2022 Penwrapped (via Leigh Reyes). If Leigh has a post up, of course it’s going to headline. You should sign up for next year’s pen show courses right now.
My 2023 Theme: Release (via From the Pen Cup). Love the theme, Mary!
2022 Pen Show Recap & What’s Next for 2023 (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Not a lot to disagree with here! I hope Kimberly keeps up with her show rating system this year.
Pen Resolutions Tag 2023 (via Rachel’s Reflections). Resolution for 2023: Read Rachel’s blog more regularly, because I always discover new makers in her articles.
Putting Pen to Paper (via Fountain Pen Love). Welcome back John! It’s always fun to see how people have been using their pens over the past year.
Pen Review: Schon Full Sized Peek-A-Boo Pen (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist). Peek attracts strong opinions - people either love the taupe/beige appearance or find it boring. I own two Peek pens, so you know where I fall.
Wancher Sekai Tsugaru Urushi Midori-Age (via Rants of the Archer). I have one of these pens as well, and have been holding it back for review because I was told they weren’t yet available. I guess that’s changed!
Hack Idea: A Traveling Dip Pen (via Well-Appointed Desk). A portable dip pen has become a must-have addition to my pen show travel kit.
Pilot 78G Fountain Pen (via Blake’s Broadcast). I owned a Pilot 78G years ago, and found it to be a very nice budget fountain pen, especially with the available broad stub.
Ink of the Week (via Fountain Pen Love). People attempt all sorts of systems and techniques to make sure all of their various pens and inks get used. I love reading these posts and coming up with my own “system experiments.”
The New Year Diary, 2023 (via Fountain Pen Blog). Could Moleskine be moving to more fountain pen friendly paper in certain of their releases?
Diamine Writer’s Blood on Kokuyo Perpanep Zara Zara (via Inkredible Colours). I was more excited by the name of this ink rather than the ultimate appearance. The color, while nice, doesn’t necessarily have that “blood red” tone I’d be looking for but Diamine does have many other options in the same color family.
In Case You Missed It…
This week on the blog I continued to talk about some of my 2023 goals and aspirations, including developing a more consistent journaling/writing habit over the coming year. Related to this last post, I published a short shop list of items that I enjoy and/or recommend for journaling. And last but not least, the first review of 2023 is live: Ranga ebonite fountain pens, where I look at both the Abhimanyu and Bamboo models.
Guess what arrived along with our Midori/Traveler’s Restock?
This Week in the Curated Shop
In addition to the Kokuyo Field Notebooks pictured above, we are fully restocked on most Midori and Traveler’s Notebook products, including the Midori MD Codex, Midori Multi-Year Journals, and nearly all of the Traveler’s Notebook Specialty Paper refills and other accessories (with the exception of the B-Sides and Rarities, which continue to be in short supply and on backorder). Before the end of the year, we also received a restock of the TWSBI Precision line of technical ballpoints and mechanical pencils, which have impressed me with their solid build and design. Look for a review of these in the future, and stay tuned for new 2023 arrivals! Finally, several new items hit the T.G.S. “Gently Used” sale page. These can be combined with Curated Shop orders to reach the free shipping threshold of $75.
A T.G.S. Patreon Ask
In a special post from earlier in the week, I talked about T.G.S. Patreon and how the support/membership program will expand in 2023 to include not only access to meetups and early gently used sales, but more exclusive content, including the potential return of Digital Divide. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. In addition to purchases from The Curated Shop, Patreon allows us to continue to grow the site without relying on advertisements and affiliate marketing.