In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: Cassandra from The Librarians

Author AnaPosted on 3 Comments

FF-cassandra

I don’t know if you’re familiar with the new TV series, The Librarians. Its based on a series of made-for-TV movies starring Noah Wylie about an Indiana Jones-like librarian collecting mystical artifacts à la Warehouse 13. So when I heard plans to launch an on-going series, I cheered like a little girl getting a pony on her birthday. The show is great and I love Cassandra’s quirky fashion sense — a mix of girlie sweet and tough chick. So, this week’s Fashionable Friday is inspired by the girl with the calculator brain.

  • Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen Violet Leopard F Nib $14.50 (via Jet Pens)
  • Pilot Metal Falcon Collection Fountain Pen in Burgundy $240 (via Pen Chalet)
  • Rohrer & Klingner Ink in Alt-Bordeaux $12 (via Goulet Pens)
  • Apica CD-10 Notebook in Light Green 4.1 x 5.8 $2.80 (via Goulet Pens)
  • Bibliotheque Trek Tote $19.99 (via ModCloth)
  • Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Me 4 Color Multi Pen in Gold Ivory $9 (via Jet Pens)
  • Equation Elation Mug $14.99 (via ModCloth)
  • Adhesive Leather Pen Holder in Zebra & Green $5.95 $4.46 (via MochiThings)
  • Noodler’s Dark Matter Ink $12.50 (via Goulet Pens)
  • Midori Brass Bullet Ballpoint Pen with White Body and Black Ink $27 (via Jet Pens)
In feature, news

Top 5 Posts of 2014

Author AnaPosted on 3 Comments

Wordpress fireworks

WordPress kindly sends out a yearly round-up of blog statistics. Since I didn’t move The Well-Appointed Desk to a privately hosted server until autumn, the stats are a little wonky but the most popular posts are pretty accurate. Want to see the list and see if you missed any of them?

  1. The Epic Refill Reference Guide: Rollerball, Gel and Ballpoints
  2. Turn a Blank Notebook into a Lined Notebook (AKA Guide Sheets!)
  3. Customizing a Midori Traveler Notebook
  4. Review: Hobonichi Planner 2014
  5. Review: Productive Luddite Notebooks Part 1

I think its pretty interesting that four out of five of the posts were focused on paper, notebooks or planners.

Other Stats: I posted 365 posts in 2014 and there are over 840 posts in the archives. If you’re looking for something specific, try using the search field. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, drop me an email using the Ask The Desk link at the top of the page.

Thanks to everyone for reading this blog, leaving comments and generally being awesome. Happy writing in 2015!

In news

Pre-Order: Lamy Al-Star in Copper Orange

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment

Lamy Al-Star in Copper Orange

Our fine friends over at Fontoplumo just posted the opportunity to pre-order the new Lamy AL-Star in the special 2015 Copper Orange color. There is also a  special copper orange ink cartridge set available. The fountain pen is 26,90 € (about $32.50US) and the ink cartridges are a pack of 5 for 1,95 € (about $2.30US). The copper orange is also available in rollerball and ballpoint pen versions.

The Lamy limited edition Safaris and Al-Stars are quite popular and reasonably priced. This is a great way to get a good pen in a novel, new color. While I am not a fan of the molded grip for left-handed writers, many folks love these pens — both right- and left-handed.

You can pre-order today and receive your pen and/or ink in February. I placed a pre-orer with Fontoplumo last year for the Kaweco Sport Skyline edition in Mint and it arrived several weeks earlier than I expected so Frank ships out as soon as products are available, even internationally.

Lamy Al-Star Copper Orange Ink

In Link Love

Link Love: Resolve to do it all better in 2015

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments

rp_link-ana1.jpgThis week, I’ve decided to skip my traditional RSS feed and go in search of interesting sites and articles to help you achieve whatever paper-related goals you might have for 2015. Do you want to get more organized; improve your handwriting; write more letters or start journaling? Here’s this week’s new year’s edition of Link Love!

Get organized:

Ready for tomorrow.

A photo posted by Patrick Rhone (@patrickrhone) on

Plan it out:

Writing More:

(Fabulous Spoonflower fabric with pen nibs via Lefty Lettering)

Handwriting & Penmanship:

 

Letter Writing:

Other Cool Stuff:

In news

Crowd-Funded: Brauller Writing Tool

Author AnaPosted on 3 Comments

Have you heard about the new crowd-funded aluminum pen, the Brauller? It appears to be a pen designed to customize by slipping the refill unit out of one case and allowing the user to slide it into a different colored case while swapping out the grip and/or cap as well. The Brauller takes an assortment of standard Parker-style and European rollerball/Pilot G2 refills. So, if you’re looking for something new and different from the Render K, TechLiner, Pen Type-A or Ti pen, than maybe you’ll be interested in this.

From the product description, it sounds like the pen will be created in the designer’s Portuguese city of Vale do Ave so be aware that “international shipping” theoretically means anyone not living in Portugal.

I really want to like this product but it feels a little gimmicky to me. Rather than having two functional pens in two barrel colors, I could end up with one functional pen and a change of clothes for it that I’ll need to store and keep track of.  Also, the video included does not show how assembly and re-assembly occurs. Its a very opaque video that doesn’t really show the pen in action. Sadly, with a new product developer, I need to see the product in more detail, the creators and generally speaking more technical information rather than a flashy “magic” video.

Is this a project you might back?

In Pen Review

Review: Uni Power Tank 0.7 Smart Series Pen Review

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment

Uni Power Tank pen 0.7

The Uni Power Tank Smart Series 0.7 ($3.30) is another in the growing pressurized ballpoint market. The pressurized ink cartridges are designed to allow the pen to be used in severe weather, upside and in zero gravity though I’ve not had a lot of call to test the validity of these claims. The Fisher Space Pen is the original pressurized ballpoint. I don’t own one but my husband has one that he loves and uses regularly. The Fisher Space Pen is a small compact design with a standard Parker-style refill but the refill is pressurized to be used in extreme circumstances. I have a Rite in the Rain metal refillable pen that a reader sent to me as well.

Uni Power Tank pen 0.7 comparison

The Uni Power Tank is a “disposable” pen so the entry to use is a little lower. Since its a standard plastic barrel pen, it doesn’t feel like a commitment to a pen lifestyle. I’ve previously reviewed the Tombow Airpress ballpoint pen which is a similar idea to the Uni Power Tank.

Compared to the Tombow Airpress which has a very wide, stout appearance, the Uni Power Tank Smart Series is a more streamlined pen design. The width for the Uni Power Tank Smart Series is similar to a Sharpie marker — wider than a hex pencil but not as chunky as the Airpress. The grip area is textured with some horizontal ridges but its not a particularly cushy bit.

In writing, there is no discernible difference between the Airpress and the Power Tank. If you like the funky Stormtrooper vibe of the Airpress, go for it. For me, though, I’m not a huge lover of ballpoints but sometimes I need one and sometimes I need a writing tool that is going to work after months of neglect. When I need that, I’m going to reach for the Power Tank.

I think of the Uni Power Tank Smart Series as being a very no-nonsense pen. It works in severe conditions, you can leave this pen in your car from Key West to Fargo without worrying about it exploding or leaking or ceasing to function. At less the $4, you can leave the Power Tank on the diner table on that epic road trip and not be heart broken over the loss.

Uni Power Tank pen 0.7 writing sample

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Jet Pens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

 

In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: Pantone Color of the Year 2015 – Marsala

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments

FF--Marsala-2015

Every year, for the past few years, color experts Pantone chooses what it thinks will be the color of the year. This year, they selected a deep wine-y red they call Marsala. I immediately thought of all the inky possibilities available in the burgundy, red-black and deep berry range. There were so many to choose from but I chose Private Reserve as the closest match to Marsala. Which inky color do you think is most “marsala”?

  • Rifle Paper Co Blank Card – Burgundy Vintage Blossoms $6.45 (via Notemaker)
  • Pilot G-2 Gel Ink Pen – 0.7 mm – Burgundy Red $1.50 (via Jet Pens)
  • Kokuyo Enpitsu Mechanical Pencil – 0.9 mm – Wine Red Body $2.95 (via Jet Pens)
  • Edison Pearlette Fountain Pen – Violet Flake $149 (via Goulet Pens)
  • Raymay Davinci System Leather Binder in Pocket Size – Wine $50 (via Jet Pens)
  • A Low Hill Double Pocket Pouch v2 $30.95 $23.21 (via MochiThings)
  • Pentel Sharp Drafting Pencil – 0.5 mm – Burgundy Body $4.80 (via Jet Pens)
  • Kaweco Sport Classic Fountain Pen in Bordeaux 16,95 € (via Fontoplumo)
  • Noodler’s Burgundy Ink $12.50 (via Goulet Pens)
  • Private Reserve Black Cherry $11 (via Goulet Pens)
  • Field Notes Arts & Sciences Edition $9.95 for a set of two (via Field Notes)
  • Antique Silver Ruby Red Glass Inkwell Desk Ink Well $12.99 (via Amazon)

(Fashion inspiration from Pinterest: man’s tie, office space and woman in skirt, respectively. The central photo of the desk came from an article on Apartment Therapy about marsala burgundy used in home decor, if you’re interested.)