The Well-Appointed Desk

Have you noticed that your fountain pen tastes change over time? Since I started collecting fountain pens, I felt like I mostly gravitated towards finer nibs. Those are my dad’s favorite (he’s been a fountain pen user since I was a kid) and I know Ana likes them fine and extra fine. And to be fair, when trying to write legibly in smaller spaces, I do enjoy a fine nib for the precision it gives.

But lately I’ve really been enjoying slightly wider nibs. I’m finding those extra fines, and Japanese fines a little scratchy sometimes (I know… the sacrilege!). So I’ve been embracing Western fine nibs, and medium nibs of all sorts. I was sharing this with Ana and she got excited and told me she had just the pen for me to review.

She was getting ready to review the Kakimori Frost Fountain Pen in Violet, and while she wanted to love it, with that wider fine steel nib, she just couldn’t. So instead she handed it over me and I got to play. And let me tell you, I really like this one!

The Kakimori is a polycarbonate bodied pen that comes in a few different colors (Violet, Amber and Moss). The body somehow manages to be relatively smooth, and yet lightly textured at the same time (I know… great description huh?) What I mean is that it feels smooth in my hand, and yet the textured polycarbonate also makes it feel like I have a good grip. It isn’t slippery.

The pen is nicely weighted (it’s fairly light), and can be used easily unposted. It runs with a converter (included in purchase) or with either long or short international cartridges. The nib comes in either fine or medium. I was expecting mine to be a medium, given the way Ana spoke of it, but it’s actually a fine.

L to R: Pilot Explorer, Faber Castell Grip, Kakimori Frost, Jinhao 82, TWSBI Diamond Mini AL

In terms of sizing it’s smack dab in the middle. It’s not quite as long as some of the longer pens (Pilot Explorer and Faber Castell Grip above, also TWSBI ECO and Esterbrooks) but it’s not as short as the minis – Sailor Pro Gear Slim and Kawecos (or Jinhao 82 and TWSBI Diamond Mini as pictured). You could say it’s “just right”!

And it writes beautifully! The nib is steel, so it’s firm and not bouncy at all. And yet with just the lightest touch it lays down a pleasing amount of ink. It’s an easy writer – I could see myself using it for long periods of time.

As for matching inks, if you’ve been with the Desk for a while you know I had a year of auditioning purples so I’ve got plenty. I opened to use J. Herbin Poussiere de Lune and it’s lovely. Maybe a touch redder than frost, but a perfect match. I’m looking forward to using this pen more in my journal this month!

DISCLAIMER: The Kakimori Frost Fountain Pen in Violet was given to us for free for the purposes of this review by the Gentlemen Stationer (a retail value of $58). Please see the About page for more details.

Paper: Maruman Mnemosyne N182A Inspiration Notebook A5 ($10.50)
Pen: Kakimori Frost Fountain Pen in Violet ($58)
Ink: J. Herbin Poussiere de Lune (30mL for $13.95)

In Paper Review

Notebook Review: Takasago Premium Paper A5 Notebook

AnaMay 12, 2025May 12, 20253 Comments

At a recent pen show, I picked up the Dominant Industry Takasago Fountain Pen Notebook (Blank, A5, $24).

I did a little online research and discovered that Takasago Paper Mill has been in business for over 110 years and in 2020, they developed the Premium Takasago Paper, a paper specifically designed for fountain pens and fountain pen inks. According to online sources, “Takasago Premium Paper enhances fountain pen ink shading traits, highlights bright, vivid ink shades, and has quick drying times suitable for note taking.”

It’s 87.9gsm, white and is being sold through Dominant Industry in this very simple softcover A5 Notebook. The cover has an embossed leather texture in the paperstock so it looks clean and minimal.

In my varied writing tests, the paper seems to perform pretty well with a variety of pen types. Fountain pen ink stayed clean and dried relatively quickly. Color remained true and there was no feathering of the fountain pen inks.

There is quite a bit of ghosting on the reverse side of the page but no true bleedthrough.

In a longer writing. test, the paper had a bit of feedback, just a little bit of tooth. With finer nibs, there is a bit of a pencil sound on the paper.

The ghosting on the back of the writing page is less evident but still noticeable.

My instinct is to compare Takasago to Midori MD Light paper in terms of overall feel. I did a little side-by-side test between Midori MD Light and Takasago and there are quite a few similarities in the overall feel of the paper. I do think that Midori MD lifts ink up on the paper a little bit more and the tooth gives pens a slightly different sound and feel. If you are a lover of Midori MD Light, I don’t think Takasago will be a paper you prefer over the Midori MD but if you are someone who is wanting something like Midor MD Light and not quite getting it, the Takasago might be the paper for you.

Its a nice paper overall and a well-constructed notebook. Has it become my new favorite paper? No. I still prefer Midori MD, Midori MD Cotton and Midori MD Light above this paper. But I wanted to try it and experience the texture and promises for myself.

Have you tried Takasago paper yet? How do you feel about it?

Just a side note.

On a few pages, I was able to see the watermark on the paper which says “Three Diamonds”.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Dromgoole’s for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Paper Review

Notebook Review: Notegeist Bindery Handbound and Everyday Editions

AnaMay 9, 2025May 5, 20252 Comments

Review by Tina Koyama

Last fall I reviewed Notegeist Bindery’s Everyday line of pocket notebooks. Among the many designs owner Gary Varner has added to the collection since then are very limited handbound editions. He has some new size formats, too.

First up are 3 ½-by-5 ½-inch Butterflys & Peacocks (currently discounted at 2/$12) with lovely covers printed in Italy. The mango leaf Kozo tissue flyleaves are a luxurious touch. The two designs are handstitched with waxed thread in coordinating colors.

Another handbound limited edition was By the Bay (now sold out), an homage to San Francisco. A century-old map of the city with fun illustrations is reprinted on the covers. The current limited edition is Dark Skies, which comes with a matching shelf bin.

Both of these handbound editions contain dot-grid ruled, 80-pound Maruman Mnemosyne paper, which is the same as was used in the editions I reviewed previously (paper tests shown in that review). The smooth paper performs better than most pocket-size notebooks when using broad fountain pens and inks that typically bleed or feather.

A new edition in the Everyday staplebound collection features the intriguing work of 16^th century artist Lorenz Stoer (3/$14). Designs shown here are in Pack A. Pack B includes three more designs. (Several other designs available in this series; check out the lovely parrots!)

This series features unruled, 70-pound French PopTone paper (graph and ruled options also available), which I prefer to the smoother Mnemosyne. Testing it with my usual assortment of pens and other media, nothing bled through or feathered, not even a fat Kuretake brush pen or my juicy Sailor Fude de Mannen fountain pen with Platinum Carbon ink. While it’s still smooth enough with fountain pens, the subtle tooth makes it better with graphite and colored pencils. I’m looking forward to using these unruled books for sketching.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Notegeist for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

In Paper Review

Notebook Review: Lauren Phelps A6 Live | Plan | Dream® Notebook

AnaMay 8, 2025May 6, 2025Leave a comment

I was delighted to meet Lauren Phelps at the Little Craft Fest event in Houston a couple weeks ago. Owner of Lauren Phelps Designs and journal goddess, she is a fountain pen fan herself, she produces journal/planner/notebooks that feature Tomoe River 52gsm paper in her date-free planner/journals called Live | Plan | Dream series.

These notebooks are available in Standard Travelers, Weeks, A5, A6 and (oh joy!!!) B6! I sampled the A6 size (148 mm x 105 mm, $32.99) with a flexible leatherette cover in a muted peachy-pink color. The notebook includes 392 pages of 52gsm white Tomoe River paper and the majority of the pages feature 4mm dotted grid. The notebooks is threadbound and flays flat and has slightly rounded corners. The quality is excellent.

In the front of the notebook is twelve, 2-page monthly calendar grids making it possible to start your planning in May or August or whenever you want to jumpstart your journal or planning goals for a whole new year.

On the back page is a page spacing and tab placement guide. This is such an interesting addition. I totally understood the tab placement guide on first glance but the other guide info took me a minute to understand. The guide info includes numbers to indicate the number of grid boxes on the page both horizontally and vertically as well as marks to show how to divide the page into sections. Its a pretty clever way to help if you like to divide your pages.

I also got a Moon Child Planner Cover – a collaboration with Nib & Fleur ($23.99) which is a clear, flexible vinyl cover, printed with an opaque white design of flowers, moon and stars. The inside front cover features two small horizontal pockets to store extra ephemera. I love this cover and can still add additional decorations on the notebook cover under the vinyl cover.

At present, the prices for these undated Tomoe River planner/journals are less expensive than most Hobonichi branded notebooks while the quality is on par or exceeds the Hobonichis.

Of course, I do not have information as to the notorious Tomoe River paper issues regarding the Lauren Phelps Designs but the sample I tested performed well and met all my expectations for paper quality. I love that these planner/journals are available in a variety of sizes for whatever size you prefer, are undated and less expensive than Hobonichi. They are worth the investment.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Lauren Phelps Designs for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Link Love

Link Love: My Year of Reading

AnaMay 7, 2025May 7, 20254 Comments

I have re-embraced my love for reading this year. It’s my safe place and my way to escape the doomscrolling. Instead of Pod Save America, I am listening to audiobooks while doing household tasks or exercising and instead of nightly news reports, I read fantasy and sci-fi and all kinds of other fiction. Even my knitting has taken a backseat since I often watch tv or movies while knitting and I just haven’t felt called to watch anything — even fictionalized shows. I prefer to fall head first into a book.

As a result, I blew past my personal reading challenge goal in March or April and keep reading. I visit my local library to pick books up off the “new releases” shelf or books I’ve requested from the hold shelf. I download ebooks through Libby/Overdrive onto my Kobo Libra 2. Our Patreon (Inktellectual and Pen Champs tiers) even have a book club that makes sure I read more diversely. I am even involved in a local book club that also pushes me to read books I might not have chosen myself or sometimes to re-read a book which I seldom do because “there’s always more to read.”

I have even started a book journal where I log each book I’ve read with a small photo of the cover to help me remember the book. Since so many books I read are ebooks or on loan from the library, these little thumbnail images are the only way to “keep” the books and my memories of them alive.

These are a few of the books I’ve read in the last month or so.

With the exception of the purchase of the Kobo device last year, the hobby of reading books is relatively inexpensive. What I don’t borrow from the library digitally or physically, I either buy secondhand or through online ebook sales (bookbub.com is a great source for deals).

What is bringing you comfort and respite in these tumultous times?

If you join our Patreon today, you can listen to our exclusive podcast tomorrow! I’ll be talking about the Little Craft Fest Stationery Event and lots of other gossip and news from around the pen community. For our current Patreon supporters — thank you! I love you for all your support!

In Pen Review

Pen Review: Writech 2-in1 Retractable Gel Pens (Vintage + Black 0.5mm)

AnaMay 6, 2025May 6, 20256 Comments

I was so surprised how much I liked the Writech Dual Color Multi-Pen (Vintage Color Set) that I went ahead and purchased the Writech Dual Color Multi Pen – 0.5 mm – 4 Vintage & Black Color Set ($8.25 for the set). This set uses four “vintage colors” — one in each pen body paired with black. At first, I didn’t quite get the appeal of having FOUR pens with black until it dawned on me that I would most likely carry just one of these pens at a time with my monthly journaling kit and would have TWO pens in one barrel. So convenient!

The “vintage colors” are really just subtle colors: Milk Tea, Burgundy Red, Dark Blue and Lilac. All these colors are paired with the Black so I have a lighter, interesting color plus the ever-functional black for those everyday uses.

The only duplicate color to the Dual Color Multi-Pen Set is Milk Tea which I don’t mind in the least as it is my favorite and one of my favorite gel pen colors to date. I wish there were options to buy refills when I use up all the ink in these pens.

Once again, I am impressed with the quality and colors available in the Writech gel pens. If you have not tried these out yet, now is the time.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In feature

Giveaway Winner: Little Craft Fest Goodie Bag

AnaMay 5, 2025May 5, 20253 Comments

Thanks to everyone who read our recap of the Little Craft Fest in Houston. And of course, for entering our giveaway for our tote full of goodies graciously provided by many of the vendors who were at the show. A list of the most of the vendors that contributed are in our original post. Please consider supporting these small businesses.

Now, for our winner:

If anyone knows how to fix this weird glitch in my comments, let me know!

Sailor is a great place to start. I hope to see you at the event next year, Yen Draws! I’ve emailed you directly so check your email and reply soon!

Stay tuned for future recaps and giveaways. There’s lots more shows this year!

Pens:

Ink:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things: