In Link Love

Link Love: No More Doomscrolling

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Link Love: No More Doomscrolling

The trend for 2026 of getting away from doomscrolling is continuing and I am seeing posts from lots of people looking for other options to distract, entertain and grow this year. Check out the Baum-Kuchen post a well as several posts in the Planners, Notebooks and Paper section for more inspiration.

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Planners, Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

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In photo

Fix it, finish it, or frog it February.

Author Laura CameronPosted on 4 Comments
Fix it, finish it, or frog it February.

Every February for many years Ana and I have worked together on a little personal challenge we call “Fix it, Finish it or Frog it February.” While we specifically relate this to knitting, we thought it could be applicable to any craft or hobby you pursue. So today’s post is brought to you with knitting in mind, but broader applications.

Anyone who goes ALL IN on a hobby knows that there is lots of collecting to be done. There are the primary materials (yarn, ink, paper), the tools (needles, hooks, pens) and endless accessories (don’t get me started!). We’ve all started at the entry level, and then moved deeper into the obsession and find ourselves with a collection teeming with favorites, as well as things that no longer serve us. Keep those in mind as I move forward.

FIX IT

Any knitter has started a project that at some point has taken a wrong turn. Here’s one of my current ones. I tried to knit a sweater in November 2024. I cast on, and kept going despite the fact that I had miscounted somewhere along the way (oops!), I had the niggling feeling that it was going to be too small (double oops!) and that I hadn’t alternated skeins and they were definitely different colors (triple oops!). What I ended up with was this pile of knitting that I knew I couldn’t continue, and just made me want to throw it in a corner. Which I did.

It’s now 2026 and this mess doesn’t suit me. It’s a waste of beautiful yarn, and it keeps my tools (needles, stitch markers and the like) otherwise occupied. It’s time to fix it. That’s going to include ripping it (more on this in a bit), but it’s time to make it what I want it to be. A pretty sweater that fits me that I want to wear proudly.

What do you have that isn’t working for you? That pen you love, but the nib isn’t quite right. The journal or planner you bought that would work for you if it wasn’t this one thing. The ink that might not work in the pen you put it in, but might have another use?

Now’s the time. Make a nib grinding appointment. Take a tour down a rabbit hole on YouTube and hack that planner until it works for you. Take up ink wash painting (and visit Julia Van der Wyk at the San Francisco Pen Show for a class on that!). In the immortal words of Tim Gunn, MAKE IT WORK. If you absolutely can’t, hold that thought.

FINISH IT

Every knitter has a project that’s almost done, but for a few simple things. You made the sweater all except for the final sleeve. You need to add buttons. There’s three ends sticking out that need to be woven in so it’s neat and tidy. You finished the first sock, but you never got to the second. Or, in my case, you knit 1/4 of a hat and stopped.

You could finish that project with just a little more work but you for some reason you stopped, went to the kitchen for a snack, and 3 years passed and you never got back to it. You still love it, and you want it finished (it’s cold out – I want to wear that hat RIGHT NOW!).

So do it. Get off your butt and finish coloring in your Ink Archiving Book. Finish that really cool zine or journal you were working on. Close out last year’s planner and file it on the shelf. Whatever it is you want to finish, DO IT. If you can, do those last little steps by the end of the month. You’ll feel a huge sense of accomplishment, less guilt hanging over you (if you ever feel that way!) and you’ll have a clean slate ready for new projects.

FROG IT

In knitting, when we have to undo our knitting we say we rip it (“ribbit”) and some of us call that frogging. There are just projects that weren’t meant to be. That ink you were sure you love, but just don’t. A pen that try as you might you just can’t like (I’m looking at you Lamy Safari angled grip). A planner that just doesn’t work for you.

For me, a sweater that I knit where the yarn and the pattern are a total mismatch. The yarn is lovely, but it tends to work better in a different stitch. See all those janky stitches where nice neat ones should be? The whole sweater is going to be like that and I’m never going to wear it. And I’m not even sure I want that particular sweater pattern anymore/ But that yarn is gorgeous. And in a different stitch/project could be amazing. Or maybe someone else would enjoy the yarn more.

Enough is enough. Face reality and do something about it. In my case, I’m gonna RIBBIT real good. In your case? Sell the pen, give away the ink, admit you hate the thing and let it go. Life is TOO SHORT to spend time doing things we don’t enjoy, especially things that are hobbies and supposed to be our happy place. Don’t get caught in the sunk cost fallacy, just Marie Kondo that shit and only keep what brings you joy. In my case, that means I will have ripped out this sweater and rewound the yarn by the time you read this post!

 

 

In Paper Review

Notebook Review: Wearinguel Reservoir Thread Note B6

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Notebook Review: Wearinguel Reservoir Thread Note B6
View of the back covers.

The Wearingeul Reservoir Thread B6 Memo & Notebooks ($12 each, available in blank, 7mm lined and 4mm grid) was interesting to me for an assortment of reasons. First, its a B6 notebook which I am a sucker for. Second, its using Wearinguel’s “Reservoir” paper which is described as 140gsm with a subtle texture and minimal show through. Finally, the books feature an exposed thread binding to be layflat. Each book includes 104 pages.

The lined notebooks has a navy blue cover, the blank has a stone colored cover and the gird has a green cover. Other than an indication in the cover of the covers of the paper style inside, there is nothing printed on the cover so you can cover it in stickers, draw or paint all over it or leave it clean and svelte.

view of the exposed thread binding on the spine of the notebooks
exposed spine makes the notebooks easily lay flat

The covers are simple cardstock so I think these were designed to be in a leather cover or plastic protective cover. I was hoping to use the lined book as a new Commonplace Book (AKA Zibaldone) that could fit into my leather cover or at least be the same size (it’s getting crowded in there with my planner and sticker book). I could use the Yuru Log cover that I have? Maybe I’ll just invest in a B6 PVC notebook cover to keep the cover clean and protected.

The paper is a thicker white stock which is a little lighter weight than some of the popular bullet journaling notebooks like Leuchtturm1917 120gsm, Olive & Archer and similar.

Pen Testing

In writing, I had no issues with any pen. No bleeding or feathering. The paper is smooth with a little bit of tooth. Its not glassy nor too toothy. Its really nice paper. The 7mm lines in the lined notebook is light and thin enough to be easy to ignore but provides a little guidance if you need it.

I tried stamping and ink testing just to see if the stock bled. The stamp ink is permanent so there is a tiny bit of showthrough but its quite minimal.

My final opinion

The square corners have a very crisp look but I think, without a cover, they will become dinged and bent. I would have preferred rounded corners but its a good excuse to use an added cover.

These books are extremely affordable, beautifully constructed with good paper for fountain pens, markers and an array of other tools. They are available in the most popular formats. I recommend you grab one (or all three) today.

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

In Planners & Organizers

February Planner Set-Up: Groundhog Day

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
February Planner Set-Up: Groundhog Day

This month, I start my video with a little reflection on my January set-up and how I am forging ahead into February. Everyone deserves a do over… this is mine.

Groundhog Day animated gif

The products I am currently using in the video are listed below. Let me know if I forgot anything.

The Basic Supplies:

Stickers & Washi:

Pens:

DISCLAIMER: Some items in this review include affiliate links and some items were provided free of charge for review purposes (Thanks to JetPens, Vanness Pen Shop and others!). And some items shown are from our very own shop. 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.

Patrons can download the printables shown in this post for free with their subscription. If you want to get some of this cool stuff, consider joining our Patreon. 

In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: Lunar New Year

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments
Fashionable Friday: Lunar New Year

This year is the Year of the Horse and Lunar New Year starts on Feb 17 and lasts for 16 days. To celebrate, we decided to put together another Lunar New Year (CNY) Fashionable Friday because its one of my favorite holidays and another chance to kickstart the year.

(Horse illustration: Chinese PNGs by Vecteezy)

Thanks to my sponsors for providing some of the images I use for Fashionable Friday. Please consider making your next purchase from one of the shops that support this blog and let them know you heard about them here. Thanks for your support and for supporting the shops that help keep it running.

In Pen Review

New Pen Day: Adding to my non-Fountain Pen Collection

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments
New Pen Day: Adding to my non-Fountain Pen Collection

I recently reviewed my collection of gel pens, felt tips, markers and highlighters to see if I could fill in any gaps in my collection. I started sorting my various pens by color last year to make choosing pens for my monthly planner set-up faster and easier. I used random jars, cans and mugs to hold the various color collections. I have the least number of reds so they are mixed in with my browns.

Overall, when shopping for non-fountain pens, I am looking for interesting colors — not just standard red, blue, green or black. The non-fountain pens I find useful, when combined with my fountain pen and ink collection,  provide different writing experiences and provide me with variety of pens for different kinds of papers (you know, the printouts on tissue paper that you need to write notes on, that grocery store list on the back of an envelope or for hightlighting, headers and fancy additions).

I was looking for unique colors from some of my favorite brands: Zebra Sarasa, Marvy LePen, and Sakura BallSign plus adding to some of my new collections like Iconic Mild Gels.

Here’s a list of the new pens I grabbed:

I purchased a Iconic Mild Gel Pen awhile back and liked the ink color and ink quality. The Iconic Mild Gel ink walks a line between gel inks, felt tip and rollerball — its a wet, dense ink so I definitely wanted to try a few additional colors. So, after getting the brown pen, I decided to get a couple more.

I went ahead and pulled all the other colors for the brand/style pen and did quick little swatches to compare the colors.

Marvy LePens were my gateway into the pen world when I was a grade schooler and spending my birthday money at the local stationery shop (probably a Hallmark store) that kept a cardboard display on the counter with all the colors. I still love these felt tips. Even though they only come in one tip size (plus the Flex brush pens now), they are still a go-to for me. So for this comparison, I only pulled the blues and purples in the LePen line to compare the various hues. In coloring, Lavender and Amethyst look quite similar but in writing, the Amethyst is a little lighter. Wisteria is pinkier and much lighter. The Amethyst is probably my favorite of the three purples.

The Teal and Oriental Blue might appear similar but the Oriental Blue is more blue and darker and the Teal is greener, if you’re trying to choose between the two, I love them both and I am not the person to ask. You need both.

The Zebra Sarasa NANO retractable pens are newer to the market and rocketing to the top of gel pen recommendations. The color options are really good and even the standard $3 version feels solid and sturdy and has a squishy grip section that collects cat hair and dust but feels nice in the hand. The new Blue Grey color is super unique and I love the range of dark toned colors like the Bordeaux Purple and Sepia Black. If you haven’t tried the “NANO” version of the Sarasa pens, I recommend trying the dark colors which will be super usable with a little flair. If you want to experiment, try the Camel Yellow, Blue Gray or Bordeaux Purple. The standard Sarasa Gray is a light color but a great option if you’re looking for a neutral grey color.

Sarasa Nano Camel Yellow
A new Sarasa Grey. I used up my old one!

And one of my favorite gel pens is the Sakura BallSign ID. I think this is a seriously under-appreciated line. The ink is smooth and the color options are great if you’re looking for a black+color option. They make a plain black, brown black, green black, blue black and purple black. I have already acquired three of the five colors.

Sakura BallSign ID in Forest Black (Green Black)

I’m really happy with all the colors I picked up in this batch. How do you store your non-fountain pens? By color, by brand, by tip size, or type of pen?

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

In Link Love

Link Love: Paper Forever!

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Link Love: Paper Forever!

I received an email newsletter from Cult Pens UK this week that was filled with great links about the “Benefit of Analogue Tools” and all the posts they referenced have been opened my browser since then. I thought I’d share them here while also recommending that you subscribe to the Cult Pens UK newsletter as they’ve been doing some really great ones recently.

Some of these links, I’ve seen before but seem worthy of mentioning again. And I feel like now more than ever, focusing on writing by hand is more important than ever.

I realize its sort of “preaching to the choir” to talk about the importance of writing by hand to you but I just want to remind myself (and maybe you in the process) that we started collecting pens and stationery because we loved to write and draw.

Now, on to your regular Link Love content, already in progress:

Pen Show Reviews:

Pens:

Ink:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

From The Typewriter Revolution Blog

Paper-ventures are more important than ever in 2026. If you’d like to commit to your analog life consider subscribing to our Patreon (yes, we recognize the irony!). Your patronage supports us and we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!