This week, the Desk HQ has been filled with the sounds of crickets (and a few cicadas) and the sounds of school buses and kids on the playground (yep, Desk HQ is situated across the street from an elementary school). What do the sounds mean? It’s back-to-school time and the summer is coming to an end. But for the pen community, it means shopping for fun (or silly) back-to-school supplies and getting in touch with our inner grade schooler.
I think I’m going to find a cool pencil box and fill it with some gel pens, some fun shaped erasers and a box of crayons because they smell good! Maybe add some stickers, and few mini toys because I am secretly nine years old. Oh! And maybe I’ll visit the library for some new books to read to relive the feeling of a Scholastic Book Fair. Didn’t you love them?!?! How do you celebrate back-to-school season (even if you aren’t actually going back to school)?
Pens:
- Review: Sailor Pro Gear Slim Grateful Crane Fountain Pen (via Inky Imaginings)
- M670 Grey White: A New Pelikan Souverän Model (via The Pelikan’s Perch)
- … On Pocket Pens (via dapprman)
- Highlighter Review: Kokuyo Mark+ Dual-Tone Highlighter Marker (via The Gentleman Stationer)
- TOM’S STUDIO One Dip PEN (via Nick Stewart’s FOUNTAIN PEN INK ART)
Ink:
- Ink Review #824: Color Traveler Dish Brown (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist)
- Sugar Turtle Studio – Four Ink Reviews (via The Pen Addict)
- Diamine Violet (via Inkcredible Colours)
Pencils:
Notebooks & Paper:
- Takeo Dressco Spica Bond Notebook Review (via BLAKE’S BROADCAST)
- To use a bound book or an insert? Or both? (via Dime Novel Raven)
- Shibori Notebooks (via Notebook Stories)
Art & Creativity:
- A Tour of My New Studio: A Joyful Plant and Art-Filled Creative Space (via My Giant Strawberry)
Other Interesting Things:
- Galen Leather Co. Zippered 10 Slot Pen Case with A5 Notebook Holder Review (via The Pen Addict)
- Thank You Stationery Fest!!! (via The Pen Addict)
- What’s What 8/7/24 (via Line Variation)
- The after-pen-show zoo that is my currently inked (via mnmlscholar)
- Explained: a case for just one pen – by Ricardo (via Extra Fine Writing)
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I was thinking about last year, when Reddit’s fountain pens sub was filled with posts about Leuchtturm notebooks at Home Goods and TJ Maxx. It was in August. I went there yesterday and saw six, bought two for $7.99 each. I went to the library after!
After looking at Jet Pens items by color, I started thinking about what I already had in pen cases, notebooks, fountain pens. I bet I could create sets for a few colors. That would be for a fun photo. I do have plans to go to a Barnes and Noble for a notebook I learned about by Inkpressions. There is a Home Goods near this location, so yeah, I’ll be looking there too.
I think I did an Inkpressions review awhile back. Interesting papers but they may have changed design or papers so I may have to check that out too!
I love everything about back to school except the summer ending part.
Hi Tina, in the KC metro area, Summer hangs on for awhile. It’s still the growing season until a hard frost. But by Halloween it does get chillier.
At Barnes and Noble, I bought one Good Inkpressions in blue with plain, white 52gsm Tomoe River paper, and my first Campus Notebook. At Home Goods, I got two Leuchtturms, an A6 I thought was Berry, but turns out is lighter, and a two pack of softcover A5 Leuchtturm notebook in Emerald and Pacific.
The Good Inkpressions can have 52gsm or 68gsm. The paper can be white or cream. The paper types I saw were plain, lined and dotted.