12 Days of Inkmas:  Sailor Manyo Ume (Day 5)

12 Days of Inkmas: Sailor Manyo Ume (Day 5)

Sailor Manyo Ume is one of my favorite inks lately – a burgundy with a touch of sheen, a bit of brown mixed in, one that sometimes shades, showing a pinkish red underneath. In comparison to a few other sheening burgundies, Ume doesn’t show much sheen and when it does, it isn’t bright. But this…

A (Draft) Notebook Set-up for 2021: Planners, Journals, and Blank Pages

A (Draft) Notebook Set-up for 2021: Planners, Journals, and Blank Pages

It’s December (…how?) and after a year that deviated from plans more than anyone could have anticipated, apparently I still feel compelled to “plan” for the upcoming year. I say apparently because it wasn’t until earlier this week that I realized I had five different notebooks that I intended to continue using in the new…

Link Love: Planner Optimism and End-of Year Wrap Ups

Link Love: Planner Optimism and End-of Year Wrap Ups

The end of the calendar year is a busy time for the stationery community. We are inundated with last-minute product releases (which is probably true for most retail businesses) plus the final selections of planners for the coming new year. Add in the requisite end-of-year wrap ups, best of’s and top ten lists and there…

Pen Review: The Leonardo Momento Zero Grande with Oversized #8 Nib

Pen Review: The Leonardo Momento Zero Grande with Oversized #8 Nib

I remember vividly the first pen show that the Nibsmith had Leonardo pens stocked at his table. The Momento Zero model caught a lot of people’s attention at that show, and for good reason. I was not immune. It’s one of the only pens I can think of that I purchased immediately when seeing a brand…