The Well-Appointed Desk

I’m looking for landscape orientation notebooks. I know there’s a landscape orientation Rhodia Webnotebook, but I wouldn’t mind a color that isn’t orange or black. (Sacrilege, I know.) Do any other quality notebook companies make blank landscape orientation options, with binding on the short side? Fountain pen friendly always a bonus!

The sad truth of the matter is that there seems to be an assumption that if you want a horizontal/landscape notebook, you must be an artist and therefore only want a black book. The only company I could find that made landscape notebooks/sketchbooks with any other color cover was Hand Book Artists Journals Travelogue Series. I find the paper a little absorbent for some inks but overall its a thicker stock an good for light washes, and a variety of pen, pencil and media.

If you can live with a black cover though, the Rhodia would be best for fountain pens specifically. For mixed media, I can’t praise Stillman & Birn sketchbooks highly enough. I’ve used the Alpha and the Epsilon notebooks and I like them both. Stillman & Birn offer a landscape format in both softcover (this is new and looks NOT black!) and hardcover. The only Moleskine notebooks I’ve yet to try is the watercolor notebook and many people actually praise it. It’s available in the landscape format with 200 gsm, cold press paper which sounds pretty nice.

Hand Book Artist Journal Travelogue Series , which just happen to be local (Go, Kansas City!) They are available with a linen fabric cover in black, red, blue and green with a soft ivory paper inside.

In Art of the Day

Art of the Day: Art Gang Scarf

AnaDecember 14, 2015December 14, 20153 Comments

Has there ever been a fashion accessory more perfectly aligned to the readers of The Well-Appointed Desk than the Art Gang Scarf by Karl James Mountford? At 55″ square and made from microfiber polyester, this scarf can double as a cover up or even as a coverlet as demonstrated by my darling pal Sara Harvey over on her blog, Bleed in Colors. The scarf costs $35 and can be shipped in time for Christmas. So, if you were trying to think of a last-minute gift for me… this is it! 😉

In Ink Review

Ink Review: Bung Box 88 Green Tea

AnaDecember 14, 2015December 14, 20157 Comments

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Several months ago, some friends went in together on a group order for some Bung Box inks. By the time they finally arrived, I was up to my eye bals in things I needed to review so I pushed the Bung Box inks to the back of the pile. My friend was adamant I try the Bung Box 88 Green Tea ink ASAP. So I relented and moved it to the top of the pile this week and am i ever glad I did. Part of my hesitation might have been because I keep hoping I’ll find the perfect lime green ink and I’ve yet to find “the one” yet. So I didn’t want to have another pricey disappointment.

This particular ink came in the taller facted bottle which I really like. Initially I was not fond of the sort of low budget hand-drawn sticker labels but I find them sort of charming now. They are sort of quaint.

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It turns out I didn’t have so much to worry about. The Bung Box 88 Green Tea is a wonderfully usable “old money” green. I did, however, have some challenges photographing it. It looks a tad more yellowy in the photos than it actually appears in real life. Its as if the ink did not want me to capture its true spirit, like someone giving an awkward half smile when you try to take their picture.

I tested it with a Franklin-Christoph Fine Italic nib on Rhodia paper as well as a watercolor paintbrush and it gave lovely shading and dried in a reasonable amount of time. It wrote a bit greener than it dried, drying to a slightly browner hue but was quite legible and easy to read which is an issue I’ve had with green inks. If the color is a lovely lime, its often too light and transparent to be easily read at normal writing sizes or too dark and then becomes more of an evergreen or green black and no longer lime colored.

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I pulled out swatches of other green ink contenders. Pilot Iroshizuku Chiku-Rin is definitely a more vibrant lime color but can be difficult to read in fine nibbed pens as it is very translucent. The darker yellow brown in the Bung Box 88 makes it a better option for daily use, I think. Daniel De Foe and Diamine Safari are quite similar in color but are both from special edition runs and a touch more green than the yellowy green of the Bung Box 88 Green Tea. The last two inks I included are easier to acquire, regular edition inks but are definitely not as complex in color but are still good options if you’re looking for a different kind of green.

Like all Bung Box inks, #88 Green Tea is a custom created Sailor ink so it has all the fabulous properties Sailor puts into its inks. Its smooth flowing and writes beautifully. If you have the opportunity to invest in a bottle of Bung Box ink, I think its worth adding a bottle to your collection. No, they are not cheap. It’s definitely a luxury item. Depending on how you purchase your bottle, the cost per bottle ranges between $30-$40 per bottle but the colors are unique and well-made and definitely something you’ll enjoy using.

In Planners & Organizers

Planner: Get To Work Book

AnaDecember 12, 20153 Comments

Several times this week, I’ve mentioned to people about the Get To Work Book. Its a beautiful planner made by Elise Blaha Cripe AKA Elise Joy. The Get to Work Book can be described like a lot of other planners on the market right now: twin-ring, tabbed with a vertical week-on-two-pages and a monthly calendar. It features a Monday start, It also includes note and brainstorm space, 16 “project breakdown” pages for large tasks, 13 “reflect and goal-set” pages and a pocket on inside back cover (View the page layouts here).

What makes it unique is how beautifully it is designed. It has 12 motivational text prints for each month that can be perforated out of the book and hung up or kept in the planner. The design is contemporary and beautiful but not fussy. The covers are kraft colored and all the printed elements are black and grey to be neutral and non-distracting. The paper is listed as “Sharpie friendly” which suggests that it might handle some fountain pen inks and other tools pretty well.

The pages are 7″ x 9″ and the overall book dimensions are 8.25″ x 9″ x 1″ so its not necessarily a petite, pocket-sized planner. But its comparable in size to a lot of the spiral planners on the market. The new 2016 edition starts with January though I believe they launched this past July with a mid-year edition so they may offer that again in 2016 as well.

The Get to Work Planer sells for $55. The price is comparable to a lot of other planners. While the Get to Work Book is not blingy nor does it come with a community of sticker makers and decorate-with-me videos, it will set you on the course to get organized while giving you plenty of space to bling and decorate, if that strikes your fancy.

Elise also has some really great ideas for goal setting and planning on her blog.

In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: Tea Time

AnaDecember 11, 2015December 11, 20158 Comments

Fashionable Friday Par-Tea

This week, I teamed up with Laura over at The Corner of Knit and Tea to pair some wonderful paper and ink goods with some tummy- and toe-warming tea and yarn for a snuggly, winter Fashionable Friday. Whether you love black tea, oolong or a nice herbal tea, there’s a little something here for you! And consider this a little bit of a gift guide for the tea and paper inclined as well.

We selected some of our favorite goodies in paper,ink, tea and knitty loveliness. And hope it makes you want to settle in for the winter with all your favorites.

Rite in the Rain Centennial Series, available in 4 1/4″ x 6 3/4″ for $24.95 or 6 3/4″ x 8 3/4″ for $29.95 (via Rite in the Rain)
Season’s Pick Earl Grey Crème Vanilla 250gm packet $9.78 (via Upton Tea)
J. Herbin Lie de The in 30ml Bottle $11.00 (via Goulet Pens)
Field Notes Shenandoah $9.95 for a 3-pack (via Pen Chalet)
A Teacup Collection Notes: 20 Different Notecards and Envelopes $14.95 (via Amazon)
Ohto Needle-Point Slim Line 03 Ballpoint Pen – 0.3 mm – Gold Body $8.25 (via JetPens)
Lamy Logo fountain pen Nut Brown € 34,90 tax incl. (via Fontoplumo)
Visconti Saturno Fountain Pen – Green Lapetus, Fine $595 (via Goulet Pens)
Curve Teapot with Infuser 45 oz. $46 (via For Life Design)
Rifle Paper Co – 2016 Calendar – Coffee & Tea Calendar $34.95 (via Notemaker)
J. Herbin 1670 Anniversary Ink Stormy Grey in 50ml Bottle $26 (via Anderson Pens)
De Atramentis Drinks Green Tea Bottled Ink $15.95 (via Goldspot Pens)
Karas Pen Co Standard Notebooks $3.33 each (via Karas Kustoms)
Downton Abbey Christmas Tea Bags $12.00 for a Tin of 36 Tea Bags (via Republic of Tea)
Velos V Paper Clips – Gold $2 (via Fresh Stock Japan)
What Is A Weekend Mug $17.95 (via Republic of Tea)
Junkies Java Jerkin Argyle Cup Sleeve Knitting Pattern Free (via Ravelry)

Not pictured but too cool not to include:

One of my absolute favorite tea companies is Adagio and I love their fandom blends. A personal favorite blend collection is “The Town we do not Speak of“. Its a collection of tea blends based on characters from the podcast, Welcome to Nightvale. My personal favorite blends are Hooded Figures, Glow Cloud, Perfect Carlos and Steve Carlsberg. The sampler set is available for $19 and includes Cecil, Perfect Carlos, The Management, The Weather, Hooded Figures and Steve Carlsberg in 0.5 oz tins. Highly recommended.

“Stop! Tea Time!” A3 Riso Print €18 (via Esther Aarts)
“Can’t we all just get oolong?” Note Card $4 (via Etsy)
Moleskine Passions Tea Journal $16.34 (via Amazon)
Oak Leaf and Acorn Ceramic Teapot by hughes pottery $90 USD (via Etsy)
Chronicle Books Letterpress Notebooks by Darling Clementine, Pack of 2 $17.50 (via JetPens)

Laura and I had too much fun doing this so we’ll probably do this again since there’s nothing better together than a notebook, a good pen and a nice cup of tea. Be sure to check out Laura’s blog too as she has lots of reviews and recommendations for tea and knitting!