Thinking About The Pen Habit

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For those of you who follow The Pen Habit, you may have already heard about his announcement to cease recording his pen review videos and the subsequent follow-up about amending his format and explain in more detail his reasoning. Matt’s comments rang loudly for me about the amount of time he spends preparing and recording his reviews, not to mention the amount of money he has spent on pens.

Matt’s decision came on the heels on  Brad’s recent announcement to cease publishing his weekly Ink Links.

All of this led me to think about what I do and why I do it. How much time (and money) is too much to spend on a hobby? Its made me wonder if I should reconsider how much time I spend doing this blog versus actually living and reading and writing?

I have not made any decisions one way or the other because I like what I do. However, every week I do struggle to stay on top of all my reviews as well as working my full-time job and all those daily tasks that often get overlooked to squeeze in one more blog post, photo shoot, photo editing session or some other blog-related project.

I love this community. I love pens and inks and paper and all the other things to make a beautiful place to work. So bear with me while I get over my own growing pains.

From The Archives: Sharpie Pen

Sharpie Pen writing sample

I can’t believe its taken me so long to warm up to the Sharpie Pen. As a Marvy Le Pen loyalist, I just couldn’t see what the big deal was about the Sharpie Pen. It’s similar in overall design; a fiber-tip pen with a slightly wider barrel than Le Pen and not available in nearly the array of colors. However, what Sharpie brings to the table with the Sharpie Pen in that’s its fairly water resistant and widely available for purchase. If what you want is a good quality fiber-tipped pen in black, you can’t really go wrong with the Sharpie Pen.

The tip is generically labeled as “fine” and I was able to compare it to an assortment of other fiber-tipped pens. I would say the Sharpie Pen is comparable to the Le Pen which is also unlabelled and an 03 Sakura Pigma Micron. Like most fiber-tipped pens, the point will blunt over time so I’ve had to make a “best guess” since all my pens are in various states of use.

Sharpie Pen

The simple shape of the pen and the clean graphics are all plusses for me. I’d prefer a nicer clip than the molded plastic provided but overall, its a good pen for the price and can be purchased at any drugstore, stationery shop or big box store. Other ink colors are available and the Sharpie Pen is non-toxic, archival and fade resistant as well.  All-in-all, definitely one of my go-to tools.

Link Love: Color Inside the Lines

Link Love Link MascotEvery week I scour the dozens of pen and paper blogs and hundreds of posts to bring you (what I think is) the best posts in the digita pendom. I hope you enjoy them too!

Link of the Week:

Pantone Color Test

Can you align the hues into a perfect transition? I scored a 12. Post in the comments if you beat my score! (I forgot who sent me this link, so sorry! via Inkdependence)

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Paper & Notebooks:

Other Stuff:

Review: Monologue Journals and Sketchbooks

Monologue journals

The folks at GrandLuxe sent me a whole heaping pile of their new Monologue journals. I received four A6 (5.5″x3.5″) sized books and three A5 (approx. 8.25″x5.5″).

Monologue journals

Even from the edges, you can see there are slight variations in each book to suit lots of personal preferences. The red A6-sized has pages that are  undersized to accommodate a golf-sized pencil tucked in under the edge for the cover with an elastic to hold it securely. The bottom two books have elastic loops to hold a writing tool. The orange book in the middle is a flip-top reporter-style sketchbook. The books and the top of the pile and the bottom are from the “platinum” line that include matching metallic edging on the pages.

Monologue journals

The books fall into two paper categories, the standard weight writing paper  (80 gsm acid-free) and the heavier sketchbook paper (140 gsm Italian high quality acid free). The black Monologue Basics sketchbook and the orange reporter-style Monologue sketh pad both feature the plain heavyweight sketchbook paper. The sketchbook paper is treated with a vegetable gel for long-lasting stability. All the other books have the lighter-weight, lined writing paper and additional paper treatment is labelled.

Read More

Uppercase #23: Calligraphy Issue

Uppercase Issue 23 Calligraphy Cover

If you are not familiar with Uppercase magazine, it is a beautiful publication printed on heavyweight uncoated paper with amazing design in each issue. Its an independent publication out of Canada created by Janine Vangool. Each magazine is themed and features independent artists, illustrators, and craftspeople making beautiful things all over the world. Every aspect of the publication is beautifully designed and the only advertising is in the back of the magazine in a “marketplace” section.

Issue 23 is themed around calligraphy and lettering. The cover is a beautifully lettered grocery list on the back of an envelope. So charming! $18 CAD/$16 USD

Previously, Issue 17 might be of interest to readers of The Well-Appointed Desk. The theme of the issue is stationery and back issues are still available. $18 CAD/$16 USD

Subscriptions are also available starting at $80 CAD/$72 USD.

Also, the blog and the mailing list are full of inspiring, interesting paper-y related goodness. Just this week, the blog featured re-purposed fountain pen ink bottles etched with inspiring messages.

My copy of Issue 23 is in the post, I’ll share some photos when it arrives.

Fashionable Friday: Rainy Day

Fashionable Friday Rainy Day

This week’s Fashionable Friday is inspired by the super-rainy week we’ve been having here in Kansas City. Portland last week was unusually sunny and hot when I wanted to experience that chilly Pacific coast weather so this is definitely my idealized rainy day kit.

Any well-appointed portal desk should definitely include a good umbrella and a travel Thermos. A well-stocked office doesn’t stop at pens and ink.

  • St. Tropez Leather Tote $199 (via Levenger) (Also available in an assortment of canvas colors called the Bloomsbury, loaded with a selection of supplies $69.
  • J. Herbin 1670 Stormy Gray $26 (via Goulet Pens)
  • Red Leather Oporto Journal 8×5.5″ $20 (via Gallery Leather)
  • Coffee Books Rain T-shirt $32.99 (via Screend)
  • Matte Black Grey Grid Notebook, 4×6 $9.95 (via Productive Luddite)
  • Wörther Shorty Mechanical Pencil with 3.5mm lead €8,50 (via Fontoplumo)
  • Sailor Fountain Pen Jentle Ink Tokiwa-matsu (Pine – Green) $20 (via Jet Pens)
  • MontBlanc Meisterstuck 90th Year Anniversary Special Edition Permanent Grey Ink Bottle $19 (via Pen Boutique)
  • Rainkist automatic hunter Green compact umbrella $9.99 (via eBags)
  • Lamy Safari in Red $29.60 (via Pen Chalet)
  • Heritage Plaid Beverage Bottle 16 oz $29.95 (via Thermos)
  • Vintage Plaid Pencil Case $5.99 (via BlueQ)

Happy splashy, rainy day!

(Outfit inspiration via Pinterest)