Year in Review: 2023 Stationery Highlights (via a Gathering of Curiosities). There’s less than two weeks left in 2023, meaning…it’s time for year-end review pieces! I love seeing how everyone spent their year, whether that means acquiring, consolidating, or a bit of both.
My 2023 Brand “Discoveries” (via Rachel’s Reflections). The number of new brands constantly emerging in the pen industry, especially independent makers, never ceases to amaze me. 2024 was a great year.
Sailor x Nagasawa Kobe Affection Kyomachi Legend Blue - A Tale in Three Acts (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Interested in how the three versions of this pen compare? Check out this review.
Diamine Inkvent 2023, Day 14: Rainbow’s End (via Cheryl Lindo-Jones). Even though I’m doing my own Inkvent this year, I’m still following along with others working their way through Diamine’s annual set. Rainbow’s End (I insist on inserting the apostrophe) is one of my favorites from last week.
Like I Thought I Was Going to be a Famous Artist (via Comfortable Shoes Studio). Out of all the toxic mindsets that emerged from the 1990s (and possibly other eras, but speaking personally here), the worst was parents/teachers/others telling their kids that “if you’re not immediately really good, and if it’s not going to make you rich or famous, you shouldn’t waste your time doing it”. Applicable to art and other things, and I suspect it’s a big reason why many of us are coming back to pens/inks/art supplies/journaling/[insert here] relatively late in life.
The Golden Rules of How to Use the Philofaxy Diary Inserts (via Philofaxy). Make your own Filofax (or Plotter) diary refills? A brilliant idea if you find yourself needing a non-standard layout.
Aurora 88 Blue Mamba Fountain Pen (via Blake’s Broadcast). Lots of people love the Aurora 88 “Mamba” series. I personally don’t have a thing for textured barrels, but these do look stunning in person.
Quality Urushi for Under $400? The Ensso Piuma Urushi (via Figboot on Pens). Urushi lacquer at a sub-$500 price point is rare due to the time needed for proper application.
Diplomat Elox (via Scrively). A Diplomat Aero, but at a higher price point. I like the looks of the Elox but Aeros have never stuck in my collection for some reason.
M205 Rose Quartz (2023) (via Pelikan’s Perch). I had the opportunity to see one of these at pen club yesterday. I know it’s controversial, but I love the white finial.
Has anyone else noticed that shimmer inks are getting better these days? Not just better-looking, but more consistent in how they behave in terms of bleedthrough and dry times?
In Case You Missed It….
This week on the blog I published another installment of my “Ask TGS/TGS Responds” series of posts, which I will likely incorporate into a larger FAQ resource for the site at some point. This one looked at shimmer inks and best practices for getting the best writing experience out of these and other specialty, higher-maintenance inks in general. I also published the first installment of this year’s Year-End Review, in which I take a look at five favorite acquisitions of 2023. If you’re interested in following along on this week’s Inkvent journey (where I open up the 2023 Inkvent Calendar), check out the YouTube Channel! Currently the channel is focusing on Shorts where I swatch the various Inkvent inks, but I have some longer videos in the works once I get through December. There’s also a lot of back content that I’ve made as I grow the channel.
We just received another shipment of the special release Fixpencil “Creative Nomad” sets, designed with Swiss lettering artist Rylsee!
This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop
Holiday shipping is still underway, and we’ve managed to stick with a 2-business day turnaround time for most orders. Since we’re about a week out from Christmas, the timeliness of any delivery is in the hands of the carrier and strongly dependent on things like weather, distance, etc. If you’d like to arrange for overnight or expedited delivery of any packages, please reach out separately via the “Contact” link on the site, and for Nashville, Tennessee-area folks, we do local pickup and delivery!
This week we received a restock of Caran d’Ache items, including the Rylsee Fixpencil Limited Edition lettering sets, additional 849 Colormat ballpoints, and more. We also are fully stocked on most Traveler’s Company and Midori MD products, in preparation for the pre-New Years last-minute planner rush that I know is coming!
Support T.G.S. and Get the Rest of our Inkvent Content via Patreon!
If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), there are several ways that you can support us. 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, especially during the upcoming holiday season! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, consider joining the T.G.S. Patreon, which also includes early access to quarterly gently used sales. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. This month, Patreon supporters have access to additional Inkvent content, including commentary on my favorite Diamine Inkvent inks and more. The first of these Inkvent posts is public, so please check out Patreon to learn more!
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