The Well-Appointed Desk

Fashionable Friday: Go Royals

Kansas City is absolutely awash in all things Royals and blue the last few weeks on this epic run-up to the first World Series appearance in 29 years* so it seemed appropriate to wrap today’s Fashionable Friday is in a royal blue hue.

Kansas City Royals Light Blue 12” x 30” Premium Felt Pennant $9.95 (via Fan’s Edge)
Lamy Safari Fountain Pen in Blue, Medium Nib $29.60 (via Goulet Pens)
Nomadic PN-91 Top Open Pencil Case – Light Blue $15 (via Jet Pens)
Pilot Knight Fountain Pen in Silver $24 (via Pen Chalet)
Streaking Paper Notebook — for the winning streak! 7″x10″ $14.95 (via Productive Luddite)
Pelikan Souveran M605 Marine Blue Fountain Pen $297.50 (via Pen Boutique)
Word.Notebooks – Indigo 3-pack $9.95 (via Word.Notebooks)
Baseball Glove & Ball Erasers 12 sets $5.25 (via Oriental Trading Company)
Palomino Blue Eraser-Tipped HB Premium Graphite Pencils $12.95 (via Pencils.com)
Diamine Royal Blue $12.95 (via Goulet Pens)
Kaweco Ink – Royal Blue $19 (via Jet Pens)
Kum Double-Hole Wedge Sharpener $2.35 (via Dick Blick)
Ceramic Baseball Mug $13.50 (via LaRose)
Thumbs Up Sticky $3.99 (via Knock Knock)

*As a Cubs fan, 29 years doesn’t seem like a long time to wait for a chance to go to the World Series but folks here are so genuinely joyous, its becoming contagious.

In feature

Winners: Monologue Notebooks

AnaOctober 16, 20142 Comments

There was a remarkably even distribution of entries in the Monologue Notebooks giveaway. About one-third of entries went to each giveaway collection though there were a couple people who didn’t specify a prize.

all the entry slips

I printed and cut out every entry and then tossed them into a bowl to do an good old fashioned drawing. So, without further ado…

prize 1

Winner Number 1 is Kristopher K.

prize 2

Winner Number 2 is Derek K.

prize 3

And winner Number 3 is Becca.

I’ll be contacting each winner via email to get shipping information. Thanks to everyone for entering and congratulations to all the winners!

In news

Tomorrow is Social Media Blackout Day

AnaOctober 15, 2014October 15, 20141 Comment

The good folks at KnockKnock are launching the Anti-Social Network Journal, and encouraging folks to participate in the Social Media Blackout Day tomorrow, Thurs. Oct. 16—a day to log off all those social networks.

If you’d like to participate (or share on your social networks), show your support by changing your avatar/icon to the image attached and post a status of “Today is #SocialMediaBlackoutDay and I’m unplugging for 24 hours. Join me!” Their goal is to raise awareness on the impact social media has had on our lives and encourage people to log out and live in real life again, or at least for 24 hours.

Since my post yesterday, I think a little 24-hour detox from Instagram, Twitter, blogs and such is just the thing I need to recharge my batteries — and maybe get a few reviews done and a few letters written.

I’ll see you back here on Friday!

In feature

Shop Tour: Oblation Papers

AnaOctober 15, 2014October 15, 20142 Comments

While in Portland recently, I got a chance to visit Oblation Papers. When the staff realized that we were a letterpress printer (my husband), a lettering artist (my friend Madeline) and a stationery blogger (that would be me), we got a full behind-the-scenes tour. We also happened to be in the store on the day of their 25th anniversary so we got to share cupcakes and cheer too.

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I took so many photos that I felt a gallery presentation was the only way to share these. (Hope that’s okay. There are more great “behind the scenes” photos on the Oblation blog if you can’t get enough.)

Oblation Papers is not just a retail stationery shop, its also a paper making facility and a letterpress print shop. There is also a magical closet of vintage typewriters that are repaired and cleaned and put out for sale.

Ron, one of the owners of the shop, happily toured us around showing us the paper making tools like the pulping and beating machines as well as the frames used to create handmade paper and shaped papers. Then we visited the mythical closet where I nudged everyone out of the way to stand, surrounded on four sides by shelves, in a room of vintage typewriters. Then we wandered into the print shop filled with Chandler & Price and Heidelberg Windmill presses and we met the delightful Jennie. She is one of the press operators who was such a good sport, she and her husband took our motley bunch out for beers after the tour.

I got a few last looks at the actual shop floor filled with lots of unique cards, both Oblation and other small indie brands, as well as a vintage Sheaffer case filled with vintage pens for sale and another case filled with newer pens and writing tools. Oblation also stocks wax seals and other goodies. Its an amazing place and the staff there were so kind and knowledgeable.

If you’re in Portland definitely stop by. OR check out their online store.

In Art of the Day

Art of the Day: Oliver Jeffries

AnaOctober 15, 2014October 13, 20141 Comment

Oliver Jeffers sketchbook illustrations for the United Airlines in-flight magazine. It looks like they were drawn a pocket-sized Moleskine Cahier using waxy colored pencils and some white ink or gel pens. Gorgeous!

I made a bunch of maps for the United Airlines inflight magazine. They are all geographically accurate.

Visit Oliver Jeffers site to see all the images from the collection and admire his other work as well. Check out the sketchbook section to see some amazing collages and messy, well-loved sketchbooks.

(shoutout to The Cramped for the tip)

In feature

Thinking About The Pen Habit

AnaOctober 14, 2014October 13, 201419 Comments

smoke_fire

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.

In From the Archives

From The Archives: Sharpie Pen

AnaOctober 14, 2014October 8, 20143 Comments

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.