In The Shop: Welcome Anderillium Inks

Please join me in welcoming Anderillium Inks to the Curated Shop! Based in Tampa, Florida, Anderillium makes sixteen different inks inspired by nature. The inks themselves are divided into two different “series”: the octopus and squid-inspired “Cephalopod” series, and the bird-inspired “Avian” series. If you’re a fan of darker, more muted colors, you’ll want to check out the Cephalopod series, while the Avian series leans a bit brighter.

You can see the slight color shift as the Cuttlefish brown dries to a grey-toned sepia.

So far, my favorite Anderillium inks include Cuttlefish Brown (a sepia-toned ink that has some color shifting properties, which I picked up at last year’s Chicago Pen Show and previously reviewed), as well as the recently discovered “Colossal Squid Dark” - both from the Cephalopod series. Anderillium ships their ink in 1.5oz, wide-mouth glass bottles for ease of filling. The inks are currently available for purchase in the T.G.S. Curated Shop, and are priced at $14.50 for individual bottles, or alternatively $50 for an eight-ink “Series Set” (currently only in stock for the Cephalopod series), which contains one .5oz bottle of each ink in the series.

Remember that through the end of this week (September 30, 2022), we are running a promotion in which any purchase of a Nahvalur (formerly Narwhal) fountain pen ships with a 4ml sample of Anderillium ink, so you can get to writing immediately! Also, be sure to check out T.G.S. “Gently Used,” a place to pick up a good deal on pre-loved fountain pens and more, as items were recently added.

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of Anderillium Inks.

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“Colossal Squid Dark” is a rich teal-black.

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These .5oz bottles are only available in the Anderillium “Series Sets,” but are a convenient size for both sampling and travel.

In the Shop: How I Use My Hourglass (And Tell Us How You Use Yours!)

Over the past few years, one of the most popular items in our shop has been the Hightide Hourglass. I often have people remark that they would love to add one of these beautiful pieces to their desk setup, but they don’t know how they would use it. I thought it might be helpful to offer a few examples of how I either personally use this analog timer, or how other people have indicated that they use them day-to-day.

1. Timing Work Sessions. As someone with a fairly sedentary day job that requires relatively long hours researching, writing, and drafting, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of taking regular breaks to stand, walk around, and stretch. Setting the hourglass next to my laptop is a calm, non-jarring reminder to stop working every so often and get up!

2. Mindfulness or Breathing Exercises. I’ve had several people tell me that they love to use the hourglass as a focal point while they meditate or practice mindfulness exercises.

3. Journaling or Morning Pages. I’ve used my 30-minute Hourglass to get myself back into the habit of journaling or writing morning pages when I don’t feel like it. Pick up a pen and a notebook or pad of paper, turn the glass, and write whatever comes to mind until the sand runs out. Most of the time I don’t stop at 30 minutes.

4. Cooking Timers. While I’ve never personally done this, I’ve had people tell me that they use the three and five-minute hourglasses as timers for cooking eggs and steeping tea, among other things.

5. As a Simple Reminder of Time Passing and the Need to Appreciate the Moment. Whether as a formal Memento Mori or simply a reminder that time is fleeting and you need to do whatever it is that you really want to do with your life, even a small hourglass can serve as a subtle prompt to keep you on track.

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From left, the 30, 15, 5, and 3-minute interval hourglasses!

Personally, I can’t stand using my phone as an alarm. While of course it’s sometimes necessary (for example, when you need to be somewhere important and you can get into the zone and just not notice the hourglass), I find any sort of alarm or alert jarring and disruptive to flow and concentration. An analog timer like an hourglass is a much gentler, more serene method of timing that I I actually enjoy and look forward to using. So tell us, if you’ve purchased one (from us or elsewhere), how do you use yours? I honestly love to hear how these products are put to work in the real world!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop currently has hourglasses (or “sandglasses”) available in four different intervals (30, 15, 5, and 3 minutes), and multiple colors. Of all the colors, I would have to say the Amber is my favorite, followed by the Green or Turquoise, though of course it’s a matter of personal preference!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all products shown, including Hightide Hourglasses and other accessories.

In the Shop: Welcome Nahvalur (formerly Narwhal), with a Welcome Promotion!

It’s always a fun day when new pens arrive for the shop, and yesterday a huge box of Nahvalur (formerly Narwhal) pens showed up. We’re starting out with two models: the Nahvalur “Original Plus” and the Nahvalur Nautilus, both of which bring something unique to the current shop lineup as we build our our fountain pen offerings.

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Introducing the Nahvalur Original Plus

You may recall that I previously reviewed the Narwhal “Original”, a piston-filler fountain pen offered at the $45 price point in four brightly colored swirled acrylics. While I very much enjoyed that pen, the materials used in the “original Original” were a bit loud for my taste, and I was intrigued when Nahvalur switched things up a bit by launching the “Original Plus” series with some major modifications. First of all, Nahvalur has introduced a vacuum-filler mechanism, similar to those found on pens such as the PenBBS 456 and TWSBI Vac700R / Vac Mini. Second, while the new “Original Plus” keeps the same general four-color scheme as the “Original,” Nahvalur has opted for transparent acrylic with more subtle colored swirls, and I love the new look. While all four colors (“Altifrons Green,” “Melacara Purple,” “Azureus Blue,” and “Gold Ocellatus”) look great, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add yet another yellow demonstrator to my collectionn (though the blue is calling my name).

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Introducing the Nahvalur Nautilus in “Stylophora Berry” Ebonite

I’ve picked up two different versions of Nahvalur’s ebonite piston filler, the Nautilus, over the past several months, and I came away so impressed with the value this pen offers that I had to go ahead and add it to the shop as well. First of all, ebonite pens are still somewhat uncommon outside the custom pen world, despite the fact that it’s the original material from which most early fountain pens were made. I have several ebonite pens in my collection, ranging from the inexpensive to the luxurious, and the feel of this material is difficult to reproduce in any other way. Second, the design of the Nautilus intrigued me, especially the “porthole” ink windows. You’ll be seeing much more of the Nautilus in the months to come, as I had C.Y. of Tokyo Station Pens add a mini-Nag grind to one of mine at this year’s San Francisco pen show.

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Where to Buy and an Inaugural Promotional Offer

As of this morning, you can purchase both the Nahvalur Original Plus and the Nahvalur Nautilus in the T.G.S. Curated Shop. The Original Plus ($55) is available in all colors and nib sizes, while the Nautilus ($160) is currently available in Stylophora Berry ebonite. Since both pens are bottle-fill only, we also have several different ink options available in the shop, and to kick off the festivities we plan to include a complimentary ink sample (my own random choice, but it will be something quality and I will try to select a color to match your new pen) with all Nahvalur pen purchases through Monday September 19, at 11:59pm. Be sure to let us know what you think of the ink that we include - we’re “test driving” a few different brands as we think through future expansion!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands shown, including Nahvalur!

Thursday Drops: The Return of the Hightide/Penco Pocket Pens, Bookstands, Hourglasses, and More!

When I announced this summer that I was taking a pause to refocus the shop, the most requested line to bring back was the Hightide line of desk accessories, including the Folding Metal Bookstands and Hourglasses, as well as the Penco line of “Perfection” Bullet and Drafting Pocket Pens in all finishes, ranging from simple acrylic to chrome, brass, and matte black.

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The Penco Drafting Writer ballpoint is a pocket drafting pen that ships with what I believe is an Ohto needle-tip refill.

We have also received full restocks of Lochby (which means the Quattro four-pen case is back in stock!) as well as what might be the last shipment of Soumkine hardcover Agendas in the Charcoal cover.

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

1. Penco “Perfection” Light Bullet/Pocket Pens. I have been carrying one of these inexpensive pocket pens clipped to my Plotter Mini-5 notebook for the better part of a week. Lightweight and versatile, they accept D1 refills and ship with something that feels like a hybrid gel/ballpoint refill (possibly a Jetstream). They come in multiple colors and the blue-grey/light blue is a stunner.

2. Penco “Perfection” Brass Bullet Pens. Perfect for those who like the format of the Fisher Space Pen “Bullet” but want something more substantial. These also take the same D1 refill as the Perfection “Light” bullet pens, and come in three different finishes of chrome, brass, and matte black.

3. Penco Drafting Pencil. Who wants a pocket-sized drafting pencil in .5mm lead size? (Raises hand.)

4. Penco Drafting Ballpoint Pen. While sold separately from the pencil, this similarly styled drafting pen ships with a needle-tip D1 refill (and is of course also compatible with other universal D1-sized refills).

5. Hightide Hourglasses/Sandglasses. The first “cult hit” that we stocked in the Curated Shop, these beautiful hourglasses (yes, they’re actually made from glass) come in 30, 15, 5, and 3-minute intervals. I use them for anything from pomodoro-style work intervals, to timing breaks, to meditation. Honestly, they’re relaxing simply to watch on your desk.

6. Hightide Folding Metal Bookstands. While conceived as a bookstand that allows you to hold a book upright while reading, cooking, etc., they fold up for easy transport and can pull double duty holding a notepad while you transcribe notes, or even a tablet. Nearly all colors are restocked.

7. Lochby Quattro Pen Cases. The Quattro sold out extremely quickly following an appearance at the 2022 D.C. Pen Show. It’s now back in stock, along with all of the other Lochby cases and refills.

8. Soumkine “Oh My 307’ Agendas. These undated hardcover planners (which are an open system, so they can also be used as a notebook) feature fountain-pen friendly paper in a “tall/narrow” hardcover format. Soumkine is reworking their product line, and I don’t believe this particular notebook will be brought back, at least for now, so I’m trying to get these while I can.

9. Caran d’Ache “Claim Your Style” Edition 4 Ballpoint Pens. This year’s Caran d’Ache CYS pens are available for purchase, and all of the colors are good. I don’t think I can pick a favorite. (Some of the Edition 3 remain and are on sale.)

10. Caran d’Ache 2022 Limited Edition 849 Ballpoint Pens. In addition to the Claim Your Style pens, Caran d’Ache has released two other special finishes, one in “Dark Violet” and another in “Pastel Yellow.” Both are in stock and like all Caran d’Ache pens, ship with the excellent “Goliath” ballpoint refill.

The Penco Perfection Light Bullet Pen comes in a range of different colorful options.

In the Shop: Midori MD Notebook Covers, from Paper to Leather to PVC

When we think of “notebook systems,” our thoughts immediately jump to the Traveler’s Notebook or something like a Filofax or a Plotter, but the truth is that there are many different systems out there with different levels of complexity. One of the most straightforward for those who prefer their core module to be a standard notebook without a lot of formatting is the Midori MD system/series. We recently built out our Midori MD offerings to include not just the standard MD and MD Light Notebooks, but the Midori series of covers as well as accessories such as sticky notes and notebook dividers.

Undyed natural leather after a few years (and this is relatively clean). Note: This is not a Midori-brand leather cover, but is made from similar undyed leather and provides a indication of how the Midori leather covers will age. Size shown is B6 slim.

Last week, we added several additional MD notebook covers in Midori’s signature goat leather, a soft undyed leather that will develop its own unique texture and patina over time depending on how you use it. (This cover is SUPPOSED to get dirty and ink stained!) We stock these covers in sizes that include B6 Slim, A6, A5, and A4, and recently added a vertical A5 leather sleeve (shown at top), which allows you to carry notebooks up to size A5 in the center pouch and writing instruments and other accessories in the front pockets. For those who prefer something other than leather, we stock Midori covers made from a heavy duty Japanese paper, which will last a long time and age and patina in a somewhat similar manner, as well as standard PVC plastic sleeves.

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