Tiny icons in my planner (Pilot ILMILY Two-Colour Stamp + Deco Rush tape)

I’ve been eyeing tiny stamps for a while, wondering if there was a low effort and consistent way to include them in my journaling habits. Turns out that the best place for them is in my A6 planner/journal where I often want to communicate things quickly.

The little items

I picked up a Pilot ILMILY stamp, which starts blue-black and can be ‘erased’ to pink, and a Deco Rush tape with little pictures of trainers. Let’s do a mini review of both!

Both are a good fit for the topics in my diary. The location stamp I use for where I’ve been, the trainers for acknowledging my hard work if I did a lot of walking (because it’s really hot here in Taipei).

Both are also tiny and fit in the smaller pocket of my Lihit Lab Compact pencil case. The Pilot stamp is a more convenient shape and takes up less space.

They have some extra portability features too. The Deco Rush tape has a lid to protect the tape, which is attached with a hinge so it doesn’t get lost. Meanwhile, the Pilot stamp actually has a small hole at the back so you can hang it like a charm.

Pilot ILMILY Two-Colour Stamp

This stamp has a spongy tip which lays down its picture with a gentle press. (Don’t be like me and press down as hard as you can on the first try. This is not a rubber stamp!)

The colour combo of blue-black and pale pink is pretty boring - I would have preferred any of the other 4 options in the product line, which are more tropical, but I really wanted the location icon. In the end I like how it matches with the blue-black inks I’m always using.

How about the colour-changing aspect? I think it would be perfect if you want to use it for ‘crossing things off’. If you just want two colours of stamp, not so much. After “erasing” with the back end of the stamp, the pink colour is still easily distinguishable from the background. But unlike the crisp edges of the original, it looks slightly ghostly and blurry, more like the attempt to erase it has failed than a decorative choice.

My real issue with this stamp is the drying time. The ink is tacky and not easily absorbed. It takes over 90 seconds to dry completely, although it can be blotted. (On Tomoe River paper, blotting it can make it change colour slightly.) If you try to erase before it’s dry, you will end up with bi-coloured smears. I also got a normal, one-colour erasable stamp and it has the same issue (although at least you can erase those smears).

PLUS Deco Rush Tape

This correction-style tape lays down multiple subtly different versions of the same icon, so a page with repeated uses will have a more organic look. I find the concept ingenious and the effect tasteful.

The tape reminds me of a temporary tattoo, although it is very much permanent. Most of the time, its transparent background is totally invisible, as if the icon has simply been transferred onto the page. If you catch it at the right angle you can see the background reflecting light.

The design is, technically, ergonomic. It’s small and easy to hold, plus the tip can rotate from side to side so it’s more forgiving if you don’t hold it perfectly. Nevertheless it’s hard to get the knack of (maybe because I’ve never used regular correction tape?).

The best method I’ve found is to hold it vertical - so only the tip touches the paper - and press very firmly as you roll it across. Even so, unless you have a hard surface to lean on, the result will probably not be perfect. You also need to stop at the right moment to avoid leaving half an icon on the page (I’ve started to find this weirdly fun).

I’ve bought a few more of these since, and one of them has a lid that is way too loose and flaps around. Another (the book below) has a blurry print quality. However, at the price I got them for I won’t complain about small manufacturing issues.

Conclusion

The Pilot stamp is more convenient and portable, although this is undermined by the slow drying time. Meanwhile, the Deco Rush tape is a lot prettier but takes effort to apply correctly. Ideally I would recommend the tape for when you have time to sit and relax, and the stamp when in a hurry or for portability, but there’s not a huge difference between them.

Finally, it’s worth comparing them both to ordinary stickers. They’re heavier to carry around, and the mark left on the page is more unreliable. But they’re easier to apply considering the tiny size and don’t add any thickness to the page - stickers this small and thin would require tweezers or some other special application method. You won’t have to worry about running out for a long time, unlike with stickers where you can see the sheet gradually depleting. Most stickers also don’t have such subtle, organic variation in appearance between uses.