Front flip panel, you might be asking?  The Smand features a magnetic flap on the front of the case (or is it the back? You decide!) that will lay flat onto your work surface and reveals a grippy surface, perfect for propping up your phone.

When I first saw this, I wasn’t sure I needed such a feature. Isn’t the point of writing to not use your phone?  decided to give it a try anyway and discovered that the flap is so handy! Throughout my day, I find that I use my phone for podcasts, the occasional chat and other little tasks. The grippy surface has become the “phone landing pad” so I know where I put it and can easily see if a message pops up.

The rigid construction of the case supports your phone (or a small notepad) easily. I have discovered that the remaining grippy surface can act as a pen rest, keeping pens from rolling off the table.

The easy portability of this case means that if you find yourself working from a coffee shop, library or other non-office-y space, you still have the convenience of propping up your phone and laying a pen on the grippy surface like a makeshift pen tray. AND you’ll have a case full of tools for whatever project you need to tackle.

The internal storage space opens wide to allow easy access to supplies. The case is long enough for most pencils and an array of markers, gel pens and small supplies. The Smand can hold about a dozen pens or pencils comfortably so it forces me to be a bit more choosy about what supplies I keep with me. Any more than 8-12 tools and I find that I need to dump everything out to find what I want to use. I try to pick an assortment of brush pens, Mildliners and dot markers each month to add  a little flourish to my planner but keep my options to a limited palette. The Smand is perfect for this.

If lemon print is not for you, the Smand is available in a bunch of other patterns and colors including more sedate, solid colors. Facing a long, dark January, the bright pop of yellow reminds me that summer will be here soon but in the meantime I can warm my soul with my lemon pen case!

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.

The post Product Review: Sun-Star Delde Smand Pen Case in Lemon appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I don’t think I’ve ever been to a more beautiful country. Every day we were surrounded by forests, waterfalls, fjords, lakes, sheep and too many beautiful sights to document. There was a lot of running and walking, enjoying being outdoors, sampling new cuisine (surprise: not as much fish as I thought there would be), and meeting new people. There was also a little drinking, some journaling, and lots of making memories that will last a lifetime. You can find my full Flickr album here, but I’ve added a few of the highlights below:

Waterfalls everywhere (this one in Lillehammer)

Maihaugen “open air” museum Lillehammer – featuring traditional Norwegian houses dating back to the 1400s and 1500s

Ronadane Nasjonal Park

Lots of sheep!

Gjendesheim Lake

Reindeer sighting!

Geiranger Fjord and waterfall

Salty licorice anyone?

Running the Atlantic Ocean Road – an archipelago at the western-most point of Norway. Also featured in the most recent Bond movie!

Traditional Norwegian cuisine (and coffee) on top of a mountain!

The final run – not pictured rocky paths, SO MUCH MUD, boggy marshes.

Galdhoppigen – the tallest peak in Norway (and glacier sighting!)

More new toys and reviews next week!

The post Did you miss me? appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The truth is I don’t travel much, but I do tend to go to an industry trade show about once per year. Or I did until 2020 happened. This week I’m in Chicago at the first big industry show since COVID.  Not traveling often, and not having traveled for work for 3 years, I was struck with a bit of a panic about what to bring. I had time to order a few things, but I thought I’d cover my “carry” for this show.

One bag to rule them all – The Baron Fig Tote Bag

Those of you who were around for the Kickstarter days of this one may remember that it was the subject of a bit of controversy. However, I’ve recently rediscovered my Baron Fig Tote Bag and I have to say it’s checking my boxes lately. The straps are wide and comfortable and will be nice and utilitarian for carrying a bag through a conference floor. It will easily hold my marketing materials (biz cards and postcards), a notebook for keeping notes on my meetings, my wallet and phone. It doesn’t have a lot of pockets, but I like that one on the front for my keys and phone, and the rest will be contained in zippy pouches and the like.

When I’m not on the conference floor, I can slip my laptop in the bag (in a new sleeve, keep reading) and head for coffee to catch up on my notes. And there’s probably still room for a knitting project.

The Laptop Sleeve – Rickshaw Horizontal Laptop Sleeve

When I realized I wanted to throw my laptop in the Baron Fig Tote rather than carry a more padded bag (I’d rather carry less weight on the trade show floor), I decided I needed a sleeve to slip my laptop into to keep it safe and scratch free. Cue Rickshaw. I ordered myself a Horizontal Laptop Sleeve in the custom color of my choice, added priority shipping and I had it in just a few days.

The Notebook Cover – The Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter

A while ago Ana gave me her Roterfaden Tachenbegleiter on loan, and it is the perfect tool this week. It’s lightweight, made primarily of felt and cardboard, with lots of pockets for biz cards and other things. It’s got metal tabs where you can add notebooks, and a pen loop so you have a pen handy. I don’t see these amazing zippy colors (Ana says this was a special order), but you can find more details here at JetPens.

The Notebook – Midori A5 Color Paper Notebooks

I ordered a stack of the Midori A5 Color Paper Notebooks ($3.25, Jetpens)  these a while ago, and I just need a lightweight notebook I can dedicate to this show – my notes on meetings, photos, leads to follow up on and more. I “customized” mine by adding a leftover holiday card envelope (using washi tape) to the inside front cover so I can store lots those biz cards I collect with all my notes.

The Pens – An assortment of favorites

As much as I love fountain pens, they’re just not always the most convenient at a working show. People are always asking to borrow your pen, cartridges somehow always explode all over me and I just need something quick and reliable. For this show I opted for the following three:

• Zebra Zensations – I don’t like going disposable, but I’ve been very pleased with these. If it walks off at the show, I won’t be super upset, and I’ve still got lots of ink left, so hopefully it will get me through!
• Spoke Roady – I just got this one last week and I’m eager to take it out for a drive. It’s a combination of fun and convenient. I’ve got a brand new refill in it and I’m ready to go!
• Kaweco x Hello Kitty AL Sport – Ok I can’t resist so I’m taking one of my favorites with me. It’s filled with KWZ Raspberry Ink and it will be super fun to use!

All of these are stored in my Unicorn Snot (Spa Blue/Lime Green) NockCo Sinclair pen case which I use as a combo pen case and wallet when I travel. My id, a few cards, some cash and 3 pens and I’m good to go.

So that’s what I’ve got with me this week. What are your must haves when you travel?

The post Out of Office: What am I carrying? appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Many years ago, I had a pair of compact travel scissors I purchased from JetPens. I loved them for the simple fact that they fit easily into my pencil pouch along with all my other tools without taking up a ton of space. I don’t often need to have a pair of scissors in my everyday kit but when I need them, I NEED them. Sure, I have a pocket knife in my bag but scissors often solve a different problem than the average pocket knife. If I need to cut something out of a magazine and add it to my planner, trim washi tape or even snip a loose thread, scissors are way more efficient at this task than a knife.

You may be wondering what happened to the pair of scissors I bought from JetPens? A TSA agent in China took them from me when I was traveling so many years ago. There’s nothing so frightening as a stern Nurse Ratchet-looking woman shaking her head angrily, shouting at you in Mandarin and taking your teeny tiny scissors. I was in mainland China and did not want to end up being held in custody for trying to argue with the woman so I did my best to look humble and apologetic and left my neon green travel scissors ($7) in her grumpy care.

After that, every time I placed an order with JetPens, I would think, “I need to order another pair of those scissors,” and then proceed to forget to add them to my cart. then, one day the fates smiled down on me and the Plus brand Compact Pen-style “Twiggy” Scissors (approx. $7.50 per pair) magically appeared in my “to-be reviewed” rolling cart. I cannot remember where I acquired them but was able to find them in a variety of colors on Amazon should you like to get your own.

While the Raymay neon green were a favorite for me because of the color, actually using them with the loops of plastic cord to create the holes for your fingers was a little awkward. The Twiggy scissors have a short, spring-loaded scissor-action which makes them easier to use for any sized hand and even for someone who may have grip or strength issues when using scissors. They still require pressure to close the scissor blades, the spring opens the blades easily.

I may upgrade to the Sun-Star Stickyle Akeruno Scissors + Box Cutters ($8.75) which have a longer grip section and can double as a box cutter which is really why I carry a pocket knife with me most of the time.

I don’t think I’d ever used spring-loaded scissors before but I may be a convert. While the Amazon page suggests that these are TSA-compliant, I wouldn’t risk it on international flights, just in case. On domestic US flights, you should be okay.

DISCLAIMER: Some items in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens. Some items 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.

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Viviva Colorsheets have been on the market for a couple years but this is the first time I’ve tested them. Tina has reviewed them in the past but I thought it would be handy to (1) try them myself and (2) provide another perspective about the product.

The Colorsheets come in a folded heavy cardstock booklet with a square of thick, dried watercolor pigment for each color included. Each page in the Viviva Colorsheet booklet has four colors, two on each side of the fold with water resistant, translucent divider stock in between. The divider stock helps to keep the colors from merging together, particularly if they are still damp.

The bottom of the pages are stair stepped with a color key to make finding colors faster and easier.

Often, the dried paint swatches do not look at all like the color they are when applied to paper. Doing a swatch key is definitely important in order to recognize each color accurately.

The set of Viviva Colorsheets I purchased was the 2020 Inktober edition which featured 20 colors. Two of the colors were basically black and an opaque-ish white which I seldom use in watercolor.

Above are swatch tests on three different papers — the top is the Leuctturm1917 sketchbook then the Stillman & Birn Delta and finally (bottom) Alpha.

There is a little bit of color shifting depending on the paper stock but overall the colors are pretty consistent on good multimedia or watercolor paper.

The swatch above is in the Shinola Sketchbook.

I get hung up on the three largely similar shades of red and the dusk orange and gold ochre being nearly identical as well. On some papers, the Vermillion or Burnt Umber also looked quite similar.

I’ve been trained that with a portable watercolor palette, you need a red, yellow and blue — each with one in a warm version of the color and a cool version. Then maybe a specific pre-mixed green, a a warm and cool earth tone (ochre and sepia, for example) then whatever is your whimsy — maybe a pre-mixed pink or purple, payne’s grey, etc. So, 10-12 colors maximum and then mix thee rest.

There is a coated paper palette included that can be attached into the back of the booklet but it’s relatively small so I am not sure how effective it would be for mixing paint. The paper squares of pigment are difficult to look at and determine how much pigment is left on each square. Also, if you use up one color in the palette there is (currently) no easy way to replace that one color short of buying a whole new set.

I like the idea of having a very portable little watercolor palette to keep tucked in my bag with a waterbrush so I have quick, easy access to colors when I need them. This set is definitely small but lacks a truly functional mixing palette and no easy way to replace or add new colors easily. I still think a small watercolor pan set with swappable pans which can be replaced or refilled is still the better solution. If I decide I want to paint four pages in my sketchbook blue, I want to know I have enough blue paint and that I can add more pigment to my palette as needed.

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided free of charge for the purpose of review. The Viviva Colorsheets were purchased with my own money however. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Art Supplies: Viviva Colorsheets appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I’m about to embark on a little holiday getaway which always leads to seeking out good travel tips. Buzzfeed posted one of their silly lists called 13 Travel Tips to Make You Feel Smart. There are a couple good tips on the list but most will be things you’ve probably already heard.

My favorite tip: Ask the desk at your hotel for cords or chargers if you forgot to pack yours. It sounds like their is inevitably a box of random cords and chargers that get left behind so they might have one for your device.

Now for some travel tips for the pen-and-paper inclined:

• Check the locations you’ll be visiting and find out if there is a pen shop nearby. Make time to visit the shop. This will improve even the most boring business trip.
• Stop in local drugstores, book shops, truck stops or tourist shops (museum shops, state park offices, etc) to seek out postcards. I find these are the best places to find cheesy tourist postcards to send home or keep as souvenirs.
• Tourist destinations can often yield cheap, fun souvenirs in the form of pencils. Isn’t it time you started a tourist pencil collection?
• If you’re worried about fountain pens leaking on flights, store them in a plastic ziploc bag for the flight. You can also travel with the cartridge removed and pack a few spare cartridges to use at your destination. For more pen travel tips, check out the article I posted awhile back.
• Put together a Letter Writing On The Go kit.
• Don’t forget to pack stamps. Or plan to visit the local post office to pick up stamps and meet the locals. If you let them know you’re visiting, they might just hand cancel your postcards if you ask nicely.

I discovered the Rock County Historical Society in Janesville, WI which is on our route this summer and home to the Parker Pen Collection. And I might get a peek inside the Coudal/Field Notes HQ in Chicago.

Are you traveling this summer? Business or for fun? Did you find any great pen-related goodies? Can’t wait to hear!

The post Smart Travel Tips for Pen Geeks appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

One of the last, but in my opinion most important, issues to cover for traveling is how to travel with fountain pens. I’ve had lots of people warn me about it so I thought I’d find some research and share it here.

The biggest myth around flying with pens, fountain or otherwise is that they will explode. All my research suggests that the worst fate you might face is that the pen would leak. According to Penspotters:

The cabin pressure on the typical jetliner is maintained at about 10psia (0.7 atm), corresponding to the air pressure at about 10,000 feet of altitude. Although you reach this lower pressure within 30 minutes or so of takeoff, the air inside your pens is still at the ground-level pressure of 15psia (1 atm), and will take a very long time to equalize. This puts some pressure on the liquid ink, and can cause it to blot as you write, or to ooze or spurt from the pen even if you don’t use it.

…

Whenever you fly with pens, whether in checked baggage or as carry-on, you should make sure that the pens are either completely full (so that no air is trapped inside), or completely empty and clean (no ink to leak out). If possible, make sure the pens are kept points-up, which will make cleanup a bit easier should they leak.

So, if you are concerned that a pen might leak, store them upright (tip facing up) in a plastic bag during the flight to protect the interior of your bag. I plan to carry my Kawecos empty for the flight and pack a few cartridges and/or some sample ink vials and a syringe to refill (C’mon, my April Ink Drop samples just arrived!).

If you are not a fountain pen user but are concerned that other writing instruments might revolt on you mid-flight, you may want to consider a pen that has been designed specifically to tackle the challenges of the pressurized cabin like the UniBall Vision Elite or RT, Pilot Precise V5/V7 RT or the Pilot VBall RT. Ballpoint pens seem to be a good choice for many people in-flight and handling the rigors of pressurized cabins. A Fisher Space pen is a good option as it was designed to handle the pressure of space travel, so it can probably handle a domestic flight. And, of course, you can’t go wrong with a pencil though I would recommend packing a travel sharpener to keep pencil shavings neat or a mechanical pencil.

(Sites referenced in this post: Moleskinerie, Richard’s Pens, Budget Travel, The Pen Addict, Pen 4 U, Writer’s Bloc, Nibs.com, Levenger)

The post Travel Week: Flying With Fountain Pens (and other options) appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

For long trips, one of them most important but often last-packed items is the travel desk. Since I am going to be on the move, going from meeting-to-meeting, event-to-event and hotel-to-hotel, I need to come prepared with a good assortment of writing tools and paper, all tucked into an easy-to-use carrying case or bag. So, in an effort to help me choose the right supplies for 16-hour flights, road trips and hotels with Chinese-only TV, I present you with a challenge.

Tell me your must-have travel office supplies (maybe something from the Jet Pens catalog?) and you could win a $25 gift certificate from Jet Pens to use to purchase your perfect travel kit.

(The rules: you must leave a comment here on Wellappointeddesk.com, not on Tumblr, Twitter or Facebook. You must leave a comment by Saturday at midnight CST. You must leave an email address in order for me to contact you if you win. Winner will be contacted on Sunday, April 8, 2012. Winner will be selected using Random Number Generator. Thanks for entering!)

The post Travel Week: Packing the Travel Desk appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

With just a few days left before I leave on my 3-week adventure, I needed all the packing advice I could find.

So, here’s a series of links filled with packing advice:

• Packing light (via EF College Break)
• 10 tips for Traveling Well, Air Travel (via Delightfully Tacky)
• Taking the Problems Out of Packing (via Martha Stewart Living)
• Packing for Paris, in grey and black  (via The Vivienne Files)
• How to Pack a Bag, the Esquire Man way video: apologies video auto-plays but is pretty funny (via Esquire)
• The Ultimate Packing Guide (via Budget Travel)

Do you have any packing tips?

The post Travel Week: Packing Tips appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

When it comes to travel, I do better with a list I can use to check off  each item when its packed into my bag. Especially things that I tend to double- and triple-check like flight itinerary, passport and gadgets. The Pack This! checklist notepad is a great way to keep track of what’s been packed and what you might have forgotten. $6.99 for 60 sheets from Container Store.

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