The Stationery Selection is a monthly subscription box filled with quality stationery items sent directly from Japan. The cost of a recurring monthly subscription is $34.95 + shipping. You can also purchase a single box without a subscription for $36.95 + shipping.

Due to COVID-19, Japan Post has temporarily suspended shipping packages to the USA, Australia, and many other countries. The primary alternate shipping option is now through DHL. The cost of shipping to the US is currently $21.

This review is not sponsored. This box was purchased by The Homespun Chics and, as always, all opinions are 100% our own!

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A quick note …

Hello!! It has been a little while since I’ve last written a post and I have really missed being here! Life is quite busy these days, what with virtual schooling, schedule changes, and a toddler underfoot. I’m hoping to pop in and write a few posts and recipes as I’m able and re-join the fun of the blog! 🙂 I hope you enjoy this review. I’m a huge fan of The Stationery Selection and was overjoyed to have the opportunity to review this October box! Thank you for reading! – Sarah​​​​​​​

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Check out our unboxing video here:

October 2020 Stationery Box Contents

Classiky Washi Tape
The Superior Labor Engineer Pouch
Rollbahn Mini Memo Notebook
Kamiiso Stationery Sticker
Ryukodo Omamori
Zebra Ballpoint Pen

Full disclosure, I actually received this box a couple weeks ago and am just now stealing away a bit of time to write this review. I was lucky enough not to see any spoilers for the October box and was really excited when I saw everything inside!!

Classiky Washi Tape | $2.00

The first item I pulled out was this beautiful, deep red washi tape by Classiky. I love this brand! The tape adhesive is light enough to where you can make adjustments if you need without tearing your paper, but does not curl up after you lay it down on the page. This washi roll measures just shy of 1 cm wide, which makes it perfect for bordering writing paper, decorating small tags, or for mail art! It’s also giving me some major Christmas vibes with the red and white. (Too early?)

The Superior Labor Engineer Pouch | $28.00

The Superior Labor is a Japanese lifestyle brand that makes hand-crafted bags and accessories that are both beautiful and utilitarian. The TSL pouches have been on my wishlist for quite some time, so needless to say, my jaw just about hit the floor when I saw this in the box! The canvas pouch is handmade in Okayama and includes a sturdy brass zipper with a soft leather pull. This particular pouch design is an exclusive collaboration with The Stationery Selection and features a beautiful crane on the front, which symbolizes love and long-life in Japan. There’s also a sweet little TSS logo on the back. I love the white painted base and the red zipper. Mits says the colors were chosen to match the Japanese flag and also the Canadian flag since she’s Canadian! 🙂

Rollbahn Mini Memo Notebook | $10.00

This sweet little notebook is in the color “Greige,” which is from the Spring 2020 lineup. It has a really sturdy cardboard cover and gorgeous, high quality grid paper inside. The pages are perforated and easy to tear out of the notebook. My favorite part, though, is in the back where you will find five clear pockets you can use to store little pieces of paper, business cards, receipts or other tidbits you pick up throughout the day. It’s a great little notebook that closes with a blue elastic and fits perfectly inside the engineer pouch! I’m always needing some paper to write down notes, take a dinner order over the phone or create a grocery list while I’m out in town. This is such a useful and great quality item that I’m happy to have! Bonus, my fountain pen does not bleed through the pages! 🙂

Kamiiso Stationery Stickers | $3.00

I have never seen this brand before, but I love the style! It’s fun and cheerful without being overly kawaii or bright! The washi stickers came on a clear backing page and were protected inside a plastic sleeve. I love the designs here and am excited to use these in all my paper hobbies.

Ryukodo Omamori | $12.00

Omamori are Japanese amulets commonly sold at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines and are said to provide good luck and protection to the owner. A traditional omamori contains a prayer or religious invocation written on a piece of paper that is tucked safely inside the amulet. Like most things, omamori are now available outside of temples and shrines and are still used for well wishes and to ward off bad luck. I love the mystique and idea behind these amulets and am so happy to have one to carry with me on my journal. Heaven knows we could all use some good fortune after the year we’re having!!

Zebra Ballpoint Pen | $7.75

This is a collapsable, metal pen with a pearlescent white finish. It feels really nice in the hand and has a good weight to it. When it extends, it’s a full-size ballpoint pen that writes very smoothly. The pen clicks shut as you collapse it so you know it won’t accidentally bleed in your bag. It fits in The Superior Labor pouch and is the perfect companion to the Rollbahn mini notebook. I love it!

The Stationery Selection October 2020 Box – Total Value: $62.75 (before shipping)

I am so unbelievably impressed with this month’s TSS box! I love every single item included and cannot believe the value packed into the box. I found comparable items all across the internet and added estimated values to each item for reference. One thing that was hard for me to process was the total cost of the box to get here to me. We paid a total of $57.95 for this box, including shipping, and received a value of almost $63 – not taking into account exclusive items, applicable taxes or shipping costs. I could not source all of the comparable items together from any singular online shop; meaning if I saw this month’s box and wanted all the items, I’d have to pay for individual shipping on everything.

Value aside, the curation of this subscription box far exceeded my expectations. Everything was so thoughtfully put together and I love that they collaborated with The Superior Labor to create a unique, custom pouch just for this box. It takes a lot of time and planning to put forward such a well-polished subscription box and I can only hope we are able to review it again in the future.

The Stationery Selection subscription would make a beautiful gift for a friend or loved one, or to pamper yourself with fine Japanese stationery goods. (Just thinking ahead to Christmas, wink wink!)

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Surprise Instagram Giveaway!

We were surprised with a beautiful roll of exclusive The Stationery Selection washi tape to share with you! This is their first design #001 and can be found for sale in their online shop. We are hosting a fun giveaway on our Instagram account where you can enter to win a whole yard of this exclusive washi tape on a cute tag. There will be 5 winners! Giveaway will end on Saturday, November 7th, 2020 at 11:59pm EST. Check out our Instagram for details and to enter for your chance to win! Good luck and have fun! A huge thank you to Mits for the opportunity to share this beautiful washi tape!