I’m running a day late, but thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway for the Compoco Airplane View A5 Journal! Our winner is Teejay:
Congratulations Teejay! I hope you have a wonderful trip and enjoy your new journal.
For the rest of us, don’t forget that Compoco is currently offering a discount to Well-Appointed Desk readers. Receive 15% off your order through the month of April with the coupon code 15well!
A long time ago there was an Italian notebook that featured multicolored pages and then it was immediately discontinued so it became impossible to find so I never got a chance to try it out. When I saw the NAVA Designs “My Colors” Book ($16) which featured an exposed coptic binding with a rainbow of colored paper signatures, I knew I had to give it a try.
The notebook is A5 sized notebook with 192 pages and six different colors of paper. The papers are all perforated for easily removed. The covers are cardstock, 360gsm. The interior pages are 192gsm.
The first thing I wanted to try was colored pencils. I like using the opaque colors from colored pencils on the bright colored paper. I got some good contrast with both lighter and darker pencils.
Between each section of color is a splash of contrasting color.
The pops of color and the paper being a little smaller is really interesting.
When I tried all my regular pens that I used for testing, the paper in the My Colors Book, I didn’t have any issues with feathering. Obviously, some ink is too light to show up on some of the colors of paper but generally, the paper is amazing and fun.
On the reverse, there was no bleed through. And I thought I’d share all the tools I used. There was a lot.
If you are looking for a fun notebook for doodling, sketching or collage, I think the My Colors Book would be a good option. The price is good. The only downside is the type on the cover and I wish the cover paper stock was a little heavier.
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.
All the trees here in Kansas City decided to bloom this week. It was in the 70s earlier this week , then dipped to frosty temperatures on Friday only to promise balmy temperatures again on Monday and I couldn’t be happier. I love the white, yellow and orchid blooms on everything and, finally, the blue skies! I wanted to share that feeling with you all, with pens and ink and all the things I love.
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.
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This last weekend I had the great privilege of attending the Atlanta pen show for the first time. I had a wonderful time (one that I will recount in another post, very soon), however, I was very impressed with one ink that I picked up during the show. The ink is Lamy Crystal Azurite. I hadn’t been able to find a bottle at most retailers, but I did come across this ink on the Dromgoole’s table ($16.00 at Dromgoole’s store). One of the many benefits of attending a pen show!
Lamy’s new line, the Crystal inks, are quite a bit of fun. Even though the line has taken the color names from heavily used semi-precious stones as so many other manufacturers have done previously, I enjoy the names much more than the usual Lamy labels. Blue-Black, Red, Green… This was a big step for them and I am happy with it.
The packaging for the ink is wonderful and quite secure; plenty of high-density foam and cardboard to hold the bottle in place. The glass bottle and metal lid are beautiful and a pleasant change from the larger bottles from Lamy, although they don’t have the detail of the blotting paper roll underneath. However, the colored band at the base of the lid is nice – it also matches the color of the ink closely.
I wasn’t able to wait until I arrived back home; I swatched Azurite after the show on Sunday night, excited to see my newest purple ink. As the ink dried on the Col-o-ring card, I fell in love. Look at the beautiful sheen!
One of the questions we always get with purple sheening inks is, how close is it to Lamy Dark Lilac? So here is the comparison shot:
There’s not really a close match here. Dark Lilac is on one end of the purple spectrum, towards red. Azurite is on the opposite end, as close to blue as possible without being shut out of purple completely. The word “Blurple” may apply here, but I would count this still solidly in the purple (or more accurately, violet) zone.
I pulled several color samples to show the color of the ink and the sheen quantity. In my opinion, Azurite is closest to Rohrer & Klingner Cassia, although slightly more saturated.
Although these two inks don’t have the same level of sheen, they are quite close in color to Azurite, so I included another shot with Bilberry and Charoite. Monteverde Charoite is a fairly close match to Azurite (and also from Monteverde’s gemstone collection).
I had no trouble with bleeding or feathering (the slight look of feathering here was actually because of pets getting too close) and the ink was of average flow, not too dry or too wet.
Azurite does seem to take a bit longer to dry, but only when used in large amounts such as my scribbling or when I pool the ink.
During ordinary writing, the dry time clocked in around 15 seconds. But don’t let your cat walk across your writing when trying to show the beautiful sheen! Honestly, my cat doesn’t do well with purple ink. Her paws look much nicer with turquoise.
I love the new Lamy Crystal Azurite. I know that many retailers are out of this color at the moment, but the good news is that the Crystal inks are part of Lamy’s permanent line. So just be patient – it will be available everywhere very soon! If you would like to purchase this from Dromgooles, you may need to contact the store. The option doesn’t yet seem to be available on their website. Don’t worry – they are all wonderful people.
Disclaimer: All items in this review were purchased by me. For more information, visit our About page.
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for the Compoco Airplane View package and take advantage of the generous discount. Compoco is currently offering a discount to Well-Appointed Desk readers. Receive 15% off your order through the month of April with the coupon code 15well.
Review by Laura Cameron
Oh hey… it’s notebook week! Did I tell you all that yesterday? I don’t know why, but Ana said so!
So to continue with notebook reviews today I’ve got a review of the Clairefontaine Zellige Leatherette Cover A5 Notebook Lined ($12.95) for you. I picked this up when I was in Arkansas for the pen show, but, in truth, I had seen Lisa at Vanness Pen Shop post it a few days before on her Instagram account and knew I wanted to touch one.
The Zellige Leatherette Cover Notebook comes in two sizes – A5 and A6. I picked up the A5 because it’s my favorite size.
According to the flavor text, Zellige means polished stones, but when I gave it a quick Google, I learned that Zellige is a style of mosaic where tiny polished tiles make up geometric patterns. Zellige is a style that is found in a variety of places but is iconic in Morocco, which happens to be where this notebook is made. When I look at the embossed faux leather cover, I definitely see mosaics and geometric patterns.
Let’s talk about the specs. The Zellige notebook has 72 pages of 90gsm ivory colored pages. The pages are lined in approximately 1/4″ ruling. The only thing I find a little odd is that the lines go all the way up to the top, with no room for a header.
To round out the specs, the spine is glued, and the inner covers of mine are burgundy colored. Finally, the journal comes in three colors: taupe (mine), beige and orange.
Clairefontaine has a reputation for having lovely paper, and this journal is no exception. The pages are smooth and creamy and I had no trouble with fountain pens, fine liners or gel pens. Of course the Sharpie bled through, but that’s no surprise.
As you can see, I’m not much of an artist (give me needles and yarn and we’ll talk!), but this book is a win for me. Now I only need to decide what purpose to dedicate it to!
DISCLAIMER: The notebook in this review was provided to us free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Review by Laura Cameron
A few weeks ago the lovely people at Compoco asked us if we’d like to sample their newest offering, the Airplane View A5 Journal ($21.00). A travel-themed journal with dot grid? You bet I said yes!
The Airplane View Journal is a bit tricky to photograph because the cover is an embossed faux leather in white. I’ve added my pictures in below, but I’m also including a better one from Compoco.
The thing I love about this journal is all the lovely touches they added to make this special. From the outside, there’s the beautiful cover, but the edges of the paper are also holographic!
When you open the book you’re treated to the lovely front and end pages which are blue sky and clouds. The back of the book also includes Compoco’s signature pocket, perfect to hold ticket stubs, stickers, receipts or other mementos of your journey!
Just beyond that is a cute title page, where you can indicate who the journal belongs to.
The remainder of the book is filled with lovely dot grid paper. The pages are white, and the dot grid is a pale grey. The pages are unnumbered but there are 192 of them; 184 of dot grid plus 8 perforated blank pages in case you need some paper to go.
Finally, the journal includes two, satin bookmarks (one pale blue, one white) and an elastic band to hold the book closed once you’ve stuffed it with your travel mementos! Any specs I may have missed are below:
So now let’s talk paper! The paper is great. It’s 100gsm and quite smooth. It takes ink beautifully, without bleeding or feathering. I tried everything at my desk, save the Sharpie, and while there’s a bit of ghosting, no bleed through!
I’m heading to Ireland in June, and I think I’ve just found my travel journal!
BONUS: Compoco is offering a discount to Well-Appointed Desk readers. Receive 15% off your order through the month of April with the coupon code 15well.
The Giveaway
But wait, there’s more. The lovely people at Compoco sent a box of swag for you!
Items in the giveaway package are:
TO ENTER: Leave a comment ON THIS POST ON THE BLOG and tell us where you would take your Airplane View Journal! One entry per person.
If you have never entered a giveaway or commented on the site before, your comment must be manually approved by our highly-trained staff of monkeys before it will appear on the site. Our monkeys are underpaid and under-caffeinated so don’t stress if your comment does not appear right away. Give the monkeys some time.
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Friday, April 12, 2019. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Saturday, April 13. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your actual email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear – just email you if you win. If winner does not respond within 7 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US residents and APO/FPO only please.
DISCLAIMER: The items included in giveaway were provided free of charge by Compoco. Please see the About page for more details.
