(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available for pre-order!)
You may already know this about me, but I sure do like books. My job is books. My hobby is books. And when I'm not busy with books, I like to relax with a good book. So when my love for books and my love of stationery combine, it is pure joy.
As an avid reader and multi-book club participant, I keep a reading journal to track what books I read and when. Mine is very simple--just a printed image of the book, the date I started and finished, the format, and a star rating. Sometimes I jot a note, if I feel it's necessary, but usually not. In the past, I've printed out a star graphic that I paste into my journal and write in the info I need. But now? LOOK AT THIS STAMP!
The Shachihata Daily Log Stamp does all the work for me! It has the stars, an adjustable date line, and room for a format note. All in one quick press, so I can get back to reading faster!
The stamp itself is made out of rubber with a tall plastic handle that makes it easy to hold. It takes up more space than a flat wooden-rubber stamp, but inside the handle are the mechanisms for rotating the dates that appear on the stamp. Each number has its own turning wheel with toothlike gears that make it easy to turn. You can also retract the date part of the stamp if you don't want to include it at all.
The image is nice and clear when stamped. You'll need an ink pad (this stamp does not store its own ink), but that opens up a lot of options for colors and formulas. I could see my reading log with a bit of glitter ink, at some point.
Maybe your hobby isn't reading (what???) or you have a different entry in your journal that could use some stamp help. They also have versions of this stamp for the weather, sleep log, exercise log, menu, to do lists, etc. Really, you could lay out a whole planner with these stamps in a blank book. The stamp faces are about 2.7cm square, so fairly small.
They're a bit pricey, as far as stamps go. The adjustable dates likely add most of this cost, but each stamp runs around $26.50. It's a bit more than I'd expect to pay, but at least it's something that can be reused indefinitely. Which is good, because I've got a lot of reading to do.
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