8 Fresh Designs to Get You Excited About Fountain Pens Again (via UK Fountain Pens). We all go through that period when everything starts to look the same as what you already have/have tried, and you need something new to rekindle the interest. This article is literally a checklist of pens I have not tried but need to get my hands on ASAP.
Traveling with Fountain Pens - Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (via Pen Addict). Kimberly has a great guide for traveling with fountain pens as we head into the holiday season and many of us will be hitting the road or taking to the skies. Personally, I’m also an experienced pen traveler who does absolutely nothing special with my fountain pens before I get on an airplane. If they burp ink, they burp ink, and I’m just careful to have a paper towel on hand when I arrive at my destination. I rarely have any issues with modern pens.
Stalogy Planners (via Left Hook Pens). I continue to be very happy with my converted Stalogy notebook cut down to Traveler’s size, which Hayley was kind enough to mention in her own review.
Tianzi Sky Blue Piston-Fill Fountain Pen (via Rants of the Archer). Another lower-priced piston-fill fountain pen option? Apparently there’s one more I have to try!
The Go-To Notebook Review (via The Poor Penman). Chronicle Books has released a high-end notebook that appears to perform surprisingly well with fountain pens. What’s the most interesting to me is the fact that Mohawk Paper is prominently featured in the copy, suggesting they are trying to raise their profile in the stationery business.
Uni Jetstream Edge (via Writing at Large). The design on this pen is what caught my eye, but what kept me reading was the comparison to the Traveler’s Company ballpoint, a needle-tip favorite. I need to pick one of these up.
Ferris Wheel Press Cream of Early Grey (via Mountain of Ink). Kelli reviews and ink that has long fascinated me, even if it’s probably not usable for my everyday purposes. I do have a sample that I need to break out, eventually.
Accessories for the Desk: Makers Cabinet Hovel & Iris Review (via Pencilcase Blog). What, you mean part of this hobby involves making questionable financial decisions? Dries takes a look at two luxury desk accessories, the Hovel pencil planer and the Iris circle compass, which were recently rebranded under the name “Makers Cabinet”.
Paul’s Fountain Pen Journal (via Well-Appointed Desk). I also was not aware that Paul was offering a paid subscription to his fountain pen-focused publication, Paul’s Fountain Pen Journal. Please check it out, and Ana has all the links and details.
In Case You Missed It…
This week on the blog I looked at inks! (I know, I’ve been on an ink review kick lately but you all seem to be enjoying them and I have a lot of inks to get through. Plus I’ve been doing a lot of writing at the day job.) Check out my review of Anderillium “Cuttlefish Brown,” a sepia-colored ink, as well as this first look at several Sailor inks I picked up during my recent trip to Chicago that includes Manyo HaHa and four entries in the Sailor Ink Studio collection.
Check out the 2021 T.G.S. Holiday Gift Guide and New Shop Arrivals
In advance of this year’s holiday shopping season, I launched the 2021 edition of the T.G.S. Holiday Gift Guide, which features more than a dozen different gift ideas from the T.G.S. Curated Shop, including recently restocked old favorites and some new ideas for this year. This week’s Deals & Drops goes into the new arrivals and shop restocks in a bit more detail, including Hightide Sandglasses and Folding Book Stands, as well as the full range of Penco “Perfection” pocket pens! Finally, don’t forget that the “Gently Used” Shop has been restocked with items from my own personal collection that I’ve decided to part with.
Consider Joining TGS Patreon for Access to Monthly Meetups and First Dibs on Gently Used Stationery, Exclusive Products and More! (For those in the Patreon, Check the Sale Page!)
For some additional fun, and to help support the blog consider joining the Patreon program. Patreon supporters receive special pricing and early access to product releases and collaborations such as the T.G.S. x Sunderland pen, in addition to other benefits. You can read more about T.G.S. Patreon here. This year I’ve introduced monthly online meetups, which take place on Friday or Saturday and have been super enjoyable. The Patreon membership also has “first dibs” on my regular gently used stationery sales. Today, I listed a bunch of new gently used products in the Gently Used Section, including some rare Blackwings from my personal collection, a handful of gently used custom fountain pens, and some high-end notebooks that I’m never going to get around to using. Patreon users already have had their pick, but there are some great items remaining!