This summer, Esterbrook launched their new line of fountain pens: The Niblet ($175). This pen is definitely designed to compete with the Kaweco Sport and other small, pocketable pens. I got the Sea Glass model and the color is stunning and definitely reminds me of sea glass, oceans and hints of creamy shell and a little pearl oyster shimmer. This is the color combo that will totally work for my annual Mermaid month next year.

I was so excited to see the new Kuretake ZIG Clean Color Dot Metallic Double-Sided Marker - 6 Color Set ($26) while I was working at the Dallas Pen Show. I like using Zig Clean Color Dot markers for adding bullets to my notebooks. So, a set of metallics? Yes, please! The set comes with silver, gold, red, blue, green and violet with dual tips -- a standard 1.0mm marker tip and the other end is the puffy, little, q-tip-style end that makes it easy to make dots.

Laura, in an act of selfless kindness, found some fabric that she said was "so me" and then bought it and made me a whole freakin' quilt! It's huge and beautiful and covered in a bright, fun assortment of stationery-related prints. She quilted it with loopy stitches that are reminiscent of calligraphy swirls. So well-planned! So cool! So cozy!

Thanks to everyone who entered our giveaway for the Wonderland 222 B6 notebook. It looks like our commenting system is working again and ready for prime time! Our winner is: I have reached out via email to our winner. More giveaways will be happening soon so stayed tuned!

Candace Milner (@pensivecandy) is a creative and a long-time fountain-pen-and-ink enthusiast, based in Perth, Western Australia. She was first introduced to fountain pens in primary school (many, many, many years ago). Today, she uses her pens and ink to make art. Her explorations in ink typically result in intricate patterns, detailed line-work and the use of expressive ink combinations.

I met the creative team behind Wonderland 222 while I was in Portland this summer and was absolutely delighted to be able to put faces to this amazing product line. Wonderland 222 is best known for their Tomoe River-based planners -- simple, minimal planners in loads of formats. While talking with Liisa, I discovered that Wonderland 222 still has some notebooks that use the classic Tomoegawa (original) Tomoe River paper…

I have been curious about some of the trends I'm seeing in the pen community and in the world in general. Folks are going back to their starter pens, diving into their notebooks and paperlife with renewed fervor and everyone seems to be embracing the vibes of October with cozy sweaters, blankets and pumpkin spice everything. Even with our media consumption, I am noticing a continuing trend towards "comfort reads" and cozy mysteries and general inclination for joyous escapism.

I've talked about it in previous posts but I want to reiterate that I've been surprised with the quality and variety coming from Writech. I decided to try the Writech Sprinkles 0.5 mm Gel Pen ( 5-Color Set) ($12.10) which features such an unusual color set for a "basic color set". The Sprinkles set include: Azure (blue), Coffee (brown), Grass Green, Hot Pink, and Iris Blue (purple).

Once upon a time, Vinta Ink was the darling of the pen world. They came onto the market with pretty bottles, history baked into their color choices and a beautiful array of multichromatic, sheening and shimmer inks before many of the popular inks of today (like Ferris Wheel and Wearinguel). Other brands may have existed but Vinta grabbed the attention of the pen community.

I cannot believe its October already. I love pumpkins, crunchy leaves, and more sweater weather. But I completely forgot today starts Inktober. The list of the official prompts are available but I like to create my own list. In the past, I've created an A-Z list (26 drawings with bonuses for any over the 26) of office supplies and knitting terms and I've also participated in…

Apologies for skipping my planner organization and set-up for September but I have been so excited to start planning for October AND I get to start a new book as well. Double trouble! Double joy! Hope this makes up for it! Products shown in this video: Stalogy B6 Paperblanks midi size Paperblanks review Creeping Moon Draco Clip Hot Dang Press…

It's been a long time since I've bought or used a simple black ink gel pen. I always seem to lean into funky colors or other kinds of pens. But I've found that I really like the kookiness of the Writech line of pens. They've released dual color multipens with two complimentary colors or a color + black. So, I went in search of other Writech products to try.

I love to see other folks' sketchbooks and notebooks. I love to see a beautiful but REAL sketchbook. I like the variety of ink testing and landscape sketches and Claudia @The_Cloudy_Desk has a beautiful balance of both. Now, I'll let Claudia of Cloudy Desk tell you a bit about themself. Hi, I'm Claudia aka The Cloudy Desk (they/she), because who doesn't love sitting at their desk on a cloudy day with a notebook and a cup of tea?

I am such a sucker when it comes to unusual colors in pens and highlighters. So when I saw the Writech Retractable Highlighter (6-Color Set - Neutral) ($13 per set) I knew I had to give them a whirl. The set was particularly interesting because the pens are RETRACTABLE! I don't think I've ever used a retractable highlighter. If you use your highlighters for actual highlighting in textbooks or for annotating books, then a retractable highlighter might be just what you need.

I finished the Orilium Fall Equinox Magical Readathon Challenge this weekend. Its another in a long list of ways I'm gamifying my life. The challenge started on September 1 and is filled with various RPG-style challenges to inspire participants to read more. I read about eight books so far (the seven shown above as well as an extra credit read) and am trying to work through the Spring prompts as well in hopes to complete two semesters of prompts in one month.

I have reviewed a few sets of the Pentel Sign Brush Pen ($250 each) over the last couple years including the Fluorescent and the 2020 Special Color Set. What I've never 'fessed up to publicly is that I have slowly been adding individual markers to my collection until I essentially have almost every color. I love the firm, fiber-based, brush tips on these pens.

I have reviewed a few sets of the Pentel Sign Brush Pen ($250 each) over the last couple years including the Fluorescent and the 2020 Special Color Set. What I've never 'fessed up to publicly is that I have slowly been adding individual markers to my collection until I essentially have almost every color. I love the firm, fiber-based, brush tips on these pens.

We have just listed our new zine: Gamify Your Life Players Handbook (2nd Edition) ($12 for zine, $20 for kit)-- "Make it Fun to Get Sh*t Done". This zine was created to accompany my workshops of the same name but I've packed it full of enough information that I think it is a great jumpstart into the gamification of your life planning.

I don't remember precisely how I found paper artist Yulia Brodskaya, but I do know that once I did, I couldn't look away. I had never see such delicate paper art turned into such amazing works of art. I don't know Yulia personally so calling her a friend is a bit of a stretch; I can only admire from afar. But if you love paper, she's worth a follow (@yulia_brodskaya_artyulia on Instagram)!

I was inspired by Derek over at dwrdnet on YouTube to attempt my very own "Use Starter Pens for One Week" Challenge. I like to think of the this as a Platinum Preppy Challenge as these were some of my first fountain pens and the one I've loved the most. If you want to try this challenge for yourself, the goal is to go back to those under $20 pens that made you fall in love with fountain pens.

I decided to jump on the bandwagon and answer OliveOctopus' #12PenPersonQuestions list! 1. If you consider the different ways you can engage with pens and stationery—as a user, a collector, a hobbyist, a creator, a maker, a vendor—which roles fit best and what percentage of 100% would you assign to each? Are you happy with the balance? Hmmmm this one is a hard one.

We had a few lovely, cool mornings about a week ago and I got so excited that Autumn was finally here. But no. I live in the Midwest and that was FAKE FALL. The temps have zipped back up to 90ºF for the past week and, even as a human lizard that prefers warm weather, I'm over it. I want bowls of steaming soup, a steady stream of spicy teas and a chance to wear even one of the dozens of sweaters I've knit.

We had a few lovely, cool mornings about a week ago and I got so excited that Autumn was finally here. But no. I live in the Midwest and that was FAKE FALL. The temps have zipped back up to 90ºF for the past week and, even as a human lizard that prefers warm weather, I'm over it. I want bowls of steaming soup, a steady stream of spicy teas and a chance to wear even one of the dozens of sweaters I've knit.

I was inspired by Derek over at dwrdnet on YouTube to attempt my very own "Use Starter Pens for One Week" Challenge. I like to think of the this as a Platinum Preppy Challenge as these were some of my first fountain pens and the one I've loved the most. If you want to try this challenge for yourself, the goal is to go back to those under $20 pens that made you fall in love with fountain pens.