Penpal London, London (2025)

02/06/2024

Scratch-n-Sniff baguette stamps from friends who were recently in Paris! Delicious post! 😍🥖🇫🇷💌

#切手

19/04/2024

A re-created Showa Era Japanese post office at Seibuen Amusement Park. Love a bit of mid-century nostalgia! xoxo 🇯🇵💌📮

10/04/2024

The Haibara store in Nihonbashi in Tokyo is chock full of gorgeous washi paper and traditional Japanese letter sets, cards and notebooks. Definitely worth a visit if you are a paper nerd. xoxo ✉️📮

02/04/2024

A postbox in Seoul that delivers twice a year. How’s that for snail mail? 🐌💌✍️

14/02/2024

Postcard from Cartagena. 🇨🇴

11/10/2023

Visited the General Idea exhibition in Berlin this weekend and was struck by how the postal service was frequently integrated into crowdsourced creative endeavors in the form of “mail art” back in the days before internet. Whether utilizing chain mail or requesting posted contributions in the classified sections of magazines, the transmission of creative output used to be a much more tactile and tangible act. Hard to believe in the era of NFTs! xo 📮

01/10/2023

First day of October! Time flies. It’s officially sweater weather. I’ve been MIA here recently but enjoying time connecting with people IRL! Hope everyone is enjoying the start of PSL season. Lots of acronyms in this post. 😂🎃🧶 xoxo

15/08/2023

Writing postcards from La Rive Gauche. 💌 xoxo

13/08/2023

Good morning from the National Art Library, the UK's most comprehensive public reference collection of literature on the fine and decorative arts. What a room. 😍 xoxo

13/07/2023

Just received a postcard from Taiwan where my friend had been on holiday with another mutual friend from college. The illustration by here pretty much sums up my memories of what I did in Taipei when I visited in 2019 (with the same mutual friend)! The third slide is but one of many, many photos I have of us just eating.🤣

Thanks for the postcard, and no, I didn’t wake up to doing a bridge but we did manage to average about 7 meals a day. I miss Asia!!! xoxo 🍜🇹🇼✍️

12/07/2023

How adorable is this letterset? 🐰🐻🛶 My son sent out two letters this weekend — so sweet!! It’s usually hard to get him to write much, but when it is a letter to someone he misses there’s suddenly a lot of enthusiasm! (I only got a couple of sentences out of him on Mother’s Day, by comparison!) 😂

Anyway, reminder to reach out to someone you love this week! Send a postcard or letter — it ages better than a text. Also feel free to DM me if you would like to buy this sweet letterset from Japan. I have a few left. xoxo ✍️💌📮

#手紙

05/07/2023

I was rifling through my ancient collection of zines this morning and came across this gem from 1996. It’s a collection of “Ink Polaroids” by Stuart David, who was the bassist for Belle & Sebastian at the time. I was totally smitten with the Glaswegian band and remember being quite amazed by the concept of a book of ‘snapshots’ consisting entirely of words.

In subsequent years I became an avid journaler and recall many instances when I sat in a cafe in Tokyo or on a park bench in New York with a pen in hand trying to summon my own powers of observation and description.

I later went through a good decade of writing nothing but PowerPoint presentations for work, but thankfully I rediscovered daily journaling in 2019.

While my youthful exuberance for poetic observation has long faded, I still attempt from time to time to try to capture a moment in a few sentences the way Stuart does here in his ink Polaroids. In my jaded middle age, most days I am just scribbling down a list of things I did that day. Must try harder to focus on truly capturing the most essential!

Years ago I dabbled in coffee cupping (tasting) and wine tasting. In both cases it was crucial to describe in words what you were smelling and tasting. It all seems like leathery/fruity/chocolatey mumbo jumbo at first but then over time you start to recall the exact taste of something based on the words you used to describe it.

In this age of instant access to high-res photography and video straight from our phones, it feels like a massive anachronism to capture a moment in words. But the recall is much more intense when you have written about it. Indeed, more powerful than pixels. xoxo ✍️

25/06/2023

Love using these cute rubber stamps I got in Japan which are meant to be used specifically around postage stamps! I just hate these awful new barcodes… 🤦🏻‍♀️

I’m quite hungover this morning after drinking too much saké last night 🫣 but I’m feeling better after writing a couple of letters to friends over a cup of coffee. I’m off to see the Asteroid City exhibition at @180.studios this afternoon! Saw the latest Wes Anderson flick last Tuesday and really loved it. I could just stare at each individual frame for hours! Anybody else a fan? xoxo

#手紙の小人

18/06/2023

Happy Father’s Day to all the coolest dads, granddads and father figures out there! xoxo ✍️

.rocks

07/06/2023

Hey Kids! It’s almost Father’s Day! If you are in North London, please join us .rocks after school on Friday, June 16 from 3:30-5:30pm for a free drop-in card/letter-writing session organised by me, a local mum on a mission to get people feeling more connected through the art of writing! Feel free to bring your own stationery or you can make your own cards/buy some stationery in-store. It’s a great opportunity to let dad know how much he means to you in your own words! There will of course be yummy treats available in Punk Cake’s beautiful cafe while you write. Daddy probably wouldn’t mind a bit of cake on Father’s Day either! xoxo 😘💌✍️

24/05/2023

An impromptu visit to the Miffy x Chinatown shop on this gorgeous May afternoon. Known as Nintje in the Netherlands where she is originally from, Miffy has become a global icon, and I believe her biggest fan base is most likely in Japan where Miffy merchandise is available absolutely everywhere. I’ve adored Dick Bruna’s lovely books and characters since childhood and still can’t help but gravitate towards all things despite being well into my 40s! 🤣 Leave a comment if you’re the same! xoxo

21/05/2023

Had a great time at the Yaneura Market Japanese Jumble Sale this afternoon! Thanks to everyone who stopped by. It was so nice to see so many familiar faces, as well as meet new people like who makes the most delicious Japanese breads. 🥰 It was my first time participating in a market like this separate from running a writing event, and I really enjoyed it! Had a lovely Lillet Spritz at the pub afterwards too. 😜 xoxo

17/05/2023

April showers bring May flowers! Some lovely floral correspondence stationery from Japan to brighten up your Wednesday. If you are based in North London, just a handwritten note to let you know I will be joining the Yaneura Market this Sunday (May 21) from 1:00-4:00 for their Japanese Jumble Sale (organised by )! I’ll be mainly selling Japanese lettersets, along with other bits and bobs. Come say hi and maybe find some nice stationery to write to that person you’ve been meaning to connect with. xoxo 🪻💌✍️

14/05/2023

Hey London locals! I’ll be in Crouch End on Sunday, May 21 for a Japanese Jumble Sale organised by 💙 Please drop by and check out my latest Japanese stationery stash as well as some vintage items from my home! I’m told there will be some delicious treats alongside the Japanese jumble. Hope to see some of you there. xoxo

09/05/2023

On my recent trip home to Japan I was chuffed to inherit my dad’s stamp collection. He’s not a philatelist at all in the traditional sense, so most of his collection is of very little value from a serious collector’s point of view. Like me, he was merely attracted to the aesthetics of various stamps he saw over the years living in the US, Korea & Japan. During Covid when he was stuck at home, he decided to go through the many stamps he had cut out and saved from post he’d received, and de-gum them by sticking them in warm water and removing them from their envelopes with tweezers. Certainly an effective way to kill time in the middle of a global pandemic!

When I told him that I’ve been collecting stamps too recently, purely of designs I like, he handed me his whole collection saying he didn’t have any use for them now that he’d done the work of removing them from their original envelopes. Lucky me! Neither of us were really aware of each other’s stamp collections until then, and it made me realise how much of his collector’s impulse I had inherited from him. We both share a fondness for old, j***y things and are happiest at a flea market or car boot sale.

I’m not a big fan of the sticker-style stamps that are used now and to be honest the recent barcoded ones I find horrendous. The good old-fashioned perforated and gummed stamps will always be what true stamps should look like in my book! Miniature framed artworks that also have the all-important task of delivering a message to a loved one. Long live stamps! xoxo 💌📮🌎

#切手

03/05/2023

Do I have a thing for 🔵 & 🟡?

What’s in the mini Hato Sablé biscuit tin? A pigeon biscuit-shaped eraser, obviously. And what’s that adorable wooden stamp for? It’s for stamping around your postage stamp on a letter so it looks like the motorbike is carrying the postage! Genius. And you’re right, there’s always room for more masking tape; especially when it’s a mïna perhonen print! xoxo 🛵💌

#文房具 #文具女子 #和紙テープ #鳩サブレー #アラビックヤマト

01/05/2023

Carrying on with posting my Japanese stationery haul to brighten up your Bank Holiday! Most of these items I got from and the postcard is obviously from These two retro shops definitely topped my list of favourite stationers I visited on my last trip to Japan.

The key chain of a Showa Era coffee shop sign has a switch on the back and lights up. And the masking tape featuring the iconic goldfish from my (and my kids’) all-time favourite Japanese children’s book, “The Goldfish Got Away” by Taro Gomi (of “Everyone Poops” fame) is perfection! Hope everyone is having a great long weekend! xoxo 🌈

#文具女子 #文房具 #文房具好き #昭和レトロ

27/04/2023

Variations on a Theme 🍈🫧🍨

Going to start showing off some of my Japanese stationery purchases here because I am in a post-holiday funk after returning from the glorious sunshine and cherry blossoms of Tokyo to the (still) frigid grey skies of the Big Smoke. I’m channeling these Melon Soda items to get me to a warmer state of mind. Can you believe the cafe napkin/soda float combo on the top left is a letter set you can post?! Take me back! xoxo 🕊️😭🍹

#メロンソーダ #アデリアレトロ #文房具 #文具女子 #手紙

24/04/2023

Have been back in London for a week now and really missing Japan! Here’s a photo I took of an old-school post box in front of an old-school to***conist window in Kamakura. The to***co window is actually part of a bakery, and I love that they kept it intact. I’m not a smoker but have always loved the aesthetics of traditional to***co shops. I guess I am just an incurable nostalgic. xoxo 📮🚬🇯🇵

#たばこ屋 #ポスト

19/04/2023

One of the great pleasures of coming home after a spell is to find excellent reading waiting for you. Among the plastic-wrapped issues of the New Yorker, Positive News, and my son’s OYLA magazine was the latest issue of The Persephone Biannually, with a great piece on E.M. Forster to celebrate their publication of his selected essays, 𝙏𝙬𝙤 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘿𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙮, with a preface by Henry Mance of the FT, whom I also love.

If you are not already familiar with Persephone Books, the publisher of neglected works mostly by women writers of the early to mid-twentieth century, I strongly encourage you to visit their website! They used to have the loveliest book shop on Lamb’s Conduit Street here in London filled with their signature grey-covered books, each with special endpapers and matching bookmarks. They moved to Bath several years ago, coincidentally across the street from the building where OG feminist Mary Wollstonecraft lived and worked for a year before eventually penning 𝙑𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙒𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 some twenty years later.

While Persephone Books typically publishes women writers and tends to shy away from political works, they have made a wise exception to publish Forster’s essays on his humanist beliefs and moral values, which feel more relevant and necessary today than ever.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how we retain our humanity and ability to connect with others in this age of deeply rooted mistrust and otherism. The news out of America this week of Ralph Yarl who was shot simply for ringing the wrong doorbell while Black is enough to make one throw up their hands and give up. Meanwhile in the UK the lack of humanity towards refugees evidenced by the likes of Suella Braverman is shockingly depressing. It’s as though she has no understanding of history and has never read a proper novel in her life. Forster seems to have anticipated all of this and still encourages us to hold on tightly to the belief in our ability to call out evil and maintain a moral compass. Important reading indeed. xoxo 📚

17/04/2023

I’ve made it back to London after a crazy 36-hour journey which involved two layovers and 8 suitcases! And amazingly, because we had a 12-hour stop in Helsinki, we not only got to see the Finnish capital, we avoided jet lag by staying awake and doing fun stuff! (Always easier to stay awake exploring a new city than to try to keep your eyes open at home, in my humble opinion.)

Anyway, one of the first things I noticed when coming out of Helsinki’s central train station is this gorgeous Postitalo building from 1938, which houses the main post office for Helsinki. I just love its use of two different typefaces on the front and side signage above the main entrance! Helsinki was full of great retro signage and beautiful architecture. And so many art museums! Definitely felt like a second mini holiday to be able to spend time wandering around its streets. Long layovers can be great! Okay, now back to unpacking those suitcases… xoxo 📮

14/04/2023

I got to visit the sweetest stationery shop the other day while touring the temples of beautiful Kamakura, about an hour outside of Tokyo. I’m a particular devotee of the retro Japanese Showa Era aesthetic, and had been following on Instagram to admire their fantastic selection of mostly retro stationery from afar. What a thrill to finally be able to visit in person! The shop is a little off the beaten tourist path, in a quieter area away from all the selfie sticks. I highly recommend a visit if you’re a stationery addict like myself and have a trip to Japan planned in your future! I ended up buying a lot of their original branded merchandise, from a lovely canvas tote bag and art supply box, to notebooks, postcards and of course letter sets. They even produce their own useable postage stamps (in second photo)! I can’t wait to use them all when I get home. The past two weeks have been absolutely amazing and I am sad to be leaving to go back to London tomorrow. I’ll be unpacking these memories (both literally and figuratively) for a long time after! Lots to show you of my stationery haul… xoxo 😬🧳✈️

#昭和レトロ #文房具 #文房具好き #文房具マニア #鎌倉

05/04/2023

One of my favourite things about Tokyo is that in this megacity of over 37 million inhabitants, you are constantly discovering new and interesting things at every turn. The other day I was out strolling with friends in the neighbourhood of Shimokitazawa which has changed dramatically in the past few years due to a massive railway infrastructure overhaul. As we walked around one of the new shopping complexes that have replaced the former railway tracks (cleverly named Bonus Track), we chanced upon a wonderful little cafe/shop dedicated entirely to diaries. They sold books by famous and non-famous diarists, illustrated diaries, diary-themed zines, and of course various types of diaries and journals. I ordered an iced herbal tea and just browsed for ages, soaking up the calming vibe of this shop that existed purely to celebrate the marking of each and everyday. The name of the shop, Getsunichi (月日), translates to “month and day.” The characters also individually represent the moon and sun, respectively, a perfect representation of a full 24-hour cycle.

As someone who started journaling daily in 2019 after a lapse of over a decade, I can honestly say that it has been so good for my mental health. I find that the older I get the faster time seems to fly by. Taking a few minutes to digest and take note of what I experienced that day has allowed me to slow things down a bit and not feel overwhelmed by the passage of time. I’m also comforted by the knowledge that I can refer back to it in the future when I will most certainly struggle to recall the quotidian. And it’s really the small, everyday things that make up the sum total of life. Not the professional wedding videos and once-in-a-lifetime travel memories, but the day to day. xoxo ✍️

#日記　 #月日　 #下北沢

27/03/2023

A couple of weeks ago when I was suffering from the anxiety and nerves that have become typical for me in the days leading up to a ticketed event, I received the most unexpected post from a friend who lives just a fifteen minute walk away. She’d seen an article in a magazine about two novelists from Nigeria and decided to tear it out to share with me, along with a most encouraging postcard.

In the article, Ayòbámi Adébáyò () and Emmanuel Iduma () share their love story of how after 12 years of friendship, a handwritten love letter sent from Emmanuel in New York to Ayòbámi in Lagos crystallised their relationship as they both came to the realisation that they were in love with each other. Reads like a novel, doesn’t it? The two are now married and in the article they share some truly swoon-worthy snippets from letters they have written to each other over the years.

It was such a kind gesture by my friend to post that off to me, and I happened to receive it when I most needed to read her words and be inspired by the article she shared! Such a timely reminder of the power of letters to bring people closer together. I’m so grateful to be supported by the most incredible community of friends. I hope you all have a lovely week. xoxo 💌

25/03/2023

What a lovely day at Coleridge Primary School in Crouch End running workshops for their Wellbeing Festival! Felt a bit like being a supply teacher, standing in front of a classroom! 👩🏻‍🏫🍎

As the theme of the day was Wellbeing, I decided to do a workshop on gratitude journaling and another one on writing a love letter to yourself. Both are really good ways to boost self-esteem and shift your mindset to a more positive one. Gratitude journaling doesn’t need to be daily, and if you can commit to taking just 5-10 minutes before bed a few times a week to write down all the things you’re grateful for, you can really start to change your perspective just by sheer force of habit. You’ll develop your awareness of all the little things others are doing for you throughout the day that you might otherwise take for granted. And this in turn makes you a kinder and more generous person yourself!

And writing a love letter to yourself is a great exercise in thinking about all the positive and unique things that make you so special! You can put it in an envelope and tuck it away in a drawer for a day in the future when your confidence has taken a hit and you need a bit of a boost.

Anyone can do any of these activities at home and I heartily encourage you to try them out yourself. If you have got kids, try it out together as an activity that has some genuine mental health benefits! Developing an attitude of gratitude takes practice, and so it’s not a one and done activity. You might not feel the benefits immediately but over time you will definitely start to notice a uplift in mood and greater empathy in how you approach others. Give it a go! xoxo ✍️

P.S. Many thanks to for organising everything, particularly & who are always tirelessly working to put on these events for our lucky kids.