Planner Status: May to June Set-Up

Planner Status: May to June Set-Up

For June, my theme for my daily planning and journaling pages is Roses and Honeysuckle. I had tons of stickers and washi tape with roses but I had to actually research online to find out what honeysuckle flowers look like. I found a few plants in the Botanist’s Sticker Anthology that are probably honeysuckle or close enough for my purposes.

My rationale for the theme is that roses and honeysuckle are associated with the birth month of June and since its the month of my birth, I figured I’d embrace it. I considered doing the gems and anything else I could find but decided I might be setting an unnecessarily complicated precedent so I settled on the flowers. I already know my theme for July will be different so I’m glad I just went with a flower theme this month.

As I’ve established in previous months this year, I went through some of my washi tapes, sticker books and loose bits and pulled out a few sheets that directly related to my theme so that I had curated a small assortment in advance of the month to make the act of jazzing up my pages easy and fun and not an occasion for analysis paralysis. Pick a theme, pick some stickers, go! Next month, I pick a new theme. I’m forcing myself to be more decisive. Life’s too short to waffle.

My pen selections are remarkably similar to May. I swapped out onne or two that didn’t really get used and added in a couple different ones but mostly, my pens and inks remained consistent. It meant I didn’t have to clean out my pens and that I was pretty happy with my choices last month.

The Pen List:

The Supply List:

As I continue to use up my stash of washi tape most are no longer available or are so old I don’t remember when or where they were purchased them. If you are looking for new sources for washi,  I recommend MT brand above all others but I’ve been known to buy small sets of themed tape from Amazon or any of the many many options available from JetPens.

While the list doesn’t look like I have pared back my materials, I try to be choosy about how many elements I add and use each month. I don’t want to overwhelm myself or make anything too complicated.

My advice if you are starting out is to pick a couple rolls of washi tape, ONE sticker book or sticker pack and some method to add a calendar of your choice — whether that is a sticker sheet, labels or a stamp. Add in one or two pens or markers and call it good. Less is more. You can always glue in papers, ephemera and other bits throughout the month as you find them, even press in a flower, clover or other bit to add to your personal story.

Okay, you want a video walkthrough? Here it is:

Intro and outro music for the above video  by Miyagisama from Pixabay

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. This post also includes affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

Fountain Pen Review: Sailor Pro Gear Slim Follow The Mermaid

Fountain Pen Review: Sailor Pro Gear Slim Follow The Mermaid

As the prices for some of the limited edition Sailors have come down over the last few months, I was finally able to snag one of the Follow The Mermaid models for $200. I was debating between the Storm Over the Ocean and the Follow the Mermaid designs and with only a $36 price difference between the Slim versions, the deciding factor ended up being my nail polish color choice last week.

Unfortunately, the polish didn’t last until this week but I did manage to snag a Kuromi Pen Case ($25) which (strangely) ended up being a perfect match and perfectly fit into my Hello Kitty Island Adventure game life.

The pen is a wonderful mix-up of translucent aqua, misty lavender purple with glitter and seashell white end caps. The silver hardware and two-tone nib add the required bling for a mermaid princess.

Like all the other Sailor Pro Gear Slim fountain pens, this pen features a 14K nib and I got the HF nib which I’ve determined is my favorite Sailor nib. I love, love, love this nib and its the nib I use to compare all other nibs. Not to mention I love that Sailor 14K nibs are smooth but also provides a little friction, like a perfect pencil. Maybe that’s why I love the Sailor 14K nibs so much? The eversharp pencil but ink?

The next challenge was choosing just the right ink color to pair with this stunning pen. Even with my massively pared down ink collection, I found seven strong candidates: three aqua/teals — one with purple shimmer! — two purple/violets and two purply-grey colors.

Honestly, I could swap out inks in this pen for the rest of the year and be a happy little mermaid queen.

Which one would you pick?

I picked the VanDieman’s Underwater Parrot Fish ($17) because the name was appropriately aquatic and the color included shimmer that coordinated with the pen as well, even though the fine nib only shows those particles ever now and again. Its a perfect match to the cap color so even if the shimmer doesn’t show, the color is still super-aquatic and summery.

I am looking forward to trying a couple of the other color matches in the coming months. I think the Follow The Mermaid will make its way to the top of favorite pen list for sure.

Are you a Mermaid or a Storm Chaser? Which of the limited edition Sailor pens would you purchase?


DISCLAIMER: Some 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.

Link Love: Meta Hates Us

Link Love: Meta Hates Us

The big news this week in the pen community is the release of the Diamine Inkvent Purple edition colors in full -sized bottles and Lamy announcing a summer collection of Safari pens. However, in the online community, Meta’s AI policy is causing quite a flutter. Many creative folks are abandoning or transitioning away from Instagram and Facebook following the announcement that Meta will be using creator content to train their AI engines and there is no clear way to opt out — at least not in the US. I can understand the impulse to leave these platforms as they continue to use work of creators for their own benefit. Where do you stand on this issue?

Link of the Week:

Pens:

Ink:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:


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Jet Pens Mini-Haul (under $10, mostly!)

Jet Pens Mini-Haul (under $10, mostly!)

Sometimes, there are a hand full of small, quirky products that don’t need a full, long-form review but are worth mentioning so I thought these products were worthy of a little notice.

I recently got an order from JetPens that included:

So, let’s do a little run down:

Shachihata Allemore Nototo Join Stamps: Daily Log

The Shachihata Allemore Nototo Join Stamps – Daily Log has a rather long name for a small, pocketable stacking stamp set. The set even includes a small pipette filled with extra ink to re-ink your stamps as needed. The instructions on the back of the packaging has images showing cutting the tip off the pipette to release the ink and apply to the face of teh stamp to re-ink. The stamps do come pre-inked so the pipette is just for later use.

The four click-together stamps with the cover measure 1.2 x 2.3″ total in size and each stamp fits into a 5mm tall grid block and occupies less than 4 grid blocks (20mm). The black, water resistant ink is very fine line and looks clean and neat on the page.

The four designs are weather, moods, star rating and a progress bar. We of the Midwest joke that no one ever includes a tornado in the weather icons and its a missed opportunity!

The view from the back of the stamps on Stalogy paper (which is similar to Tomoe River) is quite good. I’m giving this set two thumbs up!

MU Print-On Transfer Stickers – Lunar

I trained as a graphic designer at the same time that dry transfer lettering was just starting to fall out of use. So, we were often able to pick up sheets or Letraset dry transfer,  rub-on lettering for a deal and we’d use it on all sorts ot things but it does start to dry out and crack when you try to apply it. So, knowing that, the revival of dry transfer for planners, journals, scrapbooking and crafting is a great chance for people who never got to use it in the past can use it and now its color and includes gorgeous designs and graphics beyond lettering and dot patterns.  MU Print-On Transfer Stickers – Lunar – 2 Sheets ($3.35)  is watercolor-style leaves, butterflies and planets on two sheets. The boho inspired art is pretty and very translucent.

If you’ve never used dry transfer before, a quick review: cut out the piece you want to apply. Have a popsicle stick, bone folder or old credit card handy to use to help rub down the designs.

Peel the waxy paper off the back of the design before placing the design onto your paper. Then use your rubbing tool to rub down the design. When you feel you’ve rubbed enough slowly peel  from one edge slowly, if the clear film does not easily lift, rub some more and try again.

You may need to put a pencil board or piece of firm cardboard under your design to make it easier to apply pressure to your design when transferring it.

I did try applying a design to my leather notebook cover but the artwork is very translucent so it’s not very visible. This set of designs works best on light colored papers and the art is stunning so its worth using it on light papers to see all the details. It’s a great set. Add it to your next order for sure.

Mark’s Masté Perforated Writable Washi Tape

I am really liking the washi tape sets that are being released these days. The rolls are smaller which means I have more likelihood of using them up and the rolls coordinate together so they work well in my current planning set-up. Mark’s Masté Perforated Writable Washi Tape – Dates Pack of 3 ($6.95) is hand drawn numbers for dates in your bullet journal or planner and an additional roll of frames for months, page titles, etc.

The individual dates and frames are micro-perforated so they are easy to tear cleanly with your fingers which is AWESOME! I always forget to pack scissors. I did discover that the frames will require seeking out  different pens — maybe a Sharpie Pen or Staedtler Triplus will work better. Regardless, this set is fun and playful and feel creative with minimal effort. The delft blue color will also work for many times in the year, IMHO.

Bande Washi Tape Sticker Roll – Flower Garden

Can I gush? When I saw the Bande Washi Tape Sticker Roll – kalo – Flower Garden – Set of 2 ($9) I literally squealed. It’s so genius and makes me so happy. The idea is that the two rolls work together. You get to pick the container — an assortment of vases and flower boxes and then there are washi flower bouque flakes that can be “put into” the container. I love this idea! I want to make flower bouquets in boxes, vases, and so much more. I love that there is some creativity and play in this set and highly recommend it.

Movic Studio Ghibli Notebook – B6 – Graph – Princess Mononoke

The last product that I got is the Movic Studio Ghibli Notebook – B6 – Graph – Princess Mononoke ($6.50). I grabbed this for two reasons: (1) I am a huge Ghibli fan. Who isn’t? and (2) its a B6 notebook and that is my favorite notebook size so anytime I can grab a B6 notebook to supplement my Stalogy, I will grab it.

I cut to the chase and tested my daily fountain pen on the paper inside the Princess Monoke notebook and was pleasantly surprised that I had no issue with it. From the reverse, there’s hint that this paper might not be great with a super wet or wide nib fountain pen but with EF, F and M, this paper should be fine and allow you to use both sides of the paper. But for $6.50 for 48 pages its a great value.

Bonus: Kodama tree spirits are lightly printed on the bottom corner of the left hand pages and fill me with endless joy.

I’ll probably go back and order all the other designs (Kiki, Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away and Castle in the Sky) if they are still available.

Okay, that’s the whole haul! Lots of great “basically under $10” products to spark a little excitement in your planner or journal habit. What’s your latest under-$10 purchase for your planner or journal?


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.

First Look: Lamy Safari Summer Editions

This weekend we were treated to a preview of the new Lamy Safari summer editions: Cherry Blossom and Pina Colada!

Lamy Safari Pina Colada (a blue pen with yellow grip and clip) and Cherry Blossom (a pink pen with red grip and clip).

While the colors certainly look summer fresh, Ana and I couldn’t decide if we were yay or nay. We joked about the rumor that they’re putting together random parts in inventory to make new color combos. I will say I like them more than the Strawberries and Cream editions of 2022, and maybe better than the Spring editions of last year. What do you think?

Want a closer look? Check out Yoseka’s YouTube Video:

Ink Review: Ferris Wheel Press, Definitely Peachy

I have just a few more new-to-me inks to sample/review in my ongoing quest to find peach inks that relate to the Pantone color for the year. I would say today’s ink is of mixed success. I think it might actually come closest to what I was looking for (though it is still missing that ethereal band-aid yellow tinge). However, it is also so light in many nibs that it’s virtually unreadable. Some compromise eh?

Today’s ink is Ferris Wheel Press’s Definitely Peachy ink (38mL for $22). This is delightfully pinky peach ink that shades a bit, and yet still remains light and fresh. The ink performs decently well. It’s not too dry, or too wet. What I do find, though, is that unless it’s in a heavier nib, it’s really too light to be easily readable.

Those dots and shades are so tempting – luscious, juicy, pinky peach and I love them.

In terms of other inks I have that compare, Pen Saijiki Syurei and Pennonia Ragi Bubblegum are the closest. I think Ragi Bubblegum is just ever so slightly darker, and Syurei is a bit redder and more readable. But they’re all pretty close.

My final remarks? I don’t know. I found a GORGEOUS tonal ink that shades beautifully in larger application. Were I painting peaches I’d be thrilled. But I’m not a painter and I mostly use my inks in fountain pens with fine nibs, so this is one I’d probably skip if I’m looking for legibility.


DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Ink Review: Diamine Cult Pens Wonders of the World

Ink Review: Diamine Cult Pens Wonders of the World

I found a new set of inks from Diamine and Cult Pens recently but never could find a time when all seven inks were in stock together soI put off the purchase. But one day I found a magical listing – a tiny set of all seven inks.

These are the Wonders of the World inks – Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, The Great Wall of China, Petra, Colosseum, and Christ the Redeemer. This tiny set comes in a long, thin box that closes with a magnet.

Cult Pens has a few sets of ink that are offered in small, 12mL plastic bottles – the same size as the Inkvent calendar (days 1-24 at least). They’re adorable and most pens can fit in the opening in order to fill.

I enjoy the larger labels that need two sides of the bottle, but it does make the photography a little trickier.

For the ink colors – Machu Picchu is a yellowish green which shows up brighter than Alt-Goldgrün – a bit of shading as well.

 

The Great Wall of China is a moody, dusty forest green that has a darker halo in large swatches. It doesn’t quite have the blue undertones seen in Robert Oster Moss.

Diamine Petra is a beautiful terra cotta orange with some of the hints of a pink undertone that were in Taccia’s Pink Beige ink (I would love Taccia to bring this color back!). Petra does show good shading potential based on the nib size.

 

Diamine Colosseum is an extremely light sandy brown. Shading with this ink still won’t bring it to a level where it is easily legible. This one will be an art ink for me.

Chichen Itza – I was hoping this ink would be a touch darker. When comparing it to other ink swatches, it was still lighter than the unsaturated vintage blue-black inks. I would call it more of a blue-gray.

 

Taj Mahal is by far the darkest ink in this set. The saturation level of it makes it feel out of place, but it is a beautiful deep sapphire blue. It does sheen on the correct paper as well, but not overly so.

Christ the Redeemer is a medium gray with plenty of shading. It’s a wonderful ink to grab for the office when you want your writing to be noticeable for the difference in ink color while still being appropriate for work papers.

Wonders of the World inks on Cosmo Air Light:

Wonders of the World inks on Midori MD paper:

Wonders of the World inks on Tomoe River (52gsm) paper:

While I’m glad I grabbed this set, I don’t know that I’ll use at least two or three of these inks as they are too light for daily use. I love the idea of the theme and the artwork that was presented on the Cult Pens site featuring each ink, though.

While this set isn’t being offered at the moment, the 30mL bottles of each ink are available on the Cult Pens site for $3.45 each. What are your thoughts on the theme?


DISCLAIMER:  The items in this review were purchased by me for the purposes of this review. Please see the About page for more details.