I love that Kobe Nagasawa has been creating inks inspired by places in Kobe like the Chocolate Museum and this most recent release: Kobe Lampwork Museum Maroon. Many of their ink colors are inspired by plants, places and other elements that are in the Kobe area. I think its a great way to create and…
As we approach the end of the year, there are lots of wrap-ups and faves of the year but not a lot of new pen news or reviews. All the focus is on reflecting on the past and planning for the coming year. So check out the posts below about ideas for new planner and…
As I have been thinking about this post for the past several days, I realized that I am no where near as organized as Thien Kim was about her review. I ended up going more by gut feel, which means I probably have some recency bias (more inclination towards what I have been using more…
Taccia makes some unique inks, very much influenced by Japanese history and culture with deep, complex colors. Their line of Roughna Sketch Inks are no different. I picked up a sample of the Earth Green ($32 for a 40ml bottle) which is a sheening olive-y green. And if you’ve been around this site for very…
Big shout out to new reader, Kate, and winner of our Hobonichi Techo 2026 giveaway! I have emailed you directly to get the planner mailed out to you. Please let me know if you have not received it. I hope the folks at Creative Kindness are excited to get your generous gift. Desk readers are…
Robert Oster Kelp Forest (50ml for $ 19) was created for the Melbourne Pen Show 2025 and is kind of a dual-shading mossy green. When its lightly applied to paper with a fine nib, the color is a shading low saturated yellowy green. When there is heavy coverage on the rright kinds of paper, there…
This week my social media apps exploded in outrage and skepticism around the announcement of the Pantone Color of the Year for 2026. There is sooooo much to say about the choice of color, a white they are calling “Cloud Dancer” and the outrage pouring from every source on the internet. Laura and I plan…
