In feature

Coming Soon! Rickshaw x Well-Appointed Desk Pen Cases

Author AnaPosted on 13 Comments

I cannot tell you all how excited I am to announce my first-ever Rickshaw Bagworks pattern! I hand drew some of my favorite ink bottles in pen and ink.

Outside view Rickshaw Sinclair case
Outside view Rickshaw Sinclair case
Inside view of Rickshaw Sinclair case
Inside view of Rickshaw Sinclair case

I used a Platinum Carbon Desk Pen with Platinum Carbon Black ink — and then created ink splashes using liquid watercolor paint. I scanned all the art into my computer with a craggy old Epson all-in-one printer/scanner and then edited the pattern in Photoshop and adjusted the color of the splatters to create the color scheme you see here. Mark at Rickshaw transferred the patterns into Illustrator to align them to his templates and voila! The ink bottle pattern was born.

Currently, the linings in all the cases is the turquoise in either plush or nylon/poly — depending on the case.

1-, 2- and 3-pen coozy sleeves
Single, 2- and 3-pen coozy sleeves
Inside peek of the single pen coozy sleeve with my Sailor Line Friends pen peeking out!
2-pen sleeve, ready for action!
3-pen coozy with some very serious pens.

Can you name all the brands shown in the pattern?

All the art was created by hand. No AI. No tracing. No tomfoolery.

6-pen rolls. Regular roll on the left, deluxe roll on the right (with flap to protect pens)
6-pen rolls. Regular roll on the left, deluxe roll on the right (with flap to protect pens)
Interior view of 6-pen roll
Interior view of Deluxe 6-pen roll

Now, maybe you’re wondering, “How do I get one of these unique Rickshaw cases?” First, they will be available in person at the San Francisco Pen Show for their debut. We will have all the designs shown here PLUS Bonzai and A5 Field Bags. How much ink bottle pattern is too much?!?!?

A5 zippered pouch
Prototype has plush lining but the final version will have an easy-to-clean poly/nylon lining in the same color. Holds A5 and smaller notebooks, art supplies, cables and so much more. One of my favorite cases!

If you are unable to attend the show, you will have an opportunity to purchase the cases after the show either at Vanness Pen Shop or in my shop. I will let you know when those are available but it might be a couple weeks post-SF depending on if we sell out in SF.

The Coozy case is similar to the Sinclair but with a slightly boxier shape and no inner pockets. Great to corral pen sleeves, small notebooks, phone, cables and other items that get lost in the bottom of your bag.
A mini sketchbook (The Voyager Passport sketchbook is in my shop) fits perfectly in the Coozy case for a sketch-on-the-go kit!

Let me know in the comments if there are other designs or configurations that you are interested in purchasing and I may be able to add those to the shop in the future. Stay tuned and I can’t wait to share these with you in person!!!

In feature, Ink Review

Ink Review: Ferris Wheel Press Leadcast Letters

Author Jessica ColesPosted on Leave a comment
Ink Review: Ferris Wheel Press Leadcast Letters

Last weekend I attended the Washington DC show and helped at the Dromgoole’s booth selling ink and paper. While helping people find the perfect ink to match a pen or the latest release, I spent an enormous amount of time looking at ink colors and ink boxes. The Ferris Wheel Press boxes have caught my attention with their level of detail and story line. One of my favorites is the new Leadcast Letters. 

All of Ferris Wheel Press inks come in a glass bottle with a heavy brass cap. The detail on the Leadcast Letters box has a special place in my heart because of the letterpress print shop and a great one too.

The gold foil detail makes the scene pop.

Don’t forget the cats!

 

But the ink inside is actually my favorite feature here.

Leadcast Letters is an interesting color – a brown-gray with a bit of a yellow undertone. It is slightly darker with a touch more yellow than Sailor Maine and lighter than Rohrer & Klingner Sepia or J. Herbin Cacao Du Brésil.

Paper choice has a huge impact on the actual color of Leadcast Letters. Tomoe River (52gms TR7) paper gives the most neutral gray.

Cosmo Air Light paper brings out more blue tones while toning down the yellow.

Midori MD paper brings the yellow undertones to the point of appearing almost brown.

I lined up all three papers in one photo to try to capture the difference paper choice makes with this ink. Cosmo Air Light is the top paper, Midori MD in the center and Tomoe River paper on the bottom of the photo.

Leadcast Letters can be found for $22 for 38mL at Dromgoole’s, under $0.60 per mL placing it around the middle of the price range for inks. Which is your favorite paper/tone for Leadcast Letters?

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

In Link Love

Link Love: Back at the Desk!

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Link Love: Back at the Desk!

I was going to post about the DC Supershow but I realized two things. First, as always, I am so busy helping people during the show that I completely forget to take any photos. The only images I could show you are the ones I “borrow” from other people. And second, all anyone (including the internet) can talk about today is Stationery Fest currently taking place in Brooklyn. Between the long lines and the rainy morning weather, it look slike there may have been some challenges for the start of the event but everyone seems to be in good spirits and excited for this inaugural event. I recommend checking out posts on instagram under the hashtags: #stationeryfest2024 or #stationeryfest. If you want to find photos from DC, check out #DCpenshow2024

Pens:

Ink:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

Have you considered joining our Patreon? Patrons get extra content like a members-only podcast, access to our monthly virtual meet-up and more. Your supports helps us with such important things as pen purchases, server maintenance and cat food purchases. Kittens want more Churos! Without you, we could not continue to do what we do and the kittens go hungry. You don’t want that on your conscience, do you?

In feature

Stationery Store Day – August 3, 2024

Author Laura CameronPosted on Leave a comment

Tomorrow, August 3, is Stationery Store Day.

According to founder Kristina Burkley:

Stationery Store Day, much in the way of Record Store Day or 
Independent Bookstore Day, is a day carved out for everyone who loves 
paper to celebrate and lift up the most special specialty store: the 
paper shop!

So go visit your favorite independent stationery shops (there’s a list of independent shops here). If you’re able, purchase a few goodies. If you’re not able to purchase, you can still help! Post to social and tag your local shop or find the owner and tell them how much you love their space.

In Link Love

Link Love: Pen Show Holiday Hiatus

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Link Love: Pen Show Holiday Hiatus

Just a quick housekeeping heads-up. Jesi, Ana AND Laura will all be out of the office for the next couple days. Jesi and Ana are going to be at the DC Pen Show — working and playing and generally having a good time. Laura is going on a little family holiday getaway. Soooo, what does this mean for you?

The Desk will be a bit quiet for the next few days but we will be back in the chair on Wednesday, August 6. In the meantime, enjoy Link Love this week and we will have pen show reports and new content when we return. xoxoxo!

Pens:

Ink:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

Our Patreon community keeps getting better and you can a part of it too. First, it helps keep this website going for which I am eternally grateful. But you also get some great extras including a members-only podcast, newsletter and now a free printable calendar! Be one of us! Assimilate!

In Fountain Pen Review

Fountain Pen Review: Faber-Castell Grip

Author Laura CameronPosted on 4 Comments

Sometimes I like to go back and check out pens that I may have missed along the way. This is particularly the case for introductory pens, and often when I need to fill my cart for free shipping at JetPens! So this past week I ordered myself a Faber-Castell Grip Fountain Pen in Glam Violet (JetPens, $24).

At first look, the Faber-Castell Grip appears to be quite similar in body type to the Lamy Safari and the Pilot Explorer. All have similar plastic barrel shapes, slightly wider at the cap end, and slightly more tapered at the other end. All have clips, though those vary in style. All feature steel nibs. The grip sections are different. The Lamy Safari has that trademark triangular grip; the Pilot Explorer has a rounded, tapered grip; and the Faber-Castell Grip is somewhere in between. The Pilot Explorer retails for $25 and the basic Lamy Safari for $29.60. The other aesthetic difference in the Faber-Castell Grip are the raised dots on the body.

You can see that the weights between the three are comparable, and the lengths are similar as well (I don’t have a Safari in the collection, but I’ve added the Pilot Explorer and a TWSBI Eco here for comparison.)

Pen Weights

My experience with the Faber-Castell Grip was ok. I had what I wouldn’t consider an a-typical experience, although it might not be 100% perfect for a person brand new to fountain pens. The pen comes with an ink cartridge (you can use short or long, or opt for a converter). I went ahead and swapped that out for a purple one, but popped it in and got ready to write. As it turns out the tines were a little tight on this particular F nib, and needed to be loosened a bit to let the ink flow. The nib is a bit scratchy, and would benefit from just a touch of micro-mesh. As I said, I don’t consider this a bad new pen experience (all of these things can be fixed easily), but if I was a brand new beginner I might be frustrated at having trouble getting the pen started writing.

All that said, once it started, it writes well. The ink flows smoothly, and it’s easy to hold and write with. The pen is lightweight, and fun to look at, while being nicely balanced. I know I could write with this one for a while and not suffer hand fatigue.

I think the Faber-Castell Grip makes a pretty good starter pen. I like the aesthetic of the dots, and I think it’s a relatively inexpensive way to experiment with fountain pens and cartridges or inks!

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 Planners & Organizers

August Planner Set-Up: Lions & Sunflowers

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
August Planner Set-Up: Lions & Sunflowers

For the month of August, I decided to go with the theme “Leo” since August in the birth month for Leo. I was able to integrate yellows, oranges and other hot, late summer colors as well as sunflowers and lions, of course. I’m excited to play with these colors which I don’t use often.

Pens for August:

Fountain Pens for August:

Assorted supplies:

Not everything shown is listed below. Some items are so old I don’t remember where I got them and as a result are probably no longer available. So, dig into your own stash and show some love to those supplies buried in the back of your stationery cupboard.

And now for the full-video set-up with cats, babbling and a bit of that “plan with me” vibe! Enjoy!

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