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…
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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 tableLots of inks at the Butler Stationery tableThe 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?
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!)
Recently, Wirecutter published an article about 118 Things to Do Instead of Doomscrolling. I’ve been trying to reduce my phone time and all things subcription-based, alogrithmically-based and “social media”-based so I was curious about their suggestions.
Some suggestions are exactly what I would pick but others still have an internet component. Like the suggestion to find a new recipe it says “Research a new-to-you recipe.” with a link the NYTimes Cooking section. Instead, I think it should say something like “grab that cookbook in your kitchen and pick a recipe.” The other cooking suggestion like “make some pasta” or “churn some ice cream” feel like filler to get to that whopping 118 Things. The tip to research a new restaurant is also likely to lead to grabbing your phone and getting lost on an app. But a tip to “walk around your neighborhood and try a new-to-you restaurant” or “ask your friends/family to recommend a restaurant” is less tied to social media and the doomscrolling suck.
Some suggestions seem written for anyone inclined to procrastinate or fighting their ADHD demons like “schedule an appointment you’ve been putting off” or “check the batteries in your smoke detectors”. I feel scolded by these. I read this post looking for a way to spend time when I am looking for entertainment, not my phantom inner-critic reminding me I’m goofing off when I should be “maximizing my time”. Ugh! If you are triggered by these too, replace them with something you like to do but haven’t done them lately like “spend 10 minutes chilling with a face mask on” or “grab a puzzle book and do one or two.”
Overall, the suggestions inspire me to get up and do something. Just don’t get caught by the links in the post though or you’ll be down a different internet rabbit hole.
I pulled a lot form the list, wrote a few of my own and ended with a list of about 33 things I could do instead of doomscrolling.
I suggest taking the list from Wirecutter and cherry-pick some of the items that resonate with you. It could be 10 things or 100 things. Maybe add your own ideas. Write the list in the back of your notebook, planner or journal to inspire you when you need it most. If you pick 6, 8, 10, 12, 20 or 100, you could turn this into a “Roll for Initiative” and grab your DND dice bag and roll the appropriate dice when you need some help making a decision.
How do you fight the urge to doomscroll? Give me your best your suggestions in the comments.
On the left, the Aura Estelle I’ve been using all year. On the right, a great system with the Owl Paper Co and Lauren Phelps A6 notebook that just didn’t work for me.
Only two weeks into my October Planner Set-Up where I changed everything, I realized it was a mistake. Not that the planner was bad but that I had a system in place. When I say system, I mean I had a personal process that I used in how often, when and where I used the planner. So I want to start by saying, the issue was NOT the actual planner but the way I use it. So, in switching up my system, I had to change where I was storing data, when I was using it, what reminders were stored there or somewhere else and then remember where to find it.
What I learned on the accidental two-week test? I am an ONE planner person. All the to-dos, reminders, projects need to be kept in the same place or I lose track of everything. I made my new system too complicated and found that I was letting two or more days pass without documenting my days. I was not using this new system even though I wanted to use them.
The whole point of a planner/journal is to document, record and remind myself of tasks and with my new system, I was not using them.
One big book vs two smaller books. For some, like me, you need ONE NOTEBOOK TO RULE THEM ALL and others do better with a work planner and a personal journal. Do what works best for you, not just what looks cool on social media.
I love the paper in the Owl Paper Planner but I have been living in the Aura Estelle for the last nine months. It’s like buying a new pair of boots. Anyone who ever wore Dr. Marten’s will know what I mean. The first couple weeks are painful. You get blisters no matter what you do. But once they are broken in, they are your favorite boots. That’s how I am feeling with my Aura Estelle planner. The Owl Paper is a good planner. The paper is lovely, the design is clean. However, I think I can get a few more months (or years) of wear out of the Aura Estelle. I will consider switching when the Aura Estelle is no longer meeting my needs.
The beautiful Owl Paper Co planner and the A6 Lauren Phelps on top of my VERY chonky Aura Estelle in its leather cover
Sometimes, a planner will no longer meet your needs. It’s okay. It happens — life changes (babies are born, jobs change, people retire, etc) and that is a good time to re-assess your planner or journal system. But choosing to switch for arbitrary reasons is a recipe for disaster.
Since only a few days were added to the new Owl Paper Co Planner (on the right), I have been slowly copying the contents to my Aura Estelle Planner.
Once again, I continue to be your cautionary tale. Don’t be like me and be swayed by the shiny new.
Bob and I are headed to Nashville this weekend for the On The Paper Trail LIVE event. I am frantically packing and trying to get everything organized for our tables and the workshops I’ll be teaching. We can’t wait to see everyone at the event.
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!
Do you have a favorite color? Does it show up all over your hobbies? I’ve always had a thing for teal – yarn, ink, pens…from aqua to deep dark teal, I love all the shades.
