16 posts tagged “midori”

Back To School - Style and Gear Guide

Aug 16, 2009
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Time flies and summer is nearly gone, this year's back to school event has already started in several stores. We started to think about the theme almost right after last year's event. Lots of improvements were made in the whole process of planning and thanks to our stationery team's effort, each really played an important role in making this event successful.

Back To School 2009

The entire layout was planned using Google Sketchup, the first in city'super's history and I'm particularly proud of it. I started using it for this fair last year but lots of measurements were inaccurate, but this time it is near perfect! When we were standing on the aisles after 4 hours of setup, we could see the big difference and we could feel the satisfaction rush to our hearts. Layout is only one of the many critical success factors, the way our team "pour our hearts" to this really makes everything click and I can't be thankful enough for that. In the process, we all better ourselves. Almost everyone had some innovative small moves, gee I appreciate a lot! What can I do? Buy you gals lunch?

Back To School 2009

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One of the backdrop was my overnight illustrator work and the result is stunning to me. It is a "personalize + stylize" your notebook section. Here you get all the components you need to create your own perfect notebook, in addition, pen holders, pen, clips, stickers, stamps, MT-tapes are all there for customers to create something unique for themselves.

Back To School 2009

6 years ago when I first became a stationery buyer, I introduced computer related products for this fair coz school was no longer paper based. Since then we had a deal with Apple Computer directly to be in the fair and offer something special no other places have. If you carry a student card or show them your teacher's identification, you will get discount and a free iPod touch when you buy a computer, in addition a few free gifts for you to choose including hubs or computer carrying cases.

Princess Molly and Chocolate Molly (ibuddy)

I had high hope on the leaflet of this fair too, to make it like a magazine offering useful tips instead of just a product list brochure. It didn't happen as expected, but it is already one big improvement in terms of communication between various teams.

So in short, this year's back to school fair in city'super/LOG-ON, you can find Apple Computer's exclusive offer, colorful computer carrying cases, super funny and beautiful USB memory/gadgets, fashion headphones, cute portable speakers, hottest Korean stationery, Staedtler gears, personalize and stylize your notebook, newest stationery gadgets, Pilot's erasable gel pen, etc etc....... Just come over!

Travel Photo Cafe 2009

Jun 15, 2009
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This year marks the third year of an interesting event to be held in city'super and LOG-ON. In this concept cafe (particularly in Festival Walk's LOG-ON), you will find:

Stationery and photography travel gears (19th June - 2nd July 2009): Canon, Fuji, Lomo, Moleskine, Midori, KOLO, MT-tapes, LUXE, Kodomo stamps, Staz-on inkpads, etc
Travel Talks: 3 different sessions on 20th June 2009 presented by traveler and photographers. Learn how to steal time and write better on your journal, life hack tricks included. Why a trip to Cambodia changed a portrait photographer's view on life and how a traveler's mindset is different from a tourist's. How imagery and text combined can create lasting memory through photo journaling. Only a few days left for registration!

Travel Photo Cafe 2009 Talks Poster
Mini Game with interesting prizes: Follow the instruction on the postcard and go to Festival Walk LOG-ON store, find the hidden message which is a travel quote written by G.K. Chesterton, write it down and submit. You get a chance to win nice gifts from great brands (check out this Flickr photo and move your mouse over to see what they are)

Travel Photo Cafe Postcard A side sm horz

Travel Photo Cafe Postcard B side sm horz

Travel Photo Cafe 2009 Mini Game Prizes
Stamp your notebook/postcard: Yes stamps, bring your notebook or use our postcard. I've made these icons into self inking stamps for your fun: Moleskine, LCA, Travel Cafe logo, fountain pen. They sort of summarized what this event is all about. Also, Designphil (Midori) in Japan made these two stamps for our event too! They are only available in Hong Kong during this period, so collect them while you can!
Midori Traveler's Notebook Stamp Hong Kong Version

And finally, special thanks to Lie Fhung from Ztampf.com allowing me to use her great digital scrapbooking graphics on the postcard and backdrop of the event. More photos coming up after setting up the event.
Enjoy!

Traveler's Notebook Event in Tokyo

Mar 24, 2009
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Such a beautiful event held in Tokyo! Designphil organized to exhibit some of the 'professional users' notebooks in Spirarl Market, too bad it was just for a few days. I'm very happy to be part of it, my previously used notebooks were shown in the exhibition, along side with a recent customization I did to the new passport size Traveler's Notebook.

Lie Fhung and Patrick Ng's submission

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Simply check out Iijima san's blog Traveler's Diary to find out latest posting of things related to this notebook. If you can't read Japanese, you can use help from Excite's translation engine. It will be quite interesting to read how this exhibition was done from preparation to finish (Iijima san was very specific to find an old Chinese/Hong Kong bicycle to be put into the show)

Traveler's Notebook Exhibition in Spiral Market

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Ok, if Iijima san is listening, please stamp my passport size notebook with those being shown in the exhibition, oh and postcards, oh and...... :)

(photo credit of this post: Traveler's Diary)

Customizing Traveler's Notebook Passport Size with Pocket Insert

Mar 9, 2009
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I received this great sample of Traveler's Notebook passport size from Midori in end Feb 2009. This product is to be launched in March following the success of its large size version. I've put it into test and made some customization for the exhibition in Tokyo to be held between 19th March and 22nd March 2009 in Spiral Market.

Traveler's Notebook Passport Size

A few things were customized in this passport size notebook: The cover was painted with UNI's POSCA marker following a theme from old Czech propaganda for fire safety. You can see on the cover a fireman squeezing the neck of a fire chicken. POZOR means "Attention!" in Czech. The passport size notebook also comes in various refills for you to choose from, each version's (blank, square, ruled) refill cover resembles a typical passport cover's color. But I didn't like the dull colors so I made my own "passport" cover out of a logo I created, the heading "UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT STATIONERY AND PHOTOGRAPHY" :).

Traveler's Notebook Passport Size - custom notebook pocket inserts

Since Midori's Traveler's Notebook has a flexible refill system, you can add anything you like as long as the size fits. So I made an insert full of pockets so that I can file away my collections during travel. They are classified into 4 categories: Photografie (photograhs), Kvitance (receipts), Znamky (stamps) and Tags (well, tag).

To see what's written inside the notebook itself you have to go to see the exhibition, but here's the details of the pocket insert I made.

Traveler's Notebook Passport Size - custom notebook pocket inserts - photographs

A "Photografie" pocket to store Fuji Instax mini sized photos.

Traveler's Notebook Passport Size - custom notebook pocket inserts - receipts

A "Kvitance" pocket to store travel receipts.

Traveler's Notebook Passport Size - custom notebook pocket inserts - stamps

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A "Znamky" pocket to store my stamp collection.

Traveler's Notebook Passport Size - custom notebook pocket inserts

A "Tags" pocket to store anything from luggage tag to bookmarks.

Traveler's Notebook Passport Size - custom notebook insert - front

Traveler's Notebook Passport Size - custom notebook insert - back inner

Traveler's Notebook Passport Size - custom notebook pocket inserts - tags

Traveler's Notebook Passport Size - custom notebook pocket inserts - back

You see, if you keep track of what's going on in this blog, you've probably already noticed something big about travel, photography and journaling all along. KOLO launched Essex, Midori launched Traveler's Notebook passport size. AND I'm gonna have fun with fellow readers and customers in our 2009 June's Travel Photo Cafe! Stay tuned!

To see more photos of my customization, do visit this flickr set.

An Analog Message from a Year Ago - Delayed Postcard and Being Romantic

Mar 9, 2009
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I was organizing a Travel Photo Cafe last year and made this postcard for people to pickup. I then wrote several postcards to be sent when I was abroad. It was June 2008 and I was too busy actually sending them so I filed them away. Another reason why I wasn't sending them was that I wanted to send them when I would be in Germany. So finally this year in Jan 2009 I brought them and sent from Frankfurt when I visited PaperWorld.

Travel Photo Cafe Postcard

One of these postcards reached Iijima san from Midori/Designphil and he got curious. "Was it because of Japan's Post Office being inefficient that I received this postcard one year later?" he asked concerned by email. Well first, the month I wrote was Jun instead of Jan, so it took less than a year to reach him. Second, it was not because of post office delay but mine.

Blog post from iijima

Have you ever had such experience? When in the old days you would wait for a confirmation from somebody that they received your message by post AND expecting their reply every single month? I love the anticipation and wondering in the old analog world, all the sadness and melancholy during the wait, all the joy and excitement looking at a sealed envelope . These days everything's bottle neck originates from procrastination 99% coz email and messaging is so instant. You don't get a chance to wonder what happens in a chain of potential mishaps and you treasure less of everything. I remember months of waiting for a letter from a girl I loved so much when I was in Canada while she was in Australia. To me, a written message with a pen and a heart sending from afar is most romantic. How about nowadays? What is romantic these days? I wanna update myself :)

3 More Days in Tokyo

Feb 19, 2009
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A trip to Tokyo is always 3 days too short. I was going to Frankfurt and immediately Tokyo from end Jan 09 to early Feb, the trip was so compressed I could hardly breath. Next time I should just take some extra day-offs for myself and meet some friends. Despite economic downturn (-12.7% in Japan!), I still found a lot of great stuffs in Tokyo, perhaps we are only looking at a slow start of a collapse. Interestingly, some company like UNI (Mitsubishi) has an interesting tag line in their internal communication, "We will not participate in recession". How brave and confident, according to source, they did not cut back any R&D expenses because that's the most important investment to them.

Stuffs from Tokyo

The loveliest thing I got this time is DULTON's tin can truck! I simply love the color and shape a lot and I'm using it to store my craft stuffs. Next Pilot's Frixion Ball in new colors! This time metallic shiny barrel with a new semi-transparent rubber, same amazing heat sensitive ink which can be "erased" with friction. If you don't realize the benefit of it, think of being able to use erasable ink on your tiny diary. UNI on the other hand will launch its secret weapon to answer Pilot's Coleto series. You simply select your favorite 0.38mm or 0.5mm ink refill and put into barrel of your choice (metallic pink/blue/silver/black), you can even put in a mechanical pencil! Name of this new pen is called "Style Fit". The rest: Elvis looking Mr. Bruzh, a keyboard brush, just "take off my wig, insert finger and brush". Mark's tiny keychain whistle. Various clips in great colors.

Midori Traveler's Notebook Passport Size

Designphil (or Midori) launches a new Traveler's Notebook in passport size, available in March. The idea according to Iijima san from Midori is that you use the passport size leather notebook to capture stuffs and then transfer to your more permanent full size Traveler's Notebook, so every notebook refill of the passport size has removable sheets. It is ultra portable not only good for your passport as a jacket, you can roll it up, throw it into your backpack, torture it and it still has that beautiful raw look. Same as the full size Traveler's Notebook, you can add a plastic zip pocket to store receipts and name cards.

Midori Traveler's Notebook Passport Size

Three types of notebook refills: ruled, blank, square. Instead of the all too familiar "in case of loss, please return to..." page, an immigration form looking page is printed on the last page of these notebooks. I tried to use it in my Tokyo trip and it feels great, care free, easy and reliable.

Traveler's Notebook Suitcase

I also visited Midori's office and there is an entire showroom out of 4 dedicated to Traveler's Notebook. They are planning an exhibition in Spiral Market in March/April, which I'll try to participate by sending them my version of usage. Did I mention I was #6 on their Professional Users list? In addition, there's something new for the full size notebook too, a free monthly schedule and a free weekly schedule.

Biscuit Mini Album

Oh this tiny little Biscuit album is so cute, you really want to have a bite and it smells good too. I started to put some of the tiny photos of my index prints onto the first few pages and it will soon sit inside the treasure box for my son.

Masking Tape

Can you believe it? MT Masking Tape was giving out free tapes during the Tokyo Gift Show! I was too shy and got one only. They are launching so many new colors and patterns, you guys in the western world will drool all over their web site.

Valentine Mini Card

And Russian dolls already invaded Japan for a while, this year I saw this mini Valentine card and I just love the chocolate colors and the tiny envelope. Sorry darling, I bought a card but I don't intend to use it.

Finally, long hauling dozens of magazines was not easy, but it was worth it. I stopped by a book store on my last day of stay in Tokyo and grabbed stationery and photography magazines like crazy. Just give me 3 more days there please.

New Year Fail Whale, Xmas Traveler

Jan 22, 2009
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I received many Xmas/New Year cards recently but these two are most amazing.

Moleskiner.cn New Year Postcard

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Thanks to Victor from Moleskiner.cn, a new year post card with a cultural phenomena on it. If you are a twitterer, you know what I'm talking about, the fail whale twitter down time image. Victor's friend Yiying Lu created this lovely image, used by Twitter, promoted by Yiying's supporters. Learn more about the story of Fail Whale here.

Midori Traveler's Notebook Xmas Card

Thanks to Iijima san who sent me this raw Xmas card! I love the rawness and personal touch of it. Check out Midori's Traveler's Notebook Flickr group and product page.

Little Treasures by Post

Apr 17, 2008
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Last week I received a package from Iijima san from Midori/Designphil. It consists of dozens of traveler's stickers, MD Paper notebooks, Traveler's Notebook filing box and postcards. Haven't got time to report my findings here but in general the feeling is excellent, like how I can now organize my blog entries in fine papers, have a particular place to store ideas etc.

MD Paper and Stickers

All these little treasures gave me enormous pleasures in tiny little ways. Wish there can be more time or I can be more efficient. Heading to Bangkok for business in a few hours.

How to Get Your Traveler's Notebook in USA

Mar 25, 2008
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Larry was able to locate a stationery store selling Midori's Traveler's Notebook in San Jose and successfully got one. He is kind enough to share this info with us. The store's name is Maido Stationery & Gift which is accepting orders by email.

Taveler's Notebook

They may have the product in their brick and mortar stores in San Francisco and San Jose, if you are interested to place an order please email to sfmaido@yahoo.com and provide the following information.

Item #s and quantity:
Your Full Name:
Shipping Address:
City:
Zip:
Phone #:
Payment Card #:
Exp:

The shipping fee is based on the weight and your whereabout by UPS.
We do not take checks. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and AMEX.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask us any time.

Taka, Shuku, and Naomi
NBC Stationery & Gift
845 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 227-4338
(415) 227-0532

And here's the price list and contact information:

Traveler's Notebook How to Get 2 March 2008

Traveler's Notebook How to Get 1 March 2008

I don't know the store so I cannot guarantee their service level. If you have any good or bad experience with it, don't hesitate to post here or the flickr Traveler's Notebook group to let everybody know. Thanks again Larry!

Package Sent

Mar 7, 2008
7 comments

Hmmm, so many people asked me to send them Midori's Traveler's Notebook and they would pay for everything but I just had no time to do that. Usually I would tell them that it is impossible to get it in Europe and there is a distributor in US whom might help to locate and purchase. Somehow I made an exception to help this guy called Chad in Virginia just because I saw a photo of him carrying a leather bag :)