanese and English on the stickers.

          Finally, the art print. This time it is a bit different since they provide you with a picture that you have to color yourself. I think if I am going to use watercolors on this I’m going to transfer it to watercolor paper. I’m not sure how well this paper handles water lol.

Spotlight Stationery - July 2018

          July’s box from Spotlight Stationery is themed “Eden”. The box contains a stationery collection compiled around the new journals from Castilli. As usual, the purchase price of each box includes a donation to From Me To You, a charity that encourages people to write letters to cancer patient. 

          The first thing that caught my eye was the journal but I wanted to see the post cards first. 

          Now to the gorgeous journal, apparently it was the Eden line and at the time to box was sent out it wasn’t even on their website yet. It comes with a pencil as well. Just look at how beautiful it is!!!

          I love me some pens and this box has some good ones. The first is the Zebra Telescopic Stylus and it’s two refills, and the second is the Paper Mate Inkjoy which I love to write with because it is so smooth. Finally, the pencil, which is a Greengraph HB pencil from Stabilo. 

          Finally, the postcard included is as distinctive as the cover of the Eden journal and just as beautiful. 

         I’m always amazed by how Spotlight Stationery always manages to have amazing stuff in their boxes at a certain high quality level. They never disappoint.