The Well-Appointed Desk

Makeshift Ink Cartridge Caddy

AnaJuly 10, 20136 Comments

I found this vintage metal Kodak film canister in my stash recently and wondered if it would hold some of my European short ink cartridges.

It does. Acutally, it easily holds 14 if you alternate directions. The cap screws on nicely and keeps the cartridges from getting knocked around in the bottom of my bag while keeping any potential leaking contained (not that I’ve ever had a cartridge leak but just in case). For my recent trip I wanted to have some ink options but didn’t want to deal with the potential mess of packing a bottle of ink. This method let me bring several different colors with no mess.

The canister also lets me play “ink roulette” since I filled it with several different colors but did not label anything so its anyone’s guess which color I’ll pull out.

I imagine newer plastic 35mm plastic canisters would also work as a good place to stash a few cartridges too. How do you carry spare cartridges?

In feature, Ink Review

Ink Drop Follow-Up

AnaJuly 9, 2013September 18, 2014Leave a comment

Goulet Pens’ monthly Ink Drop for June 2013 was a mystery set called “What’s in a Name”. I wanted to follow-up with the names of the actual colors and my shame at guessing not even ONE of the colors. I am clearly not an ink color aficionado.

The idea behind the collection is that colors might be lovely even if they don’t quite align with their names. Think of them as Supreme Court Justices named Bubba and Barbie — they are more than their names might suggest.

For more details, check out the Ink Nouveau blog post for more details.

In feature

Podcast: Pen Addict #62 Lefty Apologist

AnaJuly 9, 2013Leave a comment

If you are left-handed, know a lefty or are just curious what I sound like, you might want to check out this week’s episode of the Pen Addict podcast. Can you believe they let me on the show again?

We discuss some of the challenges facing left-handed writers and wax rhapsodic about Field Notes — big surprise there.

In feature

DIY Desk Caddy

AnaJuly 8, 20131 Comment

If your desk, drawers and cubbies are filled with as many pens, pencils and various desk implements as mine, this quick and easy DIY project might be just the thing to corral all of them neatly. Using a shoebox covered with paper or cloth, fill it with various sized cradboard tubes from paper towels, bathroom paper or maililng tubes cut to different lengths and fill the box. Then insert your tools and voila! Tidy desk and you can see and access that massive pen collection easily.

(via Unconsumption)

In feature

Collage-apolooza

AnaJuly 8, 2013Leave a comment

Interior design team and brothers Doug and Gene Meyer shared images on their blog of their desks and the massive collage walls of inspiration in their Miami studio. They actual employ a collage technique in a lot of the spaces they design for clients. Its a feast for the eyes and a great way to brighten the space over your desk if you don’t have a window view.

PS: I love the steel tables (make your own at Ikea or buy a colorful metal desk at CB2) on wheels with the green upholstered Eames aluminum side group chairs and citrus yellow filing cabinets (the Bisley drawers or the CB2 TPS file cabinet are similar). What would you cover the walls with?

(via Doug and Gene Meyer blog)

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Link Love: The Early Edition

AnaJuly 3, 2013Leave a comment

Since I’ll be out hiking and boating for the next couple days, I thought I’d share this week’s Link Love a little early.

Pens and Pencils:

Kokuyo Enpitsu 1.3mm Mechanical Pencil Review (via The Pen Addict)
Pilot Down Force Pen Review (via The Clicky Post)
Zebra Z-Mulsion LX 1.0mm Review (via The Clicky Post)

Inks:

De Atramentis Jeanne d’Arc ink review (via East West Everywhere)
Scribal Workshop Cryptid Siren Blue (via The Pen Addict)

Paper:

Word. Notebook Review (via The Pen Addict)

Misc:

Workspace Description of Alexa Von Tobel (via The New York Times)

New Blog: The Pencil Case

In photo

Moglea Stationery

AnaJuly 2, 2013Leave a comment

Moglea is a tiny letterpress print shop run from a farmhouse in rural Iowa. They are creating some beautiful cards and stationery products as well as printing services and custom design and printing work.

The Letterquette set was inspired by a vintage Eaton’s stationery set. The kits include notecards and envelopes.

They also created a series of notepads for to do lists, grocery lists and assorted notes. Each pad is letterpress printed with artwork or an inspirational title in a casual script.

Visit the Moglea shop on Etsy to purchase products. All the images are from their 2013 Lookbook.