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.

Sunday Reading for June 1, 2025 (How Is It June Already?)

1. DWRDNET Stationery Feed with Chad of Eel and Anchor (via dwrdnet). Interested in what goes into designing and pouring blanks for custom pens? Be sure to watch this interview with Chad from Eel and Anchor!

2. Teranishi Traveling Sepia and Antique Black; and a Meditation on Brown (via A Gathering of Curiosities). I’ve never been a huge fan of brown inks either, but off-blacks? All day. The trendiness of brown inks is an interesting phenomenon, as brown has historically been one of the more underutilized ink colors.

3. Pens, Papers, and a Way to Make the Lamy Ballpoints GOOD?! Unboxing from the Gentleman Stationer (via Inkdependence). Ok, a bit of self-promotion, but Mike walked through an unboxing of some of the Notsu stuff as well as the Uni/Lamy collaboration refill. Glad you enjoyed!

4. Kilk Celestial Twofer … and a Giveaway! (via Figboot on Pens). Kilk keeps killing it with their materials. I have a couple of their pens that I need to get back into the review queue.

5. Interview with an …? (via Olive Octopus). Lisa also sat down for an interview with Derek! Be sure to watch as they talk a lot about ink swatching and more.

6. Play It as It Lies (via Line Variation). Do you find how and why you write changes from year-to-year?

7. The Best of Collecting (via Fueled by Clouds and Coffee). This post resonated with me because I’m at a similar stage with pens, having moved into a more carefully considered acquisition phase.

8. Pilot Iroshizuku To-Ro (via Inkredible Colours). To-ro is one of the newer Iroshizuku colors, released late last year. It’s more of a golden orange.

9. What I’m Enjoying Today (via From The Pen Cup). I can’t wait for Lochby to bring the Field Journal Mini back in stock. These things are great.

10. 8 Is Auspicious (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Congrats on an 8-year fountain pen anniversary!

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An undated 2-page weekly spread: my favorite planner layout.

In Case You Missed It….

This week’s content features a new “Ask TGS” post, titled “What’s the Best Paper for Pencils?”. I get a lot of requests for recommendations, both online and in-store, and this one has been appearing more frequently than most. I also discussed Five Reasons I Prefer Undated Calendars and Planners, which I’ve talked about before without ever dedicating an entire post to the subject.

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

For the beginning of June we have loads of new arrivals, including all the new Field Notes special editions, a new line of 6-ring binder inserts, Planner Stickers, and more from Laconic Tokyo, and new multi pens from Pilot! On the ink front, the rest of the new Ichthyoformes Series arrived from Anderillium, including three dark red colors that I’m planning on diving into this week. Be sure to check out each week’s Thursday Drops post for updates.

This coming week we will be back to regular hours in the shop. Thursday and Friday 1-6pm, and Saturday 10am-6pm. Since I had to take part of yesterday off, we will be having some extra hours this afternoon (Sunday) from 1-5pm.

Laconic

Pilot Multi Pens

Pilot S20 Mechanical Pencils

Anderillium Ink

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 May 25, 2025

1. Battle of the Notebooks: Mnemosyne vs. Spiral Note (via dwrdnet). I don’t know that one is truly “better”, as these are somewhat different products with different intended purposes.

2. Conid Kingsize vs. Kyuseido Kakari vs. Pen BBS 355 (via Inky.Rocks). A nice comparison video walking through the similarities and differences of the three major “syringe filler” fountain pens out there.

3. Visit to KOKUYODOORS in Tokyo, Japan (via Inkredible Colours). I love seeing all of these stationery specialty shops - and brand-specific shops, no less - in Japanese airports.

4. How to Use a Notebook When Your Life Isn’t Busy (via Notebook Stories). Oh to have this problem again! :)

5. A Trio of 2025 Chicago Pen Show Inks (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). The Chicago Pen Show always has some great Chicago-inspired show-specific inks. Kimberly walks through the 2025 editions.

6. Dominant Industry 2025 Little Craft Fest 2025 Exclusives (via Well-Appointed Desk). Last month saw the inaugural “Little Craft Fest” in the Houston area, and Ana takes a look at two exclusive inks, one with shimmer and one without.

7. Hobonichi Techo 2025 Cover A5 Tragen Review (via Pen Addict - Sarah). Whether you’re a Hobonichi user or not, this is a nice-looking A5 notebook cover. I love the integrated zipper pouch.

8. Tool Review: Dominant Industry Ink Muddler/Glass Pen (via Well-Appointed Desk). An interesting little tool for testing and sampling inks, but given how small it is, whether or not you enjoy it probably depends on how you test and do your swatches.

In Case You Missed It….

This week published two posts, both from a new series I’m trying out titled “Joe’s Picks.” The first looks at five different stationery items that I think are underappreciated, across different product categories that include fountain pens, inks, paper, and more. The second looks at five inks of choice from within the Pilot Iroshizku lineup. There are some old standbys in there, as well as a couple of relatively new additions. Building on this week’s theme, I published a YouTube video walking through this quarter’s curated stationery box that was offered to our Patreon supporters, with the theme for this month being often overlooked items that I wanted to put out there. Patreon supporters should stay tuned for news about the next round of curated boxes, which should be available mid-summer, before pen show season starts.

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This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop - PLUS Memorial day weekend promotions

This week’s highlights included a few big restocks: Notsu notecards, writing pads, and notecard sets are all back in stock, along with Zebra Sarasa Grand Vintage Gel Pens, and the latest colors from the Pilot Iroshizuku line. Don’t forget that through the end of the month, we are running a pencil sale: Use the code “PENCIL10” at checkout to claim 10% off all pencil and pencil-related orders, excluding Blackwing and TWSBI. We also have items in the Clearance section at 20% off, with the discount added automatically at checkout. Be sure to check out “Thursday Drops” each week for updates on new arrivals, restocks, and more.

Iroshizuku Ink

Zebra

Maruman

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.