Set #1 is a brighter assortment and includes  Haha, Nekoyanagi, Sakura, Nadeshiko.

I swatched each bottle on Col-o-ring paper and then used a 1″ circle punch to cut the swatches and glue onto the top of the lids.

It’s easy to see the range of colors in Set #1 when you view the cap swatches from above.

The Set #2 is a bit more muted and includes Ayame, Hinoki, Fuji, and Koke.

On the Col-o-ring cap swatches, there is a bit more diversity in the colors of Set #2 but it’s definitely a more wintery feeling palette.

I have debated endlessly with myself which set I like more and I can’t decide. Which set is your favorite?

Besides being a great option to get several inks in one kit, the bottles are smaller than the regular Manyo line (each bottle is 50ml) so its also great if you prefer smaller bottles of ink.

Unfortunately, Dromgoole’s is currently sold out of these sets, hence the eye candy post rather than a full review. These sets are an overseas exclusive so when they sell out they are gone! Full-sized bottles of the Manyo inks are still available for $24 each (50ml) and some other online pen retailers may still have them in stock so if you want to get your hands on these, I recommend googling ASAP. They won’t last long.

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

The post Eye Candy: Sailor Manyo Dual Shading Mini Sets appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

So today I’m sharing some photos of one of my most meaningful stationery items. It’s an item that lives in a very prominent place in my home and breaks the mold of most of my stationery collection because it’s not an item I use very often. It is however, and item I see every day, think about very often, and would be one of the first items I would grab out the the door in case of disaster.

When I first fell down the stationery rabbit hole I was working as a pharmacist at a cancer center and became dear friends with a nurse that also worked there. It’s a toss up whether she found my stationery habit more endearing or ridiculous on any given day, but when she got the chance to visit Milan, Italy she completely surprised me when she brought this pencil all the way back to me and into my pharmacy after her trip. I’ve barely let it out of my sight ever since.

The Perpetua pencils are made up of of over 80% graphite and a good article with a little more info can be found here. More info on the beautiful Starbucks Roastery that collaborated on this pencil here. It’s an item that always brightens my day and reminds me of a good friend. What are some meaningful items that you own or items that break the mold in your collection?

The post Eye Candy: Perpetua Pencil Starbucks Reserve Milan Italy Pencil appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I was surprised to open my package and find a wood-turned pen. I believe it came more or less from a kit because it came with a standard fact sheet from The Woodturner’s Catalog. My boss purchased it at an art show local to her.

The pen itself is made from Cholla Cactus wood, that I believe has been filled/enhanced with resin. It looks like shimmery pink and purple have been poured into the resin as well. The pen comes with a standard iridium point nib manufactured in Germany. It’s not specifically labeled as Bock or Jowo. It feels like a fine to  me and I haven’t gone into the nib/feed housing to check.

The pen is really beautiful to look at, but a bit of a chonker. It comes in at 43g. It’s 5 1/8″ capped, and 4 3/4″  uncapped. The cap is a screw cap and I kept wondering why the “peg” at the end. It turns out the threads there are so you can post the cap by screwing it onto the back end. However, given the weight of this pen, that just makes in unbalanced.

Again, I wish I had more details about this lovely gift, but for now I’m content to just get to know my new pen!

PS for those who ask if I match my pens to my knits (I’m talking to you Brad!) the answer is not intentionally, but apparently sometimes yes!

The post Eye Candy – Cholla Cactus Wood Turned Pen appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

• KWZ Raspberry – Manos del Uruguay Alegria Grande in Cactus Flower
• Sheaffer Green – ” in Tahiti
• Diamine 150th Anniversary Blue Velvet – ” in Oceano
• Robert Oster Honey Bee – ” in Turmeric
• Colorverse Purple Cosmo – ” in Magenta

What do you think?

The post Technicolor Tuesday: What ink matches my knitting? appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Yarn: Miss Babs Yowza in Old Gold

Inks: Robert Oster Honey Bee and Franklin-Christoph Honeycomb

The post Eye Candy: When your yarn matches your ink samples. appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Papier Plume will be donating $4 per bottle sold to Special Olympics Louisiana and St. Michael Special School of New Orleans.

The timing for this ink couldn’t be more perfect — not just because St. Patrick’s Day is just a few days away. This weekend I read the first book in the Molly Murphy mystery series by Rhys Bowen which is set in New York during St. Patrick’s Day. Of course its set in the late-19th century/early-20th century and the main character has just arrived in New York from Ireland. So, I was clearly in the mood for an Irish green ink.

Irish Channel Green is a lovely shading ink. No sheen.

(From top to bottom, left row: Papier Plume Ivy 108, Colorverse Sea of Tranquility, Papier Plume Irish Channel Green, Birmingham Pen Co. Field Tourniquet. Right row: Pen BBS #342 Green Matcha Ice Cream, Tacci Uguisa and Sailor Jentle Waka-Uguisa.)

When compared to other green inks in my vast collection, the closest colors are Birmingham Pen Co. Field Tourniquet and Colorverse Sea of Tranquility. Field Tourniquet (old formula) is slightly more yellow and Sea of Tranquility is slightly brighter, grassier green. Sailor Waka-Uguisu is the same value but, again, more yellow.

This ink is limited edition so don’t delay! If you want those Irish Eyes to smile, you better order now.

Tools:

• Paper: Elia Note A5 Blank Notebook  (Currently out of stock) with 6mm guide sheet
• Pens: Kaweco SP dip nib holder with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack)
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-ring Dipper ($5)
• Ink:  Papier Plume Irish Channel Green ($12 for 30ml bottle)

The post Ink Overview: Papier Plume Irish Channel Green appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

My other mother has one (bright red!) in her kitchen that she keeps her iPad propped on for quick access to chat messages, recipes, the occasional urge to doodle and more. I’d always admired it so I was tickled to have my own and give it awhirl.

The Book Rest packs flat so it would be easy to transport with your books or fold and store on a bookshelf with your cookbooks. There are three notches on the base to allow options in the angle at which your book is held.

The bar in the front is hinged to help keep pages down and helps to stabilize the stand when there’s a book held in the Book Rest. I have read several books utilizing the Book Rest and the bar helps keep the pages flat as I moved from the front of a book to the back when the pages may not lay as flat. Hardback books layflat more easily than softcover trade paperbacks but I just cracked the spine a little and everything was fine.

The bar can also be laid flat when the Book Rest is used with a digital device and access to the screen is needed.

I was also able to use the Book Rest with my notebook/planner as a way to quickly review my notes and to-do list while I was working and check things off throughout the day.

With so many of us working from home, this handy little Book Rest serves a lot of purposes, is sturdy, nice looking and very reasonably priced. What are you waiting for?

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Gentleman Stationer for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Eye Candy: Hightide Metal Book Rest appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

This version is a frosted cherry blossom color (“Sakura Pink”), with gold hardware. The nib has an imprint of Hello Kitty’s face and the barrel has both logos and Hello Kitty’s bow. Add a gold clip and this is a sweet little pen.

The pen arrived with a blue cartridge, but I’ve ordered a converter so I can fill it with what I feel like is the perfect complementary pink: KWZ Raspberry.

The limited edition is still available so if this one appeals to you, don’t miss out!

Disclaimer: This pen was purchased with my own funds and all reviews and opinions are my own.

The post Eye Candy: Kaweco x Hello Kitty AL Sport Fountain Pen – Limited Edition appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Would something like this find a home on your desk?

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

The post Eye Candy: Pen Queue from Penquisition appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Above (top to bottom): Strathmore 500 Series Multi Media paper sketchbook; Pilot Vanishing Point Matte Black; Retro 51 Solar System; Yookers Gun Metal; Leonardo Matte Black Momento Zero; Aurora Black Mamba; Blackwing 33 1/3.

As I pulled out any items in my collection that might have black trim, a few stood out from the rest. My favorite group was this:

Above (left to right): Aurora Black Mamba; Pilot Vanishing Point Matte Black; Yookers Gun Metal; Blackwing 33 1/3 on top

Another group seemed to separate itself out as well. Those with a Ruthenium or black ionized coating to the trim.

Above (left to right): Leonardo Momento Zero Matte Black; Nakaya Decograph Twist; Sailor Sweet Love Pink.

A few pens had matte black fittings but plenty of color to offset the trim that seems to suck up any light around.

Above (left to right): Retro 51 Bump in the Night; Diplomat Aero Factory; Diplomat Aero Green; Diplomat Aero Flame; Retro 51 Zodiac.

The pens from Pilot looked so nice together (even though I couldn’t balance both the model type and the color):

Above: Pilot Vanishing Point Metallic Green; Pilot Explorer Green; Pilot Vanishing Point Matte Black.

Another bonus picture with a few more black trim pens:

Top: Leonardo Momento Zero Matte Black

Middle (left to right): Retro 51 Solar System; Spoke Pens Purple; Monteverde ; Monteverde Ritma Red and Gun Metal, Retro 51 Monarchs

Bottom: Opus 88 Bela Blue

You may be a person who enjoys mixing up your colors with pen and ink combinations, but in keeping with today’s BLACK OUT theme, here are some great choices for black inks:

Above (left to right): Platinum Carbon Black (pigmented, permanent, and true black); Aurora Black (incredibly wet ink); Sailor Kiwa-Guro (pigmented, drier ink)

Above (left to right): Kyo-no-oto Nurebairo (very dry, silvery sheen); Omas Black (vintage); Kingdom Note Stag Beetle (greenish sheen); Franklin Christoph Graphite 4B (lighter, pencil-like finish)

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

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