My 2022 Brand Discoveries (via Rachel’s Reflections). I was going to take a pass on Sunday Reading for today, but I was catching up on my own blog reading this morning, especially year-end reviews like this one, and figured I would go ahead and do a post. Rachel discovered some excellent indie brands this year.
My mnml inkvent challenge returns, week one (via mnmlscholar). Now that I have another converted fountain pen user in my household, I’m not going to get out of doing the inkvent calendar next year, and probably some sort of challenge like this one.
Vinta Holiday 2021 Inks (via Mountain of Ink). Vinta’s holiday inks from last year are still available at Vanness! Festive colors that you can use year-round!
IWI Color of Nature Cold Dew (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist). I’ve gotten really into grey inks lately, and this cool-toned grey looks interesting.
Fountain Pen Review: 2022 Lamy Safari Special Edition Strawberry and Cream (via Rants of the Archer). I still haven’t picked some of these up. I really want to swap the clips and end caps. I may indulge in some Christmas Day end-of-year shopping.
Classic Pens LB7 Artist’s Proof Review (via SBRE Brown). I guess there are still LB7s floating around out there, though they don’t seem to turn up much on the secondary.
Platinum Curidas Fountain Pen Review (via Pencilcase Blog). I need to revisit the Curidas, especially since Platinum has gotten most of the issues worked out with the feeds.
Inkmas Day 10: Dominant Industry for Wonder Pens (Tuna Grey and Ginger Chicken) (via Well-Appointed Desk). Shop cat themed inks from Wonder Pens and Dominant Industry! I’ve been using a lot of Dominant Industry inks lately, so look for reviews!
Inkmas Day 12: Vanness Inc. Sweet Tater Pie (via Well-Appointed Desk). In case you might have missed it, Vanness has launched their own in-house ink line!
Pelikan’s Pint-Sized Cap Top: The Long and Short of It! (via Pelikan’s Perch). Vintage Pelikans are growing on me more and more, especially the long-cap M101n model.
In Case You Missed It…
The past week on the blog has featured the annual Year-End Review series in which I recap posts from 2022 and make my year-end observations. This coming week, we’ll be talking about resolutions/intentions for 2023!
Five Up, Five Down in the Personal Collection. I take a look at five items in my personal collection that I used more than expected, and five items that I used less. This project was pretty fun, especially in revealing that I wasn’t using certain pens I very much enjoy and need to get back in rotation.
Part II: Favorite Products Reviewed in 2022. An annual tradition in which I look back at my five favorite products that I reviewed over the course of the past year.
Part III: Top Sellers from the T.G.S. Curated Shop. Another tradition from the past couple of years (since I started the shop), I look at ten best selling products by volume. Any orders placed over the weekend will ship promptly after Christmas.
Part IV: Series and Editorials. A resolution of mine from last year was to write more “editorial” style content, and I think I succeeded! This includes more posts in response to reader questions, as well as a series on Notebook Systems, Specialty Nib Grinds, and “System Techo”.
This Week in the Curated Shop: New TWSBI Holiday Drops, and a Year-End Promotion Using the Coupon Code “LOYAL10”
While it was a bit too late to ship in time for Christmas, TWSBI is dropping a Jade Green and Rose Gold ECO-T set, which comes packaged with an 18ml bottle of midnight blue TWSBI ink. We also have more of the Caran d’Ache “Colour Treasure” Collection, which I believe will be going away after the holidays, so if you want your Jumbo Pencils sets, act now!
Finally, as a special year-end bonus, take 10% off all eligible items in the shop through 11:59pm Central Time on January 1, 2023. It’s time to clear out some back stock to make room for a bunch of new goods I plan to bring in, so enjoy this opportunity for loyal readers and customers! Use the coupon code “LOYAL10” at checkout. (Excludes TWSBI, Lochby, and Good Made Better.)
Consider T.G.S. Patreon!
For those who want to support T.G.S. without necessarily adding to their accumulation via shop purchases, the Patreon Program offers two options for tiers of support: $3 and $5 (with a discounted annual option) and plan on making monthly meetups, pen show events, and periodic exclusive content the primary benefits. Of course, Patreon members will continue to get first access to periodic sample sales, with right of first refusal on gently used pens. (Reminder that those items which made it through Patreon become available to the general readership.) Many thanks to all of you who already decided to back via Patreon. Your support means the world to me!