At the end of last year (for the last 100 days to be exact), I paid extra attention to the material “things” in my life that brought me happiness (all the while being very careful to get rid of anything that didn’t directly bring me happiness) and documented those things for the #100HappyDays project.

The exercise was a great opportunity to reflect on the things around me — literally — and helped me to realize why it was that certain “things” were bringing me joy.

There are clear patterns in the photographs that I took for the project. Not surprisingly, most of the “things” I recorded were either:  a gift from a loved one, a memento of a trip or a special event, something associated with relaxation or eliminating stress, or something directly connected to a creative task.

These pen holders from Fenice fit right in with all of those things I recorded for the #100 HappyDays project. They are a perfect example of how a little “thing” can bring much joy.

These tiny, magnetic pieces of leather are designed to hold a pen, be used as a bookmark, or both.

They work great with both books and journals. They adhere to the books with magnets, so they are removable; they can be moved around to any place in the book without damaging the book and be moved from one book to the next. They make an excellent gift for anyone who likes to have a pen or pencil handy while they read!

The only trouble I found is that these products were difficult to obtain here in the US. I searched online and in person in many retailers, but couldn’t find anything like them. (We were eventually able to find someone selling them on Amazon, but since they came from Korea it took a while for them to be shipped here, and there were also high fees for international processing.)

I’d love to find someone here in the US who sells these products or offers something similar. In the meantime, I am also open to ways we can make something similar on our own. Maybe sewing thin magnets into fabric sleeves or thick ribbons, starching them for rigidity and durability? If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

~Melissa