The winner in this month’s JetPens giveaway is:
Jess! Congratulations! I’ll be contacting you via email to send you your gift certificate. Thanks to everyone who entered and commented!
Bright Ideas in Highlighters
There’s more options in highlighters than what you can find in the aisles of your local big box office supply store so I thought I’d round-up some more unusual highlighter options available.
The refillable highlighter:
If I have a choice, I’d rather not throw away pens if I can get more life out of them so the Staedtler Textsurfer highlighter ($1.45) and ink refill station is a great way to extend the life of your highlighter. I suspect the ink could be used with any highlighter so if you’ve got a couple laying around that need refilling, the ink refill station ($9) might be a great option. Another option is the Platinum Preppy refillable highlighter pen ($2.50) and pack of 3 refill cartridges ($2.50). Tip refills are even available for the Preppy highlighter ($1.65 for pack of two). The Platinum converter ($7) can be added to the Preppy highlighter so that the pen can be filled with any type of highlighter ink that suits your fancy. Go green, I mean yellow (or pink or blue..)!
The dry highlighter:
There’s pencil-style dry highlighters in wood casings like the Faber-Castell Textliner Dry or a more lead holder/mechanical-style pencil like the E+M chunky 5.5mm wood-cased lead holder ($16) and 6-pack of highlighter leads ($9.50). Then there’s highlighter tape like the Tombo Mono highlighter dispenser or a removable tape option from Lee. The advantages of the dry highlighters are that they do not dry out or bleed through to the back of the page.
The erasable highlighter:
The Pilot Frixion erasable highlighter is available in five colors and uses the same friction-activated erasable technology that all the Frixion series pens use. If you’re prone to rethinking your highlighting, this might be a good option. $1.65 each.
The fountain pen highlighter:
A fountain pen highlighter is a slightly more posh option but something I’ve always kind of wanted to own. The most notorious fountain pen highlighter option is the Pelikan m205. Its a extra wide BB nib and a clear, bright yellow plastic casing. The pen ships with a bottle of Pelikan Highlighter ink for about $120. A Kaweco Ice Sport in yellow with a B nib or replace the nib with a calligraphy nib in 1.1mm or 1.9mm and then fill it with Noodler’s Firefly Yellow ink would be about $50 which might be a more cost-effective option.
Are there any other kinds of highlighters I might have overlooked? Do you have a favorite brand or color of highlighter?
Get those plans in order
I found two simple, undated planners this week. The first is the Seeso Better Day Planner.
The Seeso Better Day Planner is a slim softcover planner with weekly planning on the left hand side of the page and a blank right hand page for notes and sketches. The Better Day ships with 2012 and 2013 sticky calendars that can be added to the book or write in your own dates. Available in four colors, each $14.
Vintage Year is also a simple undated weekly and monthly planner with stickers for highlighting and creating tabs for each month. I particularly like the quote on the cover: “A dream written down with a date becomes a goal A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan A plan backed by actions makes your dreams come true. Greg S. Reid” It appears to be a hardcover volume though the description is not specific. Its 4″x6″ in size for $20 from Anthropologie.
Leave the Stapler, Take the Cannoli
This 10″x7″ Office Space print by Drew Wallace may be just the reminder your office co-workers need to warn them to stay away from your stapler. It also shows your allegiance to the bored, lonely office workers of the world. $18
Hey Goldilocks, pack it up!
After a Goldilocks moment with a couple sale backpacks I found on Timbuk2, I was able to establish that the 10L-sized Pisco was a tiny bit too small for me and the 20L-sized Shotwell was way too big. Goldilocks needed a bag that was “just right” so I’ve been on the hunt for something in the 15L range.Timbul2 didn’t really have anything in that range and most backpacks I found are either too hi-tech or too kid-centric for me. So, where do I turn? My friends, of course!
Thanks to a tip from Kathy at 16 Sparrows, I discovered the Kelty Cycle Hiker which coincidentally is 18L-sized and styled in a classic, non-super-hiker/skater/kid look. In cross-referencing, I also came across the iconic Fjällräven Kånken, a Scandinavian classic since 1987 which is a 16L volume bag. In the “plus column” for the Fjällräven Kånken is that its available in a wide range of colors but sadly it doesn’t have padded straps or much in the way of internal organization. The Cycle Hiker has more internal organization and those coveted padded straps but is only available in a few colors.They are comparably priced in the sub-$75 range though both can be acquired for a bit less with some searching on the internet.
Decisions, decisions! I think I’m going to order the Kelty.
Anyone else stocking up on back-to-school items, even though you might not be in school anymore?
VIDEO: Refilling Ink Cartridges with Bottled Ink
While I put together a perfectly acceptable photo-tutorial for refilling an ink cartridge, Brian over at Goulet Pens had to totally one-up me with one of his spiffy videos. So, while my photo tutorial is fine as a quick reminder, if you want the step-by-step, check out the video!
Left-Handers Day Giveaway!
In honor of Left-Handers Day, and because our fine friends at JetPens also care for the lefties among us, I’ve decided to host a lefty-centric giveaway this month. This is for all the lefties out there though I won’t exclude lefty-lovers from entering as well.
Tell me what your greatest lefty challenge is in the comments below and enter to win a $25 gift certificate. All you non-lefties have to say something nice about the lefty/lefties in your life in the comments to be entered to win. Maybe there’s the perfect product for your “lefticentricities” or those of a loved one at JetPens. I love composition and perfect bound notebooks like a Kokuyo Campus, Field Notes or Pelle Journal because I don’t have to rest my hands across wirebound rings or, heaven-forbid the giant rings of a 3-ring binder!
The drawing will be held on Monday, August 13, 2012 — Left Handers Day, at 10pm CST.
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Monday, August 13, 2012. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Tuesday. Winner will be select by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money.