Back in February I ordered Sweet Pink Love ink and a non-Pelikan fountain pen from the Bungubox site. The pen, an Onishi Seisakusho collaboration, called (I think) “Sakura Fubuki” or “Raden Sakura” captivated me with its pink and white colors…
Emotional Support Pens, Stationery, and the Return to Campus
Like many people, I have special pens, paper, and other stationery supplies on my desks at home and stashed in various places around the apartment. I keep more stuff at work on my office desk. But how do people decide…
Use Case: Field Notes Signs of Spring (Not a Review)
Disclaimer: I know less about the Field Notes brand than most people I know in the pen community, so this is not exactly a review. Instead, think of it as a use case. My use case posts celebrate finding ways…
My Col-o-ring Is Full! – Adventures in Ink Swatching
I'm working on another post on what one Slack user refers to as "emotional support pens," but put it aside to write this little celebration of inks and swatching. Have you discovered the joy of swatching ink samples? It's the…
Another Shade of Green: Welcoming a New Pelikan
Tea with a new Pelikan. Are these pictures too weird? Have I mentioned I'm half Irish, or rather, half Irish American? Yes, an Irish-Chicana. My mom was (mostly) Irish, her father a loyal member of the Friendly Sons of St.…
First Fountain Pen on BBC’s The Repair Shop
It's been a hard few years. Life has been stressful on a personal and global level: deaths, illness, pandemic, tenure files, surgeries, and general political madness leave me feeling sometimes like the world is on fire. None of us should…
My Wallet is a Hobonichi Weeks!
My boring black zip-around wallet finally gave up the ghost. A few hours into searching for a good replacement I realized I could use a Hobonichi Weeks cover (<-- this link has a great series of pictures plus a review).…
Doodles by Ben and Resisting Sticker Hoarding
For the second year in a row, my partner gave me a subscription to Doodles by Ben's Pin Badge Club. The result is monthly happy mail for me. A Friendly Comet - February's Pin Badge The subscription is for a…
How Square! Writing in a Rhodia Reverse Book
Rhodia Reverse Book Gridded I don't know what you've been up to, but I've been dealing with my pandemic stress this academic year by taking long walks or runs while listening to happy podcasts about pens, paper, and art. That…
Podcasts: Talking about pens and other stuff
Something that's been a huge pleasure for the past year has been listening to fountain pen and stationery podcasts. I had been filling my ears and brain with political ones, but last summer that all got to be a bit…