In feature

Shop Updates: Rickshaw “Inky Dreams” Re-stock & More!

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Shop Updates: Rickshaw “Inky Dreams” Re-stock & More!

We have added new products to the shop as well as some re-stocked some of our favorite products. More is added to the shop weekly!

First, we just added the delightfully whimsical A Jar of Pickles products to our shop. We have fun new washi including the Lunar New Year washi tape with gold foil icons on a lucky red tape. Be sure to order it quickly as this is a limited release product! We also have Taco (Tuesday) stickers to add to your planner and Donut (Everyday) Stickers! So fun!

So excited to announce the re-stocking of our original and exclusive (to Well-Appointed Desk and Vanness Pen Shop) “Inky Dreams” Rickshaw Bagworks pen cases and bags. These are hand-drawn illustrations created by me of some of my favorite ink bottles and then watercolor painted in a rainbow of colors. Get your favorite case in this unique and exclusive design today.

And finally, we’ve added some new stickers and our new spooktastic Webweaver Notepad to our product line-up. For anyone participating in a “Gamify Your Life” planner project, we have created two styles of our D20 dice stickers: Neutrals and Brights to best fit your aesthetic. Use them in your planner to mark an upcoming Game Night or, like I’m doing, when you are trying to “Gamify Your Life”.  And we still have our monthly mini-calendars available. Each month is highlighted with a seasonal array of color. Mini-Calendar sticker sheets are available in a set of 2 (full 12 months) or buy just one sheet (Jan-Jun or Jul-Dec).

Some of the new products created by The Desk & Skylab will also be available on Etsy but our curated products are only available in our Shop.

Little Side Note: Our Patrons get access to really cool content like a bi-weekly podcast, free printables and more. If you want more details about my Gamify My Life Project, consider becoming a Patron!

In Link Love

Link Love: Hang In There, Friend!

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Link Love: Hang In There, Friend!

It’s been a few crazy weeks so far in 2025. Politics, weather, and more weather. I hope, wherever you are, you are safe and doing something to relax, stay warm (or cool), surrounded by people (or critters) that love you. If not, know that my thoughts go out to you and I know I am not alone.

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Help keep this site alive and well and join our Patreon. We would greatly appreciate it.

In photo

Quilt + Ink: A crafty palette

Author Laura CameronPosted on 4 Comments
Quilt + Ink: A crafty palette

Approximately two years ago I started working with a quilt company. And since I’m already in love with knitting, it’s no surprise to anyone that I ended up quilting. Fabric, like yarn, comes in such a lovely array of colors and each collection I find has fun color palettes. So this week, inspired by a scrappy quilt I just finished, is a new ink palette:

  • Pilot Iroshizuku Yama Budo – the pink is perfect, and the quilt has bits of green as well!
  • Robert Oster Dark Star Blue – gotta love those navy colors.
  • Kaweco Paradise Blue – that light turquoise contrast against the navy is everything
  • J. Herbin Vert Olive – got love a bright green. This one hits the darker notes in the green fabric.
  • Robert Oster Signature Viola – the purple is hard to see, but it accents some of the pink floral blocks, as well as the buds and green vines.

In Tools

Product Review: Shachihata Daily Log Stamp – Weather and Days of the Week

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Product Review: Shachihata Daily Log Stamp – Weather and Days of the Week

I was really curious about the Shachihata Daily Log Stamps. I grabbed the Weather and Days of the Week ($26.50) as I was hoping that it might make a fun, new way to add the date and the weather info to my daily page spreads. The stamp includes an assortment of weather icons, a line for a key note or observation, the days of the week listed to be circled or highlighted and space for the date which can be written in by hand or can be added using the built in rolling date stamper which is hidden in the handle.

There is a rolling date stamp embedded in the handle that can be rolled to add the day, month and year above the weather icons. The instructions re in Japanese so I followed along with the photos until I figured out what I needed to do.

The rolling mechanisms are small and a bit fidgety but they are neatly hidden in the handle. To access them, twist the handle and then pull up on the handle to slide the tub away from the stamp area and reveal the turning gears to rotate the stamping wheels.

Once the date is set, the black screw in the end cap under the plastic lens must be turned using a coin or a screwdriver in order to lower the date stamp in line with the the icons.

This is SUPER fidgety so its definitely something you probably want to decide if you want to use or not as it is not easy to change the date part on the fly.

Also, the date shows up as DAY then MONTH then YEAR which is more common in Europe and Asia so know that going into to trying to set the date.

It turns out I prefer the stamp without the rolling date. I prefer to write it in myself. The numbers are not as aesthetic and the date in the reverse order for me is disorienting. If the month was written out it wouldn’t bother me as much but with it being all numbers I lost the plot a bit.

After trying the rolling date a few times, I got my coin back out and moved the rolling date stamp back up so it wouldn’t print when stamping. It makes for a rather expensive weather stamp when you choose not to use the rolling date stamp part.

Also, be aware, this is not a self-inking stamp like the Midori Paintable Stamps so you’ll need to have a stamp pad handy to use this style stamp. The advantage is being able to choose a color other than black for the stamping but if you are planning to color in the weather icon with fountain pen or marker, be sure to use an archival or waterproof stamping ink or you will end up with a smeary mess.

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 Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: Pantone Color of the Year 2024 Mocha Mousse

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Fashionable Friday: Pantone Color of the Year 2024 Mocha Mousse

While I am never certain if Pantone’s Color of the Year choices are an accurate predictor of color trends or if, because Pantone says its the color of the year, it just becomes the color trend of the year. Irregardless of this, there is something warm and soothing about a warm neutral brown and it pairs beautifully with lots of other colors. So, no matter how you might feel about the Mocha Mousse color, maybe seeing it in concert with some of your favorite inks and pens might change your mind?

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 feature, Tools

Product Review: Splice Stamp Sets

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Product Review: Splice Stamp Sets

I have fallen in love with the MU Clear Splice Stamps ($4.40 per set). Each of these tiny clear stamp sets feature delicate, tiny stamps perfect to accent a journal or planner. There are over 50 stamp sets available but I chose designs that featured plant life mostly. There are a few other elements scattered throughout the sets and each set includes about four to nine designs.

In my first test, I used stamps sets No. 1 (Anemone & Branch), No. 3 (Vine & Branch), No. 17 (Flowers & Branches) and No. 20 (Full Moon). I had previously purchased one or two of the vine and leaf designs (No. 11 & No. 28, I think) and I loved using them with coordinating ink colors in my planner so I was really happy to expand the range of plant life I have available to me. The array of silhouette and outline plants makes it easy to create a quick, little wildflower garden along the edge of the page.

The Moon image from set No. 20 was one I was looking forward to using but I had trouble stamping it cleanly so it didn’t look the moon, just a messy large dot. To be honest, it was the only stamp I was disappointed by but the other nature elements n the No. 20 set are lovely so I would still re-buy that set if I had to.

There were a couple of ink splotch-type stamps in the set that I wasn’t sure I was going to like but I love how they look, especially layered together in different colors. These are going to get used a lot more than I initially thought.

Across the four sets, there were two anemone-like flower shapes, one larger and outline and one smaller and solid that, when combined, creates a beautiful little design. By simply turning the stamps and stamping again, I was able to make an instant pattern. Alternating the colors would add even more variety and dimension. Again, I was aiming to get all the plant elements so I wasn’t focused on these flowers when I was choosing which stamp sets to purchase but now I am in love!

My second page of tests were the two smaller sets — smaller in image sizes, not in number of stamps per set — No. 31 and No. 14. Each stamp set included nine unique icons and they are tiny. It was also an opportunity to use the tiny acrylic pegs (set of 2 for $4.90) to mount the stamps.

These tiny stamps are definitely unique and feel elegant, not childish. I like the scale of the stamps that work well with smaller journals and planners allowing a little decorating and embellishment without covering the whole page.

I love clear stamps. While they do require clear acrylic blocks to get the most out of them, they take up a lot less space than traditional woodblock stamps and allow for using a range of ink pad colors.

If you’ve never tried clear stamps, these sets are inexpensive and small so it would be worth trying.

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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: A Moment of Silence

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments
Link Love: A Moment of Silence

Between the winter storms last week and the fires in LA this week, 2025 has been a lot already.

I’ve also been sick for weeks and this illness has manifested itself as laryngitis and I have been without a voice for five days already with no clear indication that it will come back anytime soon.

So, everyone, take a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat a couple times. Bring in peace, no matter what is going on in your world and exhale stress, worry, fear and frustration. Write down what makes you happy or what you want to do to make life better. Take a moment to hug someone or something. We can get through this.

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Have you considered joining our Patreon? This week, Patrons got an extra free printable for helping to “gamify your life”. If you join today, you can download it too! Your patronage supports this site. Thank you!