In Pen Review

Pen Review: Marvy LePen Flex Pens

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Pen Review: Marvy LePen Flex Pens

I’ve previously reviewed the Marvy LePen Flex Brush Pens (Jewel Colors Set) but I wanted to try more colors of the Marvy Le Pen Flex Brush Pens ($2.10 each) and particularly wanted to try some of the more unusual colors. I also wanted to try the brush version of some of my favorite colors in the original LePen models (I’m looking at you, Oriental Blue!).

I chose to purchase individual pens over a set so that I could be choosy about the colors I selected. I prefer more complex colors that are often available in starter sets though the Pastel Color Set does include almost all the colors I bought. The only one I missed was the Pal Blue.

The Flex pens are the same size and shape as the original LePens but the caps on the Flex have a milky or translucent end cap. The big difference of course is the fiber brush tip which is a slightly soft, flexible brush tip. When compared to the Pentel Sign Brush Pens, the tips on the LePen Flex is softer and will flex more easily with less pressure.

I acquired nine more colors:

The Dark Grey and Oriental Blue are everything I hoped. They are the same shades as the original Le Pens but brushy and I am HERE FOR THAT.

The Dusty Pink, Coral Pink and Wisteria are lovely, Springy colors and will probably going to get a lot of use in February and on.

There are a few colors that are better than their names: Brown and Teal. The Brown color is a warm rich, dark chocolate color that is gorgeous. The Teal is a deep blue-green and deserves a more descriptive name but I’ll use it regardless of the blah name. The Ochre is almost more of a pumpkin or squash soup color. I can’t wait to use it in the month of October. It’s all the pumpkin spice vibes. I officially rename it “Pumpkin Spice”.

I am thrilled that I was not disappointed in any of the colors I purchased. Honestly, I hope Marvy releases even more colors. I’d love a tomato red, lime green, and some dark colors like green-black, brown-black, etc.

Overall though, the Marvy LePen Flex series is a great addition to the LePen line and I’m glad to have them in my collection.

Tools:

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.

In Planners & Organizers

Product Review: Midori Paintable Stamps

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Product Review: Midori Paintable Stamps

I wanted to test some of the Midori Paintable Stamps ($13.25 each). First, I wanted to understand what “Paintable” meant but also how well I could find a use for these designs. I chose four different designs to experiment with how I can use them. I picked up the Book, Wreath, Calendar and Cat.

The first thing you need to know about the Midori Paintable stamps is that they are self-inking, which means there is black ink imbedded into the stamp itself. I don’t know if the stamp can be re-inked but its nice to be able to carry the stamp without needing an additional stamp pad.

Each stamp is approximately 2.25″ square. The casing is a little larger than the usable stamp area but the stamp, with the lid capped, is only about 5/8″ tall so they are fairly portable.

The ink in each stamp is black and the “paintable” part is that the ink is waterproof. So, like Henry Ford once said, “you can have any color as long as it’s black.”

I tested these stamps on different papers since I was pre-warned that the Midori Paintable Stamps can tend to bleed through on Tomoe River.  On 100gsm dot grid paper, the stamps required slightly more pressure to get a complete impression. Using stamps can often take a little bit of practice so I recommend having some scrap paper to do a couple test stamps if you’re worried about “messing up”.

This is a view of the back of the paper on the 100gsm paper. The ink bled as much or more than the actual stamp image. 

I tested the stamps on Tomoe River as well and the stamps required a lot less pressure to get a full impression but I did need to press gently over the whole stamp to get the design imprinted onto the paper completely. I didn’t get 100% perfect stamping but after my first attempt with the Calendar stamp, I think the others turned out fine.

This is the back of the Tomoe River paper and there is a similar amount of show through and bleed to the 100gsm dot grid paper. The inks that I “painted” show through as much, if not more, than the stamp ink.

Of the four stamp designs, I like the Wreath and Cat design best. They offer the most flexibility and can be used to test inks, make a header or a place for a note on a journal page.

The Book stamp, which was the one I was most excited about, has not worked for me space wise. I think, as someone who writes in English, the spaces available for placing information is too small. The book spine for the book title is tight and there’s no room for author name so it has to be put inelegantly in the lined area on the book cover which I assume was space for a review. NO WAY can I write a legitimate review in that space. I tried just putting the title and author in the cover area but it ended up looking kind of wonky as well.

The Calendar stamp left me underwhelmed. As a month overview, I’d rather purchase pre-made stickers for the year to add to my journal or planner like the Stalogy, Midori or even Well-Appointed Desk designs. As a tracker, the Calendar stamp would probably be okay if I remember to write the dates with a waterproof pen so that I could color over them without the ink smearing. So, really, with the Calendar stamp, “It’s not you. It’s me.”

Overall, I find the Midori Paintable Stamps an interesting concept and I look forward to using a few of them in my planner this year to see if I can make more interesting page layouts and designs using them.

Tools:

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.

In feature, link, photo

Planner Set Up: Use It Up!

Author Jessica ColesPosted on 3 Comments
Planner Set Up: Use It Up!

I love stationery supplies! I’m sure most people reading Well-Appointed Desk can understand the feeling of not only enjoying stationery supplies but also hoarding these supplies. I’ve decided 2025 will be the year I try to at least start using all supplies I can find in my own stash and make my daily planner a crazy mish-mash of stickers, washi tape, markers, paint, and photos. Here’s a look at the things I have in my bag today.

HON Planner

Last year I received a mini photo printer that can print directly from my phone but did not use it all year! I’ve started printing out one fun photo every day now.

Kodak Mini 2 Retro Photo Printer

I received a package of Zebra Clickart markers in a white elephant gift exchange (best white elephant gift EVER) so I’ve added those to my rotation of items to use this year.

Zebra Clickart marker pens

I’ve had this Galen Leather protractor for years and haven’t worked it into my regular rotation before. I love the weight and the ability to draw straight lines with it.

Galen Vintage Protractor tool

I picked up a couple of sticker books last summer but all of them look so amazing! I keep waiting for the perfect setup that needs such fancy stickers, but now I’m done waiting. I have an entire day in my planner so far consisting of frogs and crows and it is delightful.

Sticker Books

I’m going to start my foil stickers on a day that just needs something shiny to make me happy.

Midori Stickers

I love these little stamp pads. Not wonderful for huge stamps, but perfect for tiny stamps that I carry with me when I travel!

Stamp ink pads

I’ve only called out a single washi tape from the Well-Appointed store here because I haven’t kept track of where the others come from. When I travel, I wind a length of tape around a thread keeper card so I don’t need to bring the whole washi tape. It works well for short trips.

Here Be Dragons Washi Tape

I’ve always been a huge fan of Eric Small Things stamps. I came across this item last summer and keep forgetting to use it!

Eric Small Things stamps

My challenge this year extends to everyone else. What do you have in your stash that needs to come out and be enjoyed?

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were paid for by me. The links in this post that lead to Amazon are affiliate links that pay Well-Appointed Desk a small percentage of sales used to purchase items for review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Link Love

Link Love: Snow Day Link Love!

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Link Love: Snow Day Link Love!

While I sit snowed-in waiting for the next storm system to dump a bucket of snow on me, I am enjoying the process of making plans for 2025 and reading other people’s reflections and goals. Since I have not yet left the house I feel like I am still in the “jump-start the new year” phase of the year. As long as I can’t leave the house, I might as well start a new journal to document my reading, another for work projects, and maybe another that’s just cat shenanigans. Are you still planning your 2025 or is it in full swing?

2024 Recaps & 2025 Plans:

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

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In Tools

Buckle Up: We’re Decluttering!

Author Laura CameronPosted on 6 Comments

At the end of last year, one of the quilters I follow on YouTube sent out an email telling us to stay tuned – her 30 day decluttering challenge was kicking off January 1. Now, no one really loves the process decluttering, but gosh I do love a clean and tidy space.

Over the last 5 years my craft room/ink den/jobby job station have all become one and, well, there’s a LOT of clutter. So when I got back to the office on January 2nd, I decided to watch the first video and see what was what. I have to say I found her attitude really refreshing. Day 1’s objective was to get rid of trash. Packaging, receipts, left over sticky notes whose use has long been forgotten, plastic, you name it. Your only assignment for Day 1 was to ask yourself “Is this trash?” and then dispose of it if it was. She suggested setting a 15 minute timer and then rewarding yourself with 30 minutes of something you love (playing with inks, or in her case, sewing).

So I did it. And in 15-20 minutes I had two bags of trash. And a big pile of papers to be shredded. I patted myself on the back and knit for a while. Then I thought about it. And then I cleaned out the ink drawer. See I had been keeping all my ink in the boxes they came in, and the drawer was full.

Which meant other bottles stashed all over the place… my desk, my desk drawers, a rolling cart. So I did it. I opened all the boxes and pulled the bottles out. And it was a lot of packaging!

It looks so much better and there’s even room for a couple more bottles if I MUST have them. And with a little more breathing room, I’m sure I’ll use more of what I have! (just need to add inky dots to the tops of them all!)

Now I’m ready for day two? I guess I’m doing this thing.

I’m sure there are many great decluttering series out there, but this is the one I’m following. Obviously she is focused on quilting, but I think most of it can be applied to any area of the house!

In Pen Review

Pen Review: Pentel Brush Sign Pen – Fluorescent Colour Edition

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Pen Review: Pentel Brush Sign Pen – Fluorescent Colour Edition
While the box casts a reflection and makes the pen barrels look a big muddy, don’t let it fool you. These pen bodies are eye-searing bright!

Let’s start this review with a reminder that fluorescent colors are very difficult to capture accurately in photos. With that out of the way, let’s talk about the Pentel Brush Sign Pen Fluorescent Colour Edition (6-pen set, $14.25). As someone who loves Pentel Brush Sign Pens, I couldn’t resist injecting some neon colors into my dreary January.

The set include six pens (which I mis-label below so here’s the official names): Fluorescent Pink, Fluorescent Red, Fluorescent Yellow, Fluorescent Orange, Fluorescent Green, and Flourescent Blue.

The tips of each of the Fluorescent Sign Pens have the same fiber tips as all the other Sign Pens which are surrounded with a plastic sleeve that provides a bit more stability than other fiber-tipped, brush pens.

I have the worst time spelling FLUORESCENT. I don’t know why this word gets me every time. (this photo better represents how bright the pen barrels are.)

On Tomoe River paper, the green marker is more visible than it appears in the photo. The orange and yellow are true flouroscent like classic highlighter colors. To be honest, I think all the colors are similar to classic highlighter inks. The coral color is the most unusual color in the set and might also be described as a neon red. The blue is the least glowy. It’s bright but not eye searing.

I also tested the pens on Creeping Moon 100 gsm dot grid paper and the pens did not bleed through or show through on the 100 gsm.

These pens are deep enough in color to be used for writing but can also be used for highighting or underlining.

I’m not sure how often I’ll use these… maybe my summer journaling will have an 80s throwback? I do enjoy these new colors and I have always loved the quality and writing look of the Pentel Sign Brush Pens so I am inclined to seek out any and all possible options I can find.

If you haven’t tried the Pentel Sign Brush Pens, I highly recommend them. I hope you like them as much as I do.

Tools:

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.

In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: Snow Day!

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Fashionable Friday: Snow Day!

This is the time of year for cozy drinks, warm sweaters and frosty nights. I love the quiet that settles over our neighborhood when it snows. I hope, if it’s cold where you are, you are tucked up under a blanket with your favorite warm drink and your favorite notebook and pen. If not, we have recommendations below! Stay warm!

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