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At the beginning of the year, I posted about my planner set-up for the year which included the Midori B6 Pocket Planner in the Clover design ($23.50, out of stock but a Birds edition is still available) tucked into my leather B6 cover from Bassy & Co ($81 and up) with my Stalogy Editor’s Series 365 Days ($21) everyday planner and note-taking notebook.
Since the beginning of the year, the pockets of my planner have become filled with an assortment of stickers, postage stamps and washi tape. I’ve gotten into collaging on my daily pages so having a few stickers to add along the way is a great option.
I am still loving the B6 size for my planner. It’s not as small as an A6, which I often felt like I needed more than one-page-per-day, but not as intimidating as an A5 which always seemed like too much space and too large a notebook to tote around everyday. If you haven’t tried B6 yet, I highly recommend it as the Goldilocks of notebooks.
This image above shows that I’ve filled about 2/3rds of the Stalogy daily planner and evidence of collage-y bits can be seen from the edge.
I added the Midori pen clip to the back of the Stalogy at the beginning of the year and have managed to keep it for six whole months without losing it. Good news since my rare Sailor ProGear Slim Stargazer has been riding around in the loop all year.
I mark my place each month and each day with the Midori gold Chiratto Index Clips ($8.50 for 8 clips). It makes getting to my current spot fast and easy.
I’m getting some mileage with the monthly pages to keep track of silly holidays like Graham Cracker Day (July 5), travel, pen shows and birthdays and such but I am not using the week-on-two-pages like I thought I would.
I had thought I would utilize the page on the right of the week-on-two-pages in the Midori for work-related tasks and notes but I have ended up keeping a notebook at work for these tasks and the pages go largely unused. Its extra sad because I really like the paper in the Midori Pocket Planner and the little illustrations throughout are cheery.
The only creature in my house that uses the ribbon bookmark is Apple. He thinks it’s delicious.
In the Stalogy, on days without a lot of activities (like a Sunday when you discover you have Covid-19), I have started adding collage elements with washi, stickers and some rubber stamps. I also bought a Polaroid Mint mini-printer to add the occasional photo to my planner.
I often treat my planner more like a log book of what I did, what I ate, where I went, who I saw, what I read, watch or listened to, etc. so adding photos in is a good way to log activities. If you want to be able to add photos to your journal or planner, many people recommend the Canon Ivy which is currently available. The Polaroid Mint has been discontinued. Both the Mint and the Ivy use Zink 2″ x 3″ printer paper. The color output is not great but the printer uses instant film technology and the printers don’t need ink cartridges making it a little easier to use. So, it makes fun, little retro-looking images that add some much-needed personality to my planner.
Usually, on Sundays, I try to pre-decorate a few pages. Since I am doing a (sort of) page-a-day for my planner/journal/logbook I just add a few decorative elements to add some interest for the week but I am not locked into using a whole page for one day. Some days, I might use two or more pages. I’ve found this open method so much easier for me since there is no pressure from day-to-day. Some days are super busy and active, and some days I skip altogether.
I don’t know how to solve for the largely unused Midori Pocket Planner. I thought about removing the monthly pages and pasting them into the Stalogy but I would want the whole year’s worth of calendar pages so where doe I put them? In the back altogether? At the beginning of each month but what about later months?
I would like to streamline a little bit but I haven’t figured out the best way to do that. As it is right now, the book is quite chonky so I suspect I will try to reduce the bulk I carry on a daily basis a bit.
How’s your planning/journal/notebook set-up serving you? Have you needed to switch it up?
Apple insisted on hanging out with me while I photographed this post so he wanted to put his paw stamp on this post. It’s “Apple-approved.”
The post Mid-Year Planner Review appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
Sailor's Delight was one of two ink formulations chosen by the /r/fountainpens community on Reddit earlier this year, continuing a wonderful trend by Diamine in working with many collaborators - big and small - to create inks. Given all of the recent changes with Reddit, will they continue this project? Who knows, but let me be the first to ask: Mastodon ink when?
If you are Mastodon curious, check out the wonderful community being built at Penfount, where you can find all the details you need. And if you are shimmer ink curious, well, Sailor’s Delight is one you will want to take a look at asap.
The most interesting thing I noticed out of the box with this ink is the underlying color. I thought it would be bright red, and there is plenty of that shade, but the base color underneath that red is peach. That took me by surprise, in a positive way. My 1.1 mm stub nib in the TWSBI 580ALR Prussian Blue pen I used for this review spreads the ink thin at the top of the line, with the ink pooling more towards the bottom of stroke. That’s how shading happens, and in this case, that’s how the peach shade pokes out from underneath the red.
But let’s be clear, you aren’t buying this ink for the peachy-red color - you are buying it for the peachy-red color with shimmer! Diamine says the shimmer is silver, but I see a faint light blue tone where the shimmer breaks through. I think that shade is a perfect match for this ink, giving the ink a purple tone in some areas.
When I bought Sailor’s Warning, I was interested in how it compared to another favorite shimmer ink of mine, Wearingeul Dracula. My guess was that they would be close enough to be interchangeable, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Dracula is very red in comparison, with a brighter blue shimmer. In the end, these two inks are very different.
If there is any downside to Sailor’s Warning it is that it seems dry, even from this 1.1 mm nib. I expected more ink flow, which shimmer inks need to show off their primary property. I want to give it a try in another pen and a different nib to see if I feel the same way, but I’ve tested several shimmer inks in this pen and flow has never been an issue.
At $22 for a 50 ml bottle, Diamine Sailor’s Warning is priced well. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it, but I would make sure to use a wide, wet nib. That goes for all shimmer inks, so that should come as no surprise, but I find it to be especially true with this one.
That’s my Sailor’s Warning.
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Each week in Refill, the Pen Addict Members newsletter, I publish Ink Links as part of the additional content you receive for being a member. And each week, after 10 to 15 links, plus my added commentary on each, I'm left with many great items I want to share. Enter Misfill. Here are this weeks links:
— What I’m Enjoying (From the Pen Cup)
— 2200 Inks! (Mountain of Ink)
— At today’s pro democracy protest (Writing at Large)
— 2023 Mid-Year Recap: Reader Favorites from the First Six Months of 2023 (The Gentleman Stationer)
— Pelikan To Be Sold To The Hamelin Group (The Pelikan's Perch0
— Kakimori #06 Toppuri (Inkcredible Colours)
— One more for the community’s exploration of #21PenQuestions (mnmlscholar)
— Maps, Everyday Ephemera, and Watercolor Drawings Record José Naranja's Travels with Fantastic Detail (Colossal)
— Ink of the Week – Troublemaker Petrichor (Fountain Pen Love)
— Maruman Mnemosyne Twin Ring Notebook Review (Blake's Broadcast)
— Mini-Review: Retro51 Rainforest Trust (The Well-Appointed Desk)
— 2023 St. Louis Pen Show (Rachel's Reflections)
— Ensso XS Minimalist Ultem (Figboot on Pens)
— Dominant Industry Standard Ink Swatch Tests (Nick Stewart)
— Exquisite Paintings by Lee Me Kyeoung Are an Ode to the Quaint Corner Stores of South Korea (Colossal)
— The Paris Review - Diary, 2021 (The Paris Review)
— Lit. (Present & Correct)
— Two boring pens that I like anyway (Extra Fine Writing)
— Guide: Pilot FriXion Erasable Pens (Shellshore)
— What’s What 6/25 — 7/1 (Line Variation)
— Nearly Two Dozen Exuberant Works by Ukrainian Folk Artist Maria Prymachenko Go On View in the U.K. For the First Time (Colossal)
— Rob Ball's carpet photos are an ode to the faded glamour of the British seaside (Creative Boom)
Want to catch the rest, plus extra articles, reviews, commentary, discounts, and more? Try out a Pen Addict Membership for only $5 per month!
This month, we adventure into the stars to explore brilliant constellations - brought to you by South Korea's Colorverse Ink. Each color of the Ink Project Volume 5 is named after zodiac constellations. Volume 6 (Nebulas) has three multi-color pigment pearl glistening hues. You won't need a telescope to see the glorious shading, sheening, and shimmering inks in this month's Flight.
Colorverse α Sgr
(Sagittarius) Depicted as a centaur with a bow and arrow, this constellation resides near the visible Milky Way. The ink color is a pale brownish pink.
Colorverse α Cnc
(Cancer) Represents the giant crab crushed by Hercules in Greek mythology. This ink is a lightly saturated periwinkle blue.
Colorverse α Aquarii
(Aquarius) Represents the "water bearer" and is one of the oldest constellations documented. This ink is a deep, sheening blue.
Colorverse α Vir
(Virgo) Tied to fertility and agriculture, the constellation Virgo is represented here as an ink with a bright bold teal color.
Colorverse Cat's Eye Nebula
This light, pastel green glitters with a multicolored shimmer that appears like a brass patina.
Colorverse Monkeyhead Nebula
This shading blue ink glistens with coppery, violet shimmer.
Colorverse Iris Nebula
This dusky, greyish-purple ink shines with silvery, multicolored pigment pearl.
Tasting Notes:
While I wish I could include all the constellations of the zodiac in this flight, I was held in check by the 7 ink selection. I also wanted to include the new volume 6 Nebula ink colors with the multi-pigmented pearl shimmer.
This month's selection ranged from the rich and sheen-y to the light and sparkly. At the saturated end of the spectrum, there's the dark blue of Aquarii and the bright aqua teal of Vir. At the lighter end, there's the Sgr, which is a pinkish beige and Cnc, which has a powdery blue hue.
All three glistening inks have a magical sparkle that captures the cosmic twinkle of the heavens above. While Monkeyhead nebula has nice shading, the most amusing name, and a violet sparkle, it was a tad on the drier side compared with the other two glistening inks. Iris Nebula fits somewhere between a cool grey and a dusky purple with an icy shimmer. Cat's Eye Nebula has a look like oxidized brass with it's coppery shine.
You can thank my newly renovated neighborhood Barnes & Noble for the inspiration for this month's Ink Flight extra. During one of my initial store perusals (there have been a few since it opened earlier this year), I noticed a stationery section that offers desk accessories, organizers, and tools for avid readers. One of these items was the Lifestyle Tool Pen Stand from Nakabayashi.
The stand is so wonderfully minimalist and ingeniously designed that I had to share my fascination with all of you.
Declutter your workspace and make a home for your everyday writing tools with the transforming Nakabayashi Lifestyle Tool Pen Stand.
The pen stand's design closes vertically, keeping all your pens upright and secure. Depending on the pens' diameters, you can store up to 10-15 pens with a maximum length of 155mm. There is also a divider tray for erasers, refills, clips, and other small items.
When the pen stand opens, it uses an embedded magnet to unfold, presenting the pens inside at a convenient, accessible angle.
The stand's kraft paper construction is a canvas for personalization. Draw, write, and decorate with washi masking tape, stamps, and stickers to make your pens feel at home.
This month's sticker is a humorous reminder to be easy on our tines. We commissioned Thales Medeiros (@untaughrod on Instagram) to illustrate the design.
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What are your thoughts on June's Ink Flight? Please feel to share them on social media by tagging me @inkjournal or send me a quick e-mail to provide your feedback.
Guess what’s here?
2023 St. Louis Pen Show Recap (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). It concerns me to hear that the St. Louis Pen Show, being as well-run an event as it is, continues to have attendance issues, even after last year. I wonder if it has to do with the time on the show calendar, as June tends to be a slow(er) business month in general given vacation, etc.
2023 St. Louis Pen Show (via Rachel’s Reflections). Rachel has another great review of the St. Louis Show.
One More for the Community’s Exploration of #21PenQuestions (via mnmlscholar). My own answers to #21PenQuestions will be forthcoming this week! Stay tuned. I’ve enjoyed thinking on these.
Maruman Mnemosyne Twin Ring Notebook Review (via Blake’s Broadcast). The Mnemosyne spiral notebooks are quite durable, come in a wide range of rulings and sizes, and give rise to endless debates about how to properly pronounce the name.
If at First You Don’t Succeed, Swap Nibs (via mnmlscholar). I’ve long been a proponent of unapologetic nib swapping. Several of my best everyday writers are bonafide “frankenpens” where none of the nibs and bodies match.
Packing Cubes for Notebooks? (via Stationery Pizza). I use the modular Plotter cases that come in three different sizes. Intended to fit plotter binders, they also hold other similarly sized notebooks and make it easy to swap stationery between different desks and bags.
Ink of the Week: Troublemaker Petrichor (via Fountain Pen Love). Now this is a cool grey color that I need to try out….
Kaweco Bronze Sport (via SBRE Brown). I love the warmer tone of the bronze as opposed to the more yellow brass. I wish more penmakers worked in bronze….
What I’m Enjoying (via From the Pen Cup). Flea beetles are the bane of my gardening existence.
A Journaling Streak - Holding on a Little Too Tightly (via Pete Denison). Sometimes it is best to remember why you started doing certain things, and not just continuing to do them for their own sake.
Mini-Review: Retro51 Rainforest Trust (via Well-Appointed Desk). Now THIS is a cool Retro, and for a good cause!
This week on the blog, I continued the Mid-Year Review, with a recap of the five most popular posts according to a combination of reader comments and statistics. I also wrote a post on a notebook I recently built out for brainstorming - one of my “single purpose” notebooks I keep in rotation.
The Heat is on!
The big news from this week is something that’s actually going to launch NEXT week (unless you’re a Patreon subscriber) - more on that below. But we also launched the pre-order for the TWSBI ECO Heat, an orange TWSBI to celebrate summer! Pre-orders are still available, and the pens will go out tomorrow, so reserve yours now. We also received a new shipment of the Laban Greek Mythology Inks, including the previously sold out Aphrodite Pink (which is still in short supply).
We’re also running a Fourth of July Promotion this weekend! Take 10% off inks and pen cases and notebook covers, to help you get geared up for your summer travels! Use the coupon code “HAPPY4TH” at checkout!
You knew the ink was gonna be red, right? I mean, otherwise, what’s the point? ;)
The big news that I announced yesterday on Instagram is the arrival of our exclusive collaboration with Hinze Pens and Starry Night Resins: a version of the Hinze “Elementar” fountain pen featuring a custom TGS-themed resin with a black ceramic-plated stainless steel nib. I’m very pleased with how these pens turned out and can’t wait to get them in your hands when they launch to the general readership next Thursday, July 6! There are 30 pens in this initial run, and each pen will include a bottle of limited edition “Summer Sangria” red ink. The ink will not be available after this pen release, as it’s part of a run commissioned by Hinze and is no longer made. While there may be a giveaway of a bottle or two later, there isn’t sufficient quantity to sell it on a stand-alone basis. Pens are currently open for pre-order to the Patreon membership, so if you want to guarantee yourself a pen (and a small break on the price), now is a great time to consider checking out our Patreon program, which also gives you access to a monthly meetup, periodic sample sales, and exclusive content. That said, I expect there to be plenty of pens available after the Patreon pre-order period ends.
The Gentleman Stationer is supported via purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.
When I’m looking for a great multi pen, I know any Uni-ball Jetstream setup is going to get the job done. One of their latest releases, the Uni Jetstream 4&1 Bamboo Multi Pen not only gets the job done with four ballpoint refills and an 0.5 mm pencil component, but looks amazing while doing it. I had one to give away this week, and the winner is:
Congrats Theo! I’ve sent you an email to collect your shipping address.
Over the years, I have reviewed most of the popular TWSBI fountain pen models there are. For an overview:
I know I lack the “GO”-model with the spring in above list – but it is sitting here in the review stack, to be reviewed for you, soon.
Another model I haven’t yet tried was the “Eco-T”, which is basically similar (or the same as) the Eco, but with a triangular grip section similar to the one of the Lamy Safari.
I always wanted to review this pen, and see what it is all about. Finally I got around to it!
Before we hop into the review, I would like to take the opportunity to thank Nomadostore for supporting the review of this pen. You can also buy all kinds of TWSBI products in their webshop (no affiliate – just a friendly pointer).
The video is, as always, preceded by some quick facts. Again, I hope the review is helpful and that you enjoy watching it!
Click on the photos to enlarge.
The post Video-Review: TWSBI Eco-T Saffron appeared first on Scrively - note taking & writing.
My thanks to Kawaii Pen Shop for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.
Welcome to your ultimate destination for all things cute and creative! We are a one-stop-shop for beautifully designed, high-quality, and unique stationery items that inspire and delight. From pens, notebooks, and stickers, to a variety of desk accessories, we have everything you need to make your stationery dreams come true.
We are thrilled to introduce our limited edition Summer Mystery Pack, available for a short time only. Packed with 15 delightful and secret items, it's an adventure in every package. While it contains a mix of themed items, not all are summer oriented - so you're in for a real treat!
Originally priced at $70, now it's your chance to grab this wonder-pack for just $28! But hurry, it's available in limited quantities. Don't miss out on the fun, order your Summer Mystery Pack today.
As part of my annual mid-year review, I always take a look at the blog statistics and see what type of content readers have enjoyed. The five posts featured here are the ones from 2023 that either received the most traffic and/or comments (relative, of course, to how recently some of them were posted). In terms of overall popular content, our posts on Hierarchies of Fountain Pen Friendly Paper, Picking a Workhorse Pen, and Fountain Pen Inks for Everyday Writing continue to be popular among T.G.S. readers, especially those new to fountain pens.
Many thanks for all your support and readership! For additional installments of our 2023 Mid-Year Recap, check out this post on my own personal favorite posts (with minimal overlap), as well as the favorite new product releases from the Curated Shop.
Workhorse Pens: Considerations and Pitfalls of High Capacity Pocket Fountain Pens. It’s extremely interesting to me that this particular post is among the most popular new content from the first six months of the year. The TWSBI Diamond Mini and Vac-Mini, as well as smaller Opus 88 pens, get very little attention, generally in favor of their larger counterparts. TWSBI at least has started paying some attention to the Diamond Mini, with the recently released Mini AL Grape.
Schon DSGN Full-Size Fountain Pen with Monoc Nib. Well, this is timely, because Schon DSGN announced recently (and posted pics last night) that they are working on anodized versions of their in-house Monoc nib. These look absolutely stunning. Follow them on Instagram to learn more and see what might be coming down the pipeline!
Ark of Pens (Guest Post from R.B. Lemberg). We had an outstanding response to the first T.G.S. Guest Post in a while, where R.B. went through their personal pen collecting story and discussed how they came to the hobby and collecting in general.
Triangular Grip Pens: Love ‘em or Leave ‘em? Nontraditional fountain pen sections are a love/hate proposition. Either people love the added structure intended to “guide” their fingers into writing position, or it simply doesn’t work for them. Personally, I’ve come to appreciate the slightly rounded triangular shape of the TWSBI ECO-T, and the Safari and AL-Star have never bothered me all that much. I never could use those molded “pencil grips” though….
Fountain Pen Basics: Five Best Practices for Fountain Pen Users. This post sparked the most comments, all of which I enjoyed reading! Everyone uses and cares for their pens in different ways - there really is no “right” or “wrong” way (other than anything that results in a puddle of ink in your bag, pen case, or pocket). I’ve made an effort to do more “Fountain Pens 101-style” posts, since I know we have a lot of readers who are coming to fountain pens for the first time this year!
The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. We greatly appreciate your support! If you’ve been considering the Patreon, now is a great time to join, as we are preparing to launch a new exclusive fountain pen release, and are in the middle of the Patrons-exclusive “Gently Used” sale.
This week we’re going to take a look at Troublemaker Petrichor. Troublemaker is an ink manufacturer from The Philippines. The word petrichor refers to the smell of the earth or soil after it rains. I’m not sure how a color can relate to a smell, but just like the smell, I’m a big fan of this color. Maybe it’s because ...
Most Thursday mornings you’ll find me in a co-working session with members of the Productive Flourishing Academy.
Part of the routine in our coworking sessions is to start off with a word pulled from a deck of motivational cards. My friend, the group leader, pulls the card, and the idea is to use the word that emerges to create alignment or a point of focus throughout your day.
When my turn came, she pulled the word “Relaxation”.
Ummm… no.
“I have a mountain of tasks ahead of me and I don’t have time to relax today,” was my instant reaction.
Luckily, I have my own set of this particular card deck, so before diving into the task I had planned (which ended up turning into this piece of writing) I decided to pull a new card. Take that, universe!
So what card did I pull?
“Risk.”
Well-played, universe. Well-played.
What am I supposed to do with these mixed messages? These two words — that are now at the forefront of my mind — seem to be at odds with one another.
As I moved into the work I had planned to do during this co-working session (namely a speech I had to give the following week for Toastmasters, a public speaking and leadership club I’m a part of in NYC), I couldn’t get these two words out of my head.
These ideas, risk and relaxation, don’t seem to fit together. More than that, they seem to be on opposite sides of the spectrum.
When I heard the word relaxation, what came to mind was an extreme state of rest, inaction, becoming sloth-like.
To enter a relaxed state is something too often we feel we need to earn. I’m allowed to just relax? Without doing anything or accomplishing anything first?
So when my friend pulled that card for me, I rebelled. Because I have a too-long list of things that need to get done (yep, violating the 5 Projects Rule) before I can even think about allowing myself to relax. Calm will have to wait.
I recognize this mentality runs counter to a lot of what has been written about here at PF, including pieces I myself have written. It just goes to show, we’re all in a constant state of learning and unlearning.
Still, relaxation is a self-care practice — and a necessity — we can all get behind. But risk? Risk seems to imply anything but rest and relaxation, and seems, well, downright dangerous.
Risk implies action, making a change, getting uncomfortable, and putting yourself in a position to fail (the horror!).
It’s inevitably scary to take a step in a new direction. Our minds and bodies perceive this newness as danger and set off all sorts of alarms to try to get us to do anything but this risky behavior — fight, flight, or freeze.
Taking action, no matter how big or small, is inherently risky.
But what happens if I put these two words together? What if relaxation didn’t need to mean a full and complete stop to any activity, but instead it could mean an easing in?
And what if risk didn’t require actual danger but simply meant trying something new? What if it was just about easing into the discomfort of putting myself in a slightly different position than yesterday?
And as I was thinking all these thinks, and most definitely not writing my Toastmasters speech, it dawned on me that the exact combination of these themes — getting more comfortable (relaxation) with being uncomfortable (risk) — is one that continues to show up in my life.
A recent example: I’ve been starting to get back into writing. More specifically, I’m starting to share my writing more frequently. Risk.
I’m leaning more and more into my instinct, and how it relates to both writing and sharing; this article is an example. Relaxation.
Ease can be about letting go. Letting go of expectations, of perfectionism, of the outcome. And that is inherently risky. Where are you holding on too tight? What small action can you take today to move yourself closer to where you want to be?
The post Relaxing Into Risk appeared first on Productive Flourishing.
The Rainforest Retro51 ($59) is an exclusive Retro51 design from Luxury Brands of America. Limited to just 500 units, the pen is a partnership with the Rainforest Trust, a leading rainforest and endangered species conservation organization. With each purchase of the Rainforest Retro51, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Rainforest Trust to help protect and maintain the animals and habitat for the future.
The design is a multicolor screenprint in lush greens on a black background with animals hidden in the greenery including showy parrots, sloths, monkeys and wild cats (my animal identification might be incorrect so if you know more accurate descriptions, please leave them in the comments).
My favorite part is the frog end cap. He’s such a cute little guy who peers at you every time you open your pen case or sticks out of your pen cup.
The classic Retro51 Tornado design with its Schmidt rollerball refill is always a go-to at the Desk for on-the-go writing and especially for gateway gifts for loved ones. If you have a friend or family member who loves the tropics and rainforest conservation, grab one of these before they are gone.
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Luxury Brands of America for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
The post Mini-Review: Retro51 Rainforest Trust appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)
I’m just got back from the 2023 St. Louis Pen Show (their second one since the pandemic) and have finally recovered enough to gather my thoughts. I spent a lot of time describing last year’s show so that would be a good place to start since I will be doing some comparisons in this recap.
The show was held at the same location as last year, the Sheraton Westport Chalet St. Louis hotel. I love walking down the hallway with all the large displays greeting you as you make your way to the registration desk!
Welcome to the St. Louis Pen Show!
Like last year, Michael and the Dromgoole’s spread were the first things you’d see at the show - lots of pens, stationery and an ink wall too!
The perfect rubber chicken for the one and only Ana Reinart, who was working the Dromgoole’s ink wall.
Opposite the Dromgoole’s tables were Steve and Diane Curnow of Curnow Bookbinding and Leather with their lovely array of notebooks, inserts and leather covers!
I like that there was a map on display so folks could look up where the different vendors were located.
This was a view of the main ballroom on Friday when it was fairly busy.
I don’t have attendance numbers from last year or this year but it felt significantly slower this year. Most of the vendors I spoke with felt the same way. Slow days are much harder on vendors than busy days because the hours just drag on and it just drains a lot of the energy. There were maybe a few more folks on Saturday but it wasn’t enough for some vendors, who decided to pack it up and not return on Sunday.
I also don’t have vendor or table numbers, though this year’s website listed 93 vendors (compared to around 100 last year). I know that there were some new vendors this year but I had also heard that a number of folks did not return after they had a disappointing show last year.
The pandemic has seen a lot of new folks entering this hobby, which is great for making new pen friends, but also essential for a hobby’s growth and continued existence. It feels like I’ve encountered a lot more newer folks at this show than any other show in the past two years. More than once (and at different tables), I heard “I don’t have any fountain pens” or “how do I get ink in the pen?” It’s not a bad thing to have a lot of newbies, but it often means that vendors spend a lot more time and energy explaining their products (or just pens in general). Budgets are often lower since they are still discovering this rabbit hole. So you end up with a lot of vendors competing for fewer dollars (on average) from fewer attendees.
The vendors that did the best were the ones who catered more to this newer crowd. Paper, inks and pens $50-100 were the items that seemed to sell the most. Though I did hear that at least one customer bought a Namiki Emperor from Jimmy Dolive (Jimmy strikes again!), that was definitely not the norm.
Last year the show had two nib workers, which was about right. This year, there were 5. Richard Binder, the Kennedys of Indy-Pen-Dance and Gena Salorino of Custom Nib Studio came this year, in addition to returning nib folks Kirk Speer and Josh Lax. I think 2 nib workers is more than enough for this show, not only because of its lower attendance, but the relative newness of its audience also means that they often aren’t aware of what a nib worker does, let alone want to spend the money on getting a pen tuned or ground.
Gena Salorino working their magic.
What the show continues to have is variety - plenty of modern and vintage vendors in all price brackets.
Love seeing Greg Hardy’s smiling face alongside (literally) the “Crawdaddy” pen he made just for this pen show!
Danny Fudge of The Write Pen is a well-known and well-respected fixer/restorer of pens!
If you need supplies for restoring/fixing or just cleaning/maintaining your pens, Indy-Pen-Dance can help!
Akhila and Nirmal Sheth of Smruti Pens came to the STL show for the first time!
I love that they have vendors who sell other things besides “pens & inks” and some vendors that don’t sell anything at all (like the calligraphy guild or the STL meetup group)!
This father-daughter duo of Lincoln’s Leathers makes notebooks and other items out of Michigan!
Keith McCleary and his family brought all their 3D-printed goods, as well as stickers and other fun stuff to the show!
Look at these cool creations from War Pony Forge!
Slapme? No,Slap U! The St Louis Area Pen Users (SLAPU) has regular meetups named St Louis Area Pen Meet & Eat (SLAPME)! I’m pretty sure no actual slapping happens, but don’t quote me on that, lol! Just follow the St. Louis Pen Show IG to find out about the next meetup.
There were two of these ink testing stations in the middle of the ballroom - perfect for ink play while taking a rest break.
Members of the St. Louis Guild of Calligraphers were present to write your name in calligraphy for free and to talk about all things calligraphy!
If we’re going to talk calligraphy, then you have to mention the master penman, Michael Sull, who was busy making and embellishing his gorgeous calligraphy prints!
Sitting next to Mr. Sull was a tray full of old letterpress “stamps”. For free. These were used to print handwriting exemplars for cursive books. You neve know what treasures you’ll find at a pen show!
There were a good number of classes/seminars this year, but not quite as many as last year, which was fine given the lighter crowds at the show this weekend. Still, the variety of classes was great - “Your Name - Your Signature”, Back to Basics Bullet Journaling, Celtic Knots, as well as American Cursive Handwriting, Vintage Pen Buying for Beginners, and more – there really was a wide range of classes/seminars to choose from.
I barely made it in time for the Journaling Social on Friday afternoon and there were still plenty of people gathering, chatting and working on their journals!
Look at these gorgeous Namikis at the Pilot USA table!
On the other end of the spectrum, look at this “bargain” of a pen! I love it when vendors have a sense of humor!
I love this Nahvalur Voyage: Pride 2023 Pen, with a portion of proceeds being donated to It Gets Better Project!
This is the blackest black ink ever made by Platinum - Chou-Kuro. Apparently, it is 43% darker than Platinum Carbon black!
Luxury Brands of America’s exclusive Retro 51 is not only a good looking pen, but proceeds also benefit the Rainforest Trust!
As always, I had a good time after hours at the show. The bar staff was painfully slow on Thursday afternoon/evening, and didn’t pick up until Brian the bartender showed up with his amazing energy and great service on Friday. I heard that the show organizers asked the hotel to keep the bar open late, which they did on Friday and Saturday nights (yay!). Security did come by around 10pm on Sunday to (very nicely) ask us to vacate the lobby because it was past their quiet hours.
Discovered that the Schnickelfritz Bavarian style Weissbier is really tasty - I may have had a few this weekend!!
A few of the die-hards at 1:45am Sunday morning!
Last year I said “it is a well-run show that might need to scale back on the vendors/tables. There is such a thing as “too big” when it comes to pen shows, especially if you don’t have the attendee numbers (and resulting sales dollars) to support it” and sadly, that is even more true this year. This is already a very well-run show, so there isn’t much to improve on from that perspective. There are great shows that are much smaller than STL (Colorado comes to mind, but I’ve also heard great things about Orlando and Arkansas), so I hope that they consider pulling back the number of vendors they ask to come to this show. This way, the vendors can have a successful show, which in turn, brings more attendees to the show.
Clockwise from the left: matte blue Platinum Curidas (Luxury Brands), Colorverse Indigo Blue (Smruti Pens), 2023 St. Louis Pen Show ink Missourah Crawdad by KWZ, Rainforest Retro 51 and Endless notebook clip (LBA), washi tape and New Pen Day stamp from InkyConverters, and STL notebook inserts (Curnow Bookbinding), all atop the Col-o-ring Folio (Well-Appointed Desk). Not pictured: a pen tuned by Gena Salorino and two of the letterpress stamps (which need to be thoroughly cleaned before I handle them again).
I was fairly restrained at this show since DC and SF are right around the corner. I spent most of the time at the show spending time with pen friends, old and new, which is the best part of any pen show. Until DC, stay safe and stay inky!
This week, I am joined by Miranda Sanchez to discuss video games and journaling. As the Executive Editor of Guides at IGN, Miranda tracks more information than all of us combined, and her analog tools help her get it done. She is also a stationery podcaster, a Twitch streamer, and a prolific journaler - all of which we discuss on this week’s episode. Thank you Miranda!
This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:
Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code PENADDICT at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
Pen Chalet: Click the ‘podcast’ link at the top of the website and enter the password 'penaddict' for this week's special offer, and to get your code for 10% off.
Taisho Roman inks are a new line from Teranishi and I’m continuing on this week with another two colors from the lineup. If you missed part 1 of this review, make sure to go back and read it!
I discovered the entire Teranishi ink brand at St. Louis Art Supply where the ink is offered in 40mL glass bottles for $21.50 (about $0.54 per mL) or in 1.5mL samples for $2.50. Because I have used samples for this review, there is no photo of the actual bottles but refer to part 1 for a look at them.
Taisho Roman Modern Red is a well-saturated red with a hint of shading and a touch of sheen occasionally.
However, I was surprised at how Modern Red reacted to various types of paper. Sometimes this ink shows as a bold, bright red. Other papers reveal the orange and brown undertones of the ink. The ink can also show very different textures on each paper.
Teranishi Taisho Roman Modern Red on Cosmo Air Light 83gsm paper:
Teranishi Taisho Roman Modern Red on Tomoe River (TR7) 52gsm paper:
Teranishi Taisho Roman Modern Red on Midori MD paper:
Teranishi Taisho Roman Salon de Violet is the second ink in today’s review. This purple also has a bit of shading and plenty of blue in the undertones.
Teranishi Taisho Roman Salon de Violet on Cosmo Air Light 83gsm paper:
Teranishi Taisho Roman Salon de Violet on Tomoe River (TR7) 52gsm paper:
Teranishi Taisho Roman Salon de Violet on Midori MD paper:
Which of the Teranishi inks is your favorite?
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were purchased by me for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
The post Ink Review: Taisho Inks, Part 2 appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
Feel the heat, literally and figuratively, as it seems to be cranking up here in advance of the weekend. The big news is that we have the new TWSBI ECO “Heat” now available for preorder, which is the latest in a series of orange and yellow TWSBI releases. The last several colors have been among the best I’ve seen from them - we have the ECO-T “Saffron” and “Persian Green” in stock, and more pens and nib sizes are on the way next week. Happy shopping!
The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.
TWSBI ECO “Heat” Fountain Pen. The “Heat” is on! People have been clamoring for another orange TWSBI ECO, and I can’t wait to see what this shade looks like in person. This is a pre-order, with the pens set to arrive Monday so reserve yours now.
TWSBI ECO-T “Saffron” Fountain Pen. We received another shipment of the ECO-T Saffron pens, in most nib sizes. Personally, this is my favorite of this year’s releases, given my love for yellow.
TWSBI ECO “Persian Green” Fountain Pen. This pen is a mint/teal color, darker than the ECO-T Mint, which is more of a cool blue than a true green.
TWSBI ECO-T Mint Fountain Pen. Could this be my new favorite pen in the standard TWSBI lineup? I can’t believe I waited so long to add one of these to my own collection.
Laban “Greek Mythology” Fountain Pen Inks. We’ve received a restock on the Laban Greek Mythology Inks, including favorites such as Artemis Navy Blue, Athena Grey, and the unique Aphrodite Pink!
Lamy AL-Star 2023 Special Edition Fountain Pens. We have the AL-Star 2023 releases in Lilac and Petrol. Both are great colors, with Petrol probably being my personal favorite.
Platinum Matte Curidas Retractable Fountain Pen. The latest Curidas limited releases from Platinum have sold extremely well, with the blue and red versions currently leading the way.
Platinum Preppy Wa Third Edition “Modern Maki-e” Fountain Pens. We’re down to our last several Platinum Preppy Wa fountain pens from this last release. I appreciate how Platinum has lowered the barrier to entry in the limited edition game!
Endless Creator Retractable Fountain Pen. I’ve been relatively impressed with Endless’s attempt to introduce an original retractable fountain pen design at a relatively low price point. The design’s not for everyone, but if you enjoy faceted pens, you may want to give this one a try.
Anterique Ballpoint Pens. These are among my favorite new additions to the shop for 2023, whether you pick from the classic click pens or the brass-barrel upgrades! The .5mm “Mach Ball” refill is exceptional.
Anterique Ballpoints in ALL THE COLORS
(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 check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)
This Yggdrasil World Tree Leather Journal from 12 Parsecs Designs is one of those items that falls into a special category I like to call "things I have to review before my teenager steals them for Dungeons and Dragons." If you're in the market for a book in which to record magical journeys, occult recipes, treasure maps, or any other flights of fancy, you should probably check out the Notebooks page over at 12 Parsecs Designs.
This thicc journal has a sturdy leather cover that's interfaced with canvas. Its back cover tucks into the front to conceal the fore-edge, and it closes with two brass buckles on the front. The cover of this particular one is embossed with an image of Yggdrasil, the Norse World Tree, with gorgeous Viking-inspired designs surrounding it. The leather is painted walnut brown with an almost woodgrain effect to the brushstrokes. Y'all, it's really pretty.
Inside this stunning cover are five signatures of 20 sheets of cushy watercolor paper, for a total of 100 sheets or 200 pages. The paper is very thick, soft, and pillowy. You could take a nap on this paper. I usually associate this fibrous paper with bleeding and feathering, but this is very well made sketchbook paper, and I did not have any issues. It is too soft, however, for sharp-pointed tools, so mechanical pencils, EF pen nibs, and ultra fine pen points are not going to be your friend here. And the paper is thirsty. While I was able to write with a medium point fountain pen just fine, it does drink the ink, and the pen's feed eventually struggled to keep up with the necessary flow. The best instrument I found for this paper was either a wood case pencil that's not sharpened too much, or a standard ballpoint pen. Of course, watercolors would be the specific ideal use for this paper, but I shan't disgrace it with my poor art.
The paper also has dried flowers scattered throughout its pages, which adds to the whimsical, fairytale effect. I know soft, flowery paper is going to send some of you running in the opposite direction, but that just leaves more fae paper for the rest of us, so bye.
This notebook is about as opposite as you can get from the streamlined, minimal, purely utilitarian notebooks that make up the bulk of my notebook stash. I love those, too. And I love this. This isn't a notebook that makes me think "perfect for meetings" or "I'll use this for class" or "so efficient and productive." No, this notebook says "time to play and dream" and I am so here for it.
12 Parsecs Designs suggests that this notebook is great for gamers, painters, scrapbookers, journalers, or even folks who want a cool photo album. I agree, and I'm impressed. For all this loveliness and versatility, they're only charging $31 (and they're actually on sale for less as I write this). That's much less than I expected after using the notebook. I can already tell I'll be back for more of these. Probably very soon, when my little Dungeon Master steals mine.
(12 Parsecs Designs provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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Pen Chalet hits the road with the Voyager’s Collection of fountain pen inks from Van Dieman’s.
Goldspot unleashed the Summer Vibes with a wide selection of colorful pens from brands such as Esterbrook, Lamy, Leonardo - and more - to get you in the spirit of the season.
Vanness Pens turns up the temps with the TWSBI ECO Heat, which is sure to be one of the hottest releases of the year.
JetPens brought in a wide selection of Guridrops Glamorous Glass Pens from Japanese glass studio Guri Koubou.
I think I’ve permanently given up on notebook minimalism. While I have a core set of 3-4 notebooks that I use on a daily basis and take with me pretty much anywhere I go, I also have a “healthy” stockpile of special-purpose notebooks that I pull out periodically - some more often than others - to help me with various tasks and to hold information relating to specific projects that don’t require daily attention.
The “Mandala 9x9” layout. You start with a central goal or idea, with eight key inputs, which you can then break out into their own box.
One such notebook is what I’ll refer to as my “brainstorming” notebook, which I use when I want to work through ideas for a project, piece of writing, or simply to hash out a problem I’ve been dealing with, personal or professional. I’ve used many different notebooks for brainstorming over the years, with different rulings ranging from blank to dot grid to meeting, but what about something more structured?
The “Concentric” Layout from the Laconic Think Refill. I’ve honestly not figured out how I want to use this one yet.
I discovered the Laconic Style system at NY Now back in January. To me, the beauty of this particular notebook system is the combination of a formal structure and customization. Laconic has blank notebooks, standard diary/planner refills in daily, weekly, and monthly formats, as well as special purpose notebooks that you can use to build out your system. Two specific refills that I’ve recently used from this latter category include “Think” and “Spreadsheet” layouts that I’ve not previously seen elsewhere. The “Think” refill features four different templates (16 pages for each pattern): a “Mandala Chart 9x9”, a “Coordinate Axis” layout (for your classic “SWAT” analysis), a “Concentric Chart,” and a “4 Panels” Memo (consistent with what you might use to plan slides or storyboards). While I’m not an expert on how to use these various layouts other than having some experience with the 4-panel storyboard, the common theme seems to be that the different designs allow you to visually link your ideas together as you go. I’ve long been a flow-charts and mind-maps on blank paper type of guy, but lately a bit of structure has been helpful to mix things up.
The 4-Panel/Storyboard Layout from the Think Notebook
The second refill I’ve been using is the “Spreadsheet” refill. It’s exactly as described: a notebook full of spreadsheet cells that serve multiple purposes: to organize notes on my personal pen collection, such as where I purchased each piece, price paid, etc.; as a content calendar (which is something I’ve tried very hard to stick to, with limited success even though it would make my life infinitely easier); and as a ledger for running down monthly finances and tracking invoices.
The start of my “Spreadsheet” Pen Journal!
I’ve enjoyed using the Laconic notebooks (as well as the add-on accessories like the bookmarks), and have mainly been using them with Pilot Frixion gel pens in the .4mm and .5mm tip sizes. While I would compare the Laconic paper to something like that featured in the Kokuyo Jibun Techo Planner (i.e., it works perfectly well with low-maintenance fountain pen inks in a fine or extra-fine nib), these erasable gel pens lend themselves quite well to writing in planners and charts, given that you may want to (1) write very small in the way that a micro-tipped gel pen can do; and (2) erase and change information that you may be “logging.” You can purchase the .5mm Frixion pens at most big box (or even grocery) stores, and there are plenty of online retailers, including Jetpens or Amazon, that sell the .4mm needle-tip versions. The ink has come a long way in terms of legibility, and I’ve found the pens to work as advertised.
The “Coordinate” Layout from the “Think” Journal with the Pilot Frixion. The ruling is pretty small on these notebooks, so for filling out charts, etc. I’ve used either a super-extra-fine fountain pen with Pilot Blue-Black ink (which holds a fine line quite well) or the Pilot Frixion gel pen.
As mentioned above, the notebooks shown here are from Laconic Tokyo, one of the brands we carry directly in our shop. While I’ve been carrying these two inserts around in the Laconic Style cover, I’m thinking of building out a larger brainstorming notebook using a higher-capacity option. The A5-sized refills are compatible with most A5 covers, including the Midori MD covers, and multiple-notebook covers and cases such as the Lochby Field Journal and Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter.
The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. This post does not contain paid advertising or affiliate links.
As we head into July, stationery and pen fans tend take a moment to rest, enjoy the summer holidays and then re-evaluate their planner or other analog set-up. It’s just how we roll. This week, several posts feature reviews and reflections on goals and stationery plans that were set into motion in January. How have your stationery or planner approach changed since January?
Also, two more sites have taken time to play along with our #21penquestions tag. Some great answers!
(although some people — who shall remain nameless– don’t deserve it!)
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The post Link Love: Mid-Year Reflections appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
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