The Well-Appointed Desk

Link Love: World Watecolor Month or One Book July?

I consistently forget about all the monthly challenges that happen throughout the year (Letter Writing Month in February, Inktober, etc) until someone else posts about it and I think to myself, “When am I going to remember to put these events on my calendar so I don’t forget?”

So, even though it’s the 6th of July, I say pick a monthly challenge and start today. Starting a few days late mean you and I only have to do 25 days of the chosen challenge. Will you pick the ink swatch-a-day (ongoing challenge) or World Watercolor Month or even One Book July? Maybe you will pick something completely different?

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In feature

Ink Review: Pennonia Balaton-kék

Laura CameronJuly 5, 2022July 5, 2022Leave a comment

Today I’m sharing the final ink sample that I purchased when looking for inks that matched Pantone’s Very Peri color of 2022. This once is a little tricksy.

I purchased Pennonia Balaton-kék (4mL sample for $2.90) because the swatch card was perfect over at Vanness Pens. When I pulled it out to swatch, I was confused. It looked almost tealy-blue and I wondered what I had been thinking. And then the sheen hit.

Balaton-kék is a “pastel cotton candy blue” with what looks like pink shading, giving me a bit of that periwinkle I so longed for. In truth, though I love the way this one shades, I don’t think it’s practical for regular use because it comes out so light in the nib. The dark dots are gorgeous and almost that slate/periwinkle I was craving, but much of my text ended up unreadable.

I did compare it to my other 3 contenders that I’ve already reviewed. I have to say that I think my favorite of the batch is Vinta Fairy Tale in Salimbay. That one just has the bluish-pink I was looking for. Which one ended up being your favorite?

Paper: Crossfield Journal ($24.00)
Pen: Delike Glass Signature Pen ($37.80)
Swatches: Col-o-Dex Rotary Cards ($15)
Inks: Pennonia Balaton-kék (4mL sample for $2.90)

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Paper Review

Notebook Review: Inky Converters Traveler’s Notebook

AnaJuly 4, 2022July 4, 20224 Comments

When I saw the Ink Bottle Traveler’s Notebook ($40) from Inky Converters at the St. Louis Pen Show I bought it without a second thought. I love Angela’s illustrations and she just so fun.

The Features:

There are some fantastic details beyond the darling ink bottle pattern Angela created for the cover. There is a metal slot detail on the cover with a slot to keep the elastic in place. The cover itself is made from a PU material (vegan-friendly!)

Inside are two plastic card holder sleeves, one is all card slots and the other has a zip pouch to hold miscellaneous ephemera. The cover itself only has one elastic stitched into the cover but it ships with an extra extra-thick elastic to loop around the notebooks and attach to the cover elastic.

The cover comes with two notebook inserts: one graph and one dot grid. The covers of the inserts are warm kraft cardstock with ivory paper. Dots and grid are printed in a blue-grey color and the inserts have 72 pages each.

The Paper Quality:

When I bought the cover, the inclusion of notebooks was a bonus. I had intended to load the cover up with custom inserts but I thought I’d go ahead and test the paper just to see how it performs.

With my flex nib Pilot Custom 912, I did get some feathering and show through with some of my wetter, wider nibs and even some of the rollerball pens. For everyday work notes where I might be jumping back and forth between gel pens, pencil and fountain pen, the paper isn’t terrible. Sadly, it’s just not great.

The Bad News:

The inserts are 190 x 105mm (7.4375″ x 4.25″). This is an unusual size which came as a surprise to me when I started doing my research. This cover is not a standard size like A6, B6 Slim or classic Traveler’s Notebook . The images here show the cover and inserts compared to a standard Traveler’s Notebook insert from Galen Leather which measures 210 x 110 mm. The difference in width is negligible but the height difference is disappointing. A Midori MD B6 Slim is 174 x 106 mm so it’s about the same width but a bit shorter. The B6 Slim size would probably fit better but I could not find my B6 Slim notebooks to show a comparison. If you have A5 notebooks you’d like to use with this cover, they would need to be trimmed to fit.

Final Thoughts:

I really like this cover and would love to find a way to make it work with paper that I genuinely like so I’m going to try some Cosmo Air Light in B6 Slim ad see if it pairs well with the cover. I love the idea of a non-leather cover designed by an artist I truly want to support.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were purchased with funds from our generous Patreon subscribers for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Link Love

Link Love: Recovery Mode

AnaJune 29, 2022June 29, 20222 Comments

For a few days after a pen show, I am physically and mentally exhausted. I tend to lose my voice for a day or so as well so I sound terrible. (Not COVID, I checked).

To add to my need to slow down and decompress a little, my beloved 2009 MINI Cooper had some engine troubles on the way home from St. Louis so he’s currently recuperating with the fine folks at Baron MINI to get everything tuned up.

We were joking this morning that the profits from the pen show will go straight to car repairs so there’s a silver lining there.

One of our kittens, Carrot, went to his forever home on Monday. He will be loved by two delightful young people as well as their parents. He will even have a dog to boss around which we’ve heard is not going in Carrot’s favor — the dog just ignores his hisses. The dog’s name is Potato so I think Carrot went to the right home.

As we roll into the US holiday weekend, I hope you all have a lovely long weekend and remember to pack extra sunscreen and plenty of cold beverages.

Pens:

Early thoughts on the Parker Vector XL fountain pen. (via Fountain pen blog)
Pen Review: Kakimori Brass Dip Nib (via The Gentleman Stationer)
Benu Grand Scepter XIII Unboxing and Review (via Penultimate Dave)
Pilot Kakuno Transparent Green Fountain Pen Review (via The Pen Addict)
Walk quietly, carry moody blue pens (via mnmlscholar)
What’s the Big Idea with BIGiDESIGN? (via Cult Pens)
Staedtler Triplus x IKEA MICKE (via Bleistift)
Staedtler Pigment Liner Review (via Writing at Large)

Ink:

ScriBo Blu Cosmico (via dapprman)
Wearingeul Edward Hyde (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist)
Diamine new Flowers box set (via Too many pens)
Fountain Pen Ink In An Unexpected Place (via An Inkophile’s Blog)
Scribo Arancio di Sicilia (via Mountain of Ink)
Birmingham Pen Co. Eroded Bronze (via Macchiato Man)
Oblation Portland Rain (via Mountain of Ink)
Birmingham Salt Water Taffy on Rhodia (via Inkcredible Colours)
Fun with Water Resistant Inks (via Pen Boutique Ltd)
Sheaffer Coastal Blue (via Inkdependence!)
Anderillium Michigan Avenue (2022 Chicago Pen Show Limited Edition) (via The Gentleman Stationer)

Notebooks & Paper:

The mad happiness: Gallimard collection papeterie notebook (via A Fleeting Ripple)
How to Make a Beautiful Handwritten Note (via The Postman’s Knock)
The Best Eco-Friendly Notebooks and Stationery (via JetPens)
Odysseus Wrecks (via Nero’s Notes)
Traveler’s Notebooks – Why TRAVELER’S COMPANY Might Be Best for You (via Cult Pens)
Improve Your Writing With A Handwriting Journal (via An Inkophile’s Blog)
Which discs are compatible with Plum Paper’s disc punched planners? (via All About Planners)
Chronodex Weekly Planner Jul – Dec 2022 Released (via Scription)

Art & Creativity:

Additional brands of Potter’s Pink (via Liz Steel)
Folio Palette by Art Toolkit (via Jane Blundell Artist)
“You don’t need your eyes to see” (via Abigail Halpin)
Interview: A Conversation with The Tempestry Project Delves Into the Importance of Knitting Tangible Records of Climate Data (via Colossal)
Sketchbook Tours: Spiral vs Bound, Horizontal vs Vertical [Video] (via Liz Steel)

Other Interesting Things:

Disney Fan is Selling Their Mansion With Star Wars Home Movie Theater (via My Modern Met)
One Woman Tried to Return a Bag of Food to Chewy After Her Dog Died. The Company’s Reaction is Incredibly Kind. (via My Modern Met)
Renting Reform Bill Will Make it Easier for UK Pet Owners to Find Housing (via My Modern Met)
Radiant Installations and Projections Illuminate Sydney’s Architecture for an Annual
Light Festival (via Colossal)
Soft Landing: Rickshaw Valet (via Fueled by Clouds & Coffee)
Canada Joins List of Nations Banning Single-Use Plastics (via My Modern Met)
Museum Unleashes Dinosaurs to Celebrate New Exhibition (via My Modern Met)
Cheech Marin’s Long-Awaited Museum for Chicano Art Opens in California (via Hyperallergic)
San Francisco Art Book Fair Returns After a Two-Year Break (via Hyperallergic)
A Spotlight on Navajo Filmmaker Blackhorse Lowe (via Hyperallergic)
Adult LEGO Collectors Cry Foul Over New Plastic-Free Packaging (via Dieline)
Artists Reimagined Cats As The Zodiac Signs (via Design You Trust)
“So this is how liberty dies – with thunderous applause.” (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist)

We need each other. Please support our sponsors, affiliates or join our Patreon. Your patronage supports this site. Without them, and without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!

In photo

First Look: Platinum 3776 Shape of a Heart

Laura CameronJune 28, 20228 Comments

Last week I went to Chicago to attend the first h+h americas trade show and, while I had a blast, I seem to have returned home with a cold. So while I’m under the weather, I thought I would give you a first look at my new pen that arrived while I was away.

I’m still regretting that I didn’t purchase the Platinum 3776 Kumpoo, the 2018 limited edition. So when I saw the 2022 Shape of a Heart pen I didn’t hesitate to preorder ($312, Pen Chalet). And I’m not disappointed.

Shape of a Heart is black pen with pink-gold trim and a pink gold plated 14K gold nib. The “Shape of a Heart” refers to the heart-shaped piece that gets cut out of each Platinum nib. The finial is filled with crystals, and that gold “heart” from the nib. I saw my gold heart once, but it’s hard to find mixed in there with all the sparkling crystals. I ordered a fine nib, and I’m sure I won’t be disappointed.

In another few weeks, once I’ve gotten to know my new pen, I’ll come back and give you a review, but until then I’ll leave you with a few photos. I guess this would qualify for entrance to the Black Pen Society?

In news

What Happens When The Desk Goes to a Pen Show

AnaJune 27, 2022June 27, 20227 Comments

Technically, not the entire staff of The Well-Appointed Desk went to the St. Louis Pen Show this weekend but Jesi, Jaclyn and I all descended on St. Louis while Laura attended a conference in Chicago so a couple things happened — or more specifically didn’t happen.

Please Stand By tv with static

First, nobody prepared posts for the days we were gone and I blame myself for not being more organized. Hopefully, you all were either in St. Louis or spelunking in the great outdoors this weekend so you didn’t even notice, did you? Cool.

Second, none of us took a group photo of the three of us in the same place at the same time. Though we did take pictures of our many similar pens.

Pen Triplets — Sailor Pink Love/Sweet Love Triplets!

Pen Rainbow — Yes, we did collect our pens and make a pen rainbow because — cocktails.

What was interesting about this pen show for us was that all three of us were there in different capacities. Jesi helped out at the Dromgoole’s table as their ink maven, I had my own table for The Well-Appointed Desk/Skylab Letterpress and Jaclyn attended an actual attendee, even going to a nib tuning class hosted by Ralph Reyes of Regalia Writing Labs.

Jesi surrounded by the ink sea

Jesi and I arrived on Thursday and spent an inordinate amount of time just goofing off and playing with ink. Partially, this was done to help calm me down since I forgot an entire crate of merchandise and odds and ends and was in a tizzy. The biggest issue was that I forgot the credit card reader in the absent crate so Bob ended up having to ship it to me overnight. $$$$$

The Well-Appointed Desk Table

Friday, with crate in hand, I was able to set up my table and actually sell some product. I feel a little out of practice setting up tables for shows and feel like I should have done a test set up at home so I could zhoosh the whole thing. I think the set up was okay for the first time I’ve done a show in over two years.

The show featured over 90 vendors in one large ballroom making shopping and browsing easy. Lots of pen show vendor regulars were present like Paul Erano, Dromgoole’s, Kanilea, Hinze, Federalist Pens and many, many more. There were also a ton of classes offered as well.

I suppose the biggest news, at least on The Well-Appointed Desk table was that the much discussed XXL Col-o-ring product did make an appearance. We have named it the Col-o-ring FOLIO. The name is based on the full sheet size originally used for the Gutenberg Bible. The original folio size was 12×17.5″ but we took some liberties with the size to best utilize every inch of our full sheet size so our FOLIO is 12×16″ and is filled with 40 sheets of original Col-o-ring paper, glue bound into a pad and covered with a kraft paper cover to protect your project. The cover uses a lighter weight paper to allow it to easily be folded back and not be too cumbersome. The back of the pad has a chipboard backer to provide support and protection.

The Col-o-ring FOLIO will be available for purchase this weekend. We just need to get the listing in order on Big Cartel and Etsy and make sure we have mailing boxes and shipping rates established. The price for a FOLIO is $40 plus shipping and due to the size and weight, the FOLIO shipping costs will be around $8 – $12 in the US (final shipping costs TBD).

Above is the very quick-and-dirty video I made showing the FOLIO compared to a Col-o-dex and a Dipper. More photos and information will be available this weekend.

Friday, we had dinner with the crew from Hinze Pens at a nearby pub. A good time was had by all!

The gang from Hinze Pens plus Jaclyn and Jesi

Later, we popped into the auction to do our best to lighten the mood.

Saturday was a whirlwind. There was the normal hustle of a Saturday although not as much hustle as we all had hoped. Jesi and I however, taught a class for attendees called All The Inks where we firehosed the crowd with our knowledge and banter about ink. Then we let the group try out several ink sampling techniques.

After Hours activities were minimal as Jesi and I were 100% exhausted. I did spend some time swapping pens to try with a lovely group of people before I was pretty much asleep on my feet.

The largest and smallest pens at the Saturday evening “After Dark” hangout

Sunday was a bit busier than expected but it did not make up for a slower than expected Saturday. For attendees, the slower Saturday and Sunday made shopping and chatting easy and fun but for vendors, there was a good deal of fretting about making enough sales to cover expenses for the weekend.

Before I knew it though, the show was over and it was time to pack up and this was genuinely the first time I had a moment to take photos of the show but it’s like taking pictures of the morning after the circus was in town. It’s mostly empty box tumbleweeds and empty water bottles.

The St. Louis Pen Show was only two years old when the pandemic hit and then it had to hibernate for two years due to the pandemic so it really had to start over, IMHO. I hope that the St. Louis community can genuinely support a show of this size but as it is right now, for vendors it’s challenging. For attendees though, it’s a great show.

In Link Love

Link Love: T Minus 24-Hours Until Pen Show

AnaJune 22, 2022June 24, 20228 Comments

Within 24 hours, I will be on the road on my way to the St. Louis Pen Show. In this pandemic-ridden world, the idea of surrounding myself with more people, particularly after so many friends and colleagues have contracted COVID in the last month or so, is a little nerve-wracking. I know lots of people have contracted COVID and recovered in no time, but as an asthmatic, the idea of catching this illness scares the crap out of me. So, if you see me with a mask on this weekend, do not take offense. I do not want to catch an illness that could potentially result in a hospital stay and ventilator.

Beyond the health risks, hauling and setting up a table is nerve-wracking and stressful. Did I remember to pack this or that or the other thing? Will anyone buy what I bring?

And then Jesi and I are teaching a workshop on inks so that’s a whole additional level of stress. I am fine standing in front of people as long as I feel prepared but having not taught this type of workshop before means I am not entirely sure what people are expecting from the content.

If you see me or Jesi, please say hello. We are just as nervous and stressed at these events as you might be and we have added all these additional stressors as well so seeing friendly, happy faces is just what we need to settle nerves. If you smuggle us a gin & tonic too, we’ll be your friend for life.