Accessories for Planning and Travel

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Over the last several months, I've accumulated numerous accessories that I use for planning and travel. Some I use every day, others occasionally, but all of them are quite useful.

Washi Tape

I love washi tape. It can be used for so many things–marking cables, attaching photos, decorating items. Mark's Maste Washi Tape and collection boxes are wonderful. The box holds the tape and has a serrated edge so you can easily cut the tape without having to use scissors. $14.40 for a set of 8 tapes. $13.75 for the collection box in either black or ivory.

I like to use washi tape to mark special occasions in my Hobonichi planner, such as an upcoming trip to France with my daughter. The camera washi tape is $3.35 on JetPens.

Sticky Notes and Stickers

I can't get enough of these. I found the Paris sticky notes ($5.75) before Christmas and put them in my daughter's stocking and kept a set for myself.

I also use tiny stickers in my planner to mark special dates like birthdays, holidays, etc. The Kurochiku puffy cat stickers are $5.50, Pine Book Kraft Stickers are $2.65, and Midori Film Sticky Notes Birds are $6.75 on Jet Pens.

Adventure Log

Word Notebooks come in many different designs. But I wanted the Adventure Log to record our trip to France. I used some washi tape and my Paris sticky notes to decorate the outside of my notebook. $9.99 on JetPens.

RayMay Swingcut Scissors

I love this set of titanium-coated scissors which are small enough to carry in the pocket of your planner or in a purse/backpack. They are sharp and comfortable to use. $15.50 on JetPens.

Sun-Star Stickyle Pen-Style Stapler

I never seem to have a stapler when I need one, so this portable stapler is terrific. Although it's called a "pen-style" stapler, it's much thicker than a pen. Still, it fits well in a medium-sized purse, and will definitely work in a backpack. At one end is a compartment for extra staples.

The other end is the stapler itself. Simply lift the hinged top, push the button forward (this moves a plate underneath the staple so it will bend when you press down), put your paper in and press.

The staples are small, so you obviously can't use this for large documents or really thick paper. But for a few sheets, ticket stubs, and other small things it works well. $9.90 on JetPens.

Kutsuwa Stad Double Template

This foldable stencil is great to slip into a pocket of your planner. You can use it to make boxes, circles, letters and other designs in your planner. $2.50 on JetPens.

Sketchy Notebook Master Collection Templates and Sketchbook

Sketchy Notebook Templates originated on Kickstarter, but you can order a master pack (6 templates and one notebook for $35) here. The master collection includes lined style, grid style, storyboard, perspective grid, iPhone app mockup and website mockup templates. These templates make using unlined paper fun and simple.

The Sketchy Notebook contains 240 blank, tearable pages with 80 gsm acid-free paper. There's an elastic band to keep the notebook closed when not in use. Plus, the expandable envelope in the back contains two cardboard ruler bookmarks. The paper is creamy and fountain-pen friendly (juicy nibs don't bleed through, but there's definitely show through). I can use this notebook for fountain pen testing, ink swabs, and occasional sketches. I may even bring it to France and pretend I'm an artist.

Sketchy Notebook.jpg

ArtBird Crossbody Sling

The ArtBird Crossbody Sling $24.95 will be perfect for my trip to France. I'm planning to use my iPhone as my primary camera, so I bought Moment Lenses and a Moment Case for it. My iPhone, all three Moment lenses, and my Adventure Log will all fit easily into this bag.

(JetPens provided these products at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Posted on January 29, 2016 and filed under JetPens, Pen Reviews.