Giveaway at @AndersonPens @1901FC

On Tuesday April 22nd at 8:00 pm Central, Anderson Pens will be celebrating their 100th podcast! To celebrate this milestone, they'll be giving away a whole bunch of prizes, including a grand prize donated by Franklin-Christoph! For entry details, click here! 

Sunday Reads - March 30. 2014

• GIVEAWAYS
• Pen Chalet, JetPens, Resor Shop
• JetPens, Office Supply Geek
• Pen Paper Ink Letter reviews the Field Notes Expedition pocket notebooks. They have been around for awhile but they're quite nifty!
• In the meantime, Ed Jelley reviews the Field Notes Shelterwood pocket notebooks. 
• Pentorium does a fascinating review of all three Lamy Dialog fountain pens. 
• Pens! Paper! Pencils! reviews Rohrer & Klingner's Verdigris ink - a colour that totally confuses me but I love it. 
• Gentian has a beautiful post on mixing colours. It's eye candy!
• The Pencilcase Blog reviews the Visconti Wall Street fountain pen.... so pretty... 
• The Well-Appointed Desk reviews the very nice J. Herbin Rose Cyclamen. Clearly I like pink. May need this now. 
• The bizarre world of chicken beauty pageants. 
• Learn lettering classes.

And don't forget you can get 10% off at Pen Chalet until the end of the year on your purchases! (Not an affiliate link!)

Giveaway at @JetPens @PilotPenUSA @OfficeSupplyGee

JetPens is giving away a classy prize, including a Pilot Cavalier Fountain Pen - Fine Nib - Silver, Pilot Iroshizuku Ink - Take-Sumi Bamboo Charcoal, Pilot Fountain Pen CON-20 Converter, and a Rhodia DotPad Notepad - Black - 5.75" X 8.25". Giveaway is open to US residents only. Closes April 5th, 2014 at midnight Pacific. Click here for details!

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Office Supply Geek is giving away two packs of Field Notes Shelterwood notebooks! (Why? I don't know. He must be insane.) Giveaway is open to US residents only. Giveaway closes in six days. Click here for details!

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@Shoplet Review: @Sharpie Premium Pen, Neon Markers & Metallic Markers

These office supplies were sent by Shoplet for review. Thank you to Shoplet and Sharpie for this review opportunity! I was stoked when I saw the NEON and METALLIC markers! Sold.

Sharpie Premium Pen - $4.63USD each

Features

• Offers a smooth, high-quality writing experience.
• Delivers clean and concise lines that are permanent and smear-resistant.

The Sharpie stainless steel premium pen is aesthetically pleasing and looks far nicer than the plastic bodied Sharpie pens. I like these much better. The torpedo shaped stainless steel body is smooth and cool. The grip is rubberized for gripping, and is firm and not squishy. The entire section unscrews because it is refillable. The cap clicks pleasantly and is also postable.

I love the tip of this pen - it's not extremely fine, but it's very precise and clean writing, it drives very fast and resists smearing well. It suits "zentangling" and doodling very well. When posted, then pen has a great balance and weight to it. It's not top heavy and it's very comfortable to write with. The grip makes it very easy to control the tip, which is why it's perfect for precise doodling and writing.

It would be great if the refillable plastic section was made of recycled materials, and if the refills were available in colours other than just black. The Sharpie pens are available in beautiful colours so it would be really nice to fall in love with those as well.

I have previously reviewed this pen and had issues with the cap posting and being loose - that seems to have been fixed and is no longer an issue with these pens, therefore it has only improved in my books.

Sharpie Neon Permanent Markers - $6.02USD per set

Features

• Brilliant, vivid color in daylight.
• Mark fluoresces under black light.
• Vivid ink leaves permanent mark on most surfaces.

These very awesome Sharpie neon permanent markers look like your typical Sharpies - but they are even more brilliant! The colours pop and you surely cannot mistake them for anything but neon! They have the classic fine point tips you'd be familiar with from Sharpie - they aren't ultra fine and can't really be used with for precise writing, but are perfect for drawing, doodling, decorating things, etc.

The ink flows really well on many surfaces - paper, plastic, and glass, all of which I tested myself, but also is said to flow well on wood and leather. The ink is water-, smear-, and fade-resistant so it'll last awhile on your surfaces. I also decorated my snazzy Sharpie sunglasses in zebra stripes using these neon glasses.

I wish I had a black light handy to check out the ink fluorescing! That is extra fun. You can write secret notes to your pals on black paper!

Anything I don't like? Nope. I'm crazy about them.

Sharpie Metallic Fine Point Permanent Marker - $3.50USD per pack

Features

• Designed to provide brilliant sheen on both light and dark surfaces with the same bold, smooth no-shake performance of the Sharpie Metallic writing system.
• Marks are permanent on most hard-to-mark surfaces with a precision fine point.
• Alcohol-based ink formula is quick-drying, fade-resistant, water-resistant and certified AP nontoxic.

The Sharpie metallic markers are gorgeous. They look like regular Sharpies except they don't have clips - because they are supposed to be stored tip down. The ink is very brilliant in both the gold and silver, flowing effortlessly on paper, plastic, and glass. It shows up well on light and dark surfaces, although it is really outstanding on dark surfaces. The ink is water-, smear-, and fade-resistant so it'll last awhile on your surfaces.

They smell a lot more intense than regular Sharpies as well, so be aware of that if markers that smell bother you.

Anything else I don't like? Just like the neons, nope. I'm crazy about these metallic ones too. They are gorgeous.

Full disclosure: These office supplies were sent for review by Shoplet. I was not paid to write this review, but I do get to keep these cool goodies!   

Whiskers & Paws - March 2014 Edition

@FurrowBooks Live on Kickstarter!

Looking for a new notebook? Course you are. Check out Furrow Books on Kickstarter now! With 34 days to go, there's time to browse, but there are some limited pledges, starting from $6USD, and going up to $109USD. I'm currently testing out a beta notebook and I can say, they are definitely clean, minimalistic, and full of potential. Super nifty, very pretty and, like I said, clean. It's a blank slate.

Check Furrow Books out on Kickstarter now yo.

Review: @Kaweco Special AL Lead Holder - 2 mm - Black Body @JetPens

Thank you to Sebastian, once again, for providing this sample for review!

ABOUT

Body Material: Aluminum
Length: 5.6"
Diameter: 0.4"
Weight: 0.70oz
Price: $45.50USD
Where to buy: JetPens

PACKAGING

 

The Kaweco Special AL Lead Holder came packaged in a plastic sleeve, inside the classic Kaweco metal tin. It is nestled safely inside a plastic molded felt bed so there is no damage to the body. The tins are very efficient and are cool enough to keep, and can be quite convenient for future use. I like them.

APPEARANCE

The 2mm lead holder is a very sleek looking writing utensil. The barrel is octagonal and the aluminum body is an anodized black matte finish. It's very attractive. The knock at the top matches the body and has ridges around it and the top has the Kaweco logo in silver. On the body, Kaweco Special 2.0 Germany is written in small script. The appearance is quite elegant. The tip narrows where the lead extends.

PERFORMANCE

The 2mm lead on this pencil is very cool. The size is just large enough to offer a solid line, but can still remain crisp even with extended writing. If you turn the pencil on its side a little, you can use the side of the thick lead to lay down soft shading. The pencil is quite convenient for a variety of uses. I love the sharp tip, although after writing for awhile, the shape of the tip does change and it becomes less sharp, though it remains pointed. For such a thick lead, I prefer to keep it sharp though so I had to get a separate sharpener.

The shape of the pencil and the long tip gives a nice area to grip and offers a lot of control of the lead. I really like that. Not that I can draw or anything, but it's great for writing with.

PROS

• Attractive, elegant, sleek.
• Well-balanced. 
• Comfortable to hold and write/draw with for extended periods.

CONS

• Be careful not to break the lead if you overextend it. (This is the case with all lead holders though.)
• Requires a special sharpener (purchase separately).

OVERALL

Not being an artist, this pencil breaks even for me. I had to get a special sharpener for the lead to keep it sharp. The pros and cons break even. I certainly enjoy using it  and it is a well-made lead holder. It's very comfortable to use, and it looks great. At $45.50USD, unless you're an artist, or really need a lead holder, there are likely less expensive options out there.

I received this pencil free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. All opinions here belong to me.

Giveaway Round Up @PenChalet @JetPens @ResorShop

Pen Chalet is giving away two gift certificates to two winners for Pen Chalet! Giveaway closes April 14th, 2014, so enter now. Click here for details!

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JetPens is giving away a pack of Uni-ball Signo broad gel pens with white ink to one lucky winner. Giveaway is open to US residents only. Click here for details!

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Resor Shop is giving away, well, a prize of your choice up to a $75USD value from Resor Shop! Click here for details!

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Wordless Wednesday

Pen, Ink & Paper P0rn

From my Instagram: I think the Pelikan Edelstein bottles are very pretty. The Turmaline ink is a really nice pink, too. In fact, it's not unlike the Gouurmet Pens pink...!

Giveaway at @QuoVadisBlog @Exaclair

The Quo Vadis blog is giving away three pocket-sized Habana notebooks to three winners! Giveaway closes Saturday, March 29th, 2014! Click here for details!

Sunday Reads - March 23. 2014

• One pot stove top creamy kale mac and cheese. That's healthy...right?
• Office Supply Geek reviews the Tomoe River Paper hard cover journal. 
• The Pen Habit reviews Montblanc's Leonardo da Vinci's Red Chalk ink. 
• Stationery time: illuminated cut paper light boxes. This looks fun to do, though complicated.
• My Antique Pens talks about an extremely cute Salz Peter Pan!
• Ed Jelley reviews a Nakaya Neo Standard fountain pen... don't look. You'll want it. 
• Pen Paper Ink Letter reviews one of my favourite pens - the Uni-ball Jetstream Alpha Gel Grip ballpoint pen. 
• Crispy smashed potatoes, at Shutterbean. 
• Ink on Hand introduces Furrow Books. 
• Avocado toast, two ways. Delicious. 

Pen, Ink & Paper P0rn

From my Instagram, these writing samples were written to compare to while I was writing up the Baron Fig Confidant notebook review, testing its fountain pen friendliness. The verdict? Check out the review!