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Last Notes

2026-10-30 15:51:34 GMT

Quote of the Week: Tomorrow
I love that I could find a quote by punk icon Henry Rollins for this week. It’s perfectly “night before Halloween” as well so if you’re planning to go to a haunted house, watch a horror film or play ghost in the graveyard, may you make it to tomorrow.
But in all seriousness, what helps get you through the day? Is it a snuggle from a beloved pet, kind words from friends or family, or knowing you accomplished a task? Take time to reflect on what will get you to tomorrow. And the next day… and the next.
If you have an inspiring quote you’d like to share, please leave it in the comments and maybe I’ll feature it in a future Quote of the Week post. Thanks!
https://www.wellappointeddesk.com/2026/10/quote-of-the-week-tomorrow/
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#quote #henryrollins #halloween #thanks
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2026-10-22 01:29:34 GMT

Link Love: Recuperation Week
I’m still in recovery mode from the On The Paper Trail LIVE event this week. I spent the last two days just trying to get on top of my to-do lists, rest a little bit and give those kitties all the love they missed while we were away. I guess I just don’t bounce back as fast as I used to when I was younger. Sigh…
Pens:
New Pen and Ink Day: Sailor TUZU Adjust Crystal Violet and Robert Oster Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty (via CJs Wunderkammer)
Reducing and Reorganising my Fountain Pen Collection (via Inky Imaginings)
Sailor Pro Gear Regular Fountain Pen Review (via The Pen Addict)
The Best White Ink Pens (via JetPens Blog)
PSA: Diligently clean your L’il Dipper (via CJs Wunderkammer)
A look at the semi-vintage Parker 65 Custom fountain pen. (via Fountain pen blog)
Choosing the Right Work Pen, Part 1 (via Line Variation)
Halloween Appropriate Pens & Inks, again (via Fountain Pen Chronicles and More)
Ink:
First Look at Sunlit Steel: Duluth Shop Exclusive (via Dime Novel Raven)
Ink Review #2911: Pennonia Hajnal Dawn (via Mountain of Ink)
Pencils:
some news about pencils (via pencil talk)
Notebooks & Paper:
Inserts for 2027, 2028 and 2029 (via Philofaxy)
Review: Maruse A5 Leather Journal Cover (via Parka Blogs)
A New Notebook will fix Everything… right? (via Dime Novel Raven)
Hobonichi Interview: Hobonichi’s History, Designs, and Future (via JetPens Blog)
Art & Creativity:
Checking In: An Inktober Update (via From the Pen Cup)
Marker vs. Pencil: Japanese Maple (via Fueled by Clouds & Coffee)
REVIEW: LIGHTWISH Travel Watercolor Set, 24 Colors Compact Art Kit (via Doodlewash)
Big Refill Part II (via Apple-Pine)
Playing with new paints (via Liz Steel)
Stitching Beauty — Inspiration from Minä Perhonen and More! (via LoopKnitlounge)
Other Interesting Things:
New book from James Gleick about the history of the telephone (via kottke.org)
The trailer for Blade Runner 2099 (via kottke.org)
Where You Should Live: Five Factors to Keep in Mind (via kottke.org)
The Case for Quitting: The Surprising Benefits of Opting Out. (via kottke.org)
ArtCraft is building open source versions of Adobe apps (via kottke.org)
See the process behind Laika’s stop-motion fantasy fable, Wildwood, in London exhibition (via It’s Nice That)
Carolina Incerti’s A Book for Making Books is designed to be torn apart and remade (via It’s Nice That)
Design disasters or creative solutions? The self-made paper signs replacing wayfinding in Singapore’s railway stations (via It’s Nice That)
Check out our Patreon where you can get inspiration, gossip and free printables that include a biweekly podcast and more. Your patronage supports this site. Without them, and without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!
https://www.wellappointeddesk.com/2026/10/link-love-recuperation-week/
#rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

2026-10-21 00:50:21 GMT

Recap: On The Paper Trail LIVE in Nashville
Pen event Wonder Woman? No, just stopping in Metropolis, IL on our drive to Nashville.
This weekend I vended at the new On the Paper Trail LIVE event in Nashville, TN. The event opened on Friday afternoon and continued through Sunday afternoon. I dragged my sweet husband Bob along with me to be the face of the table while I taught some workshops and, you know… shopped a little!
The registration desk was run by two of the nicest folks in the pen community: Derek Deweese (AKA DWRDNet on YouTube) and Lisa Vanness’s best friend since grade school Kayla (I hope I got the spelling right).
The Vendors at the Event:
Matthew Chen getting set up to grind all the nibs!
Laura at Kaleidocraft putting final touches on their table
Lots of inks at the Butler Stationery table
The Gentleman Stationer had the Kaweco DIY pen station at the event so the glow sticks were everywhere!
Bill from Pilot helped so many people experience Pilot fountain pens in all the sizes and all the nibs.
The team at Vanness Pen Shop kept customers happy with tons of ink samples, paper and pretty pens.
There were approximately six or so vendors at this event which doesn’t seem like much but 100% covered the bases for most people: a nib grinder, a pen maker, three pen shops with an assortment of stationery products, a pen distributor, a 3D maker or accessories and … me, with stickers, stamps and washi and more.
We even overheard someone say this was their first event and they were so overwhelmed! Can you imagine if they had gone to DC or SF first?
So, while it was a small event, I hope it was a good experience for the attendees with a decent array of products to see and try.
Activities at the event:
Someone kindly captured a photo of me teaching the Make Your Own Junk Journal workshop which I always forget to do. Everyone had fun building their own notebooks and beginning to fill them with ephemera.
On Friday night, Derek of DWRDNet hosted a type-in, with 17+ typewriters available for people to try out with an array of styles, typefaces, designs and details. He gave a wonderful presentation introducing new folks to typewriters and then the clicking and clacking commenced. Some folks just played, others wrote letters and I just admired them all.
Olive Octopus hosted an Ink Pony Club event where everyone got to try different papers and use ink to paint the artwork printed on the pages. The lobby of the hotel was a perfect place to relax and paint and make new friends.
There was also two different washi tape events: how to use washi and a washi tape swap event but I forgot to get pictures. Just imagine Jaclyn of Kaleidocraft absolutely killing it with cool demos and activities!
Stuff I acquired:
I want to mention how incredibly kind and thoughtful the stationery community is. Everything pictured above (except for a few items not shown like two jars of jam from Kristy which is in my fridge because I already opened them). I cannot tell you how touched I am by how generous and thoughtful everyone is.
There was also a Swap table where people could leave things they weren’t using or no longer wanted and pick up things you might like. I grabbed the spider web washi, the absolutely amazing 8-bit Pokemon-style playing cards and the astrology banner in the background. I have been to a couple other events that had this but I absolutely love this aspect and how generous folks are. The fear is always that one person will walk up and dump the entire contents in their bag and leave but that has never happened. People are always so sweet saying “Oh, I don’t want to take too much!” and “I didn’t bring anything so I can’t take anything.” The point of a swap table is to find something new while also unloading some things you no longer need. If you didn’t bring anything this time, remember to pay it forward somehow later whether you bring items to the next event or pack a box of things for a neighbor, co-worker, friend or family member. Sharing the joy of our hobby is half the fun. Anything left at the end of the weekend gets collected to take to the next local pen club meet-up, a local craft supply reuse shop or charity shop. It will all find its proper home.
I also got the latest Ink Pony Club packet from OliveOctopus and a couple bottles of ink. Some of the students in my workshops gave me treats and treasures like the jewel star, a box of vintage paper and a skein of “tourist yarn” since I was unable to venture out to the local yarn shop during the weekend.
Thanks to everyone for their kindness and generosity.
I bought two lovely pens. The first is the very perfect lime green Pilot MR special edition (Japan Exclusive). I can’t even find it online anywhere but The Gentleman Stationer had it so call or email there if you need one too. I also had Bill, the sale rep for Pilot, show me his beloved Pilot E95s (he says he’s been carrying it in his shirt pocket for decades) and that was all it took to convince me to buy my own finally.
I think the two pens look stunning together and I’m happy to have them in my collection.
Cool things I saw:
Someone brought Lisa at Vanness Pen Shop this customized Kakuno, covered with little tiny flowers found in a nail decal kit. How cute!!!
Final Thoughts:
On the Paper Trail LIVE was a very small event but featured a good assortment of vendors in a city that has not had a pen and stationery event until now. And this event focused on demos, activities and classes and made sure there were lots of places for attendees to sit, hand out, meet other people and just hang out. I think expanding the focus of stationery events beyond the marketplace is a way to make it fun, interactive and educational. I am definitely pencilling this event on my calendar for 2027. Are you?
https://www.wellappointeddesk.com/2026/10/recap-on-the-paper-trail-live-in-nashville/
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#papertrail #event #nashville #pen #wonderwoman #ink #stationery #derekdeweese #lisavanness #friday
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2026-10-20 11:50:04 GMT

Pen Friends are the BEST Friends
Earlier this month I went to quilt guild meeting and a fellow knitter/spinner/quilter/pen-lover came up to me and handed me a ziplock bag full of ink samples to try. I had brought her 2 little vials, so the trade was quite uneven, but I was delighted. (Thank you K!)
Since then I’ve had fun getting out my swatching equipment and seeing what she shared. So far that Dominant Industry Sunset has stolen my heart, but I’m enjoying a variety of seasonal colors and I’ve got lots more still to swatch.
Is there anything better than pen friends?
(PS I’ll be busy filling up vials of samples for her until the next meeting!)
https://www.wellappointeddesk.com/2026/10/pen-friends-are-the-best-friends/
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#bestfriends #pen #dominantindustry #industrysunset
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