After finding the amazing, little Uni travel red stamp pad, I started nosing around a bit more looking for more information about Asian seals and chops. In China, stamps of all sorts were used to mark documents official, especially if they had to do with paying taxes or to validate a document like a signature.…
Showing all posts in feature
Is the Faber-Castell Perfect Pencil really perfect?
I have been eyeballing the deluxe version of the Perfect Pencil for years with the aluminum cap and luminous golden pencils but a set starts at $50 but can go up to $500 for the platinum version. This Perfect Pencil, on the other hand, was purchased for $30HK (about $4US) and the set of three…
Spectrum artists reveal their tools
I had the good fortune of getting to attend the first-ever Spectrum Live art expo. While I was dazzled by the art and starstruck by the artists, I couldn’t help but peek at whatever tools each artist was using to doodle or autograph. Some made me shiver (really, a Bic ballpoint?!?! Your art deserves a…
Muji Retractable Gel Ink 0.38
This Muji retractable gel ink pen in 0.38 purple is another in a long line of goodies I grabbed while at the Muji store in Hong Kong. It has a clear, frosted, hexagonal body and the total absence of graphics which is one of the things that make Muji such a nice antithesis to big…
A New Sponsor and Special Offer to Well-Appointed Desk Readers
I’m happy to announce that the Australian stationery company Notemaker has joined as a sponsor for The Well-Appointed Desk. They’ve been in business for over five years and specialize in finding the best pens, notebooks and all sorts of other wonderful office goodies from around the world. The carry brands like Delfonics, Lamy, Moleskine, Kate…
Call for notebook recommendations
From The Well-Appointed Desk mailbag came this request from Danny: I would appreciate your opinion. My favorite journal is the Rhodia Webnotebook. I like the fountain pen friendly, off-white colored paper in the 14 x 21 cm size. The only improvement I would like is for the journal to lay flat when open. Do you…
Vintage Office Supply Overdose
My husband’s friend was kind enough to pass along an enormous collection of vintage office supplies from her father and grandfather’s collection. The Denver Post pencil, the fountain pen, ruler and letter opener belonged to her grandfather, Carl P. Stangel, who was an architect in Omaha, NE. Many of the other pieces came from her father…