I recently reviewed my collection of gel pens, felt tips, markers and highlighters to see if I could fill in any gaps in my collection. I started sorting my various pens by color last year to make choosing pens for my monthly planner set-up faster and easier. I used random jars, cans and mugs to hold the various color collections. I have the least number of reds so they are mixed in with my browns.
Overall, when shopping for non-fountain pens, I am looking for interesting colors — not just standard red, blue, green or black. The non-fountain pens I find useful, when combined with my fountain pen and ink collection, provide different writing experiences and provide me with variety of pens for different kinds of papers (you know, the printouts on tissue paper that you need to write notes on, that grocery store list on the back of an envelope or for hightlighting, headers and fancy additions).
I was looking for unique colors from some of my favorite brands: Zebra Sarasa, Marvy LePen, and Sakura BallSign plus adding to some of my new collections like Iconic Mild Gels.
I purchased a Iconic Mild Gel Pen awhile back and liked the ink color and ink quality. The Iconic Mild Gel ink walks a line between gel inks, felt tip and rollerball — its a wet, dense ink so I definitely wanted to try a few additional colors. So, after getting the brown pen, I decided to get a couple more.
I went ahead and pulled all the other colors for the brand/style pen and did quick little swatches to compare the colors.
Marvy LePens were my gateway into the pen world when I was a grade schooler and spending my birthday money at the local stationery shop (probably a Hallmark store) that kept a cardboard display on the counter with all the colors. I still love these felt tips. Even though they only come in one tip size (plus the Flex brush pens now), they are still a go-to for me. So for this comparison, I only pulled the blues and purples in the LePen line to compare the various hues. In coloring, Lavender and Amethyst look quite similar but in writing, the Amethyst is a little lighter. Wisteria is pinkier and much lighter. The Amethyst is probably my favorite of the three purples.
The Teal and Oriental Blue might appear similar but the Oriental Blue is more blue and darker and the Teal is greener, if you’re trying to choose between the two, I love them both and I am not the person to ask. You need both.
The Zebra Sarasa NANO retractable pens are newer to the market and rocketing to the top of gel pen recommendations. The color options are really good and even the standard $3 version feels solid and sturdy and has a squishy grip section that collects cat hair and dust but feels nice in the hand. The new Blue Grey color is super unique and I love the range of dark toned colors like the Bordeaux Purple and Sepia Black. If you haven’t tried the “NANO” version of the Sarasa pens, I recommend trying the dark colors which will be super usable with a little flair. If you want to experiment, try the Camel Yellow, Blue Gray or Bordeaux Purple. The standard Sarasa Gray is a light color but a great option if you’re looking for a neutral grey color.
Sarasa Nano Camel YellowA new Sarasa Grey. I used up my old one!
And one of my favorite gel pens is the Sakura BallSign ID. I think this is a seriously under-appreciated line. The ink is smooth and the color options are great if you’re looking for a black+color option. They make a plain black, brown black, green black, blue black and purple black. I have already acquired three of the five colors.
Sakura BallSign ID in Forest Black (Green Black)
I’m really happy with all the colors I picked up in this batch. How do you store your non-fountain pens? By color, by brand, by tip size, or type of pen?
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
I received an email newsletter from Cult Pens UK this week that was filled with great links about the “Benefit of Analogue Tools” and all the posts they referenced have been opened my browser since then. I thought I’d share them here while also recommending that you subscribe to the Cult Pens UK newsletter as they’ve been doing some really great ones recently.
Some of these links, I’ve seen before but seem worthy of mentioning again. And I feel like now more than ever, focusing on writing by hand is more important than ever.
I realize its sort of “preaching to the choir” to talk about the importance of writing by hand to you but I just want to remind myself (and maybe you in the process) that we started collecting pens and stationery because we loved to write and draw.
Now, on to your regular Link Love content, already in progress:
Paper-ventures are more important than ever in 2026. If you’d like to commit to your analog life consider subscribing to our Patreon (yes, we recognize the irony!). Your patronage supports us and we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!
I recently grabbed a Midori Peelable Sticker Storage Book (Gray, $6.75) in the B6 size that I thought would be a good accompaniment to by planner set-up. The booklet is filled with slick glossy paper that can be used to store stickers until you are ready to apply to your planner or notebook.
The book has 10 pages — 20 sides to attach stickers — and a simple, plain kraft paper cover. Inside, there are pockets to add smaller sheets or other ephemera.
Paper wrap with information about the peelable sticker booklet.
There’s space on the front of the pocket sheet to add your name, contact info and a place for a picture or sticker.
Tucked a Col-o-ring card in the pocket for scale.
I like the idea of being able to save those one or two stickers left on a sheet somewhere or keep stickers grouped by color, theme or maker.
The stickers can easily peel off the glossy paper and used as needed. Tweezers might help to remove stickers and keep hand oils off the sheets.
The cost for the booklet is reasonable enough to try these out. At present, it looks like there are only B6 sized booklets but that’s a good mid-size to tuck into an A5 as well. For a smaller planner like A6, the book isn’t unreasonably large.
Do you use peelable sticker books? Do you have a favorite brand?
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Van Dieman’s released a collection of Professional Natura Dualis Dual Tone inks ($23 per 40ml bottle) in 2025. Dual Tone inks are Van Dieman’s answer to a line of multichromatic inks. The challenge for writing an overview of these inks was how quickly they kept selling out. I was able to grab a few samples from Vanness Pen Shop and the remainder of the inks came as samples from a generous reader.
This collection of multichromatic inks is pleasingly varied. While all are fairly light saturation the colors are all pretty usable The Harvest Tide is probably the lightest and would work best with a wider nib or a dip pen to be usable. Last Light, Underflow and Nightfall are the deepest tones.
Ink Color Comparisons:
I am surprised that despite feeling like so many inks are multichromatic these days, I couldn’t find many inks that were super similar. With Sea Spray, the closest was Vinta Sirena 1952 and they are quite similar. Underflow looks most like Vinta Perya Blue but is a little more greenish and the undertone is more purple than pink. But they are close. If you have the Vinta versions, you probably won’t need the Van Dieman’s versions or vice versa.
I assumed that Nightfall would be similar to Sailor Studio 123 but its more bluish than purple. The same with the Sailor 50 States Hawaii. But they are similar enough that you probably don’t need all three (says me, who has all three so the irony is not lost on me). Troublemaker Milky Ocean is a similar color but without the multichroma.
I really thought I had more pinky inks that would be similar but Daybreak in very dusty and leans more to the reddish side than a pink/magenta hue. Diamine Potpourri is a bit darker but is probably the closest.
The closest ink I could find to Harvest Tide was Van Dieman’s own Lost Love Letters which is a little more bluish and feels more pond swampy while Harvest Tide is green with a pink undertone, like sunset on lake water.
Riverbank was the hardest to compare and therefore the most unique for me. Its a latte brown with a pinky undertone. Troublemaker Moon River was the closest I could find but its more reddish burgundy.
For some reason, the bottom row photographed much brigher and more saturated than it appears in person.
The last two inks are Overcast and Last Light. Sailor Byakuya is close to Overcast but Byakuya is a a little darker green where Overcast is bluer. Byakuya feels more brownish in writing and Overcast is more purply in writing. Ink Institute Mexican Hens is a light purple but doesn’t have the multichroma of the Van Dieman’s. Last Light is a bit darker than Ferris Wheel Little Robina. Birmingham Periwinkle is a similar hue to Last Light but without the multichromatic quality.
Ink samples on 68gsm Tomoe River paper.
Overall Opinion:
I like this collection from Van Dieman’s. The limited palette of multichromatic inks provide an easily accessible collection that’s not quite as intimidating as the Sailor Studio collection which is probably most likely to have the most similar tones. If you’re looking to try (or add to your) multichromatic inks, this is a good place to start. I do think the bottle shape and design might be devisive.
The Van Dieman’s Dual Tone bottle. Love it or hate it?
Do you have any of these inks or can you recommend any other similar multichromatics?
DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness for the purpose of review. Many other were donated by a generous Patron. Please see the About page for more details.
As paper and stationery lovers, the best part of changing my habits away from phone and social media overuse to a more analog or disconnected is the “analog” stuff!
(I say “analog” in quotes because many of the single-purpose devices and items listed below are actual digital devices like cameras, ereaders and video game systems so I see the irony.)
As I work to disconnect more often and more frequently, I have discovered that I am adding MORE items to my life and my everyday use. While this may seem counterintuitive, having single-purpose devices and tools actually help to focus and demarcate my time.
From my research around Digital Declutter, the biggest problem with always-on, alway-connected lives is that our attention is always split between the various inputs. How many of us has watched a tv show or movie WHILE scrolling on their phone? (C’mon, confess. I’m not the only one.) Those split focus experiences make for less fulfillment. I neither distinctly remember what the episode on tv was about but I also only vaguely recollect what I was looking at on my phone.
The Paper Goods:
I mentioned earlier that I have started adding more notebooks into my life specifically as an alternative to using my phone for notes or feeling compelled to look up stuff the minute they pop into my head. By using a notebook for capturing quotes, ideas, things to research, I reduce the number of times a day I pick up my phone to do said task only to see I have new emails, text messages or comments and then get derailed from what I was doing when the idea popped into my head then I get distracted from doing the search or note taking by random messages and then forget that too.
So, to keep myself from feeling so scattered, I am using two notebooks to capture random thoughts, ideas, quotes, etc. Both of these notebooks were discussed in more detail in my 2026 Techo Kaigi but I’ll include them again here for reference:
My Commonplace book on the bottom and my pocket notebook on the top with my planner and Filofax work binder in between the two.
Commonplace Book:
This is an A5 lined notebook (the book I’m using is no longer available but its just a nice lined notebook. If you want an alternative, consider a Leuchtturm1917 or whatever is floating in your collection) for quotes and thoughts around the books that I’m reading and anything that connects to those ideas. Its not a precious, fancy, decorative notebook. It’s just a lined notebook where I can quickly transcribe quotes. I have not mastered the standard Commonplace Book formatting but I may try to add that in as I go along.
If you are not familiar with Commonplace Books, many people will set a header on each page with a specific keyword and then include quotes, poems or other writing around that specific topic. For example, you find a quote about friendship so you start a new page in your Commonplace Book and add a header “Friendship” and then add your quote. Maybe later, you find a quote about gardens, so you go to the next page, add the header “Gardens” and add the quote there. Maybe you are researching a time period, a person or some other topic, your page headers will reflect those topics: “Edwardian dates of importance,” “Ghosts,” and “Alexander Hamilton”.
“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”
I realize the quote above is about keeping a journal or diary but I think having a CommonplaceBook filled with quotes that inspire you is just as much a delight to read while stuck on a train.
Utilizing the bullet journal method, this technique works best if you include an index at the front or back of the book that allows you to track where a specific type of quote is in your book.
Pocket Notebook:
The other book that’s been added into my Digital Declutter project is my small Mark’s Edit B7 pocket notebook. This is the brain dump. I put lists, things I want to research or look-up later, recommendations for books or films to see, etc. If a quote pops up while I’m out and about, I put it in the B7 and then transfer it into the Commonplace Book when I am back home.
I never thought I’d be someone who carried a pocket notebook. Sure, I’ve collected Field Notes for years but I never really used them on a day-to-day basis. Stepping away from using my phone for everything, all the time has opened up a place in my life for a little notebook.
The bonus of more notebooks is that I get to use more of my pens, inks and other stationery accessories. Win-win!
Other analog (or non-streaming, non-phone) tools:
Nintendo Switch, Canon pocket camera, Star Trek Lower Decks DVD set, Mark’s Edit B7 pocket notebook and my current knitting project, a new Clapotis shawl
Watching
We have purchased a few DVDs recently and are enjoying being able to have a curated collection of things to watch on tv. In some cases, I only ever watch Star Trek: Lower Decks so why do I keep paying for a streaming subscription when I can buy the discs and watch the episodes as many times as I want for one low-low price!
Since we reduced our streaming services, we don’t watch a lot of tv shows at the moment which I don’t really miss. We have considered renting DVDs of movies and tv shows from our local library if we need a fix.
Listening
In my Music post, I mentioned the addition of the iPod and ripping my vast CD collection as well as purchasing new discs and digital downloads. I spend less time trying to decide what to listen to and more time ACTUALLY listening to music. Its also far healthier for my psyche than doomscrolling or getting stuck in the news cycle loop.
A small stack in my TBR (to be read) pile as well as my ereaders (an Amazon for Libby in the US and my Kobo Libra 2 for purchased books).
Reading
I currently own two ereaders. I use one as my main reader (KOBO Libra 2) and the other is a Kindle Paperwhite that I use for library ebooks. The way Overdrive works on the Kobo changed this past year so that instead of being able to check out books from multiple branches easily, I now have to either download the books to my computer, run Adobe Digital Editions and then plug my Kobo into the computer to transfer the books or use a Kindle and download the books via Kindle’s partnership with Libby. I found a deeply discounted Kindle over the summer and decided that for the amount I read, it was worth it to have the two devices. I wanted to get out of the Amazon ecosystem but they pulled me back in! As it is, I only use the Kindle for Libby lending from three US local libraries and my Kobo has my purchased books. I also check out physical books from my local libraries pretty regularly. And as a self-respecting book boarder, I also have a lovely stack of TBR books beside my bed.
I also listen to audiobooks which I get from Libby. At present, I have to access these with my iPhone. I use wireless headphones and leave the phone in another room so I can’t scroll while listening. If you have a better solution, please let me know.
The Canon S90 and Olympus EP-3 which were photographed with my Canon EOS M3 (Canon EF-M Macro 28mm 1:3.5 STM) which is my blog camera.
Cameras
I have always loved photography and I was one of the people who was last to embrace the iPhone as my primary photo taking tool but once I did, my “good cameras” were relegated to product shots and blog posts only. I no longer take my good camera out into the world and I want to change that. I want to get back into photography as a legitimate hobby and not just a way to collect image from Instagram (which I just don’t do at all anymore). I have an array of digital cameras from high-end dSLRs, mirco 4/3rds and pocket cameras. These are coming out, getting new batteries and SD cards and getting some use this year. My favorites to bring back into circulation are my very pocketable Canon S90 and my rangefinder style Olympus Ep-3 but it is pretty slow to focus. I’m going to experiment with these and see if they are good alternatives to using the camera on my phone.
Watch
I do have an analog watch or two but I continue to use tracking for my exercise and fitness goals so I will continue to use my very old Garmin Rey Legacy Series Watch but I think I need to get a new battery for it this year. I have turned off ALL notifications on my watch which has reduced the constant interruptions and distractions that it was causing. Now all it does is tell time and allow me to track my exercise activities. It’s kind of liberating to not be constantly buzzed every time I get an email, text message or news update. I used to think having all those notifications right on my wrist was helpful but it was actually making me anxious.
Its not imperative for me to use the watch to track my exercise so I may switch to a fully analog watch but I will need to find my analog watch and replace the batteries.
I still have an original Nintendo Switch for playing games occasionally and a handful of Solo RPG games that I can play on paper. I prefer the Switch to Apple Games or phone games because, while I am playing, I am not being interrupted by email notifications or other random beeps and bloops. For an hour, I can fully immerse myself in a game with no other distractions (if you don’t count the cats).
I also love to knit, do crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, playing board games and probably a dozen other non-phone related activities. The less time I spend scrolling on Reddit or Instagram I can do ANY of these options.
In Conclusion
I suppose this seems like a lot of stuff when one phone, smaller than a paperback book could theoretically do most of the tasks listed above. Sure, switching to various focus modes on your phone or laptop can help somewhat but, for me, once the device is in my hand, I inevitably check all the things and forget what I was doing or thinking about before I picked it up. All the buzzing, little red dots and constant notifications was leaving me feeling unfocused and frazzled.
I know that some of the stuff listed above is off-topic from the overall theme of The Desk but I think as analog pen and paper users, most readers have at least thought about how devices have encroached on our time — both personal time and work time.
Am I forgetting anything that my phone has tried to replace? What techniques do you use to sharpen your personal focus and pursue your interests uninterrupted? What non-digital hobbies, activities or projects do you have going right now?
There are more vivid and bright color options but I am loving these unusual, murkier colors that Writech is offering. However, I can be a completionist so I may end up with every color option at some point.
I’ll start by saying that the 05.mm gel pens are a good happy medium. I would love a finer nib but I don’t mind these 0.5mm at all. I also LOVE the colors I’ve gotten so far.
Pickle is probably the best lime green gel ink I’ve ever found. I think the Olive is also going to be great. The Milk Tea is also an amazingly unique color.
The only bummer color is the Apricot because its too light to be useful. The only other bummer is that the Dark Green in the Dark Green & Amber pen which brings me to my second complaint: I want refill replacements. I have a huge selection of these pens with black refills plus a color so I will not run out of black ink anytime soon but the Pickle and Milk Tea colors get used a lot and will be empty soon. REFILLS! I want REFILLS!!!
I thought I’d compare some of the more similar colors. Burgundy and Persian Red is similar but the Persian Red is a little more pink. I think I prefer the Burgundy even though its paired with the Navy which is a fine blue black but not a color I reach for often.
The Lilac and Mauve may appear similar but the Mauve is more reddish and the Lilac leans more violet. I can’t decide which I like better but Spring is coming so these both might end up in rotation soon.
Smoky Blue, Calaite and Emerald are all blue to green color. Emerald is the most green but still a little blue, Calaite in a lovely turquoise blue and Smoky Blue lives up to its name and is a soft blue.
Coffee and Amber are a little similar but the Coffee color is darker and Amber is more orange but a rusty orange, not a bright candy orange. I don’t normally like orange inks but I love the Amber color.
My Conclusion
My requests are for there to be refills and a built-it-yourself multipen with 3-, 4- or 5-color slots. I have too many models with color + black and would prefer to build a multipen with more colors and only one black refill. My dream pen: Black, Pickle, Milk Tea and maybe Lilac — wouldn’t that be a joy?!?!
Overall, if you haven’t tried any of the Writech Dual-Color gel pens, I have really become a convert and would recommend them highly.
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Reflection posts and goals for 2026 continue to filter in and that’s great! There is still time to jump start this new year, to start fresh, to start over or just turn the page and go. There are posts throughout this week’s Link Love about starting fresh, starting over or just taking those first steps. So, give yourself some grace if this year has been a rocky start. I have had a rolling start too. Some days are planner strong and some days are too busy, or too tired or too blah and the page has been left blank. Forgive yourself and start fresh today… or maybe tomorrow?
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