So I’ve been thinking a lot about my purchasing patterns lately. I see which items I keep repurchasing over and over again. I take particular note of which brands I favor over others. Now, if I’m honest, I’m only making these lists based on the products themselves, not because of brand values or good business practices. On the latter two, I’m woefully under informed.
I thought it would be interesting to put together a list about a few things I have repurchased more than once. I realized that my list was getting longer and longer – so I’ve divided it into four. For this one, I’m just going to talk about my arts and crafts supplies that I’ve repurchased at least once. This list isn’t comprehensive – but I hope it’s a little bit elucidating.
Scotch Glitter Washi Tape
I love all things glitter. However, loose glitter is a terrible and horrible material to work with. Enter glitter washi tape: it’s just seriously amazing. I’ve used a few different brands and Scotch is the clear winner. While other brands may have a slightly more extensive color collection – Scotch brings out trend colors every few seasons. More importantly, it’s the best adhesive glitter tape I’ve tried. Others immediately start pulling off surfaces but Scotch has much better lasting power.
Pigma Micron Fine Liners
I’m basically a complete convert to using my Pigma fine liners in my bullet journal. While I don’t think these are the longest lasting pens, they have consistency from the beginning to the end of their lives. The ink is a beautiful true black archival ink. I’ve seen other pens fade throughout the years in my planners but this one stays. Plus you can color over with markers or other pens and (as long as it’s dry) it doesn’t bleed. My favorites are the plastic nib (PN) as well as the .3 and .2 tips.
Leuchtturm 1917
So to begin, some of the more indie bullet journal brands are not available here in Europe. Out of the ones that are easier to get over here, the Leuchtturm is by far the best bullet journal overall for my needs. I’ve been using a Moleskin for about a year and I genuinely cannot wait to set up my next one in a Leuchtturm. There’s a lot less ghosting through pages and ink definitely doesn’t bleed. It’s a little bit of a basic pick overall – but I’ve had one before and I have one as experimental journal now and I really love it.
Erin Condren
There’s definitely been a little bit of customer service drama in the past surrounding Erin Condren but I personally haven’t had any problem with this. I’m on my 4th Erin Condren Life Planner and I already have my 5th ready to go in a drawer for next year. What’s great about Erin Condren – well for one it’s very customizable. You can pick your layout, color scheme, cover thickness and cover style. If you get the thin covers, they are easily interchanged as well – the hard back cover is a really great option for a classic, durable planner. Personally, I usually get the neutral color scheme in the vertical layout but I screwed up my order this year and got the colorful one. It’s not a dealbreaker for me – the colors aren’t super bright or in your face. I just cannot see a time when I will not be using an Erin Condren – the paper quality is nice, there’s lots of add-ons that I go ahead and immediately discard and the design is classic, simple and nice. Plus this is where I put my stickers.
Tombow Dual Tip brush Pens
I love most of these gorgeous suckers but today I want to talk about my core 5 colors. These are colors I’ve used over and over in multiple spreads and I ALWAYS love how it comes out. The colors are 025 (light orange), 665 (purple), 195 (light green), 725 (rhodamine red) and 443 (turquoise). These are my colors – typical Madeline brights. While there are tons of pastels, jewel tones and neutrals – to me, Tombow excels at brights. They are consistent but don’t bleed through pages too much (more in the Moleskin than in the Leuchtturm). The colors are saturated. They last for a very good amount of time. These are colors that I’ve used so much, I have back ups. The only one that’s getting a little weird is the yellow one – but I use it in almost every single spread so that’s understandable. With Tombows – if I was going to recommend how to start your collection, start with your favorite colors. Start there and you won’t have too many ancillary colors that go unused.
So there you have it – five products that I just can’t stop using. As always – I’m always open for more suggestions. If you have anything that may be up my street – please let me know in the comments below. I have a few sneaky things on my wish list but as of now, I’m not willing to pay import from the States to get them.
The Minimalist Abroad 