In Ink Review

Ink Review: Finding my Purrfect Brown Ink

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Ink Review: Finding my Purrfect Brown Ink

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

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Link Love: Back to Penmanship

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!”

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Wanna go to a pen show?

Author Laura CameronPosted on Leave a comment
Wanna go to a pen show?

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?

In Pen Review

Pen Review: Komamono Afternoon Tea Strawberry Cake Glass Dip Pen Set

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Pen Review: Komamono Afternoon Tea Strawberry Cake Glass Dip Pen Set

I’ve been meaning to pick up one of the Komamono Dip Pens that they’ve been stocking at Vanness Pen Shop but I always miss my chance at pen shows. In DC, I was able to grab one of the Komamono Afternoon Tea Strawberry Cake Glass Dip Pen Sets ($20 per set) though I do have my heart set on one of the cat styled ones someday.

There are three color options in this collection: the Strawberry Cake (pink dip pen and blue green pen rest with coordinating dip inks), Macarons & Chocolate (purple pen and brown pen rest with matching inks) and Soda & Cherry (turquoise blue pen with cherry red pen rest and matching inks). The pink and green set seemed very “desk-y” and it is simple but lovely.

The simple rod shape makes the blunt end perfect to use for doing quick ink swabs with easy clean-up.

The glass dip pen nib is fine-to-medium in width and pretty smooth. It is a glass nib so the angle its held at can affect how smooth or scratchy it is. If you try a glass nib, play with your writing angle or twist it if you are having issues with the nib being scratchy or hard-starting.

The inks included in the set are small (maybe 5ml?) and each ink includes a shimmering ink. These are definitely DIP PEN ONLY inks. Once dry, there is a bit of sheen that suggests the inks have shellac in them so DO NOT USE IN FOUNTAIN PENS. The colors are bright and vivid but didn’t have a ton of shimmer particles in them so don’t expect other the top shimmer. Honestly, I bought the set for the pen and rest, not the ink so I’m not too upset about the inks.

If you are a fan of the Dominant Industry Ink Muddler but are looking for a longer pen barrel, the Komamono glas dip pen is a great alternative and not significantly more expensive.

DISCLAIMER: The 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

Book Review: The Plan: Manage Your Time Like a Lazy Genius

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Book Review: The Plan: Manage Your Time Like a Lazy Genius

The Plan: Manage Your Time Like a Lazy Genius by Kendra Adachi totally sounded like a book I should read. Kendra is a writer and podcaster and her previous books focused on her “lazy genius” method which is mentioned in this book as well. The key takeaway from this method is to reframe goals in the framework of “what is most important to you at this time” rather than the whole 50,000 foot view or 5-year plan or any of the other planner/productivity methods I’ve read about over the last 20 years or so.

There is some real wisdom in her method for tackling projects and the ever-growing urge to to do “all the things”. The author frames the book specifically around the struggles that women face due to social expectations and how we do more but that there are no books that directly address this issue.

At the start of the book, it appeared she might actually include non-binary, trans and other marginalized people in her approach but, in the end, she focussed on women which was a bit of a let down. It also led to a lot of talk about menstrual cycles for one’s planning strategies. Its fine but even I don’t want to be stereotyped into a bucket that assumes that, just because I bleed, I can’t get stuff done. Other people struggle with lots of issues that might restrict their energy and its a bit of a disappointment that the only one she focused on was women’s monthly cycles.

Her discussion of breaking tasks down into small, actionable bits is not new but her approach, overall, was chatty and accessible. But many of her perspectives might not apply to people with CFS and other conditions that might limit their energy regardless of their gender assignment.

It’s a good system overall but I think she limited the book’s appeal by focusing repeatedly on menstrual cycles. I can be tired just because I’m tired and not because I’m hormonal. Sheesh.

I listened to the audiobook version (via my public library on Libby) of The Plan which ran about 6 hours so it was a “quick read”. I think the paper or digital version which might be annotated and have supplementary material may be easier to process.

Have you read this? What’s your take?

In Link Love

Link Love: Happy Lefthander Day

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Link Love: Happy Lefthander Day

Today is a day to celebrate the lefthand — even if you don’t write with your left hand, turn that palm over and say “Thanks for being there for me!” For us lefties, its our chance to lift our fist, showing our smudged pinkies and rail against all the ways the world favors right handed people — door handles on the left? manual can openers, pencil sharpeners, keys that turn to the right, and those were just the things I can think of off the top of my head.

And of course, there are the things that are made for lefties that we don’t actually need — Lamy lefty nibs, I’m looking at you!

So, below I have a link from Pen Boutique about left handed fountain pen options. Some I agree with — love me some Waverly nibs– and others I disagree with Lamy LH again and some I didn’t know about — Sailor LH nibs??!?!?!? Regular Sailor nibs work beautifully for me so I am curious about those but not enough to buy ANOTHER Sailor! Finally, I don’t recommend Pilot gold nibs for most lefties unless they try them first because they do bounce and flex so sidewriters and overwriters will have some issues. Underwriters can use them pretty easily.

Are you a lefty? What’s your favorite fountain pen and nib? Happy Lefthander’s Day!!!

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