Its time to announce the winner of the Stillman & Birn Paper Sampler.
Congrats, Erik! I’ll contact you via email to get your mailing address. You’ll also receive the notebook you chose directly from Stillman & Birn! Thanks to Stillman & Birn!
Tag Archives: giveaway
Stillman & Birn Paper Sampler
At the Spectrum Live Art Event I was lucky enough to pick up a couple packets of paper samples from Stillman & Birn. I’ve always been a little flummoxed by their notebook naming system so actually getting a little 4×6″ bit of each paper available was such an eye-opener.
There are six different kinds of paper; three types of paper at the 100 lb/150 gsm weight (Alpha, Gamma and Epsilon) and three types at the 180 lb/270 gsm weight (Beta, Delta, and Zeta).
For the most part, the lighter 100 lb/150 gsm is plenty heavy enough for most writers. If you are planning to do more mixed media, collage or art journaling, you might want to consider the 180 lb/270 gsm papers. To me, these feel more like cardstock than paper.
I used the same tools on all six papers from an assortment of pens to a brush loaded with ink and a Sharpie marker. All the papers performed admirably and I don’t think anyone would be disappointed by any of them. Even my flexible nib dip pen did not bleed, though on some of the papers it took several minutes to dry (not uncommon for dip pens though).
The Delta (180 lb/270 gsm) and the Gamma (100lb/150 gsm) are both warm ivory stocks. The Alpha and Beta papers are both cold-press (which means they have some texture to the paper like watercolor papers). Because the Alpha is a lighter stock the tooth to the paper is less noticeable. The smoothest papers are the Epsilon (100lb/150 gsm) and the Zeta (180lb/270 gsm).
The lighter weight papers were my favorites. I could see using them to write or draw and were thick enough to handle a little water color or ink washes. They would be more than enough for me under most circumstances. The Alpha sample got a lot of ink pooled on it and buckled a little bit as did the Epsilon. The cream ivory Gamma paper stayed flat. The Alpha and the Epsilon were my favorites. The Epsilon is smoother so my tools had very little resistance. The Alpha paper is a little toothier, providing a bit of friction which is helpful with rollerballs and slick gel inks. The Epsilon is probably the most comparable to Canson and other makers of the classic black sketchbook though the paper is a bit heavier weight (better).
The heavier 180 lb270 gsm papers withstood all the inks and the Sharpie marker without being worse for the wear . The Zeta is smooth to the touch, the Beta has a little tooth to it and the Delta is the creamy ivory with some texture as well.
From the reverse of the papers, you can see the top row is all the 180 lb/270 gsm papers and the bottom row is the 100 lb/150 gsm papers. There is the merest hint of the Sharpie marker but no actual bleed through.
All-in-all, these are excellent papers and I can see what all the fuss is about now. The best source for Stillman & Birn sketchbooks is Goulet Pens. They stock all six paper stocks in the 5.5×8.5″ A5 size and a few of the other available sizes of the Zeta (smooth, 180 lb/270 gsm). Prices start at $18, about the same as a Moleskine and the S&B books are considerably better for fountain pens.
GIVEAWAY: Oh, I have ONE sampler pack to give away. Its just a little thing with one sheet of all 6 grades of paper. Tell me which grade of paper you’re most interested in trying in the comments to be entered to win.
UPDATE: The kind folks at Stillman & Birn have offered to provide the winner of this giveaway with the notebook of their choice and I’ll still send you the sampler pack as well so now there is even more reason to enter!
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Friday, June 13, 2014. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Sunday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 30 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. I’m feeling generous today so, this contest is open to any reader, US and international readers!
Giveaways Round-Up
Lots of great stuff being given away this week. I found a few great chances to try a new product or two and rounded them up here.
Pen Chalet is giving away two e-gift cards on their site. There are multiple ways to enter to win either a $50 gift card or a $25 gift card. Enter early, enter often!
Word Notebooks Giveaway at The Pen Addict. Five sets of notebooks will be given away. Enter before Saturday for your chance to win.
European Paper is offering free shipping on orders of $45 or more through April 1.
Quo Vadis is giving away three Habana notebooks. Enter to win at the bottom of the review.
My Pen Needs Ink is giving away a cool retro pen holder made from an old Hardy Boys book. Enter before Saturday to win.
Winner: Nock Co Maryapple
The wait is over. I have “random numbered” a winner in the Nock Co. Maryapple giveaway.
Ta da! Congrats to Shaun! Shaun, I’ll be contacting you today via email to get your shipping information. Thanks to everyone who entered.
Clearly, the Nock Co products are seriously coveted at the moment. Soon, they shall be available to all.
Giveaway: Orange You Glad You It’s Friday?
I recently received my order from Nock Co‘s Kickstarter. I got a Maryapple and a Lookout case since I had received an early sample of the Hightower. I’ll be reviewing the Lookout soon, so don’t worry. In the meantime….
Since I already have a Hightower, I don’t really need the Maryapple. So, I thought I’d give it to one of the fine readers here. The Maryapple will comfortably hold two Field Notes-sized notebooks, one on each side or you can use one side for a notebook and one side for 3×5″ index cards, loose papers or clip some pens over the flap and go.
If you missed out on the Kickstarter campaign, leave a comment here to be entered to win this orange-on-orange Maryapple and get a taste of the fine craftsmanship of the Nock Co products.
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Monday, March10, 2014. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Tuesday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 30 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. I’m feeling whimsical today so, this contest is open to any reader, US and international readers!
(Text is written in a Minerva Block Bitacora A5 spiral notebook from Rad + Hungry with a Staedtler Mars Graphic 3000 duo brush marker)
Winners: Gallery Leather Notebooks
Thanks to everyone who left a comment on the Gallery Leather Journal reviews. I’m happy to announce the winners:
Congrats to Emily and Mark! You both will be contacted via email to get your shipping information. I hope you enjoy your new journals! And thanks to Gallery Leather for the chance to try these notebooks!
Review: Gallery Leather Notebooks
Gallery Leather kindly sent me two of their leather bound notebooks: the lime green cover is the Travel Journal ($20) and the black cover is the Oporto Journal ($20). Both books feature real leather covers and ribbon bookmark. These are clean, simple journals with rounded corners and speckled paper endpapers. Neither book has a back cover pocket or elastic band closure like some other notebooks we know.
Gallery Leather is a US company that binds all its books domestically. The paper blocks are printed overseas but all the leather working and binding is done in the US. Gallery Leather also offers personalized foil stamping on book covers for any order. See the “personalize” tab for more information. Gallery Leather also sells photo albums, address books and other high end leather and paper goods.
The Travel Journal features a pebble texture leather with the word “JOURNAL” blind debossed into the center of the cover. There are a bevvy of choices available for the covers: three different material finishes and a baker’s dozen worth of colors. Also stamped on the back cover at the bottom is the Gallery Leather logo and their location “Maine”. Inside this petite 5×7″ notebook are 192 heavyweight pages that are lightly lined in brown.
The cover of the Oporto Journal features a smooth leather cover with the word “JOURNAL” blind debossed in the center. Five other color options are available in the Oporto Journal : sand, red, verde, pink and orange. The books measures 8” x 5.5” and has 192 pages. The paper is white, ever-so-slightly on the soft white side with grey lines. The lines are very fine so they are not at all distracting — enough to keep my text even but no so heavy or dark as to interfere with legibility. The Oporto also features an ivory satin bookmark with fray-checked edges (always a big plus in my book).
Both journals feature a flexible leather cover. The leather is glued to a heavyweight paper endpapers giving the material a lot of flex. I bent the cover up with my hand to show how easy it is to flex while remaining sturdy and durable feeling. The book does open up pretty flat once I loosened the spine a bit.
In both books, on the last page of the text block (not the end papers) is a “Personal Data” page with lines to enter contact info. (Remind me to tell you the tale of Diane and her lost Moleskine that she did NOT put her name in as a cautionary tale.) This page also include the company info.
The lines in both books are about 6mm spacing, comparable to American collegiate ruled. Why the Oporto has grey lines and the Travel Journal has brown lines is anyone’s guess?
The paper in the Oporto Journal is smooth and easy to write on. I had no difficulties with any of the gel, rollerball or felt tip pens; pencils; or even brush pens, but the fountain pens did show some feathering. The medium European nib on the Karas Kustoms INK!, the Lamy Studio with the 1.1mm nib and the Pilot Kakuno with the fine nib showed the most evident feathering.
From the other side of the paper, evidence of the slight bleed through of both the Karas Kustoms and the Lamy are evident. None of the other inks showed through too much except in the darker or heavier colors but their was no bleed though except with the fountain pens. Even the brush pens had but a mere shadow on the reverse side of the paper.
The Travel Journal paper is notably heavier than the Oporto. Its also a smooth stock with only a little tooth. The heaver paper meant that all the tools I tested performed as well or better than on the Oporto paper. All the fountain pens were less inclined to feather. Only the Lamy Studio with the 1.1mm nib showed some slight feathering but that may have been as much a fault of that particular ink (I can’t remember what I was using, sorry!) as the pen or paper.
On the reverse of the the Travel Journal there was only the slightest bit of show through at the starts and stops of some of the fountain pen writing samples. Interestingly, the one blue ink dot clearly seen on the reverse is from the Ohto Dude. None of the brush pens showed through at all.
Between the heavier weight paper and how well most of the tools performed on this paper, I would definitely recommend the Gallery Leather Travel Journal to anyone looking for good paper and a quality leather cover at a good price.
The Oporto is a beautiful journal and I would definitely recommend it as well, particularly if you are not wanting to use fountain pens with it. Its a fine upgrade to a Moleskine which retails for $18.95. The extra $1.05 for a real leather cover and considerably improved paper is worth the upgrade.
The Giveaway:
Gallery Leather has been kind enough to offer two lucky readers the chance to win either the Oporto or Travel Journal. So, how do you enter to win this awesome giveaway? Just tell me which color cover and whether you prefer the Oporto Journal or the Travel Journal in the comments to be entered to win.
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Monday, March 3, 2014. US Residents only, please. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winners will be announced on Tuesday. Winners will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 30 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Fulfillment will be handled by Gallery Leather.
DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Gallery Leather for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Giveaway: Jet Pens Valentine’s Winner
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Jet Pens Valentine’s poem giveaway. I was tickled with all the poems and wish I had gift cerificates to give to everyone. But alas, I only have one.
Drum roll, please….
And the winner is Hannah!
Congrats to you, Hannah! And thanks to everyone for making me smile with your limericks, poems, rhymes, refrigerator.
Valentine’s Jet Pens Giveaway
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’m giving away a little bit of love to one lucky reader — a $25 gift certificate to Jet Pens. Its a quick giveaway so don’t delay! Write a little love poem to JetPens or your favorite office supply in the comments to be entered to win.
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted here by 10pm CST on Wednesday, February 12, 2014. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Thursday. One winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 30 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Gift certificate will be sent electronically via JetPens.
(Valentine artwork was created with a Pilot Pocket Brush Pen – hard and a Pilot New Brush Pen – Medium.)
DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by JetPes for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Winners of the Paperblanks Notebook Giveaways
Thanks to everyone who sat through my video review and left comments on the Paperblanks Notebook review.
I drew three winners:
Congrats to A. Rivera, Curiousity Complex and Alisia! You all made this easy for me. A. Rivera will be sent the Mucha Lily notebook, Curiosity Complex will receive the Da Vinci reporter notebook and Alisia will be sent the Nightingale notebook. You will all be contacted via email to get your mailing addresses.
Thanks and stay tuned for more reviews (video and photo) and giveaways.
Review: Paperblanks Journals
The folks over at Paperblanks kindly sent me an assortment of notebooks to review. The books have such amazing details on the covers that I decided the best way to review them is with a video. (Please forgive the ums and ahs, this is the first time I’ve done this. I was nervous.)
To clarify from the video, I received four books in various sizes and formats:
| Description | Format | Size | Page Count | Price |
| DaVinci-themed Sun & Moonlight | Mini Reporter | 3.75×5.75″ | 192 | $11.95 |
| Letters of Inspiration: Florence Nightingale | Mini | 3.75X5.5″ | 176 | $15.95 |
| Mucha Tiger Lily | Midi | 5×7″ | 144 | $14.95 |
| Parisian Mosaic Mosaique Safran | Midi | 5X7″ | 144 | $14.95 |
All but the Florence Nightingale book had a black elastic closure. The Nightingale edition has a magnetic closure. They all have pockets in the back with book cloth gussets. All but the reporter-style DaVinci book included a red satin ribbon bookmark.
The line spacing is about 8mm which is probably equivalent to wide-ruled notebook paper. The lines are very fine and brown and do not run edge to edge but leave a small margin round the edge of the page. The spacing is a bit too wide for me, preferring the blank paper for optimum writing freedom.
The paper in the Paperblanks is the same as in planner I used all last year. I’ve included the writing samples here. I have to say that the warm white paper is pleasing and the overall weight of the paper allowed it to hold up to an array of writing tools including fountain pens with above-average results.
You can see from the back that the Sharpie was really the only tool to bleed through.
Overall, the Paperblanks books are some of my favorite notebooks. They are sometimes a little too elaborate for my everyday needs but the construction, paper quality and features plus the reasonable price point make them a good choice. To purchase online, Love Notebooks has the widest selection of books but I purchased my planner via Jenni Bick so I recommend them as well.
For more information, you may want to check out these posts:
- Paperblanks Weekly Planner Review
- Halfway Through: Paperblanks Planner
- Shopping for a Notebook: Nerd Style
Finally, I’d like to give away some of these books to some lucky readers. I’m going to giveaway the DaVinci reporter, the Mucha Tiger Lily and the Florence Nightingale. One to each of three lucky readers. Leave a comment and tell me which of these designs is your favorite or visit the Paperblanks site and tell which one you wish they’d sent me.
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Sunday, January 26, 2014. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Monday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner(s) does not respond within 30 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. US readers only this time. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance (or customs fees) will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money.
DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Paperblanks for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Winner: Frankie Daily Journal 2014
Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing for the Frankie Daily Journal. Let’s have a drum roll for the winning number….
Congrats to Dawn! I’ll be contacting you via email to get your delivery information. I hope the planner helps you meet all your resolution goals for 2014.
Preview: Frankie Daily Journal for 2014
I have always been curious about the incredibly popular Frankie Magazine Daily Journal ($26.95AU). So, I ordered one. In the time that elapsed between ordering the book and it arriving here in the States, I also received the Hobonichi which stole my nerdy heart.
This does not mean that I was not completely blown away with how lovely and romantic the Daily Journal is. Its full of gorgeous illustrations, decorative patterned borders and hand-lettered dates.
The planner is approximately 7.5″x5.75″. The cover is a beautiful heavyweight sage twill with the text stamped into it in cream. There’s a matching satin ribbon bookmark too. The binding seems sturdy but the book opens nicely. The paper is weighty (I’d compare it to American 80lb or 100lb text weight. Copy paper is about 20-30lb weight, if that gives you an idea of the sturdiness). My only concern for usability is all the printing on the paper may have added some coating to the paper that might resist some inks.
In the back cover is a printed pocket for loose sheets. There are also perforated cards, stickers and other goodies bound into the back of the book.
In the front of the book are month overviews with floral illustration. Weekly pages span two pages with Saturday and Sunday sharing a small space.
Its such a lovely book that I couldn’t bring myself to blemish it to do pen tests. Instead, I’d like to give it away to one lucky reader. In exchange, I hope that you’ll report back to me how well the paper performs so I can decide if I want to use one next year.
Let’s make this a quick giveaway so I can get this to the winner ASAP to start the new year off right. Leave a comment and tell me one of your goals, plans or resolutions for 2014.
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Wednesday, January 1, 2014. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Thursday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 30 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money.
12 Days of Inkmas: Giveaway Winners!
Its that time — Time to announce the winners of 12 Days of Inkmas giveaway.
First up is the drawing for the winner of 12 fabulous ink samples:
Well, Bravo, I guess its time to add some color to your life! You’ll have a whole range of colors, including some of my favorites like Pilot Blue (so you can really mix it up), De Atramentis Pigeon Blue, Private Reserve Orange Crush and Noodler’s Army Green. Merry Inkmas to you!
Next up is the gift certificate for $25 to our favorite pen, paper and ink shop, Jet Pens.
Congrats, Donna! Jet Pens stocks lots of green and purple inks to choose from so we hope you find your new favorite.
Emails are being sent to you both to verify addresses. Okay, back to our regularly scheduled Inkmas fesitivities already in progress!
12 Days of Inkmas: Giveaway!
It’s the middle of Inkmas mania and I think this calls for a giveaway. Maybe two?
Prize #1: I have 12 awesome inks samples– many of the colors featured in the first annual 12 Days of Inkmas plus a few other surprise colors. And I mean decently full sample vials!
Prize #2: I have a $25 gift certificate from the fine folks at Jet Pens. Buy a new fountain pen, some paper or even some inks. Cross a few items off that epic wishlist. Your choice.
I’ll draw two names for this giveaway (one will win the ink samples and one will win the gift certificate) so that there will be even more holiday cheer. In the spirit of the holidays, the giveaway is open to anyone on planet earth (interstellar shipping is extra). To enter, leave a comment and tell me your current favorite ink color or the first ink you would buy if you don’t presently own any inks.
Happy Holidays!
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Saturday, December 21, 2013. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Sunday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 30 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered for anywhere in the world. Additional shipping options or insurance (or customs fees) will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money.
Winner: Easy, Tiger Giveaway
First, thanks to everyone who left a comment on the Easy, Tiger post about their favorite card. You are all winners in my book.
If you’re in the Kansas City area, find an Easy, Tiger vending machine location and bring a handful of change. Hopefully, they’ll have the machine installed in other cities but for now, its just another great reason to come to KC.
Now, our giveaway prize pack winner is:
Congrats to Ashli K! I’ve sent you an email to confirm shipping information.
Easy, Tiger Giveaway
The folks behind the start-up Easy, Tiger are rocking the local KC scene with their inventive card vending machines in area coffee shops as well as their pop-up shop on First Fridays in the Crossroads. For those folks outside the KC area, you can purchase their unique, witty cards, tees and prints from their online shop.It’s not as fun as pulling the handle on a vending machine but the cards are just as cool.
The 2-person team has created an assortment of tees, cards and prints and the web site is hinting at journals being on the horizon. I can’t wait to see the journals!
Tees sell for $19.99.
These are a few of my favorite cards. Fun, playful and everyday sendable. Each card is $2.49.
The new print is a gold foil stamped design on black paper. It’s 13×19″ and sells for $24.99. The perfect gift for the champ in your life.
Easy, Tiger have kindly offered a prize package that will include a print, a tee and an assortment of cards. Please tell me what your favorite Easy, Tiger card is in the comments to be entered to win.
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Friday, December 13, 2013. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Monday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 30 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner (this means that international readers are welcome to enter if you’re willing to pay for postage. If not, please do not enter this giveaway). We are generous but we’re not made of money.
Winner: Jet Pens Giveaway
Congratulations to Beth! The winner of the $25 electronic Gift Certificate from Jet Pens. Looks like you’ll be able to try out all those pocket notebooks yourself!
Thanks to everyone else who reads the blog and entered the giveaway.
Winner: The Groove by Dudek Modern Goods
Thanks to all the great responses from all the entrants in The Groove by Dudek Modern Goods giveaway. So, here is the winner:
Congrats Mark! I’ll be forwarding your email to Mr. Dudek and he will arrange shipping with you!
Pocket Notebook Showdown
I discovered I had three very pocket-sized notebooks to review. So I decided to do one BIG pocket-sized notebook review. I’ve got the new Field Notes Drink Local, the Princeton Architectural Press Pocket Dept. Shirt Pocket notebook and a Doane Garage Series Utility notebook. As you can see, all three books are the same size but the Pocket Dept. notebook is perfect-bound while the Doane and Field Notes are staple-bound.
The latest Field Notes feature “soft touch” covers and 50lb text bright white paper printed with yellow gold “Hefeweizen” grid.
Doane notebooks feature their signature paper: wide lines and grid printed in blue on 60lb text weight, bright white paper. Each notebook has 48 pages sandwiched between kraft card stock covers.
The Pocket Dept. notebook has bright green card stock covers and features 64 pages of ivory paper with green lines.
Both the Field Notes and Doane notebooks have rounded corners but the Pocket Dept. has standard square corners.
In writing tests, the Pocket Dept. notebook preformed well with felt tipped, gel and hybrid pens and pencils. The cream ivory color made some of the lighter ink colors a little harder to use but not any worse than any other ivory-colored stocks (like Moleskine or Rhodia).
This close-up shows that the Pocket Dept. was not at all well-suited to fountain pens though. There seems to be a coating on the paper that resists fountain pen ink. The hybrid and gel inks didn’t have any issues though.
When viewed from the reverse of the paper, there is no bleed-through at all with the Pocket Dept. notebook.
I’m always tickled at how well Doane paper works. The blue lines are light enough to work just about any color ink as well as pencil and even the finest of lines.
There’s a tiny bit of bleed through from the wider nibbed fountain pens but there was not even any show through with most of the gel, hybrid and felt-tip pens.
I’m not normally a grid paper fan but the light yellow lines on the Field Notes made it easy for me to appreciate the latest Drink Local edition. It accepted all the same tools as the other two notebooks and was pleasant to use.
From the back side though, you can see that there is the most bleed through with the Field Notes. There’s some show-through with the hybrid, felt-tip and gel pens but not so badly that the reverse of the paper cannot be used.
Overall, the Field Notes are a paper nerd status symbol and the latest edition has a great feel in the hand and easy-to-use yellow grid lines. Field Notes are not great with fountain pens but for daily use with general-use pens and pencils they will serve you well.
The Pocket Dept. notebooks give a lot more sheets per notebook and you know I love the green covers. The paper is heavy enough to be able to use both sides of the paper with no issues but it is not at all fountain pen friendly.
The standout performer is the Doane Utility notebook. It works decently with fountain pens and all sorts of other writing tools. With both horizontal and grid markings, it satisfies almost all tastes.
Doane Garage Series Utility Notebooks are sold in sets of three for $9. The Princeton Architectural Shirt Pocket Notebooks are sold in packs of 3 for $12.50. Field Notes Drink Local are available in sets of 3 for $9.95 and you can choose between either Lager or Ale colors.
THE GIVEAWAY: Want to do your own notebook comparison? Tell me which notebooks you would like compare in the comments and you could win a $25 gift certificate at JetPens.
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Monday, November 4, 2013. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Tuesday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 30 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Gift Certificate will be sent digitally.
DISCLAIMER: These items were sent to me free of charge by Jet Pens and Clicky Post for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Review: The Groove from Dudek Modern Products
For months now, I’ve seen all the pen dudes raving about the Dudek Modern Products The Groove ($55) — this gorgeous solid wood walnut block with holes for pens and a slot for the ubiquitous Field Notes books (or similar) and I thought “Wow, that’s a pretty manly product.” I confess, I thought it was a “Guy Thing”. Then Mr. Mike Dudek kindly sent me one and, holy smokes, was I ever impressed! It is beautifully finished with a smooth satin stain, the edges are ever-so-slightly rounded in a way that makes you want to touch this block, to fill it with your favorite notebooks and writing tools and set it proudly on your desk.
As soon as it arrived, I filled it with a few of my favorite things. My vintage Esterbrooks (and my lone Parker Duofold) look fantastic against the warm wood block. The Field Notes Salesman Edition is almost a perfect match for the color finish on The Groove.
I was able to fit four Field Notes into the “groove” comfortably and Mike sent me The Groove model with 0.5″ holes for pens. Mike also offers a version of The Groove with three 0.675″ holes in the center row for larger diameter pens. All the fountain pens, my Karas Kustoms RETRAKT and Retro 51 all fit easily into the 0.5″ holes. The only pen I had that is large enough to require a larger diameter hole is the Kaweco Student.
If you are not interested in storing pocket notebooks, Mike also makes The Cube ($40) which is just a 9-hole walnut wood cube and is also gorgeous.
I knew The Groove would be well-crafted and perfectly created for its task but I didn’t realize how much I would like it. It really is fabulously beautifully and suitable for any well-appointed desk. Just just for dudes!
Now, for the giveaway! Mike has graciously offered one Groove to a lucky reader here at The Well-Appointed Desk. To enter, leave a comment and tell me which of your pens or pencils are worthy of such a classy home.
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Friday, November 1, 2013. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? One entry per person, please. Winner will be announced on Saturday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 30 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Fulfillment will be handled through Clicky Post/Dudek Modern Goods and this giveaway is open to US and international readers.
DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Dudek Modern Products AKA Clicky Post for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Winner: Poppin Thin Highlighters Set
The winner of the Poppin Thin Highlighters giveaway is:
Congrats, Marissa! I will contact you via email to get your mailing address. Thanks to everyone who commented. All your comments were totally highlight-worthy!
Highlighter Round-Up
You know you’re an office supply nerd when you think a good way to spend the weekend is to do a highlight head-to-head. Yep. That is me. I pulled out all the highlighter tools I have to see which ones I liked best.
In the pile:
- Sanford Accent Highlighter (found in desk drawer)
- Sharpie Accent Mini Highlighters (purchased on clearance at Office Depot)
- Poppin Thin Highlighters
- Platinum Preppy Highlighter
- NPW Neon Pencils (purchased at Target)
The industry standard for highlighting is the yellow so first I wanted to see which yellow looked the best. I was a little disappointed by how light the NPW neon pencil was. I really want to embrace pencil highlighters but I’ll definitely have to keep looking in regards to yellow pencil highlighters as this one left me wanting. Poppin’s Thin Highlighters had a bright clean neon yellow I was quite happy with. The Sanford Accent looks more like a yellow orange but I have to wonder just how old the marker is. The Sharpie Accent mini was an acceptable yellow but the Platinum Preppy and Poppin Thin Highlighters had the best yellow color, IMHO.
When I started looking at the colors (and I did not have a full range of colors for every brand) I ended up really liking most of the colors in the Poppin set. I still think purple is an awfully dark color to highlight but it would work well for underlining or otherwise marking a passage in a book or notes.
In the NPW pencils, I think the orange was the most effective highlighter color. The pink and green work pretty well too. I definitely prefer the other colors in the pencil highlighters to the yellow.
When tested over various writing tools, using highlighters with pen or pencil is a fine balance. Ink that dries to a water resistant finish work best with the marker highlighters. The reason I’m so keen to find a good pencil highlighter set is that they can be used over less water resistant inks like fountain pen ink and they are less inclined to bleed through in books or textbooks.
Surprisingly, Marvy Le Pens, which are not particularly water resistant, held up well to the highlighters. The Sakura Pigma Micron and Uni Jetstream also did well with all the various highlighters. The Staedtler Triplus did well with everything but the Sharpie and Stanford Accents. And pencil performs with wet and dry highlighters. My Retro 51 Rollerball is not highlighter-friendly.
The NPW neon pencils (from Target) came in a set of four in an acetate box. I found them on clearance for a few dollars.
The Sharpie Accent Minis came in a set of four on a blister pack at my local Office Depot. This particular set was in their clearance bins up front so I got them for about $3. While I love the idea of being able to attach them to a keychain or something, I never do so they just end up being really short highlighters that fall to the bottom of my pen box.
The Platinum Preppy highlighter is a refillable highlighter. It uses the Platinum ink cartridges and I believe the tip can be replaced as well. I like that its reusable and refillable and I could probably even use my bottled Noodlers Firefly ink an syringe fill the cartridge. Its one of my favorites because of this. Highlighter is $2.50, set of three refill cartridges is $2.50 and replacement tips are $1.65 for a package of two. The Platinum Preppy Highlighter is available in five colors: yellow, green, orange, red and blue. A set of all five available highlighter colors is $12.50.
The Poppin Thin Highlighters are available in boxes of 12 for each color or an assorted box with 2 of each color. $10 per dozen.
For more about highlighter options, check out the Highlighter Round-Up, The History of the Highlighter, Office Max Liquid Highlighters and the Kaweco Highlighter Pen.
Now, for the giveawayI have a set of six Poppin Thin Highlighters — one of each color — available to one lucky reader. Just tell me what you like to highlight to be entered to win.
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Friday, October 25, 2013. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Saturday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 30 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money.
DISCLAIMER: Some items were sent to me free of charge by Jet Pens and Poppin for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Jet Pens $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway Winner
Lots of great entries in the drawing this week for the Jet Pens $25 gift certificate and some pretty massive wishlists too. On to the drawing…
This week’s winner is:
Dan Z. is the winner of the $25 gift certificate this week. This will make that bottle of Pilot Iroshizuku Momiji Autumn Leaves practically free or take a bite out of the cost of the Lamy 2000. Hopefully, the two will meet soon as I’m sure that ink will look amazing in the 2000.
Dan, you’ll be notified by email today to verify delivery address of your e-gift certificate.
Thanks to everyone who entered and if you can help track down the previous giveaway winners, I’d be most appreciative.
Wanted: Giveaway Winners
I’ve been unable to reach two giveaway winners to send them their goodies. If you are Maggie B. winner of the Poppin 18-month Planner or Suzanne winner of the Floral Bomb assortment giveaway. Please contact me at the Ask The Desk contact form. Tell me the email address you used to enter the drawing and your shipping address. I’m assuming my emails got lost in your junk mail filter.
If I do not hear from either winner by the last day of September, I will draw new names from the original entries and have to give the goodies to a new winner.
As a result, in the future, I will add a 30-day reply window for giveaway winners so please use your regular email address when entering the giveaways here. I promise, they are hidden in my WordPress contact form. I am the only one who sees them unless the giveaway is specifically sponsored by a second-party and I do not keep email addresses.
More Giveaways: And just to sweeten the pot, for those souls who read this whole post, I’m going to give away a Jet Pens gift certificate for $25 just because I can. (Thank you very much, Jet Pens!)
To enter: Leave a comment and tell me what currently on your Jet Pens wishlist to be officially entered.
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Saturday, September 21, 2013. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Sunday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). ONE entry per person, please. Please include your email address in the comment form (not in your comment) so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. Gift certificate will sent digitally via JetPens. Winner has 30 days to reply to my email. If I can’t reach you within 30 days, a new winner will be drawn from the original entries.
The Well-Appointed Desk 