The Well-Appointed Desk

Please check out our Special Edition of our Patron-exclusive podcast TL:DR. I breakdown all the good, bad and in-between from the Chicago Stationery Fest. So, tune in and enjoy the recap. Photos below illustrate the event and our road trip adventure.

The trip:

We lucked out and the weather for our drive was pleasant which is not always what will happen in March in the Midwest. Our hotel was cheap and looked like it. I’ll spare you photos of the peach bathroom but I’m sure you can imagine it after seeing the polyester bedspreads.

We ate our way across the city like good Chicagoans. We ate vegan Italian Beef at Buona Beef, donuts at Parlor Doughnuts, coffee everywhere, and amazing Pan Asian at Alice & Friends.

The Event:

Check it out! A sighting of Kelsey Doodles! (far left of the image in white blouse)

Vendors started setting up on Friday around noon. It’s always amazing to see a space go from empty tables to full-fledged paper lover’s paradise in hours.

On Saturday morning, VIPs were allowed access to the event at 9am and by 10am, the floodgates were open.

The Marketplace was super busy on Saturday. Everyone was really happy and nice, even if they had to wait to get into the event.

Bob is waving on the far right of this image.

Workshops:

I taught workshops on both Saturday afternoon and again on Sunday. I entirely forgot to take any pictures of the Secrets from the Ink Collector class but I got some positive feedback from students. It was a huge inky brain dump and I hope everyone left with some new techniques and tips.

My workshop on Sunday was a new workshop: Carve Your Own Stamps and it was so fun! We made a huge mess and had a great time!

Making New Friends:

Our nearby table neighbors were the delightful Hot Dang Press from the Atlanta area that makes iron-on transfers that they could apply on-site or you could take them home with you.

Traveler's Notebook with Hot Dang Press Chicago Flag iron-on transfer on cover — Isn’t the flag iron-on look fantastic?!?!

I had them iron-on the beloved Chicago city flag on my traveler’s notebook. I will definitely be applying even more of their amazing iron-ons onto other notebooks, clothes and bags. These two were a total delight! I hope they start attending other pen shows (Atlanta Pen Show, call these folks!!!)

I am familiar with Itoya and Sailor North America but I was not familiar with the retail face of this company: Top Drawer. I met a couple members of the team and was introduced to their new high-end pen line called Kolo and it includes a some beautiful resins and an interesting soft triangular shape. Certainly worth checking these out more in the future.

Celebrity sightings:

Field Notes legend Bryan Bedell hopped behind our table for a photo op!

Pinkies unite! Me and KB of Calliope Paperie.

Bob met the delightful Tom from Sugar Turtle Studio.

Wrap-Up:

Overall, we enjoyed the event. We had good sales, met lots of great people and ate lots of great food. Yes, there were some issues with some aspects. Be sure to listen to the podcast to hear a more in-depth description.

In Link Love

Link Love: The Introvert Introverts

AnaMarch 26, 2025March 26, 20251 Comment

Post-pen event, I go completely introvert. I am delighted to be home after a great event in Chicago (check back tomorrow for a full recap). But I miss having a cup of tea at hand and cat in my lap which is my life when I am not on the road. I do my best to be upbeat and receptive at pen events but I drain my little introvert battery that takes days and sometimes weeks to recharge. Any of you feel the same thing after a big event? What do you do to recover more quickly?

Pens:

Pilot Decimo with Stub Nib (via dapprman)

Ink:

Lennon Tool Bar Rabbit God (via Inkcredible Colours)
Ink Review #2727: Teranishi Guitar Emotional Olive (via Mountain of Ink)

Pencils:

Koh-I-Noor Magic FX (via Comfortable Shoes Studio)
Staedtler Test Pencils (via Pencil Fodder)

Today is a good day to become a Patron. Everyday is a good day but especially today. Thank you — to all our Patrons, past, present and future!

In photo

Yarn + Ink: Everyone loves a Neon Rainbow

Laura CameronMarch 25, 2025March 25, 2025Leave a comment

I defy you to find someone who doesn’t love a neon rainbow. This month I have been working on a cowl using some of my handspun yarn. Despite the yarn coming out not quite the way I wanted, it is still really fun to work with, watching the colors subtly change as I knit through them. Although maybe there’s nothing subtle about a neon rainbow?

Of course I don’t always have exactly what I want in ink colors, but I don’t think this is too shabby!

And just one more shot of the knits…. Grid Gambit Cowl by Samantha Guerin.

In Pen Review

Re-Embracing Multipen Gel Pens

AnaMarch 24, 2025March 19, 20252 Comments

Sometimes it’s nice to shop your own pen stash. I pulled out my assorted collection of Japanese gel multi-pens and realized a couple needed new gel refills so I did a little testing and reorganizing of which refills were in which pen barrel.

My favorite models are Pilot Coleto multi-pens which use the Pilot Hi-Tec C refills — the gel pens that started so many of back into our love of pens so many years ago — and the Pentel i+ multi-pens that uses the Pentel Slicci refills.

I like these for the color variety and the option for VERY fine tips (as small as 0.25mm). Since I started collecting these pens, both manufacturers have added metallic color options which adds some extra zing.

I filled one Coleto multi-pen with all metallics: Gold, Silver and Metallic Purple. The metallic purple just looks like silver on dark paper but on light paper, more of the purple shows through. The gold and silver are fun on both light and dark papers and the 0.4mm is one of the smallest tip size available for metallic gel pens which means the metallic particles must be super tiny. In years past, the smallest size for metallic gel pens was 1mm so this is awesome for me!

Overall, multi-pen gel pens are great ways to carry a bunch of colors with you to work, school or travel with minimal space needed. I even added a mechanical pencil to one of the Coletos. These are just fun to build your own color collection, tip size and even if you want gel pens, pencil, or an eraser! If you haven’t given a Japanese multi-pen a try yet, now is the time. You can easily build a 3-, 4-, or even 5-color variety with the barrel for under $20.

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.

In link

Buyer Beware: Nibs.com

Laura CameronMarch 21, 2025March 21, 20255 Comments

Earlier this week I came across a thread on Reddit regarding Nibs.com bankruptcy and the fact that the website is still up and running, despite the business being shuttered and no orders being fulfilled. Please do not place an order with them!

I want to be clear: I don’t have any official knowledge or insight into the situation. What I do know is that Nibs.com filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy as of May 31, 2024 in the State of Florida. During the proceedings the business was turned over to a court-appointed trustee. The website is currently unmonitored, and orders are going unfulfilled.

If you have made a purchase from Nibs.com since May 31, 2024, I encourage you to contact your credit card company or bank (or PayPal) to inform them of the situation and request a refund.

In Pen Review

Pen Review: Midori Join Dots Mocha Pen Set

AnaMarch 20, 2025March 19, 20251 Comment

I have really gotten into neutral colors recently so when I saw the Midori Join Dots Connecting Marker 3-Color Set in Mocha ($7), I thought it might be a great edition to my kit. The set includes three small pens that stack on top of each other to make a full length pen. This makes the set a nice addition to a travel kit since it will offer three colors in the space of one.

Each tip is a round dot shape, perfect for making dots at the start of each to-do item or use the edge to underline. Using the full top will create a wider line similar to a highlighter tip.

I was a bit tickled that the colors of the Join Dots somewhat match the Writetech Dual Color Multipen set I also got in the same order. Definitely keeping with my neutral vibe.

I also compared the Join Dots pens to the Zig Clean Color Dot pens which also feature a dot-making feature. I like writing with the Join Dots broad end more than trying to write with the round tip of the Zig Clean Color Dot markers but the Clean Colors feature a fine tip on their opposite end which can be more useful than trying to use the edge of the Join Dots.

On Tomoe River paper, the inks pool in a way I’m not crazy about but the Midori Join Dots do not pool as frequently on other paper. I recommend Midori MD or similar for a smoother color effect.

Overall, I am going to test these out for a few weeks for my list making since I don’t use a planner with Tomoe River for daily notes. But if you use Tomoe River exclusively, the color pooling is a little distracting and so I’d recommend the Zig Clean Color Dots over the Midori Join Dots.

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.

In Link Love

Link Love: Recaps & Recuperation

AnaMarch 19, 2025March 19, 20252 Comments

I am no longer feeling like death warmed over and, just in time, too! We leave tomorrow for the Chicago Stationery Fest which is completely sold out for the weekend. I look forward to meeting new people, teaching new classes and seeing some old friends too!

(If you are from Chicago, you’ll 100% get this week’s photo. If not… I bet you can guess. DIBS!)

There are some fun links this week. CJ’s Wunderkammer take the idea of gamifying to pen collecting so I have more things to consider about my “gamifying my life” project. And The Gentleman Stationer asks the question “Is there a Specific Color You Gravitate Towards” in your pen collecting? I will have to dig into my collection and see what I discover.

And there’s a pencil review this week! A shorthand pencil. Which is interesting because Lisa at Vanness Pen Shop and I have been talking about her teaching a shorthand class as a future pen show. Its a skill she possesses and I think it would be cool to learn this secret code-like writing would be. Do you know how to write shorthand? Would you be interested in learning it?

Pen Show Recaps:

Baltimore Washington International Pen Show Recap (via Penquisition)
2025 Baltimore Pen Show Recap (via The Pen Addict)
BWIPS 2025 Recap (via Rachel’s Reflections)

Pens:

Attainable Urushi – Pilot’s Urushi Lacquer Pens Under $1,000 (via Pen Boutique Ltd Blog)
Opus 88 Mini Pocket Stripes Fountain Pen Review (via The Pen Addict)
Favorite Fountain Pens: Is There a Specific Color You Gravitate Towards? (via The Gentleman Stationer)
Santini Giant Faceted Venezia Fountain Pen Review (via BLAKE’S BROADCAST)
The Gamification of Fountain Pen Collecting (via CJ’s Wunderkammer)
Review: Jinhao 10 Fountain Pen (via Inky Imaginings)

Ink:

Currently Inked Pens March 2025 (via Writing at Large)
Ink Review #2726: Teranishi Guitar Innocent Mauve (via Mountain of Ink)
Ink Review #2725: Diamine Port of Call (via Mountain of Ink)
ink review : Graf von Faber-Castell Olive Green (via inkxplorations)
Van Dieman’s Tassie Salmon (via Inkcredible Colours)
Ink Review #2723: Dominant Industry Atlantis (via Mountain of Ink)
Tono & Lims Orbit L2 Ink Review: a Stand Out “Light” Ink (via Pen Chalet)

Pencils:

Pitman’s Special Shorthand Pencil (via Pencil Fodder)

Notebooks & Paper:

Musubi Pocket Folio A6 Slim Notebook Review (via BLAKE’S BROADCAST)
Kakimori Custom Notebook First Look, What About The Muddler? (via The Pen Addict)
Filofax A5 Malden – Revisited (via Philofaxy)
Moleskine Touch Notebook (via Notebook Stories)

Art & Creativity:

Winterized (via Abigail Halpin)
Drawing Table Unpacked (via Fueled by Clouds & Coffee)
The best podcasts for creative inspiration in 2025 (via Creative Boom)
How to beat creative block: practical tips from your fellow creatives (via Creative Boom)

Other Interesting Things:

Spring desk refresh: 8 fresh finds in stationery and office accessories (via Creative Boom)
11 Best Women’s Bags for Work, Travel, and Everyday Use (via Carryology)
I’m Still Here (via From the Pen Cup)
Here’s your Manila Pen Show 2025 ultimate guide (via Pen Noob)
Stationery and school: My personal round-up (via Urban Adventure League)
Peter Pauper Press Planner Stickers Review (via All About Planners)
The Conqueror numbering machine (via The Typewriter Revolution blog)

Every little bit helps keep this site going. Consider supporting us by joining our Patreon. You will get access to our bi-weekly podcast, free printables, newsletter and more. If you are already a Patron, thank you!