In feature, photo

Yarn + Ink: NaKniSweMo Edition

Author Laura CameronPosted on 4 Comments

This past November was NaKniSweMo, which I’ve discussed on the blog in past years. Basically, during November when writers are trying to pen a novel of 50K words, us crazy knitters are trying to knit a sweater of 50K stitches.

This year mine is really more of a NaKniSwe-Almost since I’ve still got half a sleeve yet to go on my sweater. But the swoon-worthy teals and greys inspired this week’s Yarn + Ink palette:

For the knitters in the back, I’m knitting Sorrel using a collection of yarns from my stash. Here’a fuller picture of how it looks presently:

In Planners & Organizers

On Planners: The end… and the beginning

Author AnaPosted on 5 Comments
On Planners: The end… and the beginning

I started my Stalogy B6 ($21.60) in October of 2022. The advantage of setting up a planning system that is based on Bullet Journal/Commonplace Book/Freestyle is that you can start and end whenever the mood strikes.

In January, I added the Midori Pocket Diary ($16.80) in my beloved leather cover by Bassy & Co (my conifguration was about $85). Over the months, I cut the pages of the Midori calendar and pasted them into the the Stalogy to create monthly spreads. The paper in the Midori planner is fountain pen friendly and the tabbed monthly calendar pages  were fun and functional. However, the week-on-a-page with notes in the Midori did not end up being useful for me. I had planned to use the weekly pages for work notes but it ended up being more efficient to use a separate notebook for the office.

Midori monthly calendar pasted into my journal

Once I started customizing my Stalogy, adding the calendar pages and even pasting in the extra lined pages as inserts to add additional pages, my journal/planner/notebook took on a life of its own. I even got  out stamps, stickers and washi tape to help liven up pages.

A very overstuffed Stalogy
A tabs-eye view of the Stalogy

Each month, I added a tab to indicate the month and was wild and free with the types of tabs. I could have been more consistent but I grabbed what was handy, sometimes just using a turn of washi tape. I like the freedom and fun it created.

I pasted in lots of little tidbits: receipts, business cards, photos printed from my digital photo printer and even some leaves and flowers. The book slowly became a time capsule as well as a visual reflection of the year.

There’s even some ink sample pages from a fountain pen show this year that kept turning up until I stuffed them into my journal as a keepsake.

I didn’t think I’d ever be the type to do this sort of journal keeping but it has brought me such great joy and I was so sad to reach the end of the book.

Midori Gold Foil Transfers and cat teeth marks

I’ve been so enamored with this silly mess-of-a-planner that I applied some Midori rub-on decals in gold foil ($5.75 per pack) to the cover.

Side view of the Zen Art Supplies Sketchbook in my Bassy & Co leather cover

Rather than start another Stalogy 365 in December, I am spending December working in the Zen Art Supplies B6 sketchbook ($13.95). It has heavier pages than the Stalogy with 120gsm cream paper. The paper was a bit too smooth for me for a sketchbook but as an interim journal, it feels good to use up some of the MANY notebooks in my stash and is working out well.

I also have started embellishing my pages with festive holiday elements and mark my spot with a Book Dart ($9.95 for 50). I might even add some more holiday elements. While I am still sick at home, I can have a little holiday festivity in my notebook.

Are you moving forward in your current planner or planning for a new planner? What part of the planning/journaling process is your favorite?

Previous posts about my planner set-up for 2023:

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In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: Out of the Broom Closet

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments
Fashionable Friday: Out of the Broom Closet

It’s been too long since I’ve done a Fashionable Friday but this week seemed like a good time to do a little fantasy shopping. As the days get darker earlier and earlier, my inner witch floats to the surface . I want to light candles and spend the long nights, reading and writing so why not build a perfectly accessorized witchy desk?

Merry Spookymas!

DISCLAIMER: This post includes affiliate links. 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.

In Link Love

Link Love: The Post-Holiday Funk Edition

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments
Link Love: The Post-Holiday Funk Edition

I hope everyone found some great deals this weekend. I got a FREE case of the crud while traveling for the Thanksgiving weekend. Its not a gift I recommend nor am I planning on re-gifting it. It’s made it difficult to function this week. And sleep. So, I apologize in advance for nonsensical posts, poor grammar and typos.

A quick reminder to tune in to the Pen Addict Podcast today and hear me and Brad talk gift guide ideas (recorded before I got sick so you won’t have to listen to me sounding like I gargled with gravel).

Until next week, stay well!

Gift Guides and Such:

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

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In photo

Eye Candy: Vintage Mont Blanc Meisterstück 149

Author Laura CameronPosted on 11 Comments

There’s this famous story in my family. Of how my grandfather took my grandmother, my father and my uncle to Europe in the 1950s. While there, he stopped in several different stores to try out Mont Blanc pens. And he dithered and hemmed and hawed and decided he needed a Meisterstück 149 and purchased it before coming home.

Then he got home and filled it up with ink, and promptly decided it was too big to be comfortable writing with it. So he put it back in the box and there it stayed.

Sometime in the late 1990s or early 2000s he remembered he had it, and decided to pass it down to my father. My father inked it up, found that the nib leaked, and sent it off for repairs. This particular pen, purchased so long ago, has a lifetime warranty. Oh and he also decided that it was WAY to big to be comfortable to write with.

This weekend, my father brought out the pen and handed it down to me – the third generation. I’m not even going to ink it up because I know without a doubt it’s too large for me to use. But it is in great shape (do you see that case – it’s amazing!) and I won’t be letting this piece of history go for a good long time – and  hopefully to a fourth generation of fountain pen users.

In feature

Find Those Black Friday Deals!

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Find Those Black Friday Deals!

Black Friday really started early this year and you’ve already been inundated with email, targeted ads and more with offers for discounts, sales and special offers.

So, once again, rather than list all the potential deals, I recommend shopping with your favorite indie shops, small makers and creators. The economy is tougher this year than many anticipated. Check your Etsy faves, shop with those favorite online retailers that don’t own a fleet of their own trucks and support small businesses in your community. They are the ones who will be most grateful for the business.

Ways you can support your favorite small businesses and indie creators:

Sign up for email newsletters

Go to your favorite sites (pen related or not) and sign up for their email newsletter today. Many online shops are offering rolling sales starting yesterday. So to get all the details and when exactly the best deals will happen, sign up for newsletters.

You don’t have to stay subscribed forever but if you want to get the specifics for each shop, this is the best way to do it.

If you’re already subscribed, build a filter so all newsletter funnel into one folder. Depending on your email app, the method to do this will vary but it’s 30 minutes or less to set this up and is a great way to get all the shop newsletters in one place and out of your inbox.

Follow your favorite shops on social media

If you do use social media, be sure you’re following your favorite shops. Often, they will post about sales, discounts and other deals. You can just search for them on Instagram or Facebook to see if they are posting about special deals, events, etc.

Forward deals to Friends & Family

If you are looking to help a friend or family member know what to get you for the holidays, forward a newsletter and/or your wishlist.

Tell them you read The Well-Appointed Desk

Finally, it helps us if you tell shops you heard about them or read about a product here on The Well-Appointed Desk. Just add it to the comments with your order, if there is that option. Thanks!

Shop The Well-Appointed Desk

And in the spirit of deals,  I am once again offering my 20% off deal for Black Friday. This applies to all in-stock merchandise and orders will ship on “shipping Tuesday” (that’s the day after Cyber Monday). The discount code is THANKS and will be good through Monday, November 27, 2023 on both Big Cartel and Etsy. If you want to order anything from our sister company, Skylab Letterpress, drop us an email and we can combine orders to reduce shipping costs.