The Well-Appointed Desk

Home again! Home again! Shop is now open!

The Trip

We are back from the St. Louis Pen Show and we had a great time. I taught sooo many classes, Bob met so many people at the table and we ate soooo much good food. We got to spend time with friends and make lots of new ones too. While the St. Louis Show still feels like its growing, I think its becoming a really good show. If you live in the area, I think its worth the trip. Unless you have to drive I-70 from KC to STL. I’ve never seen 200 miles of highway all under construction at the same time! Sheesh!

Our dinner crew photos from Friday and Saturday evenings:

From left to right, Laura and Jaclyn from Kaleidocraft Prints, Tori from Stationery Universe, Rachel — Apprentice/ Pen Maker at Hinze Pen Co, Angela from Inky Converters, Eric from Amarillo Stationery and me and Bob from Well-Appointed Des/Skylab Letterpress.

We found a fabulous Vietnamese place called DD Bau just minutes from the show and we of course went to Bombay Food Junkies a couple times. The Pistachio oat milkshake was amazing as was every dish we ordered. Someone suggested I start a pen show restaurant review page but I don’t go out in many cities because I am so tired in the evenings. I often just order DoorDash. Do you have a new favorite place to eat thanks to a pen show trip? Drop the recommendation in the comments!

As for capturing other photos and videos from the show, once again, I was so busy that I never got a chance. I recommend that you check out Brad Kimberly’s upcoming show report on The Pen Addict or @FYC_toni on YouTube where she publishes video Pen Show walk-throughs, interviews and more.

The Shops are Open

Now that I’m home and unpacked, the shops (Big Cartel, AKA www.Col-o-ring.com and Etsy) are back open and the few remaining “Land of Inkin'” Col-o-rings are available for purchase. First come, first serve. While supplies last!

There will be re-stocking orders placed this week as we sold a lot of product and depleted our stocks! Thanks to everyone who came by our table and bought up all the goodies. Can’t wait to see you again next year!

In Ink Review

Ink Review: Diamine Grey Skies No More (Cult Pens UK Exclusive)

AnaJune 26, 2026June 24, 20261 Comment

When I placed my order with Cult Pens UK a few weeks ago, I threw in a few other exclusive items just because. One of those was the Grey Skies No More ink which is part of the exclusive Diamine x Cult Pens Summer Fountain Pen Ink (30ml bottle). The series included eight colors total and I am kind of kicking myself for not grabbing a few other colors in the series.

The reason I grabbed the Grey Skies No More was that there is a distinctive multichromatic quality, I love a grey ink and the irony of an ink called Grey Skies No More that’s grey amused me. So very English summer.

All the colors in the Diamine x CultPens UK Summer Fountain Pen Ink Collection. Which one is your favorite?

I love the color of Ice Lolly in the sample but fear it would be too light in practice for me. A Jug of Sangria and Sand Between You Toes were close runner-ups for me based on the swatches above. I mean, really, they are all lovely if I didn’t already have too many inks.

But let’s get back to the ink at hand…

Grey Skies No More is a shading, sutble multichromatic in a warm grey tone. My swatches look much warmer than the sample shown by CultPens UK earlier in this review.

There is a distinct purply under tone. In wet application (like a brush, flex nib or swatch), the color is yummy and quite readable. However, in light applications like a fine nib, the color is quite light.

The writing samples above show the writing with an extra fine dip nib to be too light to be usable for writing. With a medium nib, things got more legible. Then with a large folded nib, the color variation is very intriguing.

The close-up above hints at the pink and blue chromatic effect in the overall greige ink.

When compared with other inks, my first thought was J. Herbin Gris Nuage which can also be too light to be usable in most writing circumstances. I was surprised to realize that Gris Nuage is a much cooler grey and also much lighter. I want to love Gris Nuage but its almost impossible for me to use.

Probably the closest ink color is Dominant Industry Downpour which does not have the multichromatic effects and is slightly more neutral grey-black but is the same or similar value. If you prefer cooler or more neutral toned greys, Diamine Silver Fox or Pelikan Edelstein Moonstone are better options.

Ink Institute Cat at Dusk has some of the multichromatic effects but is also a much cooler blue-grey with peachy undertones.

I might throw Grey Skies into my TWSBI Eco with the 1.1mm nib as it will give the ink its best chances at showing off the effects but for my day-to-day micro writing with EF nibs will not work with this ink. Sad about that FOR SURE.

But it is a really pretty color.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided by the generous support of our Patrons for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In feature

See You in St. Louis!

AnaJune 25, 2026June 24, 2026Leave a comment

Here we go again! I’m setting off for St. Louis today with my my patient, kind husband who is spending his weekend standing on his feet, eating vegan food (he’s not a vegan, I am) and driving back and forth down I-70 (the sorriest strip of highway in America). What a good sport!

We will be at the St. Louis Pen Show for the weekend. I am teaching a bunch of classes and eating my weight in Bombay Food Junkies and hanging out with some of my favorite people: Jaclyn and Laura, Andrew, Alan and Alan, Brad and so many more!

Our table is at J-06, next to Kaleidocraft Prints. Come by and say hi! I can’t wait to see you all!

Side note:

Both our Esty shop and our Big Cartel shop are closed for the weekend while we are in St, Louis. I don’t want orders sitting, waiting to be shipped. If you want to place an order on our shops, they will be back open on Monday, June 29.

In Link Love

Link Love: Be Creative!

AnaJune 24, 2026June 23, 20261 Comment

There’s a bunch of travel reports from folks visiting favorite shops around the world, mid-year reflections and lots of creative ideas this week. I think my interest in more collage-y, art journaling projects is that these can be created with things I already have — reuse and repurpose — in a time that making something beauitful on a budget is a great way to spend time.

Check out our Patreon where you can get inspiration, gossip and free printables that include a biweekly podcast and more. Your patronage supports this site. Without our Patrons, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!

In photo

Fabric + Ink: Feeling Beachy

Laura CameronJune 23, 2026June 23, 20261 Comment

As someone who sometimes struggles to put multiple colors together in a cohesive way, I’m fascinated by fabric collections. As I delve into quilting, I find fabric collections of 18-20 different prints somehow designed to all go together. They also give me inspiration for fun ink palettes.

This fabric is called the Coastal Collection and was designed by Craig Conover of Sewing Down South and Southern Charm fame. He designed a collection that fits right into southern beach style – think a cottage at Myrtle Beach or the like.

So I found some shades of ink that might work with it. Many of them are super close in color, but just different enough that they are fun to work with. The only thing I was missing was a good navy – nothing I had was just right!

In feature

Shop News: New & Restocked

AnaJune 18, 2026June 17, 20261 Comment

Wow! I have gotten so many new things in the shop this week and restocked a bunch of favorites.

Kitta Portable Decorative Tape Booklets

First, we are now stocking the Kitta Portable sticker/washi booklets. Some designs are on traditional washi paper, others on clear PET, craft paper and even some on fluorescent paper! Each Kitta booklet folds up like a matchbook to make the perfect portable selection of stickers for journaling and planning.

CoraCreaCrafts Journal Clips

Next, we restocked our favorite journal clips from CoraCreaCrafts and even added a new design. I can’t decide which was is my favorite. I think I love them all.

Gothic Pre-Inked Push Button Number Stamps

We also got these fun self-inking push button number stamps in a gothic font. They are super portable and a great way to add dates to an undated planner or journal or a very gothy to-do list.

Archer & Olive Notebook & Stationery Resotcks

We brought in Archer & Olive earlier this month and have already restocked and added their Everyday Deluxe A5 Soft Cover Refill Notebook (Dot Grid) which is a great option if you have a favorite cover already or want a less expensive option to try their thick 160gsm paper. We also have some of Archer & Olive washi sets and clear stamps.

There’s so much more but I’ll share one more…

Stickii Sticker Sheets

We restocked Stickii stickers including new designs and old favorites. There’s lots of new spooky, witchy, goth stickers since Halloween is everyday here at The Desk but there are also lots of sea and ocean styles, cute animals and vintage deliciousness.

Don’t forget to check out the Mark’s EDiT restock, new Retro Rainbow stickers and all the washi!

In Link Love

Link Love: A Little Techie

AnaJune 17, 2026June 16, 20261 Comment

This week we have a lot of posts about technology — the kind of tech that analog people might be interested in like a university professor making students type papers on typewriters so they can’t use AI, a flip phone from Commodore (as in 64) and 40 rage-inducing problems in tech which made me laugh so hard I had tears rolling down my face and had to reach for my inhaler (asthmatics know… laughing can be life-threatening!)

Pens:

Pilot Frixion Revisited: Do I Have a Use for An Erasable Gel Pen? (viaThe Gentleman Stationer)
New Pen Day! Setting Up the Tom’s Studio Ori Refillable Highlighter (And Cleaning Out the Lumos) (via The Gentleman Stationer)
5 Things to Know Before Getting into Fountain Pens! (via Yoseka Stationery)
The Best Machined Pens (via JetPens Blog)
Meet Your Maker: James White, Bonecrusher 7 Studios (via The Pen Addict)
Pilot Custom 74 – Ranking the Nibs (via The Pen Addict)
I Don’t Understand (via Line Variation)
Just buy a Pilot Parallel already – by Ricardo (via Extra Fine Writing)

Ink:

Ink of the Week: Diamine Arctic Blast (via Dime Novel Raven)

Pencils:

Pencil Sharpener Revolution: Introducing Henry (via Apple-Pine)
Caran d’Ache + Paul Smith Bicolors Special Edition (via Fueled by Clouds & Coffee)
The Best Erasers (via JetPens)

Notebooks & Paper:

What is a Shared Journal? And How to Set One Up! (via Archer and Olive Blog)
Personal, A6, Pocket, A7 and Mini size confusion. (via Philofaxy)
Three Ways to Use a Traveler’s Notebook (via Archer and Olive Blog)
Smythson Beatrix Potter Notebooks (via Notebook Stories)

Art & Creativity:

4 Tips for How Build a Creative Practice When You’re Not a Creative Person (via My Modern Met)
Bad Sketches (via Fueled by Clouds & Coffee)
Chatting with Mike Rohdes on the Sketchnote Podcast
Everything’s Coming Up Crochet! (via LoopKnitlounge)

Tech:

The 40 Most Rage-Inducing Problems in Tech. (via Kottke.org)
Commodore (you know, the 64 folks) is releasing a flip phone… (via Kottke.org)
‘Big Walk’ Is a New Video Game about … Walking and Talking (via Colossal)

Typewriters:

College instructor turns to typewriters to curb AI-written work | AP News (via The Cramped)
Recovering the platen on a Fox 23 (via The Typewriter Revolution blog)

Other Interesting Things:

Deadmau5 Donates $30K To Cover Costs for 27 Rescued Cats in Canada (via My Modern Met)
‘Women in Trees’ Celebrates a Quirky Collection of Anonymous Snapshots (via Colossal)
Don’t Toss It! Mail It! (via From the Pen Cup)
Review: Luddite Random Denim Zipper Case (via Inky Imaginings)
The Chennai Pen Show 2026 – Rahul Gupta & Pen Galaxy (via INKED HAPPINESS)

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