Thursday Drops: Platinum Carbon Desk Pens in Black and Red!

When I ordered these Platinum Carbon Desk Pens a couple of months ago, I knew I was going to stock them but didn’t bother to read closely enough to realize that they came in both black and red/burgundy, my two favorite colors. Here’s to happy coincidences! These excellent modern versions of a classic vintage desk accessory are now available for purchase in the shop, and the best part is that the stand-alone pen costs only $13. You can pair it with a base/stand for only an additional $20, giving you a fully functional desk pen set for just $33!

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The Platinum Carbon Desk Pen, shown here in black in the stand (both pieces sold separately).

We are gradually building out our selection of fountain pens on offer, with a goal of focusing on those pens that are not only fun to use but offer solid value as everyday writers. To that end, we believe that the Platinum Carbon Desk Pen fits nicely into that category, and look forward to adding additional Platinum Pens in the future.

1. Platinum Carbon Desk Pen. Featuring an extra-fine gold-tone stainless steel nib and Platinum’s Slip-and-Seal cap technology, I was absolutely blown away by how well this pen wrote straight out of the box. Available in both black and red, and ships with one cartridge or Platinum ink in black or red to match the pen.

2. Platinum Carbon Desk Pen Base. Looking to recreate that vintage desk-scape? Start with a full desk-pen set. Available in black only (but it still looks outstanding paired with the red desk pen).

3. Midori MD Notebook Light Series. This week we also added the Midori MD “Light” Notebooks to our lineup, which feature the same excellent MD paper sold in packs of three slim format, 24 sheet/48 page notebooks. There is also a 70th Anniversary Limited Edition Set that was released this year, which includes seven different A5 notebooks featuring different color grid ruling and matching threaded bindings.

4. Midori 70th Anniversary 5-Year Diary. The recycled green leather binding on the limited five-year diary is gorgeous. I’m breaking out my own journal that I unfortunately let lapse, now that I have a place to work once again.

5. Midori MD Fountain Pen. This sleeper of an entry-level fountain pen deserves more attention, and it’s all because of the nib, which is slightly downturned to accommodate those who might write with a heavier hand. Even if you don’t, it’s super smooth. Read more here.

6. Traveler’s Company Brass Fountain Pen. Long one of my favorite pocket pens, my “Factory Green” fountain pen stays in regular rotation, along with my classic brass ballpoint.

7. TWSBI Swipe Fountain Pens. This past year TWSBI released a cartridge-converter fountain pen for the first time, and the result has frankly been spectacular. Purchase of any TWSBI Swipe Fountain Pen includes a cartridge and TWO different converters, so right away you’re ready to use either cartridges or bottled ink. We currently have all colors in stock, including the new Salmon and Pear.

8. TWSBI ECO Jade Fountain Pen. The rumor is that TWSBI’s ECO Jade release won’t be available for much longer. We still have a couple in stock.

9. TWSBI Vac700R Iris Fountain Pen. In addition to ensuring that we span the range of price points in our fountain pen offerings, we also wanted to span the range of filling systems, including a high-capacity vacuum-model. It helps that the “Iris” finish on the Vac700R is quite nice to look at. Check out the full write-up of this pen here.

10. TWSBI 580ALR Fountain Pens. TWSBI’s flagship 580 piston filler has been around in some form or fashion for 10 years now, but the best thing they’ve done - in my opinion - is release the pen with anodized aluminum trim and the textured metal sections. What’s you're favorite color? For me it’s a toss-up between the Navy and the Prussian Blue.

Thursday Drops: Start Gearing Up for Travel Season

Summer is here (earlier than usual, at least for us), and whether you’re doing extensive travel or sticking closer to home, we the Curated Shop is stocked with everything you need to be able to write on the go. We recently received a wide array of travel-friendly products, including a complete restock of Traveler’s Notebooks, some newly arrived Traveler’s Company Spiral Ring Notebooks, and new reading accessories such as these slim Midori bookmarks, perfect for marking your place on the go without adding undo weight.

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These low-profile divider stickers are super convenient. I like them because they stay out of the way, but are there when you need them. For me, the numbered dividers are useful to divide my work notebook into sections by month.

We’ve also introduced a new category: Notebook Dividers! We now offer a series of different tools that you can use to divide your planner or notebook into sections, including both metal and plastic/tape-style clips and dividers. These are super convenient (and inexpensive to boot).

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

1. Traveler’s Company Spiral Ring Notebooks. These versatile notebooks feature a reinforced kraft cover and 100 pages/200 sheets of white Midori MD paper, perfect for use as a journal, notebook, sketchbook, and/or scrapbook. In other words - great for travel! Inexpensive and available in three different sizes: A5 Slim, A6 Slim, and B6, the latter of which can also be turned vertically to use reporter-style.

2. Midori 70th Anniversary Five-Year Journal. While the Three-Year version is sold out, we have a couple Five-Year journals in stock with the limited edition recycled green leather cover.

3. Midori 70th Anniversary MD Notebook Slim Limited Edition. Looking for a lighter-weight carry to take with you this summer? These MD Notebook “Light” format versions come as a seven-notebook set, each with different-color threaded bindings and matching grid-rulings.

4. Midori Clip Bookmarkers. Available in sets of four, with four different themes including travel, weather, flowers, and, of course, cats, these .1mm thin metal book markers can be used to mark your place in the book you’re reading, and can even be used as a stencil for decorating your journals/planners/notebooks.

5. Midori MD Notebook Dividers. Available in either metal or plastic/tape style, these low-profile notebook dividers offer an easy and inexpensive way to divide your notebook or bullet journal into sections. Personally, I use the numbered Midori tabs to divide my work Traveler’s Notebook into months.

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All the various patterns of the Midori MD Clip Bookmarkers. The “Travel” theme is my favorite.

Thursday Drops: Midori 70th Anniversary Three and Five-Year Diaries, and a Few More Sunderland MK1 Pens!

My final shipment of Midori 70th Anniversary products arrived this week, with a limited quantity of the three and five-year diaries in a special recycled green leather cover. If you’re unfamiliar with these hardbound journals/diaries, they contain 366 pages of MD Paper, one for each day, divided into either three or five slots, so that when you make your daily entry you can review the prior year(s) on that same page. I’ve kept these types of journals in the past and it can be fascinating, especially once you get 2-3 years in.

We also have a small number of Sunderland mk1 pens available for purchase, and unfortunately these may be the last pens available for quite some time. Sunderland is a bit backlogged on their machining, and as many of you have noticed they are completely sold out of standard pens on their website. If you’d like to learn more about this pen and what went into designing it, check out this post, as well as my review of the pen in general.

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We’ve recently received restocks on Traveler’s Company, Midori, Caran d’Ache, Write Notepads and most of the other brands we carry. The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands stocked.

1. Midori 70th Anniversary Three and Five-Year Journals. These leather-bound diaries feature a recycled green leather cover, specially released for Midori’s 70th Anniversary, and come available in three and five-year formats. The three-year version is extremely limited.

2. T.G.S. x. Sunderland mk1 Rollerball Pen. Our second exclusive product collaboration features a matte black/matte burgundy finish, and accepts the Pilot G2 or Montblanc rollerball/fineliner refill. As I noted above, this will likely be the last chance to pick one of these up for a while.

3. Traveler’s Notebook Starter Kits, Refills, and Accessories. Many of the standard refills and accessories have been on backorder, but we’re now fully restocked on standard MD paper refills, undated diaries, and accessories like cases, folders, and even the popular brass ruler.

4. Caran D’Ache Claim Your Style Series 3. Last year’s “Claim Your Style” 849 ballpoint pen was my favorite of the three series, especially the “Night Blue” and “Moss Green”, though they all look great. I truly enjoy the more muted colors, as opposed to the bright-and-shiny pens that have become popular in recent years.

5. TWSBI ECO Jade Fountain Pen. I’ve heard murmurings that the TWSBI ECO Jade is going away, and that it’s a true special edition. We have pens available in a few nib sizes.

Thursday Drops: While I'm in Chicago, Midori 70th Anniversary Releases!

I’m happy to announce the arrival of a small shipment of Midori 70th Anniversary products. These include (1) the limited edition version of the XS Stationery Kit, a complete portable stationery set that includes mini tapes, scissors, a stapler, paper cutter, hole punch, and more; and (2) the Midori MD Notebook Light Anniversary Set of seven notebooks with different color stitching and grid rulings, as well as 64 pages of Midori’s MD Paper. Get these while they last - quantities are limited!

For those who have asked, we are now also fully restocked on most of our Traveler’s Notebooks refills, as well as Standard Size Starter Kits in all colors!

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The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including Midori and Traveler’s Notebook.

Thursday Drops: More Caran d'Ache Fixpencils Have Arrived!

It’s been quite a while since we’ve had the standard matte black Caran d’Ache Fixpencil in stock, and after a bit of a delay due to supply chain constraints, they are now available for purchase once again. We also stock replacement leads, erasers, and pencil sharpeners, along with a wide array of Caran d’Ache pencils, pens, and other products! We have also restocked on Write Notepads reporter-style notebooks and the Landscape Notebooks, in an assortment of updated colors!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

1. Caran d’Ache Fixpencil. The famous clutch pencil comes in a matte black finish with three different button options: red, blue, or black. While the pencil ships with an HB-grade lead, additional grades of refills are available for purchase separately.

2. Caran d’Ache Fixpencil 884. Looking for something with a bit more color? The Fixpencil 884 comes in red, green, or blue, and while it doesn’t have the same matte finish, the raised grip area still offers a comfortable texture.

3. Caran d’Ache x Nespresso Pencil Sets. Alas, the last version of the Caran d’Ache x Nespresso 849 ballpoint collaboration has been discontinued, pending an as-yet-to-be-announced replacement edition, but in the meantime we still have a limited supply of the collaboration Swiss Wood pencil sets.

4. High-Quality Tombow Erasers. Clutch pencils typically don’t have erasers, so it’s smart to pick up a Tombow Mono or even a click eraser to have on hand. Tombow erasers leave very little dust and cleanly remove pencil marks.

5. Write Notepads Reporter Notebooks. One of the top sellers in the shop is back, with four new colors: Plum, Forest Green, Arctic Blue, and Coral. The “Arctic” color has become my personal favorite.

6. Write Notepads Landscape Notebooks. After something of a hiatus, the Landscape Notebook is back, and also available in the Forest Green and Arctic Blue finishes. What makes a landscape-style spiral notebook unique? It features a landscape orientation that allows the notebook to sit beneath a keyboard, and is top-bound so it’s also lefty-friendly.

7. Write Notepads Writing Pads. In my opinion, some of the best fountain-pen friendly writing pads on the market! Available in lined, dot, and meeting rulings.

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The new colors of Write Notepads Reporter Notebooks!