Thank you to Dromgoole’s for letting me review this set and feel like I can be part of the cool crowd.

I never did have those markers. Either I was too old when they were introduced to the market or I wasn’t cool enough – I’m not sure. However, now I can relive that disappointment with a new set from Monteverde – Color Changing Inks.

The set comes in a nice magnetically closing box that looks great on a bookshelf, saving you space in your ink drawer. It consists of 9 colorful inks and one clear color changer bottle.

The color changer ink is a bit thicker than normal inks but has little to no odor and leaves no trace of a mark on paper.

I decided to start with filling up a few Kakimori refillable felt tip pens, but I swatched the following cards as I normally do – paintbrush and a dip pen.

This part was so fun! Each color changes differently with the addition of the color changer ink. Some, like the black and brown, change rather slowly and can take several minutes to fully change. Others, especially the Green and Blue, change as soon as the color changer touches them.

I learned through trial and error that you should let the first ink totally dry before adding the color changing ink. Also, be careful if you go back over your clear ink with a second coat as it can spread.

The color changer ink acts almost like a bleach pen, but not as harsh to the paper.

You can see in the swatch below that the color changer pushed slightly to the edges of the heavier swatch. A fun effect to watch.

As a graduate from Virginia Tech, I deeply appreciate the Burgundy to Orange color since it is the school color combination.

You can see a dark version of the color changed pink haloing the entire swatch of the Dark Blue ink below – almost like the deep blue portion shrank back to reveal the color underneath.

The Fuchsia ink was nearly bleached to white with the color changing ink, but the ink itself feathered quite a bit in the swatch below – Cosmo Air Light paper.

The Pink that came from the color changing ink on Green ink is a unique combination – the pink comes through as rather dark at first but lightens over time.

I also loved the Purple to Yellow combination – a very dark ink that lightens dramatically to Yellow.

The Red ink seemed to be closer to orange than actual red.

You can see on a few of these swatch cards that some colors performed poorly in the feathering department, although this is not enough for me to not use the ink.

Below is the Monteverde Color Changing lineup on Midori MD paper:

The Monteverde Color Changing lineup on Tomoe River (TR7) 52gsm paper:

Finally, the Monteverde Color Changing lineup on Cosmo Air Light paper:

The set as I have shown it is available at retailers who carry Monteverde inks for $124 or $13 per ink bottle and $7 per bottle of color changer.

Which color duo is your favorite combination?

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items in this review were provided at a discounted rate for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Ink Review: Monteverde Color Changing Ink Set appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Above are a couple of my favorite images on the fabric. Those toe beans!!! The cat on this bag looks just like our Pepper.

The Yuki Cat Banzai Bag is my first Rickshaw Banzai Bag. I don’t know why I waited so long to get one. The medium, boxy shape accommodates lots of notebooks and other squarish objects that I carry with me on a daily basis. It’s not large enough for a laptop but will hold my 10.5” iPad as well as very comfortably holding my B6 planner in its leather cover. A5 notebooks would also fit into the Banzai Bag.

I love the double zips on the zippered sections (one opens the main compartment and one opens the slash pocket on the back side of the bag). The double-ended zippers mean, regardless of whether you are left or right handed, the zips can be placed where it is most convenient when wearing the bag or when it is stationary (Look! Correct spelling for the use case!).

The interior of the bag is a bright yellow which matches the cats’ eyes and makes it much easier to see the contents inside the bag. While a black interior hides a lot of dirt and grime, it also hides the contents which is a drag. (Note to self!)

The rear pocket is a bit too narrow to hold my 10.5″ iPad and zip closed but it will fit inside the bag and close properly. Sticking out like this is fine for driving back and forth to work or going from the airport lobby to the flight. It’s secure as in it won’t fall out but its not secure from a pickpocket. (Note to self. Again.)

My keys and earbuds fit into the outside slash pocket for quick access.

Inside are a divided pocket on one side and a slash pocket on the other. The rest of the bag is open space for all your stuff.

The Sinclair Model R Pen Case was a must-have because who doesn’t need matchy-matchy? It has all the same features of the Sinclair case but the plush lining is the same bright yellow as the Banzai bag. If you’re not familiar with the Sinclair, it was originally designed and produced by Nock Co. When Nock Co shuttered operations, they worked with Rickshaw to redevelop it under the Rickshaw brand. So now, the Sinclair is readily available and in a myriad of fabric colors and designs, including Yuki Cat. Life is good!

The Sinclair has three pen slots on one side and an open slash pocket on the other. I use the open pocket for various tools like a small ruler, a bone folder and mechanical pencil. The pen slots are used for various fountain pens.

The open area between the pockets can hold some mobile phones (mine is an iPhone 11). The outside slash pocket is also big enough to hold some phones or a card (credit card, hotel room key, couple bucks cash, business cards, etc).

I have one other Rickshaw bag — the small/medium Soho Tote (starts at $89). I thought visually comparing the size might be helpful for anyone who might own one or the other. The Banzai is a couple inches smaller in each direction. Because of the gusseted shape, it is a little more structured. Both bags — when they are full, they’re full and it’s hard to fit even one more item into it. So, if you are someone who sometimes needs to carry a few things and sometimes needs to carry everything, including the kitchen sink, these bags might not be large enough to accommodate.

But for day-to-day carry, for personal items, the Banzai and Sinclair are perfect. What’s your favorite print pattern?

DISCLAIMER: Some 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.

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The Colorado pen show is one of a few pen shows that take place in a state that doesn’t touch an ocean. Chicago, Ohio, St. Louis, Detroit, and Colorado are all important shows to provide the experience to pen users in land locked states.

While the Colorado pen show is smaller than others, that doesn’t reflect the variety of items and events available at the event. I mean, look at the incredible variety of ink available at a single table! (Just to be transparent, I was the one selling this ink for the Dromgooles…)

The downside of working with a retailer at a show is that I have a limited amount of time to wander around and take great photos. But I’ve taken several photos from a single spot (my ink station) to try to give a feeling of the Colorado show.

One amazing point of the Colorado show is the help from the local pen club – the Colorado Pen Posse. In these photos, look for people in red shirts with white writing. They were always asking if they could help with anything, bring water, or if we had any issues. A hot lunch was delivered both Saturday and Sunday which helped us keep the table fully staffed through lunch.

Most of the tables in this show were in a single large conference room with surprisingly good lighting.

Pen Realm had specific show nibs that were only available during the show engraved with a great looking raven.

These photos were taken Friday evening before the busy time began.

This product — Bibliofile – was a new product sighting during the show – offered by Good Made Better. It’s an eye-catching way to carry all of your notebooks at once!

The Penwell is the other popular offer from Good Made Better.

Laughs were something that were never in short supply in Colorado!

Plenty of laughs!

My pen show purchases were not huge this time, but there was definitely a Traveler’s theme.

But the Color Changing Ink from Monteverde was the most exciting item in my opinion! I can’t wait to show these soon in a review!

I caught a few casual photos after the show was done on Saturday – good friends and plenty of drinks. The hotel offered a happy hour each evening, complete with free drinks, soda, juice, and snacks. It was a good time to relax for a few minutes and figure out what to do for dinner.

I’ve attended the Colorado pen show since it first started ten years ago and I do believe this was the best year I’ve seen so far. The show was well run, the hotel was helpful, the pen club was friendly, and the attendance was high.

Thank you to everyone who attended, sold, and purchased at the show this year.

I can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store!

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The Esterbrook “Write Your Story” journals are a collaboration between Esterbrook and lettering artist Betty Soldi. The A5 journal comes in three colors: burgundy, teal and camel. The cover has a faux leather feel and is adorned with foil and etched embossing in Betty’s “Alphabetty” font. The journal is hard cover, with a sewn binding.

The inside of the journal is also fun! The first spread shares a bit of history about the Esterbook brand as well as a few facts and tips about writing with different nibs. The next page provides a place to trace the “Alphabetty” font if you wish, and encourages you to have fun with your own lettering. What follows are 2 pages set up for recording the contents of your journal.

The bulk of the journal is made of up numbered pages (190) of 80 lb fountain pen friendly paper in a cream color with 5mm gray dot grid. To the touch it feels smooth and almost a little luxurious. The final details include an envelope at the back, and a ribbon bookmark with an Esterbrook charm.

Now we get to delve into the paper! I found the paper enjoyable to write on. It was super smooth, and the ink dried fairly quickly. There was no feathering or bleeding, and on the plain writing sample (the first one below) there was very little show through.

I then tested wider nibs, different kinds of pens (brush, gel, etc) and even a silver writer which I believe is alcohol based. Even with those there was show through, but no other issues.

Ultimately my opinion on this notebook is that it’s pretty darn nice. I am definitely a tactile person, and just holding the cover and feeling the paper in my hands is a pleasure. It’s not an inexpensive investment and I surely wouldn’t use it for to do lists and the like, but if I’m thinking about keeping it as a journal and re-reading it over and over, then I would definitely consider buying another!

DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Esterbrook for providing this journal free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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What are the odds that the random number generator would pick 3 winners all requesting different sized Endless Pen Companion cases on the first try?!?!? Today, the odds were 66%. So I had to toss a coin for who got the 5-pen and the 3-pen case. Pretty amazing!!!

So without further ado, drum roll for our winners:

Jen and Theresa, I had to toss a coin as to who would get the 3 and 5-pen sized. I hope the coin chose correctly!

And (correction!) the final winner was Lisa S. who chose the 2-Pen Companion:

Thanks again for everyone who entered and a big thanks to Luxury Brands USA for supplying the cases for our giveaway.

The post Giveaway Winners: Endless Companion Pen Pouches appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Congratulations Lea! I hope you’ll enjoy it!

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There are hundreds of notebooks on the market and everyone has a preference on size and format but when people are just dipping their toe into the world of higher end stationery, there are really just a handful of products that get recommended over and over again. Partially, these are the products that are the most ubiquitous because they are available in the widest array of sizes and formats, solve a very specific problem or are the most exquisite.

1. Stalogy Stalogy has moved to the top of my list as my favorite notebook. First and foremost, it’s available in both A5 and B6 sizes which are my favorite notebook configurations as well as in blank and the palest grid lines I’ve ever seen so there are printed grids but only just barely. The paper, which seems Tomoe-esque, has great color fidelity and is similar weight making large 360+ page notebooks the same thickness as a standard 100+ page notebook. For a daily journal or planner, it is my gold standard. (starting at $11.50 on Jet Pens)
2. Midori MD (preferably MD Cotton but the regular and Light are excellent too, so technically this is 2, 3, and 4): Midori MD is probably my personal favorite everyday writing paper and it’s probably the least discussed in the pen community. There are three grades of MD paper and I think they are all awesome. There is MD (smoothest), MD Light (second favorite and a rival to Tomoe River IMHO) and (my personal favorite, it’s toothy) MD Cotton. Midori MD has minimal branding, comes with a plain cream cardstock cover, and available in lined, grid or blank. (starting at $6.75 on JetPens)
3. Nakabayashi Yu-Sari I promised that the Yu-Sari was going to move into my top ten favorite notebooks and it has. It is an all-around good performer with minimal show through and bleed through. Its a thicker paper than the Tomoe River and Stalogy papers for those who want to use both sides of the paper without show through and it is extremely reasonably priced. (starting at $14.40, available at Gentleman Stationer)

Honorable Mentions:

Paperblanks: These notebooks have exquisite covers and some styles are now available with 100gsm or 120gsm paper (review here). The best way to guarantee that you get a Paperblanks notebook with the superios paper is to order directly from their web site. (starting at about $16 via Paperblanks)

Kokuyo Perpanep: This line of simple, grey notebooks is available in three paper types (previously reviewed here): textured Zarazara paper (lightly toothy), Sarasara (balanced smoothness) and Tsurutsuru (super slick, smooth paper). Each paper style is available in either 4mm dot grid, steno style or 5mm graph. The only size available is A5. The paper variety offers something for just about every writers preference but the choice of line rulings and no blank option or other sizes drops the Perpanep line into honorable mention territory. ($14.25 on JetPens)

Loose paper and/or available in bound notebooks from various makers:

1. Tomoe River 68gsm
2. Sanzen Tomoe River 52gsm
3. Cosmo Air Light (discontinued)

All three of these papers are sold and rebound into notebooks by various companies and makers. The Sanzen Tomoe River is what is now available in the Hobonichi Techo planners. The 68gsm Tomoe River has some of the great color fidelity with slightly improved dry times over the 52gsm. Odyssey Notebooks uses the 68gsm Tomoe and Cosmo Air Light in their notebooks.

Cosmo Air Light can still be found from makers on Etsy but it will soon be a rare bird indeed. It’s powdery texture and unique color properties has made it a favorite at Desk HQ for some time.

Sketchbook, Drawing and Heavyweight Papers:

1. Stillman & Birn Epsilon Sketchbook: While many won’t agree that a sketchbook is a notebook, I couldn’t complete a list of my favorite/most recommended/best notebooks without including the Stillman & Birn Epsilon Sketchbook which I probably recommend at least once a week. If not the Alpha, then one of the Stillman & Birn sketchbooks. The hardest part for many in picking out a sketchbook and specifically picking out a Stillman & Birn sketchbook is working through their complex naming system.  The Epsilon is the toothier of the two 150gsm sketchbook options. Even I have goofed on occasion and purchased the Alpha by mistake as it is described as being medium grain and cold press. It’s not quite as toothy as the Epsilon which I’ve discovered I like better. YMMV. That said, overall, I have not been disappointed by the overall quality of any of the S&B sketchbooks I’ve used. For day-to-day sketching I do not need the heavier 270gsm paper in their other sketchbooks. (available from JetPens and your local art supply stores)
2. Col-o-ring: I know it appears self-serving to mention Col-o-ring here but when I look at the notebooks and paper products I use on a daily basis, the Col-o-ring, Col-o-dex  and Col-o-ring Oversize figure heavily into my rotation. I suppose I wouldn’t have made them if I wasn’t going to use them. While the Col-o-ring and Col-o-dex serve specific purposes of inventorying my ink collection, the Oversize is used for everything from comparing various inks to drawing and doodling to just writing notes and testing pens. When we originally made the Oversize, I wasn’t sure how much I would actually use it but it turns out it gets used as much or more than a lot of other notebooks in the house. Partially, it gets used because I’m so familiar with the paper so I know how pens and ink are going to behave but also because its a really convenient size. (available in our shop or through your favorite online retailer)

Previously in the Top 10:

1. Rhodia ($2-$25.95 on JetPens)
2. Leuchtturm1917 ($12.95-$27.95 on JetPens)
3. Baron Fig Confidant (Available directly from Baron Fig or from your favorite online retailer)
4. Field Notes (Subscriptions via Field Notes but past limited editions can be found at Wonder Fair)
5. Traveler’s Notebook : Traveler’s Notebook was the first leather cover notebook option that allowed for a variety of smaller, cahier-style, staple-bound notebooks to be added. As such, TNs can have different paper depending on where or what refill notebook is added into the cover. The overall experience of the TN will be entirely based on which inserts you choose so trying different ones will be key to whether the TN is the best notebook for you.  (starter kits $41-46.50 on JetPens)
6. Musubi : Musubi is more about the gorgeous binding and materials used to create the notebook. As Musubi has begun introducing different paper options, the specific papers will influence where the notebooks fall in my list. I love how beautiful and unique the notebooks are but the paper stock can make or break my overall experience. (purchase directly from musu.bi)

From our previous Top Ten list, the Rhodia and Luechtturm 1917 both represent some of the most accessible decent notebooks available. Over time, I’ve found the slick surface of the Rhodia and the oft-very-yellow paper color to be off-putting. If you can get one of their white papers (often called “Ice”), the experience is good, especially if you prefer top-bound pads. The Leuchtturm 1917 is the option for someone who is liess likely to reach for a fountain pen as their first-choice writing tool. The paper is better than Moelskine but the quality is not as good as it may have been in the past and this inconsistency is why its been bumped off the list. Both the Baron Fig and Field Notes are popular but for superior fountain pen experience, there are other, better options.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this post were provided free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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If you’re not familiar with Pelikan Hubs, where have you been? Just kidding. The Pelikan Hubs are held in September and are basically a fun pen party “hosted” by Pelikan. Pelikan sends boxes of goodies out to different cities (each of which has a hubmaster or host) so that on the same Friday evening in September pen lovers worldwide can celebrate their love of fountain pens.

And the Kansas City Hub didn’t disappoint. It was organized by our local pen club and hosted in Crown Center outside of Pen Place, our local fountain pen store. There was wine, cheese, a selection of desserts (including an oversized gummy bear in remembrance of the Chicago pen show gummy snake courtesy of our friend Andrew). There was a table where participants could bring items in search of loving homes. And there were prizes for a raffle!

But more than anything there was lots of good pen conversation with other pen people. New faces, old friends, pen friends visiting from out of town (Andrew Coon!), and just a great time.

One of the other fun things is the Endless Pens donated new/old stock of Pelikan Twists from the 1980s – enough that almost everyone took one home. I wondered how it compared to the new Twists so I ordered one and I’ll compare them in next week’s post.

But let’s get to the real reason you’re here: THE GIVEAWAY! One of the fun parts about the Pelikan Hubs is that Pelikan usually gives each registered attendee a bottle of the Pelikan Edelstein ink of the year. For 2023, that’s Rose Quartz. Sometimes they send extra paper or postcards, and sometimes the hubmaster or an affiliated pen shop donate other things for the goodie bags. And we had extra goodie bags so we’ve got one for one lucky reader!

You are entering the giveaway to win:

• A bottle of the Pelikan Edelstein Rose Quartz
• A pad of Pelikan Paper
• A Pelikan Postcard
• A set of fountain pen notecards

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and let us know what your favorite Pelikan is! If you don’t have one, which one would you buy if money were no object? 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 Thursday, September 28, 2022. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Friday. 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 giveaway were provided to us free of charge by Pelikan and Pen Place. Please see the About page for more details.

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Over the last week or so, I’ve been slowly updating the shop. First, I have added more pen clean out and ink destashing. Patrons get advanced notice when I do stationery cupboard clean outs so if you join the Patreon, you too can get first dibs when I clear out my ever-expanding pen, paper and ink stash. I’ve been a little stressed by my collection — that feeling of having too many things to keep track of, etc — that I’m probably removing items from my collection that are from the core of my collection, not the fluff. My loss is clearly your gain.

Lots of stamps have been restocked in the shop as well as our stamp cleaner (also on Etsy). We are even stocking refill bottles of the the stamp cleaner (8oz bottle for $14) if you have a spray or dauber bottle that needs a refill.

The pen and ink destash is only available on our Big Cartel site which ships to the US only. Sorry to our international readers but shipping ink out of country is very complicated.

And finally, we have created the first products in our new Tiki Collection. Bob and I have been cocktail fans and tiki collectors for years. In the heat of this summer, we wanted to capture the joys of delicious cocktails and that retro vibe of a Trader Vic’s or Beachcomber Don’s bar. When you live in the parched, land-locked part of the country, its fun to dream about the sea breezes and sounds of tropical birds cawing from a nearby tree. Jot down your favorite cocktail recipe on our new notepad (40 lined pages, fountain-pen friendly paper, $10) and put your icy cocktail glass on one of our absorbent coasters (8 coasters, 2 of each design $12). Aloha, friends! See you at the bar!

The Tiki Collection is available on both our Big Cartel and Etsy shops.

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Well, this won’t actually be a post analyzing a second year show. Not from the perspective of one who attended the first year, at least. I did not attend the first year Orlando Pen Show in 2022 but I did work at the Orlando Pen Show 2023 with the Dromgoole’s crew.

The show began Thursday evening for weekend pass holders – I know there was plenty of fun at the Thursday night pizza part and many items were raffled. However, Thursday night was set up night for our booth.

In my experience, the Dromgooles attempt to bring most of their store stock with them to a show. This is fabulous for individuals looking for items that are harder to find but can be tough on the backs of the people setting up the booth! But all tables were set up the evening before the show started.

I love the vast amount of ink on display at the Dromgooles table. And the display quality of these inks is incredible! Day 1 dawned with a nice volume of attendees looking for the wonders held within the showroom. The entrance room had tables for sitting and resting, a table full of donated ink for testing and playing, and a pen show exclusive ink for purchase. I do admire the pen show for their choice of theme colors – purple.

I wasn’t able to take many photos at the Orlando Pen Show this year, but those I did take have plenty of character. After a first day at the pen show, Marty and Kimberly (who help with Retro 51 and Rickshaw products) were happy to have time to sit down to a good meal and visit.

Christine and Michael Dromgoole were also happy to sit and eat. Michael loves his Dromgoole’s shirt enough to wear it even after hours!

My favorite Rickshaw fabric is this that I call Scruffy Kitty. I love his little pink toe beans! This pattern has been very popular in all styles of cases.

I was lucky enough to get a surprise visit from a famous pen star – Brad Dowdy. I asked if he would autograph a notebook but no one could find a pen…

The end of the second day of the show brought a large raffle to the show room floor with everyone gathered around. Pens created by independent pen makers were given away with the funds donated to the Reef Relief charity.

One downside of working at a vendor table is staring at a product all weekend. I was forced to purchase the Panda Hobonichi cover in the “Love It” pattern because I couldn’t bear to leave Panda behind. He now has a good home.

With a show so near Walt Disney World, there will be plenty of Disney products seen in the wild. My favorite siting was a Little Mermaid wallet disguised as a video tape cover!

The Orlando show was well-run from the point of view of a vendor. The presence of fast food nearby helped, cold water was always available, and attendance was managed well.

Did you go to the Orlando show as an attendee? What is your opinion on the show?

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