The first week in Emerald City, and I’m already itching for some stationery action with my fellow stationery geek friends here in Seattle. Ashley and I met up for some pre-crafting at Elm Coffee Roasters. A cozy and comfortable coffee shop at 240 2nd Ave S. The minimalistic decor and wooden furnishing really match our stationery vibe, especially when Ashley pulls out a new set of wood stamps featuring dried bouquets.

Ashley brought her Traveler’s Notebook while I continue to catch up in my Hobonichi Techo Cousin Avec. I swear the avec for the second half of the year is already so bulky, I don’t know what I’m going to do for the remaining two months (October & November).

What do you do in a stationery meet up?

Each time I meet up with Ashley I’m always inspired by her collaging techniques.

Collaging

It’s only then that I’m eager to start using up my sticker flakes because only so much can go into a single page of the Hobonichi.

Some great standard stamps one should get are the numbers series. You can then stamp out large and clear the date of the meetup! With the combination of washi samples and sticker flakes, Ashley and I try to outdo each other’s page.

If only I spend amount of effort for my own page lol (I’m too lazy)

In the evening we met up with Nita and Phyllis at University Village for a full-blown stationery fest. Everyone brought out the stamps, ink pads, stickers, washi tapes, and all accessories for traveler’s notebook and Hobonichi journaling.

Cross-writing

The great thing about traveler’s notebook is its flexible insert system. We each took out a spare (whether it’s our designated meet up insert or our daily journal insert) and rotate it around the table for everyone to leave their “stationery” footprint.

Often in these meetups we try to grab the largest table, usually the communal wood tables in coffee shops. Today we weren’t so lucky, so we pushed three round tables together and tried to make it work.

Flip and be inspired

Stationery meetups are a great opportunity to flip through everyone’s journal and be inspired by different layout and styles. Ashley is great with collaging, Nita is the Stamp Queen, and Phyllis is the creative layout master. My specialty is in illustration and little doodles, I guess.

If you are not careful, some serious enabling may happen at these hang outs, such as these beautiful stamps and stamping ink…

Make a mess

It always seems like an avalanche of stationery happened when we pull out all of our stashes. It may seem messy, but we prefer to call it happy clutter. This scene almost always attracts bystanders to stop and take a peek. Sometimes they would gather courage and ask us what we are doing!

Some standard replies: “We’re hobbyists,” “crafting and journaling,” “we have too much stuff so we’re here to share,” or “this is creative journaling!”

*Happy faces!*

Throughout the busy week, a stationery hang out with great friends could be an emotional reboot! I’m pretty sure it’s science that art and journaling can make you smarter and healthier. So, join in the movement and join me in a meet up next time!