One of the best gifts that I received for the holidays was a lovely little custom wax seal stamp from Stampitude ($35-46). My husband saw an ad on Facebook (those really work!) and decided to have one made with my logo. He presented it to me a few days before the holidays as “just a…
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Pencil Case Review: Sonic Kodawari
Review by Tina Koyama One distinctive characteristic of the popular Palomino Blackwing pencil is its trademark large, flat eraser and ferrule that make the Blackwing about an inch longer than conventional woodcased pencils. While I have many pencil cases, most are not quite long enough to accommodate new or freshly sharpened Blackwings. I’ve been looking…
Analog Tools
If I’m 100% honest, pens and inks and notebooks are really my second favorite analog tool. Any of you who know me, know that my first and favorite analog tools are my knitting needle(s). I’ve always found knitting soothing. It’s a way for me to exercise some creativity, and turn off the technology and at…
Brush Review: Tombow Water Brush Pens
Review by Tina Koyama One of my sketch kit essentials is and always has been a water brush. If I were a watercolor painter, I probably would have upgraded to a “real” brush a long time ago. With watercolor pencils as my primary color medium, however, I think plastic-bristle water brushes are actually more effective…
Eye Candy Friday – Galen Leather Co. Zippered 10 Slot Pen Case
We don’t need to tell you how wonderful Galen Leather Co. pen cases and writing accessories are. We’ve done it a million times before: the 40-pen case, the 1917 A5 Notebook folio, the Note Board, the Leather Flap Case for Three Pens and the Zippered 6 Slot Pen Case, and the Zippered 5 Slot Pen…
Case Review: Kurochiku Accordion Card Case
Review by Tina Koyama Conventional wallets don’t seem to meet my needs anymore. Like many people, I carry a lot more plastic than paper these days. Most wallet designs still offer plenty of space for cash while being relatively stingy with card slots. I was attracted to the design of the Kurochiku Accordion Card Case…

Galen Leather 40-Pen Case
What surprised me most about the Galen Leather Crazy Horse Brown 40-Pen Case ($95) when it arrived was how compact it was. The idea of carrying 40 pens in one case is pretty epic. Galen Leather has figured out how to make what should be an insanely large case into one that’s actually usable. And…