In Link Love

Link Love: The One Where I Go POSTAL

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments
Link Love: The One Where I Go POSTAL

I cannot believe we are a week away from Thanksgiving here in the US. I feel like I was at the Baltimore Pen Show just a few weeks ago and, at the same time, I feel like 2020 has gone on for years. This means it’s the start of Gift Guide season in the blogosphere. Next Wednesday, the annual Pen Addict podcast will once again allow me to grace the digital airwaves with opinions about what should and should not be under the tree, in stockings or however one chooses to recognize the end of 2020 and the holidays that accompany that.

I’m going to pause for a second to bring your attention to two seemingly unrelated postal posts, hence the title. One is from Fountain Pen Love about receiving packages from various online pen shops and the ways they are packaged and at what point a purchase qualifies for free shipping. The second post is from the USPS news releases about the latest bump in Priority Mail shipping prices. I just want to remind people that when shops give customers free shipping, the shipping is not really free. The shop is still paying the shipping fee to the tune of a 3% mark-up higher than before plus the latest surcharge due to increased volume caused by the holidays and the pandemic. So, sure if you’re ordering a $1000+ pen, Priority Mail shipping is probably a small discount but on $35 or $50 purchase, that $8-$14 really adds up. Remember that many of these online pen shops are small, family-run businesses. And shipping is not just the postage but the cost of boxes, bubble wrap, packing material, mailing labels, and the time it takes to do all that work. Amazon and Etsy have set an unreasonable precedent with free shipping that diminishes the small profits that small businesses earn. Most of those profits get reinvested in buying or making more products to sell. Okay, I’ve said my peace. I’m hopping off my postal soap box.

For those who participated in the survey on Monday about the possibility of The Desk hosting an occasional video, YouTube won by a landslide.

Video survey results

(FYI: two of the votes for “I don’t want to see your face” were me and I’m sure at least one of them was a certain rabblerouser named Tony. The other 13 of you…thanks!)

And.. this video is amazing. I still feel like this so when we do start our videos, remember we are all weird on the inside.

Gift Guides:

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Postal:

Other Interesting Things:

We need each other. Please support our sponsors and affiliates. They help keep this blog going. Your patronage of their shops, services and products will let them know you appreciate their support of the pen community. Without them, and without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!

In DIY

Holiday Cards

Author Laura CameronPosted on 11 Comments

Every year around this time I start thinking about holiday cards. Now holiday cards have a ton of decisions to be made. Do you hand write them or do you get them printed? If you’re not religious (or you’re of different religions) can you find non-denominational cards that you can send to everyone? How many do you send? Do you hand address them?

I’ll take a stab at answering the questions for myself. Many years ago, when my list was only in the single digits, I sent handwritten cards at the holidays. For the last several years the list has grown and I have taken the easy way out and put together photo collages of the highlights of our year, and gone to Vistaprint to get them printed.  Since my husband and I are not religious (and we were born of different religions), I usually opt for a “New Year’s” themed card and add a short bit of text to what’s being printed. The one thing I have done for the past few years is hand address the cards using my fountain pens. I really enjoy putting Robert Oster’s Fire and Ice in a broad-nibbed pen and going to town – all that shimmer and sheen just feels holiday-inspired.

Of course my dilemma for this year is that we haven’t gone anywhere and we’ve done very little due to coronavirus and the state of the world. While I miss my family and friends terribly, and I am deeply thankful for all my blessings this year, I can’t figure out the best way to go about sending holiday cards. I don’t have new photos of us, and it’s hard to think of what to write if I go the handwritten route.

Have you thought about your holiday cards yet? What will you do this year? I’d love to know!

In feature

News & Questions

Author AnaPosted on 20 Comments

There’s a lot going on behind the scenes at The Well-Appointed Desk Shop right now. We have all sorts of things in the work that I am dying to share with you. I also have the urge, as the pandemic stretches on, to connect with people.

As an introvert, this is a new sensation. When I first started going to pen shows, I would almost make myself sick with stress the night before knowing I would be interacting with so many people. It got even worse when I had my own table. I am also not inclined to be center stage, on camera or whatever it is that lures people to the spotlight. But… I know that sometimes, showing objects, colors, inks, textures, etc in motion, being able to do live Q&A and demonstrations can be incredibly useful. Sometimes, a picture and description is just not enough.

So, I decided to ask you, dear readers, if this is something you would want? And if so, what online channel do you most frequently use? So, if you could take a minute to answer my survey and leave any comments, I would most appreciate it. I’d like to start planning, if not weekly, at least the same day and time every time I host a video chat.

At this point, I think I prefer a live chat over pre-recorded video but you tell me.

[ays_poll id=”1″]

If you have more you’d like to say, please leave your additional thoughts in the comments. Thanks!

In Paper Review

Notebook Review: Leuchtturm 1917 Some Lines a Day

Author AnaPosted on 15 Comments
Notebook Review: Leuchtturm 1917 Some Lines a Day

Review by Tina Koyama

A lifelong journal keeper, my mom used various diary and journal formats throughout her life. One I remember her using when I was a child was a small, five-year diary. Each page was headed by the date, and below that were five small spaces, one for each year. My mother, a practical woman, probably liked the five-year format because it was small, compact and less expensive than keeping a bunch of single-year diaries.

She wrote in Japanese so I couldn’t have read it if I had wanted to, but I had the impression that she noted things like the weather, which of us had a cold or stomachache that week, current events, the books she was reading, things like that. Sometimes she also used it to have the final word: If someone whined, “I can’t believe how cold it is! It’s never this cold in October!” she would pull out her diary, refer to the same date a few years prior, and say, “No – it was even colder than this back in 19__.” End of discussion.

A lifelong journal keeper myself, I’ve tried many different formats, too. Every now and then I have looked at the five-year diary format, but I never made the commitment. I already keep a DIY journal/log book (here’s what I’m using this year), but I prefer to keep a single year in one volume with more space for freeform writing when needed. What would I write in a five-year diary that would be different from the kinds of things I already note in my ongoing log (books and movies I’ve consumed, places I’ve sketched, current events, people I’ve socialized with, the weather – you can see my mom’s influence, I’m sure)? And yet, I clearly see the appeal of having five years of entries for a given date on a single page: More than a snapshot of a day, the format captures patterns over a five-year period.

Several months ago when I was shopping for a Leuchtturm A5 blank journal (one of my favorites for my DIY log book), the Some Lines a Day 5-Year Memory Book ($27.95) came to my attention. It’s familiar A5 size, paper and hardcover material were attractive to me. Maybe it was finally time to give the format a try.

About a quarter-inch thicker than a standard Leuchtturm A5 notebook or weekly planner, the 5 Year Memory Book “provides space for some lines per calendar day over 5 years. In time, this special diary will become an interesting reference book of your own past.” I chose the berry cover. It’s also available in black and Nordic blue. Like all Leuchtturm notebooks, it has an elastic closure band.

2 - Leuchtturm cover without wrap

3 - back cover wrap blurb

The flyleaf offers space to record the years covered by the undated book and the owner’s name. The next page includes a quotation by Lincoln.

4 - flyleaf

5 - quotation

Immediately following are the 366 days of the book. Each day offers about an inch and a half of writing space. If you’re familiar with Leuchtturm’s weekly planner + notebook format, it’s just a smidge of space more per day. I think it will be a comfortable amount of space to write two or three sentences with my large handwriting – not too cramped, not burdensome.

6 - main pages

7 - main pages closeup

Two fabric ribbon page markers – one striped, one solid – are bound in. (Ana would be pleased that they are long enough to pull all the way out past the edge of the book, so they could be used to open the book to the page.)

8 - ribbon pagemarkers

The inside back cover includes the obligatory pocket. Leuchtturm books always include a sheet of title page and spine labels. (I never have a use for these, but they are a nice touch for those who do use them.)

9 - pocket

10 - labels

My media tests confirmed that the paper is the same as what I’m familiar with in Leuchtturm’s other notebooks and planners. Although it’s less opaque than I would prefer, only the fine-point Sharpie showed actual bleed-through. Even my juicy Sailor fude nib and pigment brush pens did not feather or bleed.

11 - media tests

12 - reverse of media tests

So that’s the product – familiar, reliable, unlikely to disappoint – but what about its contents? What would I want to record and later read over the course of five years? I thought about it long and hard. This pandemic year seems like such a crazy time to think about any kind of diary. On the one hand, I’m not doing much of anything worth documenting. On the other hand, I’m doing so many things differently out of necessity. I suppose it might be interesting to compare those mundanities in future years . . .

Then I started thinking about something about myself that has distressed me. This year I have had many unkind, ugly and even vicious thoughts about certain individuals and many people that I don’t even know – based on what I perceive to be their beliefs. In the moment, I feel better, but later, I realize I do not want to have such thoughts.

My Leuchtturm Some Lines a Day will be devoted to thinking one kind thought about someone each day. It could be a loved one, the mail carrier, a social media acquaintance, the Instacart delivery person, or another total stranger, but I know that if I commit to writing one kind thought at the end of each day, I will be more mindful during the day about having such thoughts. When I read my entries later, perhaps the thoughts from a prior year will prompt me to call someone I haven’t talked to in a while. Or perhaps I’ll see some type of interesting pattern that will give me insight. My hope is that I will become a kinder person over time.

13 - flyleaf filled in

I also decided that I don’t need to wait until Jan. 1 to begin. The Gregorian calendar is a practical device, but each of us began our actual first day of the year when we were born. My birthday is just around the corner; I’m going to begin my Leuchtturm Some Lines a Day on that day.

14 - year filled in

DISCLAIMER: The item in this review include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

tina-koyamaTina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

In feature, Ink Review

Ink Review: Sailor Studio 224, 252, 280

Author Jessica ColesPosted on Leave a comment
Ink Review: Sailor Studio 224, 252, 280

By Jessica Coles

Sailor Studio inks are a collection from Sailor covering 100 ink mixtures from pastel, multi-chromatic to saturated and highly sheening. Over the summer, Sailor announced that they would be retiring three inks from the lineup (543, 531, 864) and adding another three inks – 224, 252, and 280.

The first number of the Sailor Studio ink name indicates the relative saturation of the ink with 1 as the lightest up to 9 with 0 as the darkest. Sailor Studio 224, 252, and 280 are light enough that significant color combinations can be seen in ink swatches.

Sailor 224 is a tough ink to compare to others. The haloing green is a good match for Vinta Karnival.

The shading color in 224 is close to Sailor Chushu while the base color (the lightest on the swatch card) is somewhat similar to Vinta Aegean Armada. As I said, 224 is a tough ink to compare to other colors!

Sailor Studio 252 was easier to match up for comparison. Birmingham Grant Street Weathered Brick is close in color, especially to the base color. The haloing color here is a greenish brownish shadow.

I’ve also compared 252 to the popular Sailor Studio 237 (252 is much dustier) and the hard-to-match Private Reserve Arabian Rose (252 is almost a toned down Arabian Rose).

Moving on to Sailor Studio 280 – a tough ink to describe. As you can see on the swatch card, the ink writes closer to a yellowish brown than the actual yellow green of the swatch. The written ink looks a bit lighter than Sailor Rikyu-cha or Troublemaker Kelp Tea with a touch more brown. The swatch is closer to PenBBS Tolstoy or KWZ Green Gold.

I will be looking at how these three inks change dramatically when using a wide variety of paper types – that was what originally had me waiting impatiently for these inks to be released. Until then, however, here is a small look at how the ink performed on Cosmo Air Light paper and Bank Paper with the ink swatches (the same used above) for comparison.

DISCLAIMER:  The inks in this review were purchased by me although the Col-o-rings were provided to me by Ana because she knows she can keep me writing all the time in exchange for the wonderful cards. Please see the About page for more details.

In Link Love

Link Love: Gimme A Break.

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Link Love: Gimme A Break.

2020 continues to provide a rollercoaster of ups and downs. Whatever your stance on American politics, the fact that the election is over and, as far as I can tell, a decision has been reached without violence, has provided everyone with a sense of relief.

But 2020 is a gift that just keeps on giving. I’m not sure if you saw but the manufacturer that I partner with to make my rubber stamps had a tragic fire two weeks ago. My heart breaks for them knowing the catastrophic loss. (No one was hurt but the shop, equipment and inventory was lost.)

Selfishly, this also means that my stamp inventory may be out of stock a bit longer than usual while I work to find with a new vendor in the interim. The awesome Margaret of Paper Pastries has volunteered to help me with my stamp needs while my original vendor gets back on their feet.

Then news hit that my friend and cohort Brad Dowdy broke his arm. How? Playing Pickle Ball. It’s a recreational sport usually played while drinking (cause of the accident? Maybe…). Brad is likely to make a full recovery but, in the meantime, his writing hand is out of commission. Really, 2020, we are all tired of your crap.

Pens:

Ink:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

We need each other. Please support our sponsors and affiliates. They help keep this blog going. Without them, we would not have products to review or a server to house our content. Your patronage of their shops, services and products will let them know you appreciate their support of the pen community. Without them, and without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!

In news

In my other life…

Author Laura CameronPosted on 1 Comment
In my other life…

In my other life, I’m a knitter and a (sometimes) pattern designer and I’m happy to announce that I have a new pattern out for fall!

(Con)Sequential (Ravelry Link) is a simple cowl and eternity loop in one pattern. The only difference between the two is the initial cast on number. And the entire pattern is worked in something called sequence knitting; except for TWO stitches the whole cowl is all the same combination of knits and purls.

Ever since I watched an interview with Cecelia Campochiaro, I have been fascinated with the idea of sequence knitting. That is, the process of repeating a simple pattern over and over again to create amazing textures. When I received the some yarn from Manos del Uruguay for review (Alegria Grande in Ushuaia), I was curious to see how it would look in sequence.

So armed with needles and an idea, I began knitting. I quickly realized that even though I loved the look of the Ushuaia knit up (it reminds me of galaxies!) it was a little busy for the pattern I had in mind. I subsequently purchased an additional skein of Alegria Grande in the Leo colorway to knit a smaller cowl which would show the stitch texture even better (bonus: it coordinates nicely with Ushuaia).

So how did I name the pattern? I was knitting a pattern in sequence out of yarn from Manos del Uruguay. I love Manos del Uruguay because the company is dedicated to improving the lives of its artisans and their families in Uruguay. They are certified by the World Fair Trade Organization certified, meaning they are committed the highest ethical practices, caring for their artisans and providing them with opportunities, and keeping their environment clean. Manos del Uruguay’s contributions to the industry at large are of consequence, hence (Con)sequential!

I’m offering a discount on (Con)Sequential through Friday, November 13. Simply enter the code SEQUENCE25 in my Ravelry or Etsy shop and you’ll get 25% off the purchase price of the pattern.

While you can use any worsted weight yarn to create your cowl or eternity loop, I hope you’ll consider using Alegria Grande and supporting your local yarn store!

(Con)Sequential by Laura Cameron is available on Ravelry or on Etsy.

A special thank you to the folks at Fairmount Fibers for yarn support; they sent me two skeins of Alegria Grande for free.