The Well-Appointed Desk

Did the title of this week’s Link Love catch your attention? I thought it might. Just hop down to the “Other Interesting Things” section to find the article from Hyperallergenic about Whitman’s swarthy, marketing ways. Oh, yeah… he might have been all Walden Pond-ish but he knew a thing or two poetry and, as Robin Williams once extolled in Dead Poets Society, “wooing women.” That scamp!

Ink Review: Robert Oster Toffee

Laura CameronJuly 9, 2019July 9, 20194 Comments

Review by Laura Cameron

Earlier this year I had occasion to look for a warm brown to match a pen (of course!) and I stumbled on Robert Oster’s Toffee (50mL, $17.00).

Toffee is a warm, rich, golden brown that shades beautifully. I picked it up because it reminded me of toasted marshmallows and matched a white and brown Shawn Newton pen that came home with me from the Arkansas Pen Show.

When I arrived home, I was pleasantly surprised that Toffee wasn’t really like anything else I have in my ink stash. Noodler’s Rome Burning is much greener, Monteverde Brown Sugar and Diamine Chocolate Brown are much darker, and Pilot Iroshizuku Tsukushi is an entirely different tone.

Of course I can see lots of shading and variation in my sampling, but I was excited to see that there is some shading in the course of regular writing as well. As you can see it varies between a rich golden brown, and a a darker, nuttier brown. This one isn’t a sheener, but delivers a dark brown punch in the ink drops.

Overall I’ve been really happy with this ink. Not only is it the perfect match for my pen, it’s a lovely addition to my collection!

Tools:

Papers: Crossfield Journal ($24.00), Catherine Pooler Doodle Garden Canvo Bullet Journal ($24.95)
Pen: Delike Glass Signature Pen ($37.80)
Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) and Col-o-Dex Rotary Cards ($15)
Inks: Robert Oster’s Toffee (50mL, $17.00)

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: Lett’s Notes Legacy Notebook

AnaJuly 8, 2019July 7, 20192 Comments

The Lett’s of London Legacy Notebook in Purple (£20) is one of the most luxurious notebooks to cross my desk in some time. The embossed, leather-look cover and gilt edges with the gold foil logo embossed on the cover is the height of elegance and sophistication.

The notebook is 202mm x 133mm (approx. 8″x5.25″, a little smaller than A5) with deeply rounded corners and includes an ivory, satin ribbon bookmark. There are 240 numbered pages with sewn binding.

The edge gilding absolutely gleams!

Even the spine is embossed with the gold foil logo. It’s a pleasing detail.

Inside the cover, on the end papers, is a bit of the history of Lett’s.

Inside the back cover is a secretary pocket to hold miscellaneous paper. It’s not gusseted so it won’t hold a ton of things but will hold a few.

The next page is a table of contents.

It turns out the 90gsm acid-free, cream colored paper is a pleasure to write on. True to their word on the web site, the paper really is fountain pen-friendly. It did great with ballpoint, felt tip and rollerball too.

The lined paper features classic, light blue lines with the double header lines in light red. I could totally embrace this book. It feels good in the hand, writes beautifully and looks classic.

Pencils had a lovely feel on the paper in the Lett’s Notes as well. In this close-up, you can see there’s no feathering with fountain pen ink either.

There’s no fountain pen bleed through on the reverse side of the paper either.

The Lett’s Notes Legacy notebook should soon be available in the US, but even through the UK site, the price is competitive with the average Moleskine and is leaps and bounds better in terms of quality and presentation. It would be worth paying the shipping premium to get it from the UK. It’s a far superior product to most notebooks currently available, even if lined paper isn’t usually your bag.

(In case anyone is curious, the pen is a Pilot Decimo with a new stub nib ($140)

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

In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: One Small Step

AnaJuly 5, 2019July 3, 20192 Comments

July 20th is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Here at the house of NASA love we’ve been celebrating for the last 50 years, so I decided it was high time to celebrate the occassion as an official Fashionable Friday. Thankfully, the fountain pen community has also embraced this momentous occasion with some amazing special editions. It’s easy to be inspired by the visions of a future greater than ourselves… when we believed that we could go beyond the stars. And then we did.

Colorverse Moon Landing Ink Set $100 (via Pen Chalet)
Lamy Safari USA Independence Fountain Pen $36 (via Vanness Pen Shop)
Leuchtturm ~~1917~~ 1969 (I took creative liberties with the cover wrap) A5 Dot Grid Notebook in Metallic Silver $25.50 (via Anderson Pens)
Diamine 150th Anniversary in Silver Fox Ink $15.50 for 40 ml Bottle (via JetPens)
Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pen – Apollo Limited Edition, pre-order $120 (via Vanness Pen Shop)
Montegrappa Moon Landing Fountain pen €326.45 or $395USD (via Appelboom or Goldspot Pens)
One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon $19.25 (via Amazon)
Apollo 11 from The Giant Leaps in Space Print Series $55 (via Chop Shop)
Moon Globe $85.25 (via Amazon)
The Coop NASA Apollo Moon Landing Film Canister Lunch Tins $20.97 (via Amazon)
Field Notes Three Missions Notebook $12.95 (via Pen Chalet)
Leather tote bag in silver $150.00+ (via LaraKlass on Etsy)
Caran d’Ache 849 fountain pen white €55 (via Fontoplumo)
Diamine Shimmering Moon Dust Fountain Pen Ink $20 for 50ml bottle (via Goldspot Pens)
MT Thick Thin Black Stripe Washi Tape $3.50 per roll (via CuteTape)

For more information about exhibitions and festivities planned for the anniversary, check out these links:

Duran Duran to Perform at Moon Landing 50th Anniversary Celebration (via Rolling Stone)
NASA Celebrated Apollo 11’s 50th Anniversary with a Total Restoration of Mission Control (via Esquire)
Apollo 50 (via Smithsonian Air & Space Museum)

DISCLAIMER: The item in this review include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

Thanks to our sponsors for providing some of the images I use for Fashionable Friday. Please consider making your next purchase from one of the shops that support this blog and let them know you heard about them here.

Thanks for reading and for supporting the shops that help keep it running.

In news

Giveaway Winner: MiGoals Focus Pad

AnaJuly 4, 2019July 4, 2019Leave a comment

Thanks to everyone who read, commented and entered to win the MiGoals Focus Pad. And now for the winner of our giveaway…

Congrats, Bart! You’ve been contacted for delivery information. And another shout-out to MiGoals for sending the pads for review and giveaway.

In Link Love

Link Love: Crazy Days of Summer

AnaJuly 3, 2019July 3, 2019Leave a comment

This week, there are ballpoint pen reviews and witty crosstitch designs. Is this the end-of-times edition? No, it’s just the wild-and-crazy days of summer. Nick Stewart shows off a giant calligraphy brush and Mono paints a city bus to loon like their iconic eraser and packaging.

In more normal posts, there are also reviews of Kyo-no-oto ink reviews and Azizah reviews an Aurora 88 Urano fountain pen.

Enjoy the lazy, crazy days of summer!

Pens:

Faber-Castell 1423, Ballpoint, 0.5mm (via Pens and Junk)
Pentel RSVP Ballpoint Pen (via Gourmet Pens)
Aurora 88 Urano Fountain Pen (via Gourmet Pens)
Pilot Custom 823 (via dapprman)
Scrikss 419 piston filler – Turkish delight! (via Inked Happiness)
11 phenomenal stubs and italics for any budget (via UK fountain pens)

Ink:

Diamine Exclusive – Manggis (via Nick Stewart: FOUNTAIN PEN INK ART)
Kyo No Oto Nurebairo (via The Pen Addict)
J. Herbin 1798 Kyanite du Nepal (via The Gentleman Stationer)
Chesterfield Antique Copper (via Alt. Haven)
Robert Oster Velvet Crush (via Mountain of Ink)
Takeda Jimuki TAG Kyo No Oto Yamabukiiro (京の音やまぶきいろ) (via Ink Sharks)
Ink Comparison: Carpink set of five sheening inks Part Two (via Macchiato Man)
Ink Comparison: Carpink set of five sheening inks Part One (via Macchiato Man)
Sailor Ink Studio Set 19 (via Mountain of Ink)

Pencils:

Ticonderoga Renew (via Polar Pencil Pusher)
Tsunago: The Ultimate Geek Tool (via Fueled by Clouds & Coffee)
Japan’s Iconic MONO Eraser Turns 50 (via Spoon & Tamago)

Notebooks & Paper:

Maruai Basic Notebooks Review (via The Pen Addict)
Isometric Notebook (via swissmiss)
New A5 Notebook from Pebble Stationery (via Notebook Stories)
Airplane Mode: Journaling while Traveling (via Rediscover Analog)
Mastering the Bullet Journal: Daily Logs (via Rediscover Analog)
Papio Press – glorious AND recycled! (via Nero’s Notes)

Artist Katerina Lukashina Makes Brilliant And Hilarious Cross Stitches (via Design You Trust)

Art & Creativity:

Artist Katerina Lukashina Makes Brilliant And Hilarious Cross Stitches (via Design You Trust)
Growing Database of “Women Who Draw” Spotlights Female Illustrators (via My Modern Met)
The Best Watercolor Supplies For Beginners (via JetPens)
The Big Brush (Nick Stewart: FOUNTAIN PEN INK ART)
Painting Waves: A Watercolor Tutorial (via Doodlewash)
GUEST ARTIST: “The Power of Creating Art” by Shelly Kim (via Doodlewash)
I’m screen printing with paper stencils lately…. (via Cyrumblr)
Pure Yellow, Magenta & Cobalt Blue Deep limited palette (via Parka Blogs)
30 Years of New York Drawings (via Kottke)
“I Want to Make Beautiful Things, Even if Nobody Cares” (via Kottke)
Submit Your Work Today: Sketchy News Drawing Challenge (via Doodlers Anonymous)
Found a New Art Supplies store in Town (via Lung Sketching Scrolls)

Other Interesting Things:

How To Use Fountain Pen Blotting Paper (via Fountain Pen Love)
The team at Letterform Archive reveal their favourite type-filled books (via It’s Nice That)
Ryan Krusac Studio Pens in Paris (via Inkantadora’s International Desk)
Why (and how) I just sold 70 bottles of ink (via UK fountain pens)
Practice self care with FREE July 2019 digital wallpapers (via Think.Make.Share.)
Frank Chimero on causing ‘good trouble’ and re-imagining the status quo to combat achievement culture (via Creative Boom)
Jony Ive Is Leaving Apple (via Daring Fireball)
Analog tools (via The Typewriter Revolution blog)

In Ink Review

Ink Review: Waterman Harmonious Green

Laura CameronJuly 2, 2019July 1, 20193 Comments

Review by Laura Cameron

Every so often I pick up a bottle of a classic ink and decide to review it here. I have a few vintage pens, so I’m always looking for good colors of tried and true inks. This time it’s Waterman Harmonious Green and, as always, I’m impressed with it!

Waterman Harmonious Green is a beautiful blue green. In many lights it appears very green, but then I compare it to truer greens and it appears more like a blue fir color.

When I flip through my Col-o-dex, the closest color I find is my Robert Oster Spearmint. Monteverde California Teal is close, but just a shade too blue. And Rohrer & Klingner Smaragdgrun is too light, though similarly toned.

Harmonius Green shades beautifully and do you see what I see? Down there on the ink splotches? That’s red-purple sheen!

Yes that’s right. These tried and true inks do sheen! I’m excited to spend some time writing with this beautiful ink!

Tools:

Papers: Crossfield Journal ($24.00)
Pen: Delike Glass Signature Pen ($37.80)
Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) and Col-o-Dex Rotary Cards ($15)
Inks: Waternman Harmonious Green (50ml for $11.30)

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