The Well-Appointed Desk

First, I’d like to say thanks to everyone who entered the Hallmarket Notebooklet Giveaway. There were lots of fun facts too. Here’s a smattering of my favorites:

Ikea is coming (true. Late 2014)
The mayor, Sly James, uses a Pilot Varsity (hmmm… UPDATE:TRUE!)
Kansas City has more pencils per capita than any other city in America (if you count my house, than probably)
KC is home to the largest maker of boxed chocolates in the world (true. Russell Stover is headquartered here)
Hallmark, which is headquartered in Kansas City, gives one-month “sabbaticals” to employees, for them to pursue art or other projects. Admittedly, the “sabbatical” is spent onsite, but it still sounds like a cool idea. (Actually, the sabbaticals are 6-months and two are awarded each year through the Barbara Marshall Award. And travel can be a part of the sabbatical. I know of winners of the award that have spent time in Venice, Greece, traveling the US and even tailgating at a Chiefs game. FYI, I work at Hallmark so I have the inside scoop on this particular detail!)
Kansas City is home to the Royals, who have not won a World Series in my lifetime (~~true~~ UPDATE: False. Won the Series in 1985. I was young but I was alive)
Country Club Plaza holiday lights started from a 16-light strand in 1925 to more than 80 miles of wires and 280,000 lights today. (true)
“Unbeknown to my family, there is a secret door at the back of my wardrobe that I can walk through and instantly appear in Kansas City” (have not found the secret door… yet)
Kansas City is home to the best barbecue in America (point of great debate but we do love our BBQ and eat a lot of it. Oklahoma Joe’s is my personal favorite)

And now, for the winner of the Hallmarket Notebooklet….

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Congrats, Dave! I’ll be sending you an email to get your mailing info! Looks like you landed on FREE NOTEBOOK!

In Pencil Review

General’s Cedar Pointe #333 2HB Pencil Review

AnaFebruary 1, 2013May 28, 2017Leave a comment

I remain a loyal fan of General Pencil Company. They are one of the few remaining American pencil manufacturers and their pencil products support both daily use pencils as well as art-related pencils. The Cedar Pointe #333 is a classic hexagonal incense cedar pencil with no lacquer added so it smells like cedar and is soft in the hand. The pencil has a black ferrule and a black eraser which matches the black foil stamped information on the pencil.

The box of 12 came with the points pre-sharpened to a short point. I resharpened me test pencil with my trusty vintage Apsco Giant desk-mounted sharpener for a longer point.

I just realized I shot this photo of the writing sample before I actually did the eraser tests. It is not a silky pencil on paper, it makes a bit more noise on paper than some of my other higher-end pencils (pencils that sell for $20/dozen) but it is totally acceptable for a pencil that cost me 27¢.

The black eraser cap did moderately well erasing but the white plastic Staedtler eraser erased almost completely.

I am pleased with my dozen pencils. I love that they are hexagonal, unfinished cedar and I love buying domestically-made pencils. Of the six different types of writing pencils I have from General, the smoothest is probably the Test Scoring 580 if that’s a sticking point for you. If you prefer pencils without the added weight of an eraser, try the Kimberly 525, the General’s Layout No. 555 or the Semi-Hex Drawing No. 497.

I purchased a dozen pencils from Pieritz in Oak Park, IL for $3.25. Three dozen with a more historic paper wrap can be purchased directly from General for $11.

In feature

Musgrave Pencil Co.

AnaJanuary 31, 2013Leave a comment

Pencils.com just started stocking pencils from the Musgrave Pencil Co. Musgrave is almost 100 years old and is still manufacturing their pencils out of their factory in Shelbyville, TN. Pencils.com is stocking the test scoring pencil (shown above), an assortment of jumbo pencils for young writers and a red/blue combination pencil. $2.25-$3.50 per dozen.

(via Pencils.com)

In feature

Pencil Week: DIY Origami Paper-Coverd Pencils

AnaJanuary 30, 2013Leave a comment

If you, like me, have a whole mess of mismatched B-grade pencils, this tutorial will show you step-by-step, how to cover them up to create a matching set of pencils. Perfect for the jar on your desk or in your kitchen.

In feature

Link Love: Pencil Week

AnaJanuary 30, 2013Leave a comment

Pencils on The Simpsons (via Pencil Revolution)

In honor of my self-appointed Pencil Week, this week’s Link Love is all pencil related.

Gepetto Pencil Sharpener (via Dave’s Mechanical Pencils)
Pencil Case (okay, you could pens in it too) (via Rhodia Drive)
Pencil Photography by Lisa Cargile (via Pencil Revolution)
I Steal Pencils from Ikea Flickr Group (via Pencil Revolution)

Favorite Pencil Blogs:

Pencil Micorscope (via Present & Correct) — Pencil Microscope (via Present & Correct)

In feature

The Royal We “These Machines Kill Fascists” Pencil Roll

AnaJanuary 29, 2013Leave a comment

Inside this natural canvas roll is a message to political action or social change.

Unroll it and it reveals a hand silkscreen printed message “These Machines Kill Fascists” and ten brand new pencils emblazoned with their own individual message in black foil on a classic yellow-orange pencil: “This machine kills Fascists”. Curious where the expression originated? Its a nod to Woody Guthrie who scrawled the expression on his guitar.

This set is currently on sale through The Royal We for $11 for the whole set. Clearly, the pencil is a little bit more mightier than the pen.

In feature

Lefty Sharpener

AnaJanuary 29, 2013July 6, 2018Leave a comment

I grew up using right-handed sharpeners because I didn’t know there were any other kind. I got used to holding a pencil in my left hand, sharpener in my right and twisting the pencil away from me. A left-handed sharpener allows me to sharpen towards myself. I never seemed to get a consistent point twisting away so I was hoping that the Lefty sharpeners would give me a proper angle to sharpen my pencils without too much wood left on one side or the other.

I received a new Lefty 2-hole magnesium-alloy pencil sharpener for Christmas. I already owned the larger Lefty sharpener with shavings holder but I was wanting something smaller and more portable. This smaller sharpener has no container to trap shavings but does include extra blades under the red plastic cover and openings to sharpen standard pencils as well as larger jumbo or art pencils. It sharpens with a nice even point though a little shorter than what I would prefer. I did not get uneven sharpening. Its well-constructed, sturdy and aesthetically pleasing. If you are having trouble with right handed sharpeners, either model of the Lefty sharpener would be a good alternative and both use good German blades.

However, for me, its taking a good deal of mental re-learning to twist towards myself after years of muscle-memory twisting away. Is it too late to teach this old dog new tricks?

(you may also want to read my previous review of the Lefty Sharpener)