Our Holiday Wish List: What we want for the holidays

Following yesterday’s Gift Guide, we thought we’d share some of our holiday wishes — some attainable, some not-so-attainable.

Ana:

This wish list has my stationery lusts on it but I also have a few non-stationery things I’ve been wanting (like this amazing wool shop handbag and a Sphero BB-8 to keep my R2 company) as well as entirely intangible wishes as well (like more time, more calm and more bliss in the world). We can all dream, right?

• Demylee X CWPE Women’s Pencil Sweater ($284) When Caroline and Co. showed me the sweater they had made for the holidays, I knew immediately that it would rocket to the top of my holiday wish list. I mean, I already have pencil socks so, of course, I need a sweater to match!
• Shiny silver Ink Bottle Enamel Lapel Pin ($8.63) I am a sucker for enamel pins and if its even marginally related to fountain pens, then I really want it.
• Frannerd Open yearly planner – YEAR TWO ($29.22) I need another planner like I need a hole in my head but I am such a fan of Fran Menses that I would love to have one of her new planners. She has done such great artwork and worked so hard to develop it that I would love to have one in my hands and experience it first hand.

Laura:

• Platinum 3776 Century Fountain Pen Kumpoo ($260 but out of stock)- It’s my color and I love my other Platinum 3776 (Chartres Blue). I couldn’t justify it when it came out, but I’ve used Ana’s and I have a serious case of pen lust.
• Fringe Supply Company Field Bag, Waxed Canvas, Plum – Honestly I’m not sure what’s the most ridiculous part of my wanting this bag. It’s a knitting bag, and while I know it’s of amazing quality, I want to spend $75 on a bag to hold my knitting! And it happens to be sold out everywhere in the newest color (Plum) that I desperately want. And I’ve never actually held one in my hands so who knows if I’ll like it when I get it. See? Replace the word fountain pen with knitting and it’s the SAME THING.

Tina:

What do I want for the holidays? Hmmm. That’s a question that can be interpreted many ways. If I were making a wish list for the day I win the lotto, these items would be on it:

• Nakaya Dorsal Fin Version 2 Aka-tamenuri ($1,500 + $100 for two-tone extra-broad nib) That barrel shape is what my fountain pen dreams are made of.
• Sailor King of Pen Red Urushi ($1,900) Of course, it must have a Naginata Fude de Mannen nib, which doesn’t exist as an option, but I’ll fly to Hiroshima and wait for them to make it for me.
• A full subscription to the 500-color Felissimo colored pencil set (¥2,808 per month x 25 months = ¥70,200 or about US $622; volume discount available!) The website says: “A color for every happiness in the world.” Beat that!
• Faber-Castell KarlBox Colours in Black ($2,850) Truth be told, I probably already own most of the contents of this box, so owning this collection in the KarlBox would be like the piano some people keep in their parlors without ever playing it. I promise to dust and polish it weekly.

Then there are the items on my wish list for before I win the lotto (which looks very much like my Amazon and Blick wish lists):

• Stillman & Birn Nova Trio sketchbook (coming imminently to Blick.com) Stillman & Birn, my favorite sketchbook manufacturer, has conveniently bound all three colors of Nova-series toned papers (beige, gray, black) into one book.
• The Urban Sketching Handbook: Working with Color: Tips and Techniques for Using Watercolor and Color Media on the Go – by Shari Blaukopf ($17.99) A master of urban sketching discusses color.
•  Platinum 3776 Century Laurel Green ($176) I already own several Platinum 3776 Centuries, and Laurel Green would be a lovely addition to my collection of this solid, reliable pen.