In Link Love

Link Love: WTH is up with Meta?

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments
Link Love: WTH is up with Meta?

I try to keep my introductions to Link Love pen or at least pen-adjacent but this week, I need to address the Meta-sized elephant in the room. There is a lot of panic (myself included) swirling around about Meta’s change in policies especially for anyone with a business account (that would be me) and the news that they have stated that they will be using “automated software” (AKA ai) to scrape data to improve its “products”. The statement below says they will “pull updates for such domains, web pages and URLS” that are “associated with your products and services”.

Screenshot from the new Terms of Service for businesses on Meta (as of 10/26/26).

This new policy was supposed to take effect on Oct. 30 but has been pushed back due to Nov. 20, 2026 due to  outcries and outrage from the online community, particularly… everyone in my social media feeds. At present, there is no option to opt-out of this data scraping short of opting out entirely from Meta’s online platforms (Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp).

My concern is that every post I make gets posted on to Facebook and Instagram to catch readers where they might see it. These posts include my original collage art, photos, review content and sometimes the nmes of winners to our giveaways or people I have had contact with at events. I like to think of Well-Appointed Desk as a community of like-minded pen enthusiasts but I don’t want my work bought, sold or processed by the machine and I don’t want the folks (like you) who visit this site to feel like they are being surveilled either. I know we are just talking about pens and ink here but no one else needs to know that.

In preparation for a possible exodus from Meta’s stranglehold on social media, please consider following The Well-Appointed Desk in one of the following ways:

  1. Subscribe to this site so posts will arrive in your email. you won’t have to wait to be reminded on Facebook or Instagram that there’s a new post. You can even read the whole post right in your email. To subscribe, on the side bar (in your web browser) or at the bottom of the page (on your mobile device) is a field to type in your email address. We are self-hosted and will not sell your email address to anyone.

  1. Sign up for our shop newsletter. I write every word so these come out approx. 1-2 month, maybe a little more around the holidays and will alert you to new merchandise, sales and the occasional ramble. This is a separate sign-up list. If you subscribe to the blog above, you will not receive the shop updates and vice versa. If you want both, sign-up in both places.

  2. Consider joining our Patreon. For $5 a month, you will get a bi-weekly podcast that I write, read, edit and post myself (yes, I learned to edit audio sort of) as well as email updates, special deal, free printables and more at higher tiers. If you do decide to join the Patreon, please sign-up via a computer web browser and NOT through the phone app. You can read and enjoy all the content on the app after you sign up but Apple will take a substantial cut of your subscription fee because they are dicks. Android App Store probably does too but Apple is REALLY bad about it.

Ink:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Event Reports:

Other Interesting Things:

Check out our Patreon where you can get inspiration, gossip and free printables that include a biweekly podcast and more. Your patronage supports this site. Without them, and without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!

In news

What are you doing in 2027?

Author Laura CameronPosted on Leave a comment
What are you doing in 2027?

While Ana is celebrating the end of pen show season and a few months recuperation time from all her travels, the rest of the world is pulling together its 2027 dates!

That’s right, we’ve updated the Pen Show Schedule with all the dates we can find for 2027. The dates for 2026 shows still to come are there at the bottom, but it’s time to plan for next year.  We hope to see you there!

As always if we’ve missed any shows, please let us know!

In Ink Review

Ink Review: Vannes Pen Shop x Kobe Ink Hummingbird

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Ink Review: Vannes Pen Shop x Kobe Ink Hummingbird

Kobe Hummingbird ($35 for 50ml bottle)  is a collaboration between Vanness Pen Shop and Nagasawa Kobe inks. The color was inspired by the Arkansas hummingbird plumage and came about when Lisa Vanness was speaking with the team at Nagasawa Kobe and discovered that hummingbirds do not exist in Japan. So to share the love of these tiny birds fueled by sugar with the world, this vibrant green ink was created.

The color is a vivid green with moderate sheen. It will be noticed most often on Tomoe River, with wider nibs but may not be as noticeable on other papers or with finer nibs.

I like to test and experiment with inks in a few different ways including using a waterbrush for the title to see the undertones and the range of light and dark qualities of the ink. Hummingbird is definitely green with a slight lean to blue with a reddish pink sheen. In writing (using a Pilot Metropolitan F Nib) the color is a solid evergreen-ish green that is legible with a little shading.

Since this is a Kobe Ink, it is a Sailor ink under the hood so it is smooth and well-made.

Comparing to other inks:

I was surprised to find that I have a lot of inks that are in the similar hue with various amounts of sheen. I’d say that Coloverese Shrodinger is the closest but its slightly more yellow in its undertone. November Rain from Diamine is a ittle darker but in the same color hue and more sheeny. Vinta Kayangan Elysium and Lamy Crystal Peridot are both darker but the same base hue.

I also found a couple shimmer inks in the same color range: Dromgoole’s x Monteverde Cathedral Grove (gold sheen) and Ferris Wheel Press Misguided Mistletoe (silver shimmer, I think. I couldn’t see much of the sheen in this swatch).

Final Comments:

I love Sailor inks and Kobe inks still come in the plentiful 50ml bottles which I like. I love the story behind this ink but I do have to admit that I have a lot of similar greens in my collection. I either need to start using these up or make some choice about which bottles stay and which go. If you don’t already have one of these other inks in a similar green, then I would recommend Hummingbird as a  great addition but if you are like me with a foolish amount of green ink, I’d think twice about it just so that you don’t have multiple bottles of essentially the same color.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Quote of the Week

Quote of the Week: The beginning…

Author AnaPosted on 5 Comments
Quote of the Week: The beginning…

Initially, I was thinking that “for the new year…” I’d add a post each week with a quote or bit of inspiration but I realized, why should I wait? Can I not launch a new idea or project on any day? Can we not wake up on a new day with a new commitment to do things differently, do them better or just do them at all?

So, starting today, we will have a quote or bit of inspiration each week that I hope will get you inspired, get you thinking or just put a smile on your face.

I’m delighted to kick this off with a seasonally appropriate author, Mary Shelley.

“The beginning is always today.”

May you start a new project, a new page or just with a fresh outlook.

If you have an inspiring quote you’d like to share, please leave it in the comments and maybe I’ll feature it in a future Quote of the Week post. Thanks!

In Link Love

Link Love: Recuperation Week

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Link Love: Recuperation Week

I’m still in recovery mode from the On The Paper Trail LIVE event this week. I spent the last two days just trying to get on top of my to-do lists, rest a little bit and give those kitties all the love they missed while we were away. I guess I just don’t bounce back as fast as I used to when I was younger. Sigh…

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

Check out our Patreon where you can get inspiration, gossip and free printables that include a biweekly podcast and more. Your patronage supports this site. Without them, and without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!

In feature

Recap: On The Paper Trail LIVE in Nashville

Author AnaPosted on 7 Comments
Recap: On The Paper Trail LIVE in Nashville
Pen event Wonder Woman? No, just stopping in Metropolis, IL on our drive to Nashville.

This weekend I vended at the new On the Paper Trail LIVE event in Nashville, TN. The event opened on Friday afternoon and continued through Sunday afternoon. I dragged my sweet husband Bob along with me to be the face of the table while I taught some workshops and, you know… shopped a little!

The registration desk was run by two of the nicest folks in the pen community: Derek Deweese (AKA DWRDNet on YouTube) and Lisa Vanness’s best friend since grade school Kayla (I hope I got the spelling right).

The Vendors at the Event:

Matthew Chen getting set up to grind all the nibs!
Laura at Kaleidocraft putting final touches on their table
Lots of inks at the Butler Stationery table
The Gentleman Stationer had the Kaweco DIY pen station at the event so the glow sticks were everywhere!
Bill from Pilot helped so many people experience Pilot fountain pens in all the sizes and all the nibs.
The team at Vanness Pen Shop kept customers happy with tons of ink samples, paper and pretty pens.

There were approximately six or so vendors at this event which doesn’t seem like much but 100% covered the bases for most people: a nib grinder, a pen maker, three pen shops with an assortment of stationery products, a pen distributor, a 3D maker or accessories and … me, with stickers, stamps and washi and more.

We even overheard someone say this was their first event and they were so overwhelmed! Can you imagine if they had gone to DC or SF first?

So, while it was a small event, I hope it was a good experience for the attendees with a decent array of products to see and try.

Activities at the event:

Someone kindly captured a photo of me teaching the Make Your Own Junk Journal workshop which I always forget to do. Everyone had fun building their own notebooks and beginning to fill them with ephemera.

On Friday night, Derek of DWRDNet hosted a type-in, with 17+ typewriters available for people to try out with an array of styles, typefaces, designs and details. He gave a wonderful presentation introducing new folks to typewriters and then the clicking and clacking commenced. Some folks just played, others wrote letters and I just admired them all.

Olive Octopus hosted an Ink Pony Club event where everyone got to try different papers and use ink to paint the artwork printed on the pages. The lobby of the hotel was a perfect place to relax and paint and make new friends.

There was also two different washi tape events: how to use washi and a washi tape swap event but I forgot to get pictures. Just imagine Jaclyn of Kaleidocraft absolutely killing it with cool demos and activities!

Stuff I acquired:

I want to mention how incredibly kind and thoughtful the stationery community is. Everything pictured above (except for a few items not shown like two jars of jam from Kristy which is in my fridge because I already opened them). I cannot tell you how touched I am by how generous and thoughtful everyone is.

There was also a Swap table where people could leave things they weren’t using or no longer wanted and pick up things you might like. I grabbed the spider web washi, the absolutely amazing 8-bit Pokemon-style playing cards and the astrology banner in the background. I have been to a couple other events that had this but I absolutely love this aspect and how generous folks are. The fear is always that one person will walk up and dump the entire contents in their bag and leave but that has never happened. People are always so sweet saying “Oh, I don’t want to take too much!” and “I didn’t bring anything so I can’t take anything.” The point of a swap table is to find something new while also unloading some things you no longer need. If you didn’t bring anything this time, remember to pay it forward somehow later whether you bring items to the next event or pack a box of things for a neighbor, co-worker, friend or family member. Sharing the joy of our hobby is half the fun. Anything left at the end of the weekend gets collected to take to the next local pen club meet-up, a local craft supply reuse shop or charity shop. It will all find its proper home.

I also got the latest Ink Pony Club packet from OliveOctopus and a couple bottles of ink. Some of the students in my workshops gave me treats and treasures like the jewel star, a box of vintage paper and a skein of “tourist yarn” since I was unable to venture out to the local yarn shop during the weekend.

Thanks to everyone for their kindness and generosity.

I bought two lovely pens. The first is the very perfect lime green Pilot MR special edition (Japan Exclusive). I can’t even find it online anywhere but The Gentleman Stationer had it so call or email there if you need one too. I also had Bill, the sale rep for Pilot, show me his beloved Pilot E95s (he says he’s been carrying it in his shirt pocket for decades) and that was all it took to convince me to buy my own finally.

I think the two pens look stunning together and I’m happy to have them in my collection.

Cool things I saw:

Someone brought Lisa at Vanness Pen Shop this customized Kakuno, covered with little tiny flowers found in a nail decal kit. How cute!!!

Final Thoughts:

On the Paper Trail LIVE was a very small event but featured a good assortment of vendors in a city that has not had a pen and stationery event until now. And this event focused on demos, activities and classes and made sure there were lots of places for attendees to sit, hand out, meet other people and just hang out. I think expanding the focus of stationery events beyond the marketplace is a way to make it fun, interactive and educational. I am definitely pencilling this event on my calendar for 2027. Are you?

In Ink Review

Pen Friends are the BEST Friends

Author Laura CameronPosted on 1 Comment
Pen Friends are the BEST Friends

Earlier this month I went to quilt guild meeting and a fellow knitter/spinner/quilter/pen-lover came up to me and handed me a ziplock bag full of ink samples to try. I had brought her 2 little vials, so the trade was quite uneven, but I was delighted. (Thank you K!)

Since then I’ve had fun getting out my swatching equipment and seeing what she shared. So far that Dominant Industry Sunset has stolen my heart, but I’m enjoying a variety of seasonal colors and I’ve got lots more still to swatch.

Is there anything better than pen friends?

(PS I’ll be busy filling up vials of samples for her until the next meeting!)