The Well-Appointed Desk

Link Love: Back at the Desk!

AnaAugust 7, 2024August 7, 20241 Comment

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

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

Laura CameronAugust 2, 2024July 31, 2024Leave 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

AnaJuly 31, 2024July 30, 20241 Comment

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:

The Wing Sung 601a (via Left Hook Pens)
Wancher PuChiCo Mini Fountain Pen (via The Pen Addict)
Kaweco Sport Carmine Fude Nib (via Mountain of Ink)
Two Caran d’Ache 849 Ballpoints Limited Editions – Keith Haring and Nespresso Kazaar edition (via Writing at Large)
Review: Pilot Decimo Violet Fountain Pen (via Inky Imaginings)

Ink:

Diamine German Exclusive – Badentinte for PapierFischer (via FOUNTAIN PEN INK ART)
Ink Review #822: Color Traveler Fireworks (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist)
Ink Review #2593: KWZ Cherry (via Mountain of Ink)
Ink Review #2582: Robert Oster Rust Orange (via Mountain of Ink)

Notebooks & Paper:

You Tuber Under The Spotlight – ‘Flatability’ (via Philofaxy)
Interesting Japanese Diaries (via Notebook Stories)
How to Build Better Habits with your Bullet Journal (via Bullet Journal)
Field Notes “Index” Edition (via Tools and Toys)
Pencil boards? (via Stationery Pizza)
Adding Visual Interest to a Planner or Journal (via An Inkophile’s Blog)
Kokuyo Paper Explained (via JetPens Blog)

Art & Creativity:

Sketcher Fest Auxiliary Events (via Fueled by Clouds & Coffee)
Sketchbook 2 & 3 (eBook) (via Drewscape)
My artist way of staying sane (via Drewscape)
The Delightfully Saturated History of Color Charts (via Hyperallergic)
Palette Refresh (via Apple-Pine)
An Honest Start of a New Sketchbook (via Apple-Pine)

Other Interesting Things:

Prepping for a Pen Show (via Rachel’s Reflections)
2024 Pacific Northwest Pen Show – Recap and Report Card (via The Pen Addict)
Kobo “Libra Colour” E-reader (via Tools and Toys)
47: a stop-motion short that’ll have you in bits, in six minutes flat (via Creative Boom)
A Swift Way to Travel: TRAVELER’S FACTORY TO&FRO collaboration (via TRAVELER’S COMPANY USA)
Perseid Meteor Shower Will Be Impressive in August 2024 (via My Modern Met)

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

Laura CameronJuly 30, 2024July 30, 20244 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!

Papers: Galen A5 EveryDay Book (set of 3 for $32.00)
Pen: Faber-Castell Grip Fountain Pen in Glam Violet (JetPens, $24)
Ink: Diamine Imperial Purple (from the Mixed Ink Set, 20 cartridges for $9.50)

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

AnaJuly 29, 2024July 29, 2024Leave a comment

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:

Pentel Brush Sign Pen in Pale Brown ($2.50)
Zebra Mildliner in Beige from the Natural Color Set ($8)
Uni Pin 01 in Sepia ($2.45)
Muji 0.25 Orange Gel Pen (no longer available)
Pentel Hybrid Dual Metallic (Gold+Metallic Red and Gold) (color no longer available)
Zig Clean Color Dot “Summer Sun” ($3.45)

Fountain Pens for August:

Kaweco Sport Iridescent ($27) with Robert Oster Campfire (Phidon Pens Exclusive) (no longer available)
Nagasawa City Fresh Green (no longer available) with Vinta Karnival ($14.50)
Sailor ProColor (no longer available) with Kaweco Caramel Brown ($11)

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.

Stalogy B6 Grid ($24)
Bassy & Co custom B6 leather cover (no longer selling! Booo!!!!)
Creeping Moon Draco Metal Journal Clip ($16)
Creeping Moon There Be Dragons washi tape ($6)
Creeping Moon Twigs washi tape ($4)
The Secret of Light Years washi tape set ($9.99)
Vintage Washi Tape Set ($7.98)
Monthly Date Stickers ($6.99)
Midori 2024 A6 Monthly Calendar Stickers (no longer available)
The Botanist Sticker Anthology ($14.49)
The Antiquarian Sticker Book: Bibliophilia (The Antiquarian Sticker Book Series) ($17.98)
FAYWARE Ephemera Book Washi Vintage Stickers ($13.99)
Loads of Ephemera Sticker Book ($9.89)
Bunches of Botanicals Sticker Book ($9.89)
StiikiClub stickers (approx. $3.50 per sheet)
B6 calendar printable PDF (available free to all Patrons)

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.

In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: Island Adventure

AnaJuly 26, 2024July 22, 20241 Comment

I admit it. I’ve spent my summer inside, pretending to be a little, big-eyed kitty running around on a fantasy island swimming like a mermaid, baking pastries and scavenging for shells, lemons and pineapples. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I’ve fallen victim to the delights of Hello Kitty Island Adventure. It’s a video game currently exclusive to the Apple Arcade platform but it has been announced that in 2025, it will be available for the Nintendo Switch (and with lots of speculation that it might be available on Steam and other platforms soon afterwards).

If you loved Animal Crossing during the pandemic, Hello Kitty Island Adventure may be your next video game love. There are some elements that fans of Animal Crossing will find familiar like decorating cabins. But there’s other elements that are uniquely cozy additions to Hello Kitty’s Friendship Island: like being able to swim in the sea (complete with a mermaid tail!)

While I am not inclined to decorate my office in full Hello Kitty products (well, maybe a little bit!), I like the idea of blending in some elements from the game like fruits, mermaids, shells and the like with a few dashes of Hello Kitty cuteness like notebooks, sticky notes and a couple pens. We all have the right to be delighted with our surroundings and our tools and Sanrio has been my favorite cute pick-me-up since I was about 7 years old.

Beverly Planner Companion Stamp Set – Tea and Sweets ($13.25)
Hand Painted Strawberry Figural Ceramic Mug ($8.99)
Hello Kitty x Baggu Standard Baggu (Apples) ($14)
Silver Buffalo Gudetama Ceramic Mug/Bowl (24 Oz) (19.99)
2-Pack Leather Keychain Holder Case (Strawberry & Persimmon) ($14.99)
Kamio Kuromi Fluffy Patch Pen Case ($25)
Sanrio Hapidanbui Pentel EnerGel Gel Pen (0.5 mm Black Ink Limited Edition) ($6)
Kamio Cinnamoroll Turn Open Pen Case ($26)
Kamio Sanrio My Melody Die-Cut Sticky Notes ($6)
Erin Condren A5 Spiral Notebook Hello Kitty Daily Kindness and Joy notebook ($26.99)
LARGE SCALLOP Decoupage Trinket/Ring Dish (starting at $18)
Kaweco HELLO KITTY Fountain Pen (Opal Silver Edition, Fine Nib) ($158)

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.

In Paper Review

Sticky Note Day: Midori MD A7 Sticky Memo Pad (Blank)

AnaJuly 25, 2024July 25, 20242 Comments

Our Sticky Note Day series ha ventured into playful and unique styles of sticky notes but today, we are going to discuss the “cadillac of sticky notes” — the Midori MD A7 size Sticky Memo Pad ($11). I purchased the blank style as that feel most like a classic sticky note but with premium Midori MD paper stock. Midori also offers these little treasures in dot grid, graph, lined and frame (blank with a line around the edge). Each pad has 80 sheets which is considerably more than most (30, 40 or 50 sheets at most) so that helps defray a little bit of its premium price.

The memo pad comes with a wraparound paperboard cover to protect the paper. It’s a nice touch, especially if you put your sticky notes in a pouch or slide it in and out of a bag.

And what is nest about the Midori MD sticky memo? The paper, of course! All my daily pens– brush pens, fountain pens and gel pens– work beautifully.

The A7 size (2.9″ x 4.1″) is a little longer than the standard Post-It note size (3″ x 3″) so instead of square, they are oblong. The extra space is not dramatically large but its worth noting.

Viewing the back… no bleed through and minimal show through so of course, I’m thrilled.

Yes, the Midori MD Sticky Memo Pads are pricey but there is a good amount of paper, a nice protective cover and, most importantly, paper worthy of a paper snob like me.

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.