In Planners & Organizers

The return of planner season!

Author Laura CameronPosted on 2 Comments

I can hardly believe that this Friday is September 1st, but it is and that means that Planner Season will be (un)officially open! September 1st always marks Hobonichi Release Day and 2024 looks to be another great year. If you want to get a preview of what will go on sale, the website is now open. You can also check out this fun reel the Life Book 2024.

Another way to stay “in the know” about what’s on sale when is the Jet Pens handy 2024 Planner Notification Signups. This page is chock full of great information on quite a few planner systems. It’s got comparison charts so you can try and determine which planner might interest you the most, and you can sign up to be notified when what you want is in stock. It also includes a ton of quizzes, blog posts and videos on how to determine the right planner for you based on your needs and preferences.

Which planner is your favorite? I’ve used a number of planning systems over the years and I’m still debating on which works best for me. I’ve ordered a few contenders for 2024 and I’ll be sharing them over the next weeks.

Happy planning!

In feature

The Desk Goes on Vacation!

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments
The Desk Goes on Vacation!

This week is the San Francisco Pen Show and, in preparation for the pen show festivities, the Desk will literally and figuratively be “going on holiday”. If you will be attending the SF show, please stop by the Vanness or Dromgoole’s table and say hello to Jesi and I. If you mention that you read about our pen show holiday here, we will be sure to give you FREE stickers or other swag.

I will be bringing shop merchandise with me to the show so if there’s anything specific you would like brought to the show, you can pre-purchase on the shop and use the code (PENSHOWPICKUP on Big Cartel and Etsy) for pick-up at the show. Then just come by the Vanness table and pick up your order. Please place any orders for pick-up by WEDNESDAY, August 23, 2023 by 11pm CST. That will give me time to pack them up and stuff them in my suitcase. (If you don’t pick up your item(s) at the show, we will have to arrange shipping post-show so don’t forget!)

We will be back and posting regularly starting Monday August 28. Thanks for your patience and being loyal readers of our blog.

In feature, Ink Review

Ink Review: Ferris Wheel Press Poison Envy

Author Jessica ColesPosted on 2 Comments
Ink Review: Ferris Wheel Press Poison Envy

For the last year and a half, I have been assisting the Dromgooles at various pen shows, selling and educating about ink. One amazing benefit of this arrangement is that I get to see firsthand which inks are the most popular and in demand; I also get a chance to review those inks! A big thank you to Dromgoole’s for letting me grab a bottle of Ferris Wheel Press Poison Envy to review.

Ferris Wheel Press has been shaking up the glistening (sparkling) ink world with its Fairy Tales ink line. Every foil-stamped box contains intricate artwork related to the fairy tale.

Each ink in the Fairy Tale line also comes in a small glass bottle (20mL) with a heavy metal cap.

The sparkle in Poison Envy is a purple chameleon sparkle while the ink itself is a dark purple that leans red with a bright greenish-gold sheen.

Sheen and sparkle are everywhere in this ink – both the in the swatch and in writing.

The base ink color in Poison Envy is redder than the base ink in Diamine Winter Miracle from Inkvent 2019 but they are close in writing. The difference becomes apparent when the swatches are angled into the light. The color of the sparkle is also visible here – Winter Miracle contains a bluish sparkle while Poison Envy is silver at one angle and purple at another.

Ferris Wheel Press Poison Envy on Cosmo Air Light 83gsm paper:

Ferris Wheel Press Poison Envy on Midori Cotton paper:

Ferris Wheel Press Poison Envy on Midori MD paper:

Ferris Wheel Press Poison Envy on Tomoe River (TR7) 52gsm paper:

Ferris Wheel Press Poison Envy does come with a cost – $22 for the 20mL bottle of ink – $1.10 per mL. However, I do believe the cost is justified for the materials and level of thought put into the ink and packaging. Thank you again to the Dromgooles for making this review possible!

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

In Link Love

Link Love: Best Link Love Yet!

Author AnaPosted on 4 Comments
Link Love: Best Link Love Yet!

This Link Love edition has it all: 21 Pen Question responses, DC Pen Show reports, lots of art journaling content, great perspectives on pen buying, paper explanations and even a pop can nib demo! Without a doubt, this is an edition of Link Love you’re going to want to click EVERY link. Enjoy!!!

#21PenQuestions:

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Pen Show Reports:

Other Interesting Things:

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In Paper Review

Paper Review Colorverse Coloring Sheets (Minhwa)

Author Laura CameronPosted on 1 Comment

I’m always fascinated by new entrants to the paper market. For the last few weeks I’ve been reviewing various sheets and swatch cards from Colorverse, but I’m particularly excited about today’s batch because, well, I love coloring!

Colorverse Coloring Sheets (16 sheets for $12.00) are a fun new addition to their line. Each package contains 4 each of four different floral designs, printed on 200gsm Nebula Premium paper measuring 5″ x 7.25″ (128mm x 182mm). While I believe the intent is to color them with fountain pen ink (the packaging shows a pen nib doing the coloring), there are so many ways you could use these cards.

I took the opportunity to do a light ink wash with a paint brush. I pulled out three of my favorite inks: Papier Plume Ivy Green, Pilot Iroshizuku Ajisai, and just a few hints of Pilot Iroshizuku Murasaki/Shikubu. After the ink wash dried I added a few line details with my TWSBI Eco filled with Yoseka x Ink Institute No. 1 Origin.

I am by no means a water color artist (you’ll need to check out Tina’s posts for the arty content), I’m pretty pleased with what I was able to accomplish in just 20 or 30 minutes. The card curled just a smidge, but not nearly as much as the Colorspace Ink Art Cards that I reviewed a few weeks ago. Odd because it’s the same paper!

Surprisingly enough, I could find a use for these cards in my collection. I think they’re really pretty and wouldn’t hesitate to put one up on my bulletin board or even in a pretty frame. If you like painting or coloring (particularly with a large stash of fountain pen inks), I think these are great fun!

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.

In feature

Ink Declutter, Vol. 1

Author AnaPosted on 12 Comments
Ink Declutter, Vol. 1

I’ve mentioned it a couple times with my Patrons that I’ve been on a bit of a stationery and ink declutter this summer. I’ve been going through my 600+ bottles of ink and attempting to pare it down to a more manageable number. Over the past year, I’ve discovered that I tend to favor a couple bottles of ink over everything else. I’ve even considered purchasing new bottles of the ink when I finish these bottles.

Alternately, other inks have languished for months or even years. It’s not that they are not beautiful colors its just that I am likely to have three or more similar bottles of ink.

I’ve become aware, over the years, my penchant for fine nibs limits the usability of inks that are lighter in color. Some lighter inks are often too light to be usable in a fine nib pen.

Also, 600 bottles is a lot of ink to store. I had it in my head that I could get the collection down to 100 bottles but everyone who knows me has laughed at my optimism. While I appreciate a good declutter, I also love having all the things I might need to make or create.

Over the years, I have gone on various adventures to fine the “perfect” grey ink, the one-true lime green ink and a mission to find the finest plummy purple color. This has left me with several, close-but-not-quite-right inks that have sat idle in my collection. I have also made various attempts made to bring a red or orange ink into my collection. I am just not a fan of red and orange inks. They’re pretty but I never want to ink up a pen with them.

Each month, I have been selecting a few brands and attempt to edit out some of the many bottles I own. So far, I’ve gone through my Montblanc inks, Robert Oster, and Sailor inks along with a few random inks. Patrons got early access to these sale inks but now I’m opening it up to regular readers of the blog.

This ink declutter/purge means that if you love red or orange inks, have been looking for that perfect grey ink or just want to try a lot of inks cheap, my loss is your gain.

If you’d like to get early access to sales like this or to participate in our monthly pen and book chat, consider subscribing to our Patreon.

In Link Love

Link Love: No (Harry) Styles Here.

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments
Link Love: No (Harry) Styles Here.

I will spare you any off-topic observations this week and take you straight to the links. I also spared you the freakish bounty of links about Harry Styles that came acorss my path this week. You’re welcome.

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

Don’t forget to join our Patreon. Your patronage supports this site. Without them, and without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!