Stationery & Craft: Shibui 5-Pen Case in Saddle Brown Leather

When I started using and collecting fountain pens, I didn't realize that the hobby would include a lot of other products. A few months into the hobby, I learned that aside from adding more fountain pens to my collection, using these pens involves a lot of other fascinating products -- paper, ink, and carrying cases such as pen wraps -- or rolls -- and pen cases. For so many years, I enjoyed using a blue 12-pen flannel pen roll as my daily pen carry. The cloth was safe for my pens, it was easy to wash/clean, and it carried a lot of pens. But I realized I needed a smaller carrying case for only a few pens, too. I needed one that's sturdier and more secure.

During the 2018 Manila Fountain Pen Show, I came upon Shibui PH and their leather pen cases. It was love at first sight! Shibui's leather pen cases became one of my must-haves as a fountain pen user/collector. They are well crafted and looked like the perfect pen case that I needed! Two months later, I received Shibui's 5-pen case in lovely saddle brown leather. The pen case is beautiful, well built, and ready for the rough and tumble of being an everyday carry, or what we call our EDC. I was ready to use it and write a review, but my health held down everything for a while. For most of 2019, blogging, calligraphy, and my other hobbies were grounded as my body needed time to heal from surgery. I am now fully recovered and back to blogging and reviewing with Shibui's leather pen case as my comeback review before 2019 ends.

Shibui's white boxes — neat, simple, elegant.

Shibui's products are packaged in large white boxes printed only with the Shibui logo. This careful, efficient, and elegant product presentation is very classy and truly impressive. Inside the box are the pen case, a small flyer with leather care instructions, and a postcard. The inside bottom of the box contains the Shibui brand philosophy, contact details, and their social media accounts.

The pen case inside Shibui's iconic white box.

Inside the box: flyer for leather care, postcard, Shibui brand philosophy, and their contact details.

Shibui pen cases are handcrafted by highly skilled Pinoy artisans in Bulacan, a province in the Philippines' Central Luzon region where leather crafting is a major industry. The leather used in their beautiful pen cases is locally sourced from either Bulacan or Marikina City in Metro Manila where specific cowhide colors are made for them. Unlike other companies that outsource their production, Shibui PH makes their pen cases in their leather making factory. Awesome!

Shibui pen cases have their own characteristics — no two pieces are alike and each carries its own look and personality.

The Shibui leather pen case looks beautiful out of the box. The full-grain leather is smooth to touch and has a rich earthy scent. The pen case has excellent stitching and a good quality zipper that is easy to reach. Shibui pen cases are all handcrafted from real leather, and each piece is unique — no two pieces are alike — in appearance and characteristics. I'm excited to see how this pen case will look after several months of use. The leather will surely develop a patina, a character marked by occasional scratches and darkened by the oils from my hand.

The full pen case fits inside my backpack comfortably. It's not too thick because the leather is not padded.

During their design process, the creators of Shibui wanted their pen cases to be strong enough to withstand the wear and tear of daily use. They thought of making the insides of their pen cases as sturdy and durable as its leather, but still flexible to accommodate different fountain pen sizes without the use of elastic bands. This led to the creation of the most unique feature of Shibui's pen cases — the Pull-Tag™ — an adjustable soft leather band holding the pens securely in their slots inside the pen case. Most pen cases use elastic bands for pen slots, but those become loose and are easily worn out through continued use. Shibui's Pull-Tag™ allows pens in any size and thickness to fit securely in their slots without any risk of pen damage due to tight elastic bands. Anyone who has a Shibui pen case can add and mix different pens safely in their EDCs!

Shibui pen cases are the only pen cases in the market with the Pull-Tag™ adjustable leather band.

The Pull-Tag™ replaces elastic bands that turn loose and are easily worn out due to daily use.

The zippers on Shibui's pen cases bear their logo. Love this!

This Shibui pen case accommodates pens in any size and thickness...

...without the risk of pen damage (scratches, cracks) that usually happens due to tight elastic bands. Each pen — thin or thick — fits comfortably in their slots. The leather band looks nice on the pens, too!

This pen case has compartments, too! There's one which fits a pocket notebook or a small notepad, and two smaller ones for business cards, receipts, or tickets.

During the 2019 Manila Pen Show in November, Shibui PH introduced exclusive and limited edition leather 2-pen cases. The pen cases are made from 100% veg-tanned genuine cowhide leather. The pen cases are available in two variants and color combinations to represent the second pen show in the Philippines. The color scheme, on the other hand, is inspired by the new wave of the milk tea craze that took over the Philippines in 2019. The color combinations are The Classic, which has white leather on the outside, and brown leather on the inside; and The Brown Sugar, with brown leather on the outside, and white leather on the inside. These pen cases are still available from Shibui PH.

Exclusive and limited edition Shibui 2-pen cases for the 2nd Manila Pen Show. (These 100% veg-tanned pen cases are still available at the Shibui PH website.) Photo from Shibui PH

Shibui PH products are designed and crafted by Filipinos whose vision has always been to create a brand that will promote Filipino leather craftsmanship to the world. Shibui's creators are firm believers of local craftsmanship and their goal is to enrich local industries and compete with other brands on a global stage. They envisioned a brand that will have a strong local and international following because they believe that providing jobs to Filipino leatherworkers means that more families can stay together and will no longer need to look for work overseas. This way, fathers can stay with their children, train them, and pass on the legacy of leather crafting to the next generation, a skill that is slowly fading as next-generation leather workers become interested in other endeavors.

My Shibui pen case's saddle brown leather is a perfect match for my brown Traveler's Notebook!

Aside from this pen case, Shibui offers 3-pen cases, an 8-vial case, Hobo Weeks Cover, A5 or A6 Notebook/Journal Covers, A5 or A6 Life Organizers, Travel Wallet, and Travel Organizer. To see (and buy) these amazing Filipino products, visit the Shibui PH website (https://www.shibuiph.com/).

In the Philippines, Shibui pen cases and other leather products are also available in the following stores: Scribe.ph (SM Aura, Glorietta 4, and Eastwood branches), Analog, Noteworthy (Podium, Rockwell, BGC, and Alabang Town Center branches), and Everything Calligraphy.

And did you know? Shibui PH has now reached the global stage! Overseas, Shibui leather pen cases are available in Malaysia (Pen Gallery), Singapore (Cityluxe), and the United States (Endless Pens). Shibui products will also be in Hong Kong and Korea very, very soon! O di ba? Ang galing ng Pinoy! Totoo ito!

The Shibui 5-Pen Case in this review is provided by Shibui PH where it retails for PhP2,650 (~US$65). For more details on purchasing from Shibui PH, visit their website at https://www.shibuiph.com/.

Health and Wellness: Kalyana Soothing Balms

If you're a Pinoy GenXer like I am, you probably spent a great deal of time with the baby boomers in your family as a young kid. Me, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, aunts, and elder cousins while I was a kid, especially during summer breaks. In my time with them, I observed that my Lolas (grandmothers) and Titas (aunts) liked slathering us young kids with different balms, oils, and ointments. I remember Lola pours coconut oil on my back and tummy before my bath. If I got rashes, there is a balm for that, or if I had a headache, colds, or flu, a generous amount of ointment is spread on my temples, chest, and back. Back then, I liked the balms and ointments, especially the menthol-scented ones. Now an adult, I carried on my elders' tradition. I place small jars of balms around the house—in my study/work table and under my pillow. I also have it in my bag, and that balm is like magic, it helps me with anything! From headaches to tummy aches or insect bites, the balm is always helpful.

Last February, I was glad to hear that my friend Kitchie and her husband have launched their own line of balms. Kitchie, a trained and licensed acupuncturist attended a seminar on herbal medicine under the expert hands of Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan (or Doc Jimmy to his loyal listeners and followers). Doc Jimmy is a well-known doctor and advocate of primary health care, sound nutrition, and integrative medicine in the Philippines. In the seminar, Doc Jimmy mentioned that the Philippines has our own great herbal tradition that is comparable to the Chinese. The seminar – and the fact that Kitchie has to buy expensive balms in Singapore to help her during migraine episodes – inspired Kitchie to develop her own line of herbal medicine in the form of balms, and Kalyana Soothing Balm was born.

Kalyana Soothing Balms are essential oils-based blends that ease body pains and aches. What is Kalyana? Why Kalyana?  Kalyana is the Hindi and Nepali word for "wellness." Kitchie chose the name Kalyana for her balms from her belief that an individual can also avail of natural healing modes to help maintain a positive level of health and wellness. Kalyana offers products for non-invasive body healing.

According to Stephanie Tourles, herbal skin and body care expert and author, "a balm is an external healing agent. When applied to the skin, it softens with body temperature and provides an emollient, vulnerary, nourishing, healing, protective effect. The balm's base oil, being compatible with the skin, delivers medicinal herbal components down deep within the tissues where they are needed. The wax or butter component solidifies and gives firmness to the finished product for ease of application plus offers additional skin-conditioning benefits."

The Kalyana Soothing Balms are available in three variants for Relaxation (blue), Muscle and Joint Pain (yellow/orange), and Headache (green).  To ensure high quality, Kitchie carefully makes their soothing balms in small batches at their home.

Kalyana Soothing Balm for Relaxation

Kalyana Soothing Balm for Relaxation has lavender and peppermint essential oils. Both oils are traditionally used as relaxation agents and they help users achieve a positive mental state. This balm's other ingredients are coconut oil, menthol, Vitamin E, and beeswax.

I tried applying this balm on my temples, forehead, and nostrils before a massage and it was amazing! The balm helped me feel relaxed, and the scent of lavender and peppermint oils sent me to sleep, and I don't usually fall asleep during a massage! I also discovered that on nights when sleep is hard to come by, this Relaxation balm is such a big help.

Kalyana Soothing Balm for Muscle and Joint Pain

Kalyana Soothing Balm for Muscle and Joint Pain is formulated to help relax the muscles, ease pain and inflammation, and stimulate blood circulation in the affected area. To use, massage balm onto the painful area. Kitchie warns that it is not to be used on open wounds, and by pregnant or breastfeeding women. This balm contains turmeric and the yellow color in the balm may stain clothes.

Of the three Kalyana Soothing Balms, this is the only one I haven't tried yet. I'm sure it will come in handy when I start my afternoon walks again and I'll get sore thighs and legs.

Kalyana Soothing Balm for Headache

Kalyana Soothing Balm for Headache is said to help address different types of headaches such as tension, migraine, sinusitis, and cluster headaches. It has beeswax and lauric oil which have analgesic properties. These two are combined with key essential oils, i.e., peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender, to address different kinds of headaches. To use, apply a small amount to temples, forehead, or base of the neck.

This is my favorite Kalyana balm, it's always in my bag, and goes with me wherever I go. I have chronic sinusitis, and when I get a headache from sinusitis (or any headache), I dab a little amount of Kalyana Soothing Balm to my temples and nostrils. It helps me feel better after a couple of minutes. Or if I feel uncomfortable, I place the balm near my nose for that fresh, minty, relaxing feel-good sniff.

Kalyana Soothing Balms have neat tidy packaging. Each variant comes in a 30g tin container with a screw lid.

After testing these balms for a few weeks, I can say that Kalyana Soothing Balms are of high quality. The wax is solid but not hard, doesn't fall off in chunks as other balms do, and it's not too oily. At first, the balms seemed lacking to me. They did not have the strong scent and heat of the traditional balms that I was used to, and I was looking for that. However, because of this same fact, Kalyana balms are not irritating and are actually gentle on the skin. Plus their scents last longer. My only wish for these products is that they become available in smaller tubs, perhaps in 5 or 10g tins? But for now, we can all enjoy these awesome Ang-Galing-ng-mga-Pinoy Kalyana balms in 30g tin tubs.

Kalyana Soothing Balms sell for P195 each, and since they have just started the business, most of their selling is done online. If anyone wants to buy the balms, visit Kalyana's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/kalyana.ph/), follow them on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/kalyana.ph/), or send an SMS to Kitchie at 09156027955. For those in the Manila area, Kalyana Soothing Balms are available in La Consolacion Oriental Health Clinic in Mendiola, Manila.