The Well-Appointed Desk

I am off to San Francisco today but I am getting so excited for Autumn and 2026 planner season. Next Monday is the official launch day for Hobonichi and, for us stationery folks, the official start of Autumn. To get prepared, check out some of these posts:

All Set Up for Hobonichi Preview Party at Yoseka – Till September 7 (via Yoseka Stationery)
Hobonichi 2026 Lineup Takeaways (via Ask a Planner Nerd)
Best Planners That Come in Both Digital and Paper Versions (via All About Planners)

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In feature

A Tale of Two Mousses

Laura CameronAugust 26, 2025August 26, 2025Leave a comment

As Ana shared in her post last week, there’s another contender for Mocha Mousse ink! Monteverde is stepping into the ring with MP1 Mocha Mousse. The pen & ink will be debuting soon, but Yafa gave us a little bit of a sneak peek at the ink in giving Ana a few vials!

Monteverde’s Mocha Mousse is exactly what I think of when I think of Mocha Mousse. It’s rich, velvety chocolate brown with just a hint of red in there. I don’t know if it matches the Pantone color super closely, but it makes my mouth water!

The ink itself is a shader, with no sheen. Just lovely chocolately goodness. I did notice that in heavy ink droplet applications it feathered a bit on my Mnemosyne notebook paper, but I didn’t see the same result on my Crossfield Journal (old Tomoe River).

So how does it stack up? I put it right next to Endless Alchemy’s Mocha Mousse Delight and the two are pretty close. The lighter parts of the Monteverde version are close to the darker parts of Endless Alchemy’s version, although I do think Endless Alchemy’s version is a tad bit yellower.

Are you sick of Mocha Mousse yet? Or jamming along with it?

DISCLAIMER: Special thanks to Yafa Brands who sent us the ink sample for the purposes of review. Other items may have been received for review, or purchased with our own funds. Please see the About page for more details.

Paper: Crossfield Journal ($24.00) and Maruman Mnemosyne N182A Inspiration Notebook A5 ($10.50)
Pens: Pilot Iro-Utushi Dip Pen (F, M, $11 each), Komamono Lab Fonte Glass Body Pen ($7.50)
Swatches: Col-o-Dex Rotary Cards ($15)
Ink: MP1 Mocha Mousse

In feature

Review: Galen Leather Crazy Horse Havana Brown 10-Slot Zippered Case

AnaAugust 25, 2025August 25, 2025Leave a comment

While in DC, I was able to pick up a Galen Leather Zippered 10-Slot Pen Case in Crazy Horse Havana Brown ($68). The Havana Brown color is a limited edition color variant and is only available in the US at present.

I’ve loved my Galen Leather 3-Slot Pen Case that I’ve had for years (EIGHT YEARS!!!) so I was excited to compare the feel and color with a new Havana Brown case.

What I most noticed is that the color of the 3-Slot case has darkened significantly over the years. It is frequently handled and carried (YMMV). I think the Havana Brown case has a very similar color quality to my aged and patina-ed standard Crazy Horse case.

From left to right, Galen 40-Slot Zippered Pen Case in Crazy Horse Honey Ochre,Galen 10-Slot Zippered Pen Case in Crazy Horse Havana Brown and an almost 10-year old Galen 3-Slot Zipper Pen Case in Crazy Horse Brown (the color has darkened significantly over time)

One of the most notable differences between the two shades of Crazy Horse (Honey Ochre and Havana Brown) is the interior suede colors. The Honey Ochre has a very honey yellow colored suede interior while the Havana Brown interior is a warmer russet brown.

There are two suede flaps that cover the pens. I’m still inclined to think that one flap would be enough and that the two flaps is overkill. Though if you are concerned about the zipper touching the pens inside the case, the sueded flaps definitely provide some protection.

I own mostly smaller pens but I thought I’d fill the case with a wide assortment and include my larger models to test how well they all fit.

The larger Benu pens (two pens on the far right) were a bit difficult to squeeze under the elastics but all the other pens fit fine. Super long pens might not fit but I didn’t run into any issues with the other sizes. Super slim pens might fit loosely.

I have a Girologio 10-pen case (previously reviewed in denim) which is notably larger in size overall. The slim proportions of the Galen 10-Slot case make it less bulky and more portable but if you keep larger-than-average pens, could feel snug.

See all the Galen Leather Crazy Horse Havana Brown products while they are still available.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In feature

San Francisco is Coming! Last Chance to sign up for workshops!

AnaAugust 22, 2025August 18, 2025Leave a comment

This is just a quick reminder that there are only a few days left before the San Francisco Pen Show. There are still a few spots left in my workshops so you ill want to sign-up as soon as possible so that I pack enough kits and that you don’t miss your chance to take one of these workshops:

Swatch Your Inks – Swatch & Catalog Your Ink Collection: Saturday, Aug 30 from 2-4pm
Carve Your Own Rubber Stamps: Thursday, Aug 28 from 1-3pm
Sigils – Make Magic with Pens & Ink: Saturday, Aug 30 from 7-8:30pm
Gamify Your Life: Sunday: Sunday, Aug 31 from 9-10:30am

Full descriptions for each workshop are listed in the links along with fees (materials included!) I can’t wait to see everyone! Thanks!

In Ink Review

Ink Review: Finding my Purrfect Brown Ink

AnaAugust 21, 2025August 18, 2025Leave a comment

I have been using Kaweco Caramel Brown ink almost all year long in my journal and planners. I have refilled the same pen with this deep chocolatey brown repeatedly. The bottle is actually starting to run dry so I wanted to poke around my collection to see if I can find the back-up option.

Since I whittled down my collection last year, I have four potential candidates to be the next option when I use up the Caramel Brown: Monteverde MP1 Collection Mocha Mousse (coming in August?), Colorverse Earth Edition Joy in the Ordinary Coffee Break, Robert Oster Caffe Crema and KWZ It Smells Like Coffee.

The other inks in my stash are slightly different in hue but they are all good options when my current bottle runs out or if I want to swap out my “signature” brown.

I would say of the inks in my current the new Monteverde Mocha Mousse (I was given a bottle at the DC Pen Show but its not available for sale yet. I think it will be released with the MP1 Mocha Mousse pen which is due to drop sometime in August). Next up would be the Coffee Break ink from Colorverse. Its a little lighter in color but is a warm brown and would feel a little woodsy, a little vintage and a little cozy. Robert Oster Caffe Crema is a favorite ink of mine. Its a yellow-y brown hue with some sheen (sometimes, a little bluish rim will appear on the edges of letterforms on certain papers with certain nibs) and shading.

My last option would be the KWZ It Smells Like Coffee. I feel like I should eventually learn my lesson that I do not like scented inks. Yes, it does smell like coffee but an hour later, it still smells like coffee and I keep thinking I have coffee on my fingers or spilled on me and I start looking around. Now my notebook will forever smell like coffee and I won’t be able to shake the odor. Sigh… The color is a bit darker brown than Caramel Brown with a slight cool undertone.

So, I think I’ll probably refill my pen with Mocha Mousse or Coffee Break next time it needs a refill.

Do you have a favorite brown ink? Let me know in the comments!

In Link Love

Link Love: Back to Penmanship

AnaAugust 20, 2025August 19, 2025Leave a comment

It’s that time of year again. I watched the kids walking to school this morning on their way to the first day of classes. Some kids looked like they were on a mission, while others walked with the trepidation — hoping they meet friends, fit in and like their teacher.

And just like the annual ritual of kids walking to first day of classes, its time for another article about how handwriting is dying and why it should be saved (or not).

This time the article comes from WIRED magazine and the article is balanced and fair. But I am definitely standing on my old-timey soapbox yelling at the clouds that “YES! Kids need to learn to write, draw and hold ACTUAL tools and we need to start teaching them early!”

Post of the Week:

The End of Handwriting (via WIRED)

Pens:

Review: a pen for an alien – by Ricardo (via Extra Fine Writing)
Pen Review: Is the Uni Zento Gel Pen Worth the Hype? (via The Gentleman Stationer)

Ink:

InkFlash – Lamy Dark Lilac (via inkxplorations)
Inkebara No. 1305 Kopi-C (via Inkcredible Colours)

Pencils:

Artist Makes Drawings That Move Between Realism and Surrealism (via My Modern Met)
The Leadhead’s Pencil Blog: The Post that Launched 454 Pages (via Leadhead Pencils)

Notebooks & Paper:

Travel Journalling (via Wonder Pens)
Prime Number of Notebooks (via Line Variation)
Review: Hand Stitched Leather T Classic Trifold Journal (via Inky Imaginings)
Diary Inserts for 2026 (via Philofaxy)

Art & Creativity:

A3+ sheet of sketches (2050) (via José Naranja)
Seattle 2025: Part 5 – Touristy Things in Seattle (via Apple-Pine)
Drawing color blind (via Austin Kleon)
Epiphany About Journal Grids (via RozWoundUp)
(3) Creative Ecosystems (via Abigail Halpin)
“It’s imperative we have age diversity in creative teams” (via It’s Nice That)
Taking a stock of my current palette by painting an artichoke flower. (via Apple-Pine)

Other Interesting Things:

Close Up Writing (via An Inkophile’s Blog)
Pen Show Resources: What To Do At A Pen Show, and How Do You Prepare? (Plus a Further Roterfaden Update) (via The Gentleman Stationer)
The World Stamp Show Is Coming, the World Stamp Show Is Coming! (via USPS Newsroom)
Self-care: In This Economy? (via Modern Daily Knitting)
Artist Captures the Ornate Patterns of Traditional Mexican Dresses (via My Modern Met)
Christopher Herwig Motors Through Southeast Asia to Capture a Vivid Fleet of ‘Trucks and Tuks’ (via Colossal)
Exhibition Showcases the Secret—and Mischievous—Lives of Pets (via My Modern Met)

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In feature

Wanna go to a pen show?

Laura CameronAugust 19, 2025August 19, 2025Leave a comment

We’re almost 2/3 of the way through the year and really in the thick of pen show season. But that means before you know it we’ll be at the holidays and 2026 will be around the corner. This is my way of saying that I’ve updated the Pen Show Schedule and included lots of dates for 2026!

I’m already making plans to attend San Francisco in 2026… Will you attend a show next year?