While the Chicago Stationery Fest was an event in and of itself, the weather added a level of chaos we were not expecting. We got spoiled last year when it was in the 50sºF on Saturday and a little cooler and rainy on Sunday.
This year?!?! The weather was a full bingo card of possibility: rain, snow, 50MPH winds, deep cold, sleet, slush, tornadoes and so much more… they even dyed the Chicago River electric green on Saturday but that was more for St. Patrick’s celebrations but still… quite neon!
Our drive home was a white knuckle drive for several hours and then all the sudden, the sun came out and it was just so windy and cold. The trip normally takes about 8 hours with a few pit stops but on Monday, it took over 11 hours due to slower driving in white out conditions and driving into the wind and worrying we were going to implode the engine with the strain of pushing into the head winds.
Finally, safe and cozy at home, surrounded by my cats, I’m just glad to be done traveling for awhile. Are you an adventurer or a homebody? Share in the comments!
Pens:
- A Complete Guide to LAMY’s Interchangeable Nibs (via Pen Boutique)
- Getting A Grip (via Fountain Pen Chronicles and More)
- Titanium (via Crónicas Estilográficas)
- Review: Luddite Bendy Pen Case (via Inky Imaginings)
- Video-Review: Pelikan M200 Orange Delight (via Scrively)
- Avocado And Teal Make A Dynamic Duo (via An Inkophile’s Blog)
- The Pilot “Custom” Series: An Overview of Some of My Favorite Fountain Pens (via The Gentleman Stationer)
Ink:
- Ferris Wheel Press swatch testing Autumn 2025-Winter 2026 (via Nick Stewart FOUNTAIN PEN INK ART)
- Ink of the Week: Colorverse Pale Blue Dot (via Dime Novel Raven)
- Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-budo (via Inkcredible Colours)
Planners, Notebooks & Paper:
- On the Paper Trail Episode 5: Are You a User or a Collector of Stationery? (via The Gentleman Stationer)
- Unfinished Notebooks (via Notebook Stories)
- Habit Tracking in Your Planner (and the Mistake That Makes People Quit) (via Planner Fun)
- Scrapbook Guide: How to Create Your First Scrapbook Page Step by Step (via Archer and Olive Blog)
- The 10-Minute Weekly Planner Review (via Planner Fun)
- The Best Planner Supplies (via JetPens)
Art & Creativity:
- One Week 100 People 2026 Day 2 (via Writing at Large)
- Crochet Artist Transforms Early Internet Icons Into Nostalgic Art (via My Modern Met)
- Ten Tips to Improve Your Garment Knitting (via Modern Daily Knitting)
- Did I draw 100 people last week? Yes I did! #OneWeek100People2026 (via Apple-Pine)
- BOOK REVIEW: “Watercolor Wizardry” by Kiara Maharaj (via Doodlewash)
Other Interesting Things:
- 2,000-Year-Old Carthaginian Coin Used as Bus Fare Discovered in Leeds (via My Modern Met)
- You’ll Need a Magnifying Glass to Read Some of the World’s Smallest Books at the V&A (via Colossal)
- Review: Bigme B751C S colour e-ink tablet (via Parka Blogs)
- Vertical Societies (via Kottke.org)
- Lowrider Stamps Cruising Into a Post Office Near You (via USPS Newsroom)
- Book Review: Witch King by Martha Wells (via Writing at Large)
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!
Oh, Witch King is SO good. I love Martha Wells’s work. The audiobook is also very good (as is the sequel).