BACK TO SCHOOL
As the summer passes by, we are nearing the start of the new school year. Whether you are going back to school in person or online, the necessity of items to organize yourself for the academic year always remains. Here are a few items that would be a great addition for you whether you are going back to school, college, or university.
Notebooks & Agendas
Organizing personal and school schedules is going to be much easier now. Notebooks and agendas help you stay on top of your due dates for homework, assignments, and other deadlines. You can take notes for your different classes and courses while keeping track of important school events. My personal favorite is to make to-do lists of what you want to accomplish daily or weekly. It certainly has increased my success rate of completing all of my tasks.
Midori or
Maruman are two highly recommended notebooks that have great quality paper and are also fountain pen friendly. We can't also forget Fabriano and
Oasis notebooks, aside from being great for everyday use, they give you color choices for their covers. For Agendas,
Quo Vadis,
Paperblanks, and
Letts of London would be on the top of my list. They have various options for the type of planner you are looking for whether it be daily, weekly, monthly or academic.
Pencils & Mechanical Pencils
The good old-fashioned way of writing with wooden pencils never gets old. Now with
Blackwing pencils, you can choose the type of graphite you want to work with. If you prefer a soft, dark line then you should choose
Blackwing Matte because they have the softest graphite core. If you are looking to put half the pressure but want to write with twice the speed, your choice should be
Blackwing 602 because they have a firm and smooth graphite core. For balanced and smooth writing,
Blackwing Pearl should be your pick because it is softer than Blackwing 602 but firmer than Blackwing Matte. If you want to do more detailed work then
Blackwing Natural will be the best option for you because of their extra-firm graphite core. If your love for pencils is more on the mechanical side then don't worry, we got you. There are a few options that I would like to give you because honestly, they have specific qualities that make them unique. Mechanical pencils from Milan or
Pentel are great if you are looking for a go-to pencil to carry with you every day. If you are looking for a pencil with a better grip then I would recommend
Pilot's Dr. Grip or Sakura's Sumo Grip.
Pens
Our collection of pens is vast, from
fountain pens,
rollerballs to ballpoint pens. However, for this list, I will focus on pens that would be helpful to take color-coordinated notes. These pens are helpful to keep track of your notes across different subjects or simply to make it easier to differentiate the important parts from the less important parts. Uniball has a vast variety to choose from. From their regular black or blue inked ballpoint or gel pens to their colorful gel stick pens, they are great for daily note-taking. Similarly, the Zebra Sarasa has a collection of colors and nib sizes for their pens. In a list about pens, who can forget Pilot and their hi-tech and G-tech collection? With smooth flowing ink and color options, they are a great choice when it comes to taking color-coordinated notes. I would also like to recommend a personal favorite amongst rollerball pens and that would be the
Lamy Swift. If you have a higher budget, this would definitely be a pen to invest in. Quality and long-lasting aspect-wise, they are perfect.
Highlighters and Erasable Pens & Markers
Following the theme of the previous item, these are also great for notetaking. Except its specialty is in their erasable quality. Yes, you read that correctly. Now you can take notes without any worry. Made a mistake? You can simply eraser it. It is great if you want to make changes without the use of a whiteout. Frixon has a collection of pens and markers that come in different colors of erasable ink. Choose a more environmentally friendly option and use Frixon pens. They have refills that you can buy after the ink runs out. They also have a collection of erasable markers but currently, we do not carry their refills. Now, who can forget the "highlight" (pun obviously intended) of the note-taking process?
Highlighters have been a lifesaver on multiple occasions for me. Especially when I have to condense notes before a test or exam. Our Milan and Faber-Castel highlighters allow you to choose from a range of colors to highlight important things based on their significance or simply to look prettier on paper.
Stickers, Sticky Notes, and Washi Tapes
Now that we are going back to in-person classes, you might have the urge to document your year on campus with eye-catching scrapbooking materials. These fun sticky notes, stickers, and washi tapes are perfect to decorate your notebooks and planners or to use for other crafting activities. Kitta is a brand that has a great selection of
stickers,
sticky notes,
and washi tapes. Their unique styles and cute packaging just put together the whole thing. Stickers from Cooky are also great because of their subtle 3D aspect with a specific theme for each sticker packaging. My go-to brand for everyday sticky notes is from Milan. They have different colors and come at an affordable pricing.
Pencil cases
How can a back-to-school list be complete without the edition of our trusted pencil cases and pouches? Aside from what the name suggests, these pouches can hold more than just your pencils. They are perfect go-to cases to carry your daily stationery items or to simply keep them organized together. If you are looking for durable pencil cases with unique and fun vintage designs then
Cavallini's collection might be great for you. They are made from cotton and have a high-quality zipper, the pouches also come in two different sizes. However, there is also another style available from our Japanese stationery collection. The
Midori pencil cases are made from a soft rubber material and they don't break easily. They are simple, convenient, and comes with the option of bright colors. Similarly, the Legami pencil cases are also one of my favorites, and their design options, personally, remain unmatched.
Organizers
Notebook Covers 
These covers come in handy when trying to keep your notebooks safe, secure, and stylish. Paper and leather notebook covers from
Midori and
Traveller's had to be mentioned here. However, there is a new line that would be the highlight for me.
King Jim's Kraft notebook covers are an all-in-one option for me. Not only are these covers able to accommodate two or more notebooks (depending on the size you choose), they also have space to hold your pen as well as other simple notes. They are durable and very comfortable to carry with you every day.
Binders & File Folders 
It is very common to end up with a collection of loose leaves and other paper handouts throughout the semester. What to do with them? How to keep them safe and all in one place? Well, binders could be the answer to those questions. It is a necessity for your academic life. They come in different widths between 1 to 2 inches and you can choose based on how many documents you want in one binder. Binders also have the option of how many rings you want which is perfect whether you have three or two holes punched on your paper.
File folders have a similar job to binders except they are appropriate for any sort of documents that you want to keep organized. The accordion file folders are great because they have a space to label which slot you are using for which sort of documents. If you have reached this portion of the blog, I hope you found our Back to School supply list helpful. New semesters are always unpredictable but hey, at least you will be prepared with your supplies. Good luck with your semester!
