Just popping in to let you know that we’ve given our Inky Ears page (a list of audio podcasts about our favorite topic!) an update. Do you have a pen or stationery related podcast that you listen to that you’d like us to include? Please drop a comment here and we’ll add it to the list.
Also, we haven’t even started down most of the rabbit hole that is YouTube. Should we add those to the list?
Thanks to everyone who read our Midori Letter Pad & Envelope Set Review and entered the giveaway. Random Number Generator picked:
Eric! I’ve emailed our winner directly. I have to agree, Sakura trees are majestic and smell amazing when they bloom. So many awesome trees were mentioned and made me long for warmer days so that the trees in my neighborhood would start turning green. I’m over the cold and grey!
Thanks again to you all! More giveaways soon!
I love books. I love to read. I love ereaders and tracking what I ‘m reading. I even like writing out quotes, marking passages for better or worse. What goes better with a good book but a good cup of tea? We got you covered. Hope you have a happy, book-filled Friday!
One of the perks of being a member of the Well-Appointed Desk Patreon is that there’s a book club! Several months of the year members choose a book, read along and discuss. Some of the books are specifically about pens, ink, and other stationery. Others are more loosely related, or just a fun read.
Today I want to talk a little about a series that is fountain pen adjacent. From Penguin Random House:
New York Times bestselling author Kevin Hearne returns to the world of his beloved Iron Druid Chronicles in a spin-off series about an eccentric master of rare magic solving an uncanny mystery in Scotland.
Author Kevin Hearne is a fountain pen aficionado and that rare magic? Sigils made with a fountain pens and specially made inks that become magical spells! If you love a bit of old-fashioned other-worldly magic (think goblins, and fae) set in a somewhat modern setting (current day Scotland), this series of three books is quite the romp. And while we love reading paper books, you could give the audiobooks a try – the narrator does an excellent job of bringing Al’s dialogue to life with a Scottish accent.
The first two books in the series, Ink & Sigil and Paper & Blood are fabulous, and I need to read Candle & Crow, which debuted this past fall.
Books can also be purchased in the Well-Appointed Desk Bookshop on Bookshop.org. We make a small commission on each book purchased through our shop.
DISCLAIMER: The item in this review include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.
I like thinking about Valentine’s Day as a great opportunity to practice a little self-care. Here in the midwest, its still cold and potentially snowy, so Valentine’s Day is a good time to take a hot bath, make a blanket fort or just do something you genuinely enjoy. That might be something with someone you love (children, friends or spouse) but it can also be taking time for yourself, making your favorite meal or just sitting with a cup of hot tea and a book for 30 minutes. So, do what makes you happy this week. And that can be eating an entire box of chocolates. You’ve earned it.
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Under the category of things I found while I was browsing around:
I was really kind of fascinated by this video, but nothing is forever right?
Midori Letter and Message Pads (starting at $7 and up) are made with unique Iyo Washi paper, a paper that comes from the Ehime Prefecture in Japan, known for its high-quality water. The paper is textured with distinctive brush strokes when viewed closely.
Each pad comes with 16 pages in a top bound pad which can them be combined with matching envelopes to send special notes for the new year or other special days.
The design style we tested is not currently available but many colorful styles and options in the Midori Message Letter Pad ($7 each) that are still available.
We tested the paper with an assortment of writing tools and all stayed true with no splining, bleeding or feathering.
View of the back of the previous sheet. No show through or bleedthrough. Can also see details of the foil stamped design in the corner.
There is very slight showthrough with darker and wetter pens but nothing that would impede using both sides of the sheet.
I am delighted with the quality of these pads and the paper they contain though I would not really expect anything but the finest quality from Midori. All their papers are top-notch.
We are giving away ONE set of the Midori Letter Pad 145 Silk Printing Colorful Japanese Maple and matching envelopes. This set has a red leaf pattern printed on the reverse side of the paper to create depth and a unique look like falling leaves. The front of each sheet has gold metallic details. The envelopes also feature gold accents. The Letter Pad sheets can be folded in half and slipped into the matching envelopes for the perfect presentation.
TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and let us know your favorite flower, plant or tree. If its native to Japan, even better! Play along and type in something. It makes reading through entries more interesting for me, okay? One entry per person.
If you have never entered a giveaway or commented on the site before, your comment must be manually approved by our highly-trained staff of monkeys before it will appear on the site. Our monkeys are underpaid and under-caffeinated so don’t stress if your comment does not appear right away. Give the monkeys some time.
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Friday, Feb 14, 2025. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Monday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your actual email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 5 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US and APO/AFO only, sorry.
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
