Colorverse Inkvent: The First 6 Days of Ink Christmas! (via dwrdnet). Derek walks through the first few days of the Colorverse “Colorvent” ink advent calendar. As I’ll note in my own recap, I think Colorverse takes the prize for “usability” of the inks they decide to include.
The Sweetest Pen Show You Haven’t Heard of: Tainan Pen Show (via Inky.Rocks). That’s a fun show report, and check out that 9-layer nib…
#2025StationeryHighlights: Now as a Journaling Prompt! (via a Gathering of Curiosities). I’ve enjoyed working my way through these prompts this year, and I hope this is one trend that continues. I plan to answer these questions as part of my own year-end recap that I do every year.
12 Pen Person Questions (via Weirdoforest Pens). I promise I’ll get caught up on posting all the different takes on these questions, as they are fascinating for people to read and get to know members of the community.
25 Days of Dupes 2025 (Week 1) (via Rachel’s Reflections). This post works through the first week of the Diamine Inkvent Calendar and explores what inks are similar to each day’s reveal - whether from Diamine or another brand.
Doodling with Fountain Pens: How Ink Can Affect Doodling (via Fountain Pen Love). No matter how you use your fountain pens, the success of any project will depend on the combination of pen, ink, and paper, and how those three things interact.
The Retreat (via From the Pen Cup). Sounds like the perfect weekend setting. I always enjoy Mary’s posts.
Yamamoto Canopus Paper Review (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). We will be bringing the Canopus notebooks back, probably after the first of the year. Kimberly has a very detailed review on how this in-demand paper interacts with inks.
Inkmas Time Is Here Again! (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ana releases an annual flurry of ink reviews in December to close out the year and get caught up, and Inkmas has commenced!
The Wet Pen Western Trillium Ink Review (via Pen Addict). I’ve picked up several bottles of Wet Pen inks this year and have enjoyed the (generally murky) colors so far! They’re quite usable for everyday writing while remaining interesting.
In Case You Missed It…
This week I recapped the first five days of Diamine Inkvent and Colorverse Colorvent up on the blog, but most of my effort this week content-wise went into readying the launch of a new video/podcast project I’ve been working on with my friend Lisa Vanness of Vanness Pens! Titled “On the Paper Trail,” you can start looking for new episodes after the first of the year, but for now you can enjoy the video from our first livestream from Thursday evening where Lisa recaps here recent trip to Japan and more.
This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop
It’s the Holiday Season, and in addition to getting your orders packed and out the door and keeping the Nashville store staffed, we still have new stuff coming in as many distributor orders placed pre-Thanksgiving have been somewhat delayed. Recent arrivals include a range of new Tomoe River notebooks from Karatis, which are made in Turkey and feature a very high page count of 52gsm cream-colored Tomoe River. The vegan leather journals feel very nice and would make great gifts. We also received restocks from Maruman and Lamy, as well as the new Field Notes “1943” edition! And while the new Lochby Field Slings sold out quickly, we do have new cases and colors in nearly all other formats. Be sure to check out each week’s “Thursday Drops” post for a recap of all new arrivals and other developments on the retail front!
How You Can Further Support T.G.S.
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 special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. The T.G.S. Patreon includes early access and discounts on exclusive shop releases, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. As of this morning, ALL Patreon supporters (including non-paying free members) have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of our podcast experiment discussed above.