Sunday Reading for July 6, 2025

1. 2025 St. Louis Pen Show Recap (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). The St. Louis Pen Show is one of those shows that is difficult for me to attend due to timing, as June either conflicts with family vacation or the very busy tourist season here in our Nashville store. Based on this and all the other write-ups, however, it looks like this show is starting to hit its stride.

2. St. Louis Pen Show 2025 (via A Gathering of Curiosities). I love reading recaps from first-time pen show attendees. The classes in St. Louis sounded great…. Also, as I further note below, there’s something to be said for getting nibs tuned in person at a show vs. by mail.

3. Unboxing the Pen Tray I Didn’t Know I Needed: Stationery Stack Alfie (via dwrdnet). I plan to do a review of my own Alfie soon - I love this tray and have been using it in my own home office.

4. Maybe It’s Not Coming Back (via Line Variation). I’m generally advising people these days to take pens to shows for nib grinds and modifications, especially for first grinds, mainly because I’m seeing reports such as this one of businesses going incommunicado. (No names are mentioned in this post, but I understand the issue is not limited to any one business and very much needs to improve.)

5. Everyday Carry: Lochby Sidekick and Fisher Vortex Space Pen (via Urban Adventure League). Fisher and Rite in the Rain both make some excellent slim pens perfect for EDC and pocket carry.

6. One of My Favorite Blues: The Wet Pen’s Rainier Blue (via Inkdependence). I picked up some of the new Wet Pen Inks during their most recent release. I didn’t snag Ranier Blue, but this one looks nice.

7. The Pen of King Charles III (via Figboot on Pens). I didn’t watch the coronation or follow the festivities with any degree of attention, but the fact that they were willing to send David this pen for review is amazing.

8. Lamy’s Song Dynasty Safari (via Bleistift). I love the yellow clip and the jade white finish. I wish Lamy did more special editions in these more muted colors for the U.S. market.

9. Tool Review: Dominant Industry Rubber Stamps (via Well-Appointed Desk). I’ve been enjoying archiving inks in my Dominant Industry Ink Archiving Book (more on that later), and these stamps seem to be along the same lines.

10. Save the Date… (via Pelikan’s Perch). I’m actually surprised to see this because given we are only a few months out, I had assumed Pelikan Hubs 2025 would not be going forward. But October 24th it is….

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In Case You Missed It…

This week saw me finish a personal journal and pick a new one, going with the Maruman Mnemosyne A5 Hardcover in mint green! I also continued my revamp of the site resource pages and published a Notebook Systems landing page, which collects informational resources on different notebook systems that I’ve written over the years. Keep an eye out for more resources, especially as we head towards the D.C. and San Francisco Pen Shows next month!

Finally, over on the YouTube Channel I posted a video with swatches of all the Lamy Crystal inks. These are great inks which should be getting more attention!

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This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop: Last Call for 4th of July Weekend Specials

Our 4th of July Promotion on Planners and some Notebook Systems ends today at 11:59pm U.S. Central Time. We’re at the midpoint of 2025, and now is a great time to grab slight discount, including on the special Stálogy releases and the latest additions to the Lochby lineup, including the new Voyager Journals and Mini Field Journals! We also have some new inks, including two new-to-us lines such as the Lamy Crystal and Private Reserve lines.

Lochby

Planner Stickers

Multi Pens

Desk Accessories

PAtreon curated stationery boxes are available!

If you’re a Patreon supporter, be sure to check the Patreon feed because the second round of quarterly curated stationery boxes are available, with plans to start shipping by the end of the month. If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions like this one, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! The T.G.S. Patreon includes early access and discounts on exclusive shop releases (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies”), the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. As noted above, we’ve recently started a Discord community for all paid Patreon supporters.

Sunday Reading for June 29, 2025

1. Going to St. Louis Pen Show! (via A Gathering of Curiosities). I’ve never been to the St. Louis Pen Show, despite it only being a few hours drive. The stars didn’t align this for me this month but I hope everyone has a great time!

2. St. Louis Pen Show Exclusive Ink: KWZ 314 Blues (via Inkdependence). Hopefully those of you attending the St. Louis Pen Show this weekend were able to pick up a bottle of the show-exclusive ink!

3. Mt. Fo’rest Shop Visit (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). What a cool shop with a nicely curated, eclectic selection of goods! Put this one on a list of shops to visit.

4. The Lamy 2000 Multipen Just Got Better: Adding Jetstream Refills for Better Performance (via dwrdnet). I’ve successfully converted at least one person!

5. Comparing Different Apica Paper Weights (via Fountain Pen Love). For whatever reason, Apica notebooks have never caught on in my own rotation, partly because the ones I’ve tried all have had a relatively low page count and the style doesn’t necessarily appeal to me, but it is absolutely fountain pen friendly.

6. Does Stone Paper DESTROY Fountain Pens? I Tested It to Find Out (via Doodlebud). I’ve heard this as well, and have stayed away mostly because I don’t enjoy the feel of this paper.

7. 2025 Triangle Pen Show (via Feed Your Creativity). I enjoyed watching this walkthrough of a vintage-heavy show that I’ve never attended, but it’s on my list.

8. Paper Republic Grand Voyager (via Inky.Rocks). I get a lot of questions about Paper Republic notebooks, most of which I can’t answer because I’m unfamiliar with the brand. I’m trying to learn more about some of these notebook brands with proprietary sizing.

9. Meet Your Maker: John Greco, GW Pens (via Pen Addict - Caroline). An interesting entry in this series about a maker who is new to me.

10. Ink Review: Esterbrook x TheCoffeeMonstersCo Forgotten Iced Coffee (via Well-Appointed Desk). Cool color! I love these offbeat grey-taupe-brown inks.

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Hole punches are but one of the stationery adjacent items I’ve been playing around with this week.

In Case You Missed It….

This week, a bit of reflection where I talked about five “stationery adjacent” items that I can’t live without. This built a bit on my answer to a question in the interview I did with Derek on his YouTube Channel a few weeks back. I’ve also been hard at work refreshing some of the general informational content on the main site, so stay tuned for additional updates in the coming weeks. (This post also contained an update on August pen show plans, so check it out for details on D.C. and San Francisco.)

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If I had to pick three “classic” Private Reserve Inks to start with, it would be Avocado, Supershow Blue, and Black Cherry/Burgundy Mist (depending on whether you want a red-black or more of a purplish burgundy).

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

The big new arrival this week was the TWSBI ECO Serpentine Bronze, which is selling quickly and we’re down to a few nib sizes. We’ll likely restock this one as it looks quite nice! We also restocked on many other standard TWSBI models alongside the Serpentine Bronze, including the Diamond Mini and the Irish Green/Onyx and Slate Blue/Onyx, with all nib sizes currently available once again. This week’s Thursday Drops post spotlighted all of the new arrivals!

We’re also happy to welcome Private Reserve Inks into the shop! Private Reserve as a brand has had its ups and downs over the years, but it has endured for 25+ years and is now under the ownership of Yafa Brands, so recent years have seen a return to consistency in quality, and I’m glad they kept the large-volume, jam-jar bottles. (60ml of ink for $18!) They make some of my long-time favorite colors, including Avocado and Burgundy Mist. I’m kinda sad Avocado is now spelled correctly on the bottle, as it will always be “Avacado” to me. :) Be sure to check out all of the colors, available in both 60ml bottle and cartridge formats.

Platinum

Lochby

Lamy Ink

Notsu

NEW T.G.S. Patreon Features - We’ve started a discord community!

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and gently used stationery opportunities, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, the T.G.S. Patreon includes these as well as access to early shop releases (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies”), the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. As noted above, we’ve recently started a Discord community for all paid Patreon supporters.

Sunday Reading for June 22, 2025

1. DWRDNET Stationery Feed Interview with Ana from Well-Appointed Desk (via dwrdnet). Ana has a chance to sit down with Derek for an interview! (The house purse/bag is a brilliant idea.) I’ve been enjoying listening to all of these. If you missed my interview, the link is here.

2. Do Notebooks Destroy Memorization Skills? (via Notebook Stories). Honestly, my own notebooks help me remember minor short-term details because I don’t have the brain capacity, but on the flip side if I journal or write about more significant issues and events, I tend to remember them in greater detail.

3. What’s the Difference? Sailor Music vs. Stub Nib (via Doodlebud). Sailor’s take on the music nib is basically an extremely broad, wet stub. I do like stubs but this one has always been a bit much for me.

4. The Pleasure of Craftsmanship: The Alfie Tray (via A Gathering of Curiosities). I really need to get a hold of one of these. Oh wait I just bought one.

5. Twenty Years of the Urban Adventure League Blog (via Urban Adventure League). Congratulations on a huge achievement! Twenty years of any sort of creative project is a massive accomplishment.

6. MD Paper Products Pop Up at Kinokuniya (via Inkredible Colours). I scoured the photos looking for any evidence that ruled versions of the MD Cotton notebooks might be returning, but no such luck, apparently….

7. Stationery for Your Worst Enemy (via Rachel’s Reflections). Ahab FTW. Hopefully they’ll end up like me with ink on their wall, running all the way up to the ceiling.

8. Magasin Sennelier (via Pens! Paper! Pencils!). I love this shop and can’t wait to get back there.

9. Untangling My Zen (via From the Pen Cup). Many people use zentangles to unwind (and also to try out pens, inks, and paper). I’ve always been interested in learning more about this, but too many hobbies, too little time….

10. Dominant Industry Log of Elixir/Log of Atlantis Inks (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ok, I need to get an ink archiving book to play around with. I’m sold.

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I picked up one of these. If you don’t recognize it you will soon enough, as I plan to write about it soon!

In Case You Missed It….

This week was mid-year review week for 2025! I honestly don’t know how we got there already, but we are there! I recapped my favorite posts from the first six months of the year, as well as my currently inked fountain pens that I just revamped with fresh inks this month. I’ve had some new acquisitions come into my hands this month, and also dug through my “archive” for some old favorites that I haven’t used in far too long.

All the Lamy Crystal inks: So many underrated colors in this lineup.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

New stuff keeps arriving! This week featured the return of the Lochby Field Journal Mini, which has been out of stock since January. Currently it’s available only in brown, but hopefully we will have the other colors back in stock soon. Lochby has also added a B5 Field Folio, which has the zippered closure and is large enough to carry a B5 notebook or a composition book. On the fountain pen front, we now have the popular Diplomat Viper, which is a hooded fountain pen that also has a matching rollerball. Finally, we have the Lamy Crystal inks in stock, which is a more saturated ink that Lamy makes in a wider range of colors. Peridot has long been one of my favorite green inks. Be sure to check out each week’s Thursday Drops post for new arrivals and more. This week’s post featured a few favorite 2025 new releases as well, in the spirit of our mid-year review.

Diplomat

Lamy Inks

Nebula Note

Lochby

NEW T.G.S. Patreon Features - We’ve started a discord community!

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and gently used stationery opportunities, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, the T.G.S. Patreon includes these as well as access to early shop releases (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies”), the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. As noted above, we’ve recently started a Discord community for all paid Patreon supporters.

Sunday Reading for June 15, 2025

1. DWRDNET Stationery Feed Interview with The Gentleman Stationer (via dwrdnet). Many thanks to Derek for setting this up, even if it took us a while to schedule. I enjoyed sitting for one of the longer personal interviews I’ve ever done. And on video, no less!

2. Minimalism by Any Other Name (via A Gathering of Curiosities). It’s very hard to be in this hobby/obsession/passion and call yourself a minimalist. “Careful curation” is a good description of what I aspire to as well.

3. The Transition from A5 Filofax to Personal Size Filofax (via Philofaxy). Do you prefer A5 or Bible-size (“Personal”) planners? I’ve tried to use smaller size but find myself always returning to the A5 because I enjoy the fuller page.

4. The Best & Worst of 2025: Fountain Pen Brands Tier List (via Blake’s Broadcast). While any list like this is highly personal and based on opinion - which also makes such videos highly entertaining to watch - I find myself largely on the same page with respect to many of these.

5. Majohn/Moonman V60 (via Dapprman). I still have yet to get myself one of these. I may not, given that the edges are apparently sharp enough to cut you?

6. Pilot Vanishing Point with Special Alloy Nib Review (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). I have a “Deep Yellow” steel nib Vanishing Point, and really wish Pilot would bring this option to the U.S. market. It’s an incredible value.

7. Pilot Iroshizuku To-ro Fountain Pen Ink (via Pen Addict). Brad reviews the new Iroshizuku orange ink, which is my second favorite of the new colors, Syun-gyo being the first.

8. A Day Redeemed by the Smallest of Things (via From the Pen Cup). And yet one more reason to love stationery.

9. MT Upcycle Washi Tape (via Well-Appointed Desk). Cool idea!

10. Setting up a Multi-Paper A5 Swatch Book (via dwrdnet). I’m reading more on swatch book strategies as I build out our in-shop swatch books.

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In Case You Missed It….

This week on the blog I wrote about two subjects that have been of much interest to me lately: the deep “Back Catalog" of products from many of the major fountain pen brands, which often (and undeservedly) get little attention. I talk about which of these products I’ve enjoyed “discovering,” and my strategy for trying to make them more available by giving some additional visibility. I also wrote a post on the best inks for cheap paper, since this is a question I’ve been getting more frequently as the overall quality of “office grade” notebooks and writing pads continues to decline.

Finally, as part of my quest to release more video content (however brief), I did a short YouTube video on the recently-much-hyped Penco Perfection pocket pen.

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I had a really hard time choosing between the three Diplomat Viper fountain pens but ultimately went with blue.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

We kicked off the week by welcoming a huge shipment from Rite in the Rain, including new all-weather ballpoints, mechanical pencils, paper, and more (including pen cases). The 1.3mm mechanical pencils are a frequently requested item that I had never used before and have enjoyed. We’ve also swatched and stocked two new lines of ink from Anderillium (the Ichthyoformes/fish series) and Papier Plume (the Classics Collection). Also, don’t miss these excellent Papier Plume Swatch Books!

Finally, we’ve added Colorverse Nebula Note Notebooks, the Diplomat Viper Fountain Pen, Blackwing Volumes 140 and more! Check out each week’s Thursday Drops post for a full list of restocks and new arrivals!

Blackwing

Nebula Note

Cloth & Paper

Papier Plume

NEW T.G.S. Patreon Features - We’ve started a discord community!

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and gently used stationery opportunities, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, the T.G.S. Patreon includes these as well as access to early shop releases (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies”), the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. As noted above, we’ve recently started a Discord community for all paid Patreon supporters.

Sunday Reading for June 8, 2025

1. A Less Expensive Entry into A5 Planner Systems? Exploring the Laconic System (via dwrdnet). Tempted to try a 6-ring planner system but intimidated by what can be a high price of entry? Derek tested out the Laconic inserts that we’ve started stocking recently.

2. The Hooligan Pen Experience (via Pen Addict). It was fun getting to meet Tim in Atlanta this year, and hopefully I’ll be able to check out one of his pens in the future.

3. Live from the Triangle Pen Show 2025 (via Inkdependence). Mike has his live stream from this weekend’s 2025 Triangle Pen Show up and ready to go. I’ve never made it to Triangle - it’s not THAT far for me so this probably needs to change at some point.

4. Fifth Anniversary (via Inkredible Colours). Congrats on a five-year bloggiversary!

5. Holme and Hadfield Pen Deck (via Figboot on Pens). I enjoy seeing more accessory reviews, including creative solutions that combine pen storage and display.

6. Montblanc 146 Bespoke Calligraphy Left Oblique Fountain Pen Review (via Blake’s Broadcast). Looking for a highly specialized, very expensive custom nib? A crazy price comes with three tines!

7. Writing Around the Block (via Pen Addict - Sarah). Sometimes the writing comes, sometimes it doesn’t. I enjoy these dispatches from a working writer.

8. Mid-Year Techo Kaigi (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ana walks through her mid-year planner and notebook setup on video. I’m coming around to video being the better format for these sort of walkthroughs.

9. Hurtling into Posthumanism (via Writing Ball). You wouldn’t guess it from the news but not everyone is looking forward to handing over all of human experience over to AI. It’s refreshing to see it everyday at the shop - across generations - and the last paragraph of this one really hit home with me.

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I do love my Pilot Decimo in Harvest Yellow!

In Case You Missed It….

This week on the blog, I previewed an ink swatch session in which I took a look at all eight inks from the recently released Anderillium Ichthyoformes Series (Inks Inspired by Fish). The three dark reds were my favorites, and you can check out the entire video on the YouTube channel. This weekend I inked up both a Pilot Vanishing Point and a Pilot Decimo, because I wanted to revisit these pens to see whether my personal preference for the Decimo still held. It does, but I can use both pens. In Saturday’s post I offered five points of comparison and things to keep in mind when considering one over the other. Also, for those curious about how the filling mechanism works on this pen, I posted a short video demonstration showing how a cartridge works differently than a converter for this pen.

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Planner stickers like these allow you to turn any notebook into a planner.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

So this was a big week in the shop. Not only did we get the entire Anderillium Ichthyoformes series inked and listed, but we also received a shipment of the Classic Fountain Pen Inks line from Papier Plume, along with the new TWSBI ECO in Matcha Green, the latest arrivals from Field Notes, and additional undated planner formats from Laconic Tokyo (including yet more Planner Stickers that you can use in notebooks)! Check out each week’s Thursday Drops post for updates on new releases and any specials we are running.

Papier Plume

Anderillium Inks

Multi Pens

Notsu

NEW T.G.S. Patreon Features - We’ve started a discord community!

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and gently used stationery opportunities, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, the T.G.S. Patreon includes these as well as access to early shop releases (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies”), the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. As noted above, we’ve recently started a Discord community for all paid Patreon supporters.