2023 Pacific Northwest Pen Show - Recap and Report Card (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). For the first year of a pen show, I can only say that this one appears to have been a rousing success!
Journaling Series: Journaling to Clear Your Mind (via Writing at Large). I’ve been following this regular series on journaling techniques. It’s excellent if you’re looking to start journaling and need prompts and/or exercises to help you get started, or if you’re an experienced journaler who feels like the practice has gotten stale and needs a refresh.
21+5 Pen Questions (via Weirdoforest Pens). Yay! My five extra pen questions have caught on!
21 Pen Questions (via Rachel’s Reflections). Rachel takes her turn with the 21 Pen Questions.
#12PencilQuestions (via Well-Appointed Desk). Now we’re moving into the pencil world!
UNICEF Blue (via Line Variation). By far one of the more underrated “semi-standard” Montblanc Inks, UNICEF Blue is a gorgeous turquoise!
Dingbats Wildlife: Notebook Review (via Stationery Pizza). Dingbats notebooks don’t get the attention they deserve. The company markets itself as vegan and eco-friendly, and the paper in the two notebooks I have tried is very good.
On How I Did Not Buy a Meisterstuck 149 (via Fountain Pen Blog). I love these “in the wild” stories about hunting pens.
What’s My Hobonichi Done for Me Lately? (via mnmlscholar). I’m intrigued by the Hobonichi Day Free, and how people are using it.
Hamelin’s Intentions Clarified (via Pelikan’s Perch). I’ve been fairly quiet on the acquisition of Pelikan’s stationery business by Hamelin, a French stationery company, mainly because I don’t really understand all the “alarm.” While there’s always some uncertainty around acquisitions like this one, Pelikan has been bought and sold a few times over the years, and the latest go-round seems to be an instance of one large conglomerate selling the brand (or a part of the brand) to another large company. Joshua has a follow-up article that nicely summarizes the current status of the transaction.
In Case You Missed It…
This week on the blog I wrote a post about one of my favorite “go-to” fountain pen friendly papers, French powerhouse Clairefontaine, and why it’s long been my default for everyday writing paper. It’s also time for Part II of my recent “Bag Dump” series, in advance of this week’s upcoming DC Pen Show.
This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop
It’s time for the mid-year stationery markets, both in-person and online, so you’ll be noticing several new arrivals hitting the store in addition to restocks on most of our existing lines. Big news from this week include the release of the TWSBI Sunset Yellow Diamond 580 AL fountain pen, which will ship Monday or Tuesday and is now available for purchase. We also received a huge shipment from Exaclair (distributor of Clairefontaine, Quo Vadis, Herbin, and Rhodia), as well as most Anderillium inks.
Pen Show Schedule for the Upcoming Month and Orders for Pen Show Delivery
This year in DC you can find me sharing table space with our friends at Vanness Pens. TGS won’t have a stand-alone table, but I’ll be bringing a handful of items with me, including Lochby cases and notebooks, washi tape, and whatever stock remains from the TGS-exclusive Penwells and Hinze Collaboration pens. While I plan to have a full table setup in San Francisco, I tend to use the D.C. Show to visit with people and scope out new releases. Note: If you have your eye on something from the shop and want me to bring it to the show for you to pick up, you can select “Local Pickup” at checkout to drop the shipping charge and send me a message to arrange for delivery. Just be mindful that I probably won’t be able to bring heavier orders (i.e. 5 or 6 notebooks) due to airline weight restrictions.
I’ll plan to bring some stamps that you can use to decorate your notebooks at the table!
Other Ways to Support T.G.S. and Gently Used Update!
Everything that didn’t sell to Patreon members, including some older limited edition Baron Fig items and notebooks, is now available for general purchase on the “Gently Used” page! If you’re interested in early access and a right of first refusal for the periodic sales, consider T.G.S. Patreon, which features not only access to meetups and the early gently used sales, but more exclusive content. 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. If you’re interested in meetups and exclusive content, or simply supporting the site, we greatly appreciate your support!
