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Unboxing: February Inku Crate

March 2, 2021March 1, 2021 ohnoitsjade

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I think I’ve really developed a stationery habit in 2021. I’m not complaining, as it gives me lots of cute items to use both in every day life and when I’m working on my journal! I love the practicality of having stationery subscription boxes, and I’m finding I’m getting much more out of them than the regular subscription boxes I was getting, so I’ve continued!

In February I got a few smaller subscription boxes via Etsy, which I didn’t do posts on, but I also got an Inku Crate as I have done in previous months. It was a little smaller than ones I’ve had before, but still jam-packed with cute goodies!

First up, I got this pencil case with Taa-chan on, who I believe is an established character (I’m actually not a cat person at all, so I don’t generally check out many cat characters, sorry everyone!). A pencil case was definitely needed, what with all the pens I’ve been getting in these sub boxes! Speaking of, I also got a Pokémon pen which I’ve already used in my bullet journalling! I also got a pencil that made me very nostalgic – it’s one of the ones that you take out from the bottom and then put in the top to change the colour you’re using. A rubbish explanation but I hope you know what I mean!

Next, the most adorable mini memo pads which came with their own pouches. It says they’re pocket sized – I’m not sure I can think of a situation I’d be in where I need to carry memo pads in my pocket, but you never know!

I also got a Sumikko Gurashi paper pad and a gluestick – again, both perfect for bullet journalling! I’m going to use the paper for a theme for a future month as it arrived a little too late for me to use for this month, but I’m thinking of cute ideas I can implement when I use them!

Finally, I got these stickers! They’re all chocolate themed, and were supposed to be for Valentine’s day, but that’s obviously been and gone now. They’re still really cute, and aren’t overly themed so it’s no big deal they weren’t here in time for Valentine’s.

A pretty decent haul, I think you’ll agree! What was your favourite item in this month’s Inku Crate?

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Unboxing: ISpyKawaiiSuppliesKawaii Mystery Box

February 3, 2021January 31, 2021 ohnoitsjade

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My childhood stationery obsession has come back full force, and I cannot stop buying stationery mystery boxes. I had bought one from ISpyKawaiiSupplies at the tail end of 2020, and really loved everything I got in it. I didn’t do an unboxing so you’ll just have to take my word on that one. ISpyKawaiiSupplies is UK based, so I was really happy to be supporting a local seller and knew that the shipping would be quick (well, as quick as it can be in a pandemic!). ISpyKawaiiSupplies has an option on their Etsy that you can pick a character or theme for the smaller boxes, or you can pick a larger box. I think the boxes are the best value for money for any subscription box that I’ve got so far – the smaller boxes are £15 plus shipping, and the larger boxes are £30 including shipping. A bargain!

The first thing that struck me when I opened up my mystery box was how many things were in the box. I could immediately tell that the items were easily worth over how much I spent on the box, which is always a good thing. It was also really colourful and had a big visual impact as soon as I opened it, and I could instantly see some items that looked really exciting! Let’s get into it.

First up, some really cute pens! I love the design on them. The ones on the right have a highlighter end and a fine felt-tip pen end. They’re actually a lot darker in tone than the pastel outside would let you believe, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing as I have plenty of pastel pens as it is! The pens on the left are blue fine-liners, and so cute!

Next I got some stickers! The ones on the left came with a couple of pencils too, and are all cat themed and very cute. The right hand ones are Molang, which isn’t something I really know too well, but I also got some Molang stickers in my last box from ISpyKawaiiSupplies, and I thought the characters were really cute then and I still do! As I said before, I really love getting stickers so I can jazz up my bullet journal!

I also got a Sumikko Gurashi PVC wallet file. At first I wasn’t totally sure what to do with it, but I realised it’s the perfect size for a pencil case! Again, I’m not too familiar with Sumikko Gurashi, but I seem to get something in every subscription box I get so I should probably get into it more!

I’m getting quite the collection of sticky notes! I got these two in my box this time. I love the shiba one, I have used it already for some work reminders that I have stuck up on my desk and every time I look at it I smile, he’s just so cute! I actually just did a quick online search for the pack on the left, and I found out that sadly it is counterfeit art stolen from a Korean artist, so it’s a little disappointing that it’s in the box, but I will give the benefit of the doubt and assume that the seller didn’t know. The original artist is Studio Dalgona, and here is a tweet about the stolen artwork! I will do my best to support Studio Dalgona in future and place an order with them when I can to make up for this as I don’t want to be in the habit of supporting art theft.

To end on a much lighter note, my two favourite items in the box! The item on the left, believe it or not, is a Pikachu themed pair of scissors! They’re just so cool, I’m amazed by them. You pull the top half off, and then the actual scissor mechanism is spring loaded. I’ve used them at every available opportunity this weekend. On the right is some My Neighbor Totoro washi tape, which is something I use a lot of for journalling, so I’m very happy to have it.

You’ll notice I’m a huge dummy, and there are a couple of items that I forgot to photograph. Firstly a Rilakkuma rubber (eraser!), and secondly some correctional tape. Both very useful items to have!

I hope you liked seeing what I got in my box. I hope you’ll agree that it was really good value for money, and I got a lot of really cool items! What was your favourite thing that I got?

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Unboxing: January Inku Crate

January 13, 2021January 10, 2021 ohnoitsjade

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I’ve loved getting subscription boxes throughout 2020, I think it’s brought me an edge of excitement to an otherwise dull and stressful year. As I said in my Anime Limited unboxing, there’s something about a mystery package that’s really appealing to me – I think really just boils down to the element of surprise and chance. I bought a fair number of boxes in 2020, and whilst I have loved pretty much every one, there does come a time where I think, “But do I really need this item?” where they’re purely decorative. I obviously collect a lot of anime merchandise, but I think there’s something inherently different about buying a figure or plushie of a character you love, rather than one you just happen to get in a subscription box (looking at you, Donald Duck plushie).

From a young age, I’ve always really loved stationery. Even now I have drawers full of stationery and shelves full of unused notebooks. I promised myself in 2021 I’d get back into creating a bullet journal, something I have done in previous years and really enjoyed, and I also want to find penpals to write to. This all led me to plumping for a stationery themed subscription box. I knew they’d be full of practical items that I’d definitely use.

This is a very long winded way of saying my January subscription box was Inku Crate – a subscription box themed around Japanese stationery.

The box itself was really cute, I loved that it looked like a book and opened from the side like a book would, I thought that was a really nice touch. I know there are a good amount of items in the box, but due to the size of one of them they had to use a bigger box and it seems a little sparse as a result – to reiterate, I know it’s not, but it’s an initial feeling of “oh, kinda empty” as a visual thing when you first open.

Onto the items! I got a couple of pens – first up is a sweets u-marker. It’s double-ended, and each end smells like a different sweet – mine is melon cream soda and it smells so good. The pen nibs are highlighters, which I use a lot of for journalling! The second pen is a fude colour marker of which I got a pink one (fitting!). I need to learn to do fancy writing, so hopefully this pen will give me an incentive!

Next up I got these items which will be perfect for journalling. At first I could not figure out what the blue item was, but it’s glue in the shape of a detergent bottle. How cute is that?! When I was journalling at the weekend I said to myself that next time I went to a supermarket I needed to buy glue, so this has come at the right time! I love putting stickers on my journal pages and on penpal letters, so these stickers will be perfect!

Finally, I have the larger items. First up, a Hello Kitty notebook. Hello Kitty is dressed like a cow, because it’s the Year of the Ox! At first I was totally baffled by it, but when I realised, it all made sense! I also got a daruma doll sticky note set, which are always useful for putting little reminders on! There’s also the cutest little rubber (eraser!) set, which is fairy tale themed – mine are Alice in Wonderland, which is just perfect for me as I’m not really a traditional fairy tale kind of person. Last up is a clear file decorated with Japanese New Year iconography. I use these clear files all the time to store documents!

I’m so happy with my Inku Crate! I know I’ll definitely use these items all the time, so it feels like a really smart purchase over some of the items I was getting in other subscription boxes. I’ll still get the occasional box with normal kawaii goods in it, but I’m saving myself for when there’s a theme I really like the look of or content that I really like – most companies give a preview of what characters or properties will feature in the box. I think I’ll get the next Inku Crate to see how that goes, and I may keep it going as a rolling thing!

What was your favourite item in this box? I think mine is the detergent shaped glue, it’s so cute!

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Unboxing: Kinda Kawaii

November 24, 2020November 23, 2020 ohnoitsjade

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I haven’t bought a subscription box for a while, partly because I haven’t seen one with a theme I like, and partly because a lot of my usual companies I buy with are now charging a mandatory £10 extra shipping for tracked shipping, which seems a little unfair to me as I was pretty happy with waiting it out for the standard shipping and I never had an issue. I get why they’ve put it on there, but I think it should at least be optional.

Regardless, last month I felt like getting a box, and after a lot of searching for a UK supplier, I found Kinda Kawaii. I opted for a single box, just to test the waters and bought via Etsy, so it was really simple.

My first impression was that the box was really cute! The box itself is pastel coloured (just my vibe!), and on opening there was a strong visual impact with the box packaged really cutely and bursting with goodies! A great start!

Obviously the first thing I saw when I opened the box was this bunny plushie! I don’t think it’s a specific character (feel free to correct me!), but it’s so cute! It’s so soft, and the pastel purple is one of my favourite colours, so I’m really happy with this item!

Next up was this Pokémon mug! It hasn’t photographed particularly well, and it is a lot more muted and pastel in real life, which is totally my aesthetic. It’s a really cute mug, but much like tupperware, I own far too many mugs and I’m being threatened that if I get any more they’ll be binned! Still, a cute mug for my last one!

I also received these Sumikko Gurashi socks! They’re packaged really nicely, so I didn’t know what they were at first, but when I unboxed them and folded them out, they’re a really cute pair of socks! I especially love them because they’re a bit thicker, so they’re warm and stop any rubbing shoes!

I’m a sucker for stationery, so luckily for me I got these two pieces in my box. Firstly, a colour changing pen which is really nice to write with (I don’t know the characters though!), and secondly, some Gudetama sticky notes. Both are coming in very handy in keeping me nice and organised.

Last but not least, I got these Sumikko Gurashi chopsticks – I’m also amassing quite the chopstick collection! Luckily I’m not too bad with a pair, so now I just need to learn some Japanese recipes to put them to use!

The Kinda Kawaii box was beautifully presented, with a lot of high end items. I spent more than I usually would on a subscription box, but with the price of boxes going up it made more sense to support a local business and get quicker shipping time. I’m really glad I chose to get a Kinda Kawaii box, and would definitely do so again in the future!

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Unboxing: July YumeTwins

August 7, 2020August 4, 2020 ohnoitsjade

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And so, as predicted, my July YumeTwins box arrived in record time. Typical! At least this means it’s safe to order new subscription boxes, something I’d been putting off doing whilst the post was so unreliable!

The theme of July’s box was ‘Work kawaii, play kawaii’! I did feel like the items in this box didn’t really fit the theme, and it did seem like just a bunch of random items put together. One of the items, the ‘mystery plushie’, just felt like it was in there to get rid of stock.

As you can see from the photo, the ‘mystery plushie’ was very prevalant in my box – Donald Duck staring at me as soon as I opened it.

I’m not the biggest Disney fan, I would have much rather had a Sanrio plushie, so immediately I was feeling a bit miffed. This is potentially one item I’ll be selling as I don’t really see a space for it in my plushie collection, but we’ll see. It might grow on me.

My next item was a Splatoon x Sanrio cup. I’m not a fan of Splatoon, having never played, but obviously I do like Sanrio. I’m not sure where My Melody rates in my Sanrio league chart, obviously I would have preferred a Pom Pom Purin one, but this isn’t so bad really. I like pink at least!

So far, not particularly work or play themed. Up next was an Animal Crossing sticker. It’s really cute, and I do like Animal Crossing but I don’t have anywhere to put the sticker. I’m giving the sticker to a friend who I know will appreciate it a lot more than I will!

I also got the above, which, though very cute, I have no idea how it fits with the work/play theme. It’s billed as a ‘pocket surprise towel’. I think the character is Tokage from Sumikko Gurashi (feel free to correct me in the comments!), which I don’t feel strongly about either way, but it is pretty cute so I’m not too bummed out about it (though, again, Pom Pom Purin was an option, so sucks to be me I guess).

Finally, this Gudetama mousemat. Probably the only thing in the box that fits the theme. It’s pretty practical too, as now I’m working from home I do use a plug-in mouse for my work laptop, so I’ll definitely get use out of it. Again, the options were Gudetama or My Melody, and out of the two I definitely would have preferred My Melody, which is pretty typical of my items in this box.

What did you think of the items in this box? Do you think they fit the theme?

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Unboxing: June YumeTwins

July 30, 2020July 27, 2020 ohnoitsjade

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Who could have predicted this? Apart from everyone, I mean. A mere week after my May YumeTwins box arrived, up rocks my June box. Subscription boxes are like London busses, or something. Anyway, terrible jokes aside, it’s a relief to be back up to date with my subscription boxes after the shipping nightmare. I do still have a July box to come, but I’m not expecting that for another couple of weeks or so. I may be pleasantly surprised on that estimate, but we’ll see! The theme for the June box was ‘Ghibli Night In’.

I mentioned in the last Unboxing post that food and drink items tend to be a recurring theme in subscription boxes, and the June box was no exception. I think the more subscription boxes and the more tupperware and bento boxes I acquire and sneak into the kitchen cupboards, the greater the risk of my mother killing me becomes. I’m hoping these Jiji tupperware boxes get a free pass for being so cute!

My next items, above, were both My Neighbour Totoro themed. The bag looks extremely out of proportion here next to the toothbrush, but I can assure you it isn’t the world’s smallest bag! It’s actually a pretty decent size, easily big enough for phone, keys, purse with room to spare. It’s definitely not an all the time bag, but I think for just nipping out, it’s fine! My lack of forward planning is clearly evident here as the Totoro toothbrush blends in with the colour of my coffee table perfectly, whoops! I’ll be using my new bamboo toothbrush to take on trips with me, so I don’t have to take my electric toothbrush and charger, a huge space saver!

I seemed to have very good luck with my selection of items, as I got this Howl’s Moving Castle postcard print, which I am extremely happy about as it’s my favourite Ghibli movie!

Lastly, I got this A4 clear folder with a scene from Kiki’s Delivery Service. I’m trying to make an effort to keep all of my important documents together, so this will definitely come in handy for that!

That was everything for the June box! What was your favourite from the items I got?

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Unboxing: May YumeTwins

July 23, 2020July 23, 2020 ohnoitsjade

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Due to the good old ‘rona, shipping times worldwide have been totally ruined. Luckily, I hadn’t experienced many issues with this, except for my YumeTwins subscription box. I bought the May box back in April, and so I could get a free gift I bought a 3 month subscription. Unfortunately the box didn’t arrive in May… or June, and in fact came in July. I know this can’t be helped, and YumeTwins have amended their shipping as a result, so hopefully I won’t see this much of a delay with the remaining two boxes in my subscription!

The theme for the May YumeTwins box was ‘Ghibli’s Delivery Service’, so as a huge Studio Ghibli fan I really couldn’t resist. Like my relationship with most things anime, there’s a sort of bittersweet feeling as I was meant to go to the Studio Ghibli Museum during my cancelled Japan trip back in March, but the sting is becoming less strong! I’m sure I’ll get over it one day…. maybe.

Anyway, onto the goodies. The free gift that I mentioned was a set of Ghibli playing cards. This was really the reason that I signed up for the 3 month subscription, as I collect themed playing cards. I actually almost bought these exact cards when I was on holiday last year, so I’m glad I didn’t! The ones I got were My Neighbour Totoro ones!

I’ve noticed that a lot of things in subscription boxes tend to be quite food based. After just a few months of getting boxes, I have more bento boxes and chopsticks that I know what to do with. I’m not complaining though, they’re really cute! I got a bento box of Jiji from Kiki’s Delivery Service, and chopsticks! All of the options for the chopsticks had Jiji on, but the bento was between Totoro and Jiji, so I got a matching set!

Carrying on the food and drink theme, I got a Totoro tumbler. The options here were all Totoro, but my one is yellow where the colours differed on the others. This fits me quite well, as I have a pastel aesthetic going on! Normally I’m a person who gets the biggest glass possible and drinks pints of water at a time, so this is a little smaller than I’m used to, but I think it will be a good glass for having an alcoholic beverage or two, or taking it on a picnic – it’s plastic so there’s no chance of it getting broken outside!

Also in the box was this cute puzzle of Kiki. It’s only 150 pieces, so it won’t take me too long (although it has been a really long time since I did a puzzle, so who knows?). It’s really pretty, so I think I might even frame it when I’ve done it as it’s such a lovely picture!

And finally, the last item in the May YumeTwins box was this origami set of Kiki’s Delivery Service. I’m not sure I’ve ever done much origami in the past, but in theory I think it’d be quite relaxing. I guess that remains to be seen, as some of these designs look quite complicated!

That was everything for the ‘Ghibli’s Delivery Service’ YumeTwins box. Hopefully my June box won’t be quite so delayed!

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Unboxing: May SoKawaii

June 10, 2020June 9, 2020 ohnoitsjade

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The theme for May’s SoKawaii box was ‘Cozy at Home’ – pretty fitting considering I have been stuck in mine since mid-March! I love getting subscription boxes, it really livens up my post – the majority of the time I don’t get anything, and when I do, I know what I’ve ordered, so to get something which is a total surprise is really exciting!

Once again, the SoKawaii box came out with everything laid out in pink tissue paper. I’ve said before, but I really love how SoKawaii pack their boxes. The visual impact is so strong, and it just makes it even more exciting, and makes me feel like the box was packed with care rather than hastily put together.

The first item I pulled out was this really cute Animal Crossing notebook! I’ve been playing a lot of Animal Crossing: New Horizons since I’ve been in lockdown, and I always appreciate a cute notebook. I’ve been using this one to try and organise my photos and keep track of which folders they’re in on my Mac! Not sure how succesfully, mind you, but it’s cute nonetheless!

Also in the box was this cute Pikachu and Eevee organising rack. It’s the perfect colour for my bedroom so it’s in there at the moment, but it has nothing in it! It is a touch on the small side, so I’m struggling to think of what I can put in there. All of my toiletries and things like that are in my bathroom, otherwise the obvious choice would be things like cotton buds and cotton pads. I’ll think of something, I’m sure!

Next up was this cute Rilakkuma pillow cover. It’s not really a pillowcase as it is open at the ends, but it’s still pretty functional. It’s made of a towelling material, so would be good for popping over your normal pillow if you’ve got damp hair or something like that – I’m very prone to going to bed with wet hair, so that’s what I’ll be using mine for!

I also received this cable holder. I’m not sure if it’s a character, or just a random design as I’ve now thrown away the packaging – if you know, please tell me! I’m not sure what the function of cable holders are really, aside from the obvious, as I’ve never had any cable related issues! It’s still pretty cute, and doesn’t look obviously like something which I’m not using it for so I have it on my desk without cable!

Finally I got this Hello Kitty plushie! Whilst it is very cute, I’m pretty gutted, as the other plushie option was Pompompurin who is my absolute favourite Sanrio character! By contrast, Hello Kitty is my least favourite, but I guess that’s the way it goes!

That was everything in my SoKawaii May box! Which item is your favourite? Mine is probably the Pikachu and Eevee storage rack!

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Unboxing: April SoKawaii

April 23, 2020June 10, 2020 ohnoitsjade

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I’ve previously mentioned that I wasn’t going to buy any subscription boxes prior to my trip to Japan, and then the subsequent cancellation of the trip led to March “sad-time spending”. I decided during this period that I would buy myself a subscription box, which I felt would either cheer me up, or depress me further as it would remind me of what I was supposed to be experiencing. Just to double down on any potential pitfalls, I also opted for the SoKawaii box, as it had a theme of “Sakura”, and I was due to see the sakura blossoms during my trip.

The first thing that struck me was how cutely the box was packaged. My previous Yumetwins box was just the items in a box, which is totally fine, I didn’t have any packaging expections, but the SoKawaii box was cutely laid out with pink tissue paper and just had a more visual impact when I opened it. It instantly made me happy, and I was excited to unpack and see what I got.

Item number 1 was this really cute Rilakkuma blanket. I’m not the biggest Rilakkuma fan, but this blanket is super soft. It’s so hard to take a photo of these blankets, I also struggled in my Christmas box, but this is it on my double bed, so it’s quite large! It also fits my colour scheme in my bedroom, albeit it’s a slightly darker shade of pink.

The next item was a Cardcaptor Sakura keychain. I knew in advance that the box was coming with a CCS item, and to be honest, it almost stopped me from buying it because I’ve never seen CCS before. I went ahead as I have lots of friends who like it, so I figured I could gift the item to one of them, which is exactly what I’ve done (or will do once lockdown is over!). Still, it’s a really cute item, and it’s a shame I can’t appreciate it fully, but I’m sure its new owner will!

Next up was some sakura chocolate. The packaging is so cute, and totally my aesthetic. I’ve yet to try the chocolate, because I haven’t got round to translating the ingredients yet, and I have a lot of allergies and dietary requirements, so I can’t just trust that chocolate will be okay for me to eat and there’s no translation label. I’m also super fussy with food, so I’m not sure whether I’m looking forward to trying this or not! I guess it’s in keeping with my Japan trip, as I was going to force myself to try some new foods just for the experience!

Item number four was this really cute bowl! It’s the perfect size for me to put little trinkets in, or little sweets and keep on my coffee table for guests.

I also got this cute Pokémon figure with Plusle and Minun! It’s a stackable figure, so there are others to collect with different Pokémon on, and then they make up a larger tree. I’m glad I got Plusle and Minun, they’re probably up there with my favourite Pokémon, and there are plenty of worse options I could have got.

And last but definitely not least, we have my favourite item this month – the sakura Cinnamoroll! He’s just so cute, and so soft! He matches the colour of my bedroom perfectly, so I have him in there hanging off my wardrobe door so I can see him every day, and every time I do he just makes me so happy!

I’m really happy with my SoKawaii box! It did the job of dulling the void I felt by having to cancel my trip to Japan, and I’m mostly happy with everything that I got (and have found a good home for the one item that I didn’t want to keep). I’d definitely get a SoKawaii box again, in fact I forgot to cancel the subscription, so I am getting a box this month too!