The Well-Appointed Desk

It took me almost a year to fill up my first Word Cards ring with ink swatches. It was a Kyokuto brand Word Cards ring I purchased in San Francisco from Maido for about $3. I liked the Kyokuto cards well enough that I wanted to buy a new ring but could not find them available online anywhere. As a result, I decided to try out the Maruman Word Cards. The Maruman cards are a little larger than 4″x2″ so they are visibly larger in size than the Kyokuto cards and a bit pricier ($4.45) for 100 cards. They do have pleasing rounded corners and a toothier stock so the increase in price does not seem wholly unreasonable.

Word Cards

Maruman Word Cards

At first, I was worried that the Maruman cards were not going to be white enough to give a clear representation of the ink colors but it turned out not to be the case. The Maruman cards are a touch softer white than the Kyokuto cards but not so much as to alter the ink colors.

Maruman Word Cards comparison

The tooth of the paper definitely gives the ink someplace to settle into and potentially show off any tonal variations in the inks which I quite like. The larger sized cards give me more room for both swabs and potentially a little writing sample when the inks get filled into pens.

And the biggest plus for the Maruman Word Cards is that they have continued to be available on JetPens for several years so I should not have to change or upgrade my ink cataloging system again anytime soon.

In feature

All the Pencil-Related Things

AnaFebruary 9, 2015February 2, 20156 Comments

Sometimes, the stars align and my in-box is full of tips related to one specific topic. This week, it seemed to be all things pencIl-related. So, I thought I’d share my finds.

marshmallow pencil

This darling little pencil twig topped with a big pink eraser “mashmallow”. Perfect for fireside doodles. $13.99 from Animi Causa.

pencil socks yarn kit by Yarn Enabler

Then I found this beautiful hand dyed yarn from Yarn Enabler on Etsy that will stripe as you knit to make these awesome pencil socks. Yellow pencil stitch markers are also available as part of the kit. Yarn kit with stitch markers are $30.69US.

pencil socks yarn kit by Yarn Enabler

Little Red Riding Children's book

And my last pencil-related find this week is a darling little children’s book called Little Red Writing by Joan Holub and illustrated by Melissa Sweet about “a brave, little red pencil finds her way through the many perils of writing a story, faces a ravenous pencil sharpener (the Wolf 3000).” $12.75 on Amazon.

In Ink Review

Ink Review: Kaweco Palm Green

AnaFebruary 8, 2015May 26, 20202 Comments

Kaweco Palm Green ink

Kaweco Palm Green is a vivid, “true green” ink. What is really unique about this green is that it has a reddish halo around the edges of the letters as the ink dries. This effect might not appeal to everyone but I think it gives this color a lot of dimension and interesting shading. The shading is more noticeable on the swab (that’s not a camera halo!) pictured below.

Kaweco Palm Green ink comparison

When compared with some of the other green inks in my stash, it definitely fills a gap. Palm Green is darker green than the Private Reserve Spearmint and more true green than the Pelikan Edelstein Aventurine. While the Diamine Ultra Green and PR Spearmint seem similar to the Kaweco Palm Green, they do not have the wonderful red halo.

I’m quite pleased with the color of the Kaweco Palm Green and look forward to using it regularly.

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

In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable um, Saturday: Love is in the Air

AnaFebruary 7, 20155 Comments

FF-LoveisintheAir

It’s almost Valentine’s Day and what a wonderful excuse to buy a new pen, preferably in red. Or share your love of pens with someone you love?

Midori D-Clips Double Heart 3rd Edition £5.99 (via The Journal Shop)
Lamy Studio Fountain Pen in Wild Rubin $79.20 (via Pen Chalet)
Kaweco Art Sport in Rosit $81 (via Pen Chalet)
Operation Heartbreak by Duff Cooper £12 (via Persephone Books)
Love Conquers All Letterpress Card $4 (via Hammerpress)
Fisher Space Pen in Red Cherry $23 (via Jet Pens)
Noodler’s Widow Maker Red Ink $12.50 (via Goulet Pens)
Gin & Tonic Valentine’s Day Card $5.95 (via Kate’s Paperie)
Fabio Ricci Lepidus Medium Hardcover Notebook in Red $11.21 (via Pencils.com)
Caran d’Ache Totally Swiss Ballpoint Pen $23.75 (via Pencils.com)
Pentel Ain Clic Knock Triangular Eraser with Clip in Metallic Red $2.50 (via Jet Pens)
Timbuk2 Classic Messenger Bag $99 (via Timbuk2)
J. Herbin Fountain Pen Ink in Heart-Shaped Bottle in Rouge Opéra $22.50 (via Jet Pens)
Uni NanoDia Red Lead Pencil Pack of 2 $3.30 (via Jet Pens)
Rifle Paper Co Happy Valentine’s Day Heart Card $6.24 (via Notemaker)
Pilot Capless Decimo Red Fountain Pen 18K Gold Nib $247.50 (via Jet Pens)

In news

Giveaway Winner: Well-Appointed Desk Postal Stamps

AnaFebruary 6, 2015February 6, 20151 Comment

handles-1

Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing for the two Well-Appointed Desk stamps. I’m so glad you all like my stamp designs!

And now, to our giveaway winner:

Congrats to Will! I’ll be contacting you via email to make shipping arrangements.

Screen Shot 2015-02-06 at 10.28.03 AM

Thanks again to everyone who entered and good luck on your LetterMo/InCoWriMo challenge this month!

In Tools

Take That, Square Corners!

AnaFebruary 5, 2015May 29, 20173 Comments

corner-rounder-2

There’s a certain advantage to living with a printer. I get business cards at an exceptionally good price. I also get access to some very specialized equipment. Like an industrial-grade corner rounder. The model we have is a Lassco and its got some miles on it but would you believe they still sell them? They are available on Amazon for about $160 with either a 0.5″ corner or a 0.25″ corner. The blades are replaceable as well to the tune of about $85.

This is not a purchase for the faint of heart. You might be better off making friends with a local printer who may have one of these squirreled away in the corner of their shop somewhere that they might let you borrow. Or keep an eye out for one at a local auction or flea market.

corner-rounder-1

One of the first things I did with my inserts for my Midori Traveler’s Notebook was to put the corner rounder to good use and soften those sharp corners. It make the notebooks look more finished and gives them a Field Notes vibe.

corner-rounder-3

Amazingly, the notebooks all easily rounded without a lot of force or any jagged edges. Industrial, for sure. And super easy to use since its all manual. It works like a standard three-hole punch but for corners rather than holes.

corner-rounder-4

Don’t they look so much better? I imagine the same trick could be accomplished, albeit a bit slower, with a handheld corner rounder available in the craft supply big box store near you for about $10.

Now, excuse me while I go ROUND ALL THE THINGS!