The Well-Appointed Desk

Cut It Out! The best craft knife.

AnaFebruary 4, 20146 Comments

I’ve been wanting to write about my favorite craft knife for some time now, but I bought it several years ago and had never seen it in stores again. Well, we are all in luck because last week, I found it again at my local Joann’s craft shop. Its the Fiskars SoftGrip Craft Knife ($5.69). It has a soft rubberized grip area with a unique soft arced shape.This creates a comfortable grip and keeps the knife from rolling off the table which is a big plus.

I use X-acto blades everyday because of my job so finding a comfortable tool is paramount importance. This is the best knife I’ve owned. My daily knife is a soft aqua color that has turned a dull blue gray from years of use. These are photos of my new bright orange version for home use. Goodbye, metal tube knife!

If you’ve never used a utility or craft knife before, I highly recommend adding them to your arsenal of tools. Combined with a cork-backed metal ruler and a self-healing mat, trimming paper, photos or other straight edge cutting will be fast and clean. Detail cutting can also be done with a craft knife and is less hand-cramp-inducing than scissors.

How do you replace the blades?

Untwisting the knurled end will loosen the clamp on the blade to easily replace with a new sharp blade. The Fiskars takes a standard #11 craft blade. I use Excel blades in the box of 100 ($18.75) which is by far the best value. Align the knife blade and tighten the knurled end.

Storing a craft knife

It comes with a cap to cover the blade but, sadly, the cap does not stay on well and I get nervous removing the cap that I might slide my thumb over the blade when removing it. I’ve actually done this in the past so I definitely have that once-cut-twice-shy behavior. Also, I lose the caps within weeks so its not a big deal to me. I do recommend storing all X-Acto style knives, tip-down in a cup or jar to avoid accidents but the whole point of a knife is to be sharp so use with care. If you need a portable X-acto, I recommend a retractable version like a utility knife rather than a knife with a cap.

What do I do with all the dull blades?

Use an old can or jar with a cover (or make a slot in the lid just big enough to drop your blades into) to put used blades into. When full, tape it shut and drop it at metal recycling facility.

I hope this helps inspire you to try a new tool.

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Ink as Watercolor

AnaFebruary 3, 2014Leave a comment

watercolor ink sample — Watercolor lettering sample (via Well-Appointed Desk)

Following the post this morning about painting with ink, I started thinking of other ways ink could be used. Its very much like watercolor paints so I thought I might share some fun ways to use watercolors that might inspire you to play and experiment with all those bottles of ink and ink samples you’ve accumulated. I wouldn’t recommend trying these with bulletproof or other waterproof inks but most fountain pen inks should play nicely.

Leslie Shewring experiments with ocen inspired blue watercolors (via Decor8 and A Creative Mint) — Leslie Shewring experiments with ocean inspired blue watercolors (via Decor8 and A Creative Mint)

Just brushing ink on paper, like you would with watercolors, can inspire and inform you. You can see the undertones of an ink color easily as well as the range of lights and darks of a color. Add a little water to ink in a dish or bowl to create color washes.

Watercolor quote by Rocketrictic (via Flickr)

Try blending two colors and drawing your favorite quote in ink.

Ink dipped ediging on doilies to decorate gifts (via Decor8)

The inks can be used to tint other papers, create tissue puffs, coffee filter hydrangeas or something else entirely!

Liquid Masking Fluid demo (via Comic Tools)

Use masking fluid to block out areas on your page. Let it dry and then paint over it with your inks. Then peel the latex away to create a fun, colorful piece.

While any paper should work, a heavyweight watercolor paper will give texture and will be less inclined to curl or distort. I’ve been using an Aquabee Super Deluxe 9×12 wirebound sketchbook for playing with watercolor and ink. It is textured (cold pressed) on the front and smooth (hot pressed) on the back. If you’re searching the internet for watercolor paper, think hot is like ironed (smooth) and cold is wrinkly (textured) if that helps to remember the difference.

Hope these ideas inspire you. Drop me a link if you try any of these. I’d love to see what you create.

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Ask The Desk: That’s not a pen!

AnaFebruary 3, 2014Leave a comment

I received an actual letter from Leah a week or so ago. She asked lots of different questions about pens and tools so I thought I’d include some of my answers here as well as in a letter to her.

She asked:

What pen/nib did you use for the titles of your 12 Days of Inkmas?

The secret is that I didn’t use a pen at all. I used a brush!

I got the idea to use a brush from seeing some ink “swabs” on European Paper. They were using a brush to create a lovely little ink swab. I like that a brush was easy to clean and I wasn’t creating a landfill full of q-tips in sampling inks each month.

I’ve used several different brushes that I’ve accumulated over the years to not only create “swabs” but also to create a more interesting header for the 12 Days of Inkmas. I’ve tried to keep up the habit for future ink samples and reviews as I can see the range of shading with the inks this way.

EDIT: The word “Wide Strokes” was done with the Scharff FINELINE 3000 #3, not the #6. Oops!

brushes22 — From left to right: Robert Simmons #2 red Kolinsky hair and synthetic filaments round brush, A. Langnickel 670 #5 Red Sable script brush, Scharff Kolinsky red sable FINELINE 3000 #3 round and #6, and a Silverwhite synthetic 1500S #2 Round.

I’ve acquired brushes over the years from friends, yard sales and various art supply stores. I’m stunned to see how expensive the Scharff #6 brush is ($67)! I’ll definitely take better care of it. I’m confident that any good quality round brush recommended for watercolor, acrylic or oil would make a perfect tool for “swabs” and ink tests. Visit your local art supply or craft shop to pick up a couple.

Just remember to wash out your brushes in water, squeeze dry and reshape the tip to dry. Don’t scrub them and make the bristles flair out or you risk breaking the fibers and/or hairs. Always dry your brushes with the tip up and don’t leave them sit indefinitely in your wash water or the bristles will bend at a weird angle. If you let them cake with inks or paints, try The Masters brush cleaner. It will save just about all your brushes!

In feature

MINE! Sticky Notes

AnaJanuary 31, 2014Leave a comment

Need to keep the snack-stealing, pencil-nabbing, cube-dwelling troglodytes from running away with your beloved office supplies or snacks? The KnockKnock MINE! sticky notes might do the trick. They are standard 3×3″ squares with removable adhesive and a place to clearly establish your ownership. $3.99 for a 100-sheet pad. Just in time for Valentine’s Day.

I have a CRAP sticky notes pad and, while they are not the stickiest sticky notes in the world, I always get comments on how fun they are.

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Ask The Desk: Letters in Downton Abbey

AnaJanuary 31, 20141 Comment

Ask The Desk Header

Hello!
There were some beautiful shots of envelopes and letters on last week’s Downton Abbey episode. I can’t find images of them online. Any thoughts on how to find them? LOVE LOVE LOVE YOUR BLOG!
Laura

Laura, Thanks so much for your letter. I feel like I must have been wrapped up in the story this week, watching Downton Abbey because I didn’t even notice the letters! I too searched the internet but so far screenshots from Season 4 are sparse. But you are in luck! Last week’s episode can be viewed and replayed through March 9, 2014 on PBS. I watched up to the Ritz letter for Alfred so you can get a better look at the mark on the envelope.

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Who’s Notebook?

AnaJanuary 30, 2014Leave a comment

I’ve been obsessively following the hullabaloo around the BBC reveal of the new Peter Capaldi Doctor Who costume and the start of filming of the latest season. While the choice of actors to play the twelfth Doctor and their choice of costume for the “100% Rebel Time Lord” has been hotly debated, that’s not what I wanted to discuss. What, exactly, did I want to discuss that could be related to office supply geekdom? The TARDIS diary, of course!

TARDIS-journal

I don’t know why I didn’t think about it sooner but the notebook that River Song carries around to track the timeline of herself and the Doctor has been made into an official product. Of course it has. There are two versions available of the iconic TARDIS diary: a limited edition version with embossed, leather-look cover and 440 textured and parchment, aged-looking pages. It measures 7.25″ x 6.25″ and includes a hidden message. This version was a convention exclusive and carries a steep collectible price of $79.99. Alternately, there is less pricey option that features 160 lined pages on bright white stock. The book is 8″ x 5″ and is a mere $11.99.

who-notebooks

Other options for River Song-styled notebooks are available on Etsy if you are willing to search. I found this one by Patiak that looks really fun.

Now back to our regularly scheduled, non-fan-girl office supply blog, already in progress.

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How green is my pencil?

AnaJanuary 29, 20141 Comment

Green Pencils

Thanks to Johnny at Pencil Revolution, I am now the owner of a lovely selection of green pencils. Not green as in environmentally sensitive but green as in outside paint colors. They look lovely in combination with all my other green office supplies but what’s most pleasant is that they are pretty good writers too.

Musgrave Cub Pencil

The Musgrave Pencil Co. CUB 3030T is a large diameter round pencil. Based on its size, I suspect it is meant as a kid’s learning pencil but its not as large as some children’s pencils. And its actually a smooth writer. Because of the diameter, I didn’t have a lot of sharpener options so I used the large diameter size of my Lefty sharpener from Pencil Things. Its about the same diameter as some of the colored pencils I own.

Paper Mate Earth Write Pencil

The PaperMate Earth Write #2 HB pencil is a deep evergreen with silver foil stamp, silver ferrule and a nicely contrasting mint eraser. The eraser doesn’t work particularly well but it looks nice. The pencil is a hexagonal shape and standard diameter. Sadly, I found it a little scratchy to use but not terrible. At the right price, these are nice looking. Office Depot lists a box of 48 for $8 so that’s a good price for a pencil of this quality. Teachers might want to pick up a box or two for their classrooms.

Dixon Ticonderoga Neon Green Pencil

The Dixon Ticonderoga SOFT #2 HB was part of a dozen neon painted pencils in a variety pack purchased at Target for $2.89. These pencils were made in Mexico. Its a standard hexagonal wood cased pencil with the traditional evergreen metallic ferrule with school bus yellow srtipes which is used on the classic yellow pencils and on the black versions as well. The branding is foil stamped in bright kelly green. Its a lot of different shades of green on one pencil. The pink eraser works okay, better than the green eraser on the Earth Write.

The bright neon paint makes it feel like an updated classic. The neon multi-pack would be a big hit with kids for sure. It writes pretty smoothly for a mass market pencil.

Thanks to Johnny for a package full of happy pencils!