In Fountain Pen Review

Review & Giveaway: Benu Pixie Fountain Pen

Author Laura CameronPosted on 72 Comments

When Ana goes to pen shows, we all get gifts. Why should the Baltimore show be any different?

Ana has recovered from her traveling and we got together for coffee this past weekend. She presented me with two boxes, courtesy of Luxury Brands USA, holding two of the new BENU Pixie Fountain Pens. You know what that means right? One for me and one for you!

L to R: Franklin Christoph x Vanness 45, BENU Pixie, BENU Pixie, Kaweco AL Sport Iguana Blue

The Benu Pixie is a new entry into the pocket pen, perfect for every day carry. And this one is tiny! It’s shorter than both the Kaweco AL Sport and the Franklin Christoph 45, coming in at 3.58″/9cm closed, and  4.75″/12cm posted. I don’t generally post my pens, but this one definitely needs it, even in my small hands!

L to R: Franklin Christoph x Vanness 45, BENU Pixie, BENU Pixie, Kaweco AL Sport Iguana Blue
L to R: Franklin Christoph x Vanness 45, BENU Pixie, BENU Pixie, Kaweco AL Sport Iguana Blue

The BENU Pixie ranges in price from $59-72 depending on design (solid resins are $59, whereas dual color with glitter are $72). They are international cartridge filled only – even the Kaweco converter is too big for this tiny pen. They are available in 10 colors (shown here in Emerald Sea/F Nib and Coffee Brown/EF Nib) and you can choose EF, F, M and B steel nibs.

How do they write? I chose to test the Coffee Brown since it kind of goes along with my Mocha Mousse year.  I popped in a cartridge and it was off to the races. The ink flowed well into the nib and it wrote right away. The EF nib had a bit of feedback, but wasn’t too scratchy and the pen was comfortable in my hand. I did try without posting and that wasn’t terrible comfortable, but your mileage may very. Overall, I think this is a nice way to get the look of fun resin pens at a more entry level price tag, since comparable models from Carolina Pen Co., Franklin Christoph and the like are more expensive.

So that’s my take on it! But wait, there’s more.

THE GIVEAWAY: One lucky reader is going to win their choice of the two BENU Pixie pens above! Your pen will arrive in original packaging and with a few cartridges in as close to matching colors as I have.

Note: I inked the Coffee Brown for the purposes of this review and will clean it thoroughly if that is your choice – otherwise you can choose the pristine Emerald Sea.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and tell me which color pen you would prefer? Play along and type in something. It makes reading through entries more interesting for me, okay? 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 11, 2025. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Monday. 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. If winner does not respond within 5 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US and APO/AFO only, sorry.

DISCLAIMER: Both BENU Pixie Fountain Pens were provided to The Well-Appointed Desk  free of charge for the purposes of this review and giveaway by Luxury Brands USA (retail value: $59 & $72). Please see the About page for more details.

In feature

Hot Dang Press Iron-On Transfers Insanity!

Author AnaPosted on 3 Comments
Hot Dang Press Iron-On Transfers Insanity!

While at the Chicago Stationery Fest, we met the delightful couple who runs Hot Dang Press and we acquired a couple sets of their iron-on transfer sheets for future use. Well, it wasn’t that far in the future before I grabbed my trusty ironing board and iron and went transfer crazy!

Bob bought the I Heart Chicago Sheet Set but proceeded to leave it at the shop so I was left with the Linocut Sheet Set in Cream I bought. Each set sells for $22 and includes TWO sheets (one for you and one for a friend?!?!)

Once I got started, nothing was safe!

Step 1: choose location for iron on transfers
Step 2: cover with Parchment paper and press with medium-hot iron for 20 seconds.
Step 3: LET COOL! Peel gently (if the plastic oversheet doesn’t lift easily, reapply heat). Then cover with parchment and press with iron to set.

The process to iron the transfers on is super easy. You cut out your chosen design, heat your iron to medium-high (I set mine to the cotton/linen setting) with no steam. You then lay the transfer sticky side down, plastic side up, cover with a piece of baking parchment over the transfer and then iron it onto your chosen surface. You press for about 20 seconds and then LET IT COOL before peeling. If the transfer does not peel off easily, iron it again and LET IT COOL again. Once it peels successfully, cover the transfer with your parchment paper again and iron it again to set it. Done. Repeat on the next item.

And did I ever repeat! I transferred on to canvas bags, poly-cotton pouches, totes, and leather notebook covers.

The Totes:

I added a bird to my favorite Oxford book tote (from Levenger many years ago) to start.

Then I added and all-seeing eye to my favorite travel bag from Fjallraven (The Totepack No. 1) which is already covered with patches. (Please overlook all the damn cat hair! It’s shedding season!)

And this LL Bean tote that I bought for $3 at a yard sale seemed like the perfect place for the skull and stars. (Similar to the Boat ‘n’ Tote).

The Leather Goods:

The only oopsie in my whole process was the fish I added to the top of the navy Traveler’s Notebook above. I melted the fins just a little bit. The shell transferred just fine. I just over ironed the fish.

I added a leaf shape to my 5th anniversary Traveler’s Notebook Passport that I use as a wallet. LOVE!!!

The above Traveler’s-style Leather cover got the Chicago Flag transfer at the event by the team at Hot Dang but I added the flaming heart and flower.

Then I took a chance and applied the moon and stars transfer to my beloved Galen Leather 3-Pen zip case in crazy horse leather. Tip from me: be sure to cover the whole surface of your surface because I did end up getting some lines on the leather from my iron because I didn’t cover it completely with parchment. You’ve been warned!

Defacing NockCo Cases:

This. This cracked me up. I added this bow transfer to the 2017 Pen Addict-NockCo Kickstarter pouch above the snap. How could I not?!?!

I think it looks perfect.

My used and abused Brasstown (its been through the washing machine after a nasty pen leak) seemed like a perfect candidate for a mushroom — right next to more ink stains.

Other Pouches:

I knew the cat transfer had to be on this black Nomadic PW-11 Boat Shaped Pen Case.

Looks pretty cool, huh?!?!

On the side zipper pocket, I added a rainbow design to this EASTHILL Big Capacity Pencil Case.

The most challenging case that I tried to add a transfer onto was the Raymay Clam Pencase because I had to turn it inside out and find a firm shape to put under the area I wanted the transfer to stick.

After repeated efforts, I did get it to work and I love it so it was 100% worth it.

Final Comments:

So its safe to say I’m a big fan of Hot Dang Press and iron-on transfers. I still have a few left in my set and eventually Bob will bring that Chicago set home and then I’ll start covering his stuff with iron-ons too.

I suspect all be ordering more iron-on transfers from Hot Dang in the near future. I really like the Stationery Addict Sheet Set and the All Cats Sheet Set.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. 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.

In feature

Giveaway Winner: Virtual Chicago Stationery Fest Kit

Author AnaPosted on 3 Comments
Giveaway Winner: Virtual Chicago Stationery Fest Kit

Thanks to everyone who played along and shared their most recent pen show, pen meet-up or pen shopping trip. I got to virtually shop with all of your and it was a blast.

The winner of our  Virtual Chicago Stationery Fest Kit is:

Cograts, DeeOrbra, I have emailed you directly so check your email today and I can mail your kit out this week.

Thanks to everyone and stay tuned! We have plans for another giveaway soon!

In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: Everyday is Caturday

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Fashionable Friday: Everyday is Caturday

This has been a week so I though maybe a little Cat Love is what we need today. As I write this, I have a big tabby cat passed out on my lap so I think he approves!

Thanks to my 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 your support and for supporting the shops that help keep it running.

In Link Love

Link Love: Once again, with more sneezing!

Author AnaPosted on 5 Comments
Link Love: Once again, with more sneezing!

I think I’m jinxed. I got ANOTHER cold while traveling to the Chicago Stationery Fest. Between being tired from the trip and catching yet another cold, last week was a blur of sneezing, sleeping and tissues. Today is the first day that I am starting to feel human again. I might venture to the grocery store. I feel like this is a turning point.

In other news, it looks like I’ll be attending the Little Craft Fest/Houston Stationery Fest after all. The kind folks at Dromgoole’s have asked me to help at their tables and I’m thrilled to visit Houston for the first time. I’ll have more information in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

Event Wrap-Ups:

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

Thanks to all our Patrons who keep this site running. Without you, we could not continue to do what we do.  You too can be an active part of this stationery community by joining our Patreon today. You’ll get access to free printables, a bi-weekly podcast and more. Thank you!

In Ink Review

Ink Review: Ferris Wheel Press Steeped Umber

Author Laura CameronPosted on 1 Comment

I sort of wanted to title this post “Another Swing, Another Miss,” but I figured it was better to make it searchable right? I’m referring, of course, to my quest for the perfect brown matching the Pantone Color of the Year Mocha Mousse (spoiler: this isn’t it).

This is Ferris Wheel Press Steeped Umber ($3 for 4ml), and while it is not Mocha Mousse, it is a lovely brown that leans red.

I’ll be honest, I have not been terribly impressed with Ferris Wheel Press inks in the past. Most of the ones I’ve tried have feathered and bled on my papers (old Tomoe River and Maruman – see details at the bottom of the post for paper specs). This one didn’t do that at all.

This is just a nice rich brown, with a hint of red. Umber is a pigment, and steeped makes me think tea?

One of the things I love when I start looking for Pantone color dupes is that I end up building a nice collection in whatever that shade is. Here’s quite a few of my browns. Some lean yellow, some lean red, some lean pink…. none of them look exactly alike. Is that a win? I don’t know!

Overall I like this one!

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 feature

Giveaway: Virtual Chicago Stationery Fest Kit

Author AnaPosted on 61 Comments
Giveaway: Virtual Chicago Stationery Fest Kit

I picked up extra goodies from the Chicago Stationery Fest to share with one lucky reader.

  • Paper & Pencil Canvas Mini Tote (AKA “a house purse” purchased at Paper & Pencil)
  • Endless Recorder STEALTH “Chicago” Notebook (donated by Retro51)
  • Pouch Magazine (purchased at Paper & Pencil)
  • Chicag-o-ring Special Edition Col-o-ring Ink Swatching Book (donated by me!)
  • Roll of Inky Dreams Washi Tape (donated by me!)
  • Stickers, postcards, event brochure with all vendors listed and assorted swag

I hope that our winner will like this little bundle of goodies as much as I do and gives you a little bit of that “I went to a Stationery Fest” without having to travel.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and tell me what the last pen show, pen event, meet-up or pen shop you visited. If it hasn’t happened yet, what event are you planning to attend this year? Play along and type in something. It makes reading through entries more interesting for me, okay? 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 4, 2025. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Monday. 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. If winner does not respond within 5 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US and APO/AFO only, sorry.