There’s a bunch of travel reports from folks visiting favorite shops around the world, mid-year reflections and lots of creative ideas this week. I think my interest in more collage-y, art journaling projects is that these can be created with things I already have — reuse and repurpose — in a time that making something beauitful on a budget is a great way to spend time.
Pens:
- Fill Me In! A Guide To Fountain Pen Filling Mechanisms (Part One) (via Pen Boutique Blog)
- Jinhao 20 (via Crónicas Estilográficas)
- Mad Science Pen Co Beta Type-P and Diamine Lady Grey review (via Casual Crossings)
Ink:
- Piper Trading Company Ink Review (via The Pen Addict)
- Van Dieman’s Tasmanian Lavender (via Inkcredible Colours)
- Weenk No. 8 Dry Persimmon (via Inkcredible Colours)
Pencils:
- Uni Kuru Toga Metal Mechanical Pencil Review (via The Pen Addict)
Notebooks & Paper:
- A complete guide to paper and notebook sizes (via The Pen Company Blog)
- Unique Japanese Notebooks (via JetPens Blog)
- 5 Creative Ways JetPens Team Members Use Small Notebooks (via JetPens Blog)
- I Have to Get Creative to Use This Book (via Dime Novel Raven)
- The A24 Movie Log: A Brief Review (via The Cramped)
Art & Creativity:
- Giving Old Packaging New Life: Creative Ways to Reuse High-Quality Box (via Archer and Olive Blog)
- 5 Art Journal Ideas That You Can Do in 10 Minutes (via Archer and Olive Blog)
- Making a collage in 7 steps (via Flow Magazine)
- Watercolor (and other paint) Classifications- Pro, Student and Beyond (via Comfortable Shoes Studio)
- [CENSURED PAGE] (via José Naranja:
- 30×30 watercolour challenge: 2026 edition (via Liz Steel)
- #30×30 2026 : Simplification from Reference (via Citizen Sketcher)
- Making Patterns! (via Jane Blundell Artist)
- Review: Indigraph ColorClip watercolour box (via Parka Blogs)
Other Interesting Things:
- Visit to Office Vender Stationery Forest in Sendai, Japan (via Inkcredible Colours)
- Construct Your Own Miniature Paper Brutalist Circuses with ‘Cirk’ (via Colossal)
- Sixth Anniversary (via Inkcredible Colours)
- Visit to Traveler’s Factory Airport, Japan (via Inkcredible Colours)
- The Best of Bungu Joshi Awards 2025 (via JetPens Blog)
- 9-Year Blogiversary (via Rachel’s Reflections)
- How Much Is That in Blog Years? — June Notes (via Line Variation)
- Fountain Pen “Quickie”: Recent Acquisitions (via CJ’s Wunderkammer)
- This is the best fountain pen accessory AND it only costs $1 (via Extra Fine Writing)
- The NYT Summer Reading Challenge (via Writing at Large)
- 2026 Mid-Year Review: 5 Favorite Posts From the First Half of 2026 (via The Gentleman Stationer)
- An interview with Charlene Oesch, typewriter ribbon manufacturer (via The Typewriter Revolution blog)
- Made in America (via JetPens)
- In a (summer) funk (via Austin Kleon)
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