Gourmet Pens

May 27. 2012 - Sunday Reads

2012-05-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

Food

Chocolate beet cake - I actually love beets in their normal form...I also love chocolate cake. This seems like a divine combination.
Ok. Don't judge me for this section. I don't actually make and eat all these... I just like to look at pictures of food. ... Mini peanut butter cups in a jar.

Stationery

I SERIOUSLY cannot even think straight when looking at these pictures from the Well-Appointed Desk. It... it makes me crazy. I'm salivating.
You've probably seen this already... but it's Dan Smith's daily carry - and I can say that I would totally steal every single one of these pens if I could. In the kindest way possible.
This is sort of stationery... I am flabbergasted by the planning and organization that must have gone into this.

Animals

Absurdly adorable baby loris twins.
Technically, this qualifies as an animal post. But it's also hilarious and nerdy, if you are a Lord of the Rings fan...

Photography

Haunting rare photos from an A-bomb test.

Random

I love Office Space, and thus, Peter, and I also love cats. Therefore... this amuses me.

Review: Zebra G-301 Gel Ink Pen

2012-05-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

This is a review of the Zebra G-301 gel ink pen with black ink.

The body of this pen is stainless steel and rather slender, with a black grip on it. I don't really like the grip very much. It's hard and just feels like ridged plastic, so it doesn't make writing that much more comfortable. The body is slender and comfortably weighted, and the ink is so smooth that you don't really need to hold the pen tightly. But the grip is useless. I suppose it provides some texture to hold on to. It has a slim design that fits nicely into the completely not stretchy loops included with many daily planners (i.e Filofax). The clip is just a solid metal piece. It's very snug so it won't slip off papers, but I think it's very hideous. However, it matches the pen well.

The ink is smooth and a rich, deep black. I experienced no skipping with this 0.7 mm nib and in fact, the gel ink is very wet. It is also an acid free ink so it's good for archiving or keeping your drawings forever. Dry time is a good ten seconds, but keep in mind, it's a very wet gel. So at least the ink is nice. And these pens are refillable and because the body is quite durable, it will likely last you a very long time!

Complaints? Some nice soft grip would be awesome. And a nicer clip. It's very... blah looking. The ink, because it is so wet, does not last very long - so bigger ink refills would be a good thing. Furthermore, the ink refill rattles in the barrel when I write, which can be annoying (especially if you're writing an exam in a big, silent hall).

Other reviews
Pocket Blonde
Pen Addict

Price
JetPens - $2.50
Staples - $5.29 per pair
Office Depot - $2.99 plus refill

Overall
This is a decent pen. It is not very "pretty", but it is durable and will last. I am not particularly thrilled by the colors either (black, blue, red - so boring!). It's cheap for a stainless steel gel pen, and if you don't mind the color choices, it is a pretty reliable writer, but it's not outstanding in any way.

Feline Friday: Bengal Cats Wrestling

2012-05-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

I love watching cats wrestle and fight, it's hilarious and they always surprise me with their strength and agility. Watching bengals wrestle is a great deal of fun because they are POWERFUL!

Giveaway at JetPens

2012-05-24T11:07:00.001-07:00

I know. You can hardly believe your eyeballs. Go check out the JetPens blog for another giveaway, and learn a little about pen nibs!

Review: Uni-ball Vision RT 0.8 mm Rollerball Pen

2012-05-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

I think this is the first pen I've tried from Uni-ball where I think they dropped the ball. In the past, I've reviewed several Uni-ball pens and I've loved them all (my favorites: Vision Exact, Signo DX, Signo RT 0.38, Scented, and Signo RT 0.7).

Pretty badass at first glance, isn't it?

It's a pretty neat looking pen and obviously there was a lot of thought put into its design. The pen has grip, matching accents, a comfortable, well-weighted design, and a rather outstanding clip and clicker. The clip also has a safety mechanism that if it is lifted, the tip retracts. These are some pretty awesome features.

The ink is pretty decent overall: it dries quickly, doesn't smudge or smear, and doesn't bleed through, even on this thin sugarcane paper. The ink is a decent color. The black is solid and deep, the blue is solid and classic. As I mention in the writing sample, the problem comes with the ink. I suspect it may be from the shape of the tip. When the pen is straight up and down, the line comes out smooth and thick (0.8 mm) and wet. If it's at an angle, the line peters out and skips. In the case of the black pen, it didn't even write. This inconsistency is unlike Uni-ball's usual quality. Overall, the ink flow feels very dry and skippy and is not what I'd want in a reliable, dependable pen!

A crazy clip and nice looking pen!

It's really too bad it's such an average writer.

The body is designed to be practically leak-proof, but that doesn't really matter if the pen's performance is sub par. The ink is also Uni Super ink which is used to prevent document alteration. And it has some fancy schmancy ink system, as seen here:

The pen is available in black, blue, and purple, and refills are available in black and blue. Does this seem weird to you? Because it does to me. Why make three colors but not have refills for all of them? Anyway. It wouldn't be a pen I'd want to refill anyway.

I'm not the only one...
A Penchant for Paper
The Pen Addict

Price
JetPens - $2.12 (on sale!)
Shoplet - $2.67 - $2.95 for this model

Overall
I'm hesitant to recommend this to others. At this price, there are other options that I think are way better. The Uni-ball Vision RT is not particularly unique in any way, except for its appearance. Given that the ink is Super ink, perhaps this pen can be utilized for signing checks and documents, but I wouldn't give it much more thought than that.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-05-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

Shades of Tuesday

2012-05-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

A large Pelle leather journal in burnt cognac, a vintage Waterman 52V, two Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto multicolor pen in the 5-component and 4-component models.

You can find the leather journal here, and the Hi-Tec-C Coleto 4-body here, and 5-body here!

Giveaway at JetPens

2012-05-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

The lovely folks over at JetPens are having ANOTHER giveaway (this is insanity, there's a giveaway almost every week!). This time, the blog features the Palomino Blackwing 602 pencil and you can enter to win your own five pencil set! Check it out here!

Mailbox Goodies & Associated Addictions

2012-05-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a very random post. Remember I posted not too long ago about stickers? Well, recently we went to Home Goods to browse for mirrors and obviously I had to go down the kid aisle because there's always way more interesting stuff there than anywhere else. AND TA-DA! Check out the awesome goods I scored: three sticker books that were dirt cheap! They had such peculiar and random stickers that I couldn't resist them. I know, it seems like a waste, but we all have to have a hedonistic treat or two, right? At least that's what I tell myself anyway.

Have I mentioned I love random stickers? These qualify as pretty random, wouldn't you say?

Lego! I realize these are useless. But they were cheap. And cute.

Sweet.

After Home Goods, we went over to Michael's even though Kevin hates it there. I'm not hugely fond of it either anymore but it was a nice day out and I didn't feel like going home just yet. Kevin poked through the 75% off bin and found a set of Speedball calligraphy nibs on sale from $20 to $5! We went and compared it to the full-priced package and the only different was there was new packaging and the clearance one was ripped open and stapled shut. There was an empty slot so we figured one missing nib for a $15 saving is pretty worth it. Turns out, the nib was stuck under one of the other ones so there was nothing missing after all! Muahahaha!

Good deal. I thought there was that missing nib... but...

All nibs present and accounted for!!

Pretty fun stuff. I love sales.

Also, a JetPens order, although you already know about the pen case because there's a GIVEAWAY going on for it...and a jealousy-inducing postcard that came along, too. Real mail is the best.

Lihit Lab Teffa Pen Cases (in orange and yellow green), Dong-A Miffy Scented Gel Pens 0.5 mm 10 color set, mail from MJ, and a limited edition sticker from JetPens!

Close up - pretty colors! Review is coming :) And perhaps a mini giveaway...

Lihit Lab Teffa Pen Case Giveaway Hint

2012-05-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

Hello!! I hope you've all entered the Lihit Lab Teffa Pen Case giveaway by now - at least once! In case any of you are having trouble on the "scavenger hunt" - here are two hints!

One of the letters is from THIS page, and another letter is from THIS page. Don't give up :) There's still a good chance of winning and ten entries is pretty good, isn't it?

Thank you for taking the time to participate. I hope you enjoy what you read and aren't miserable to follow me - I'll do my best to keep it spicy and fun!

May 20. 2012 - Sunday Reads

2012-05-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

Stationery

I'm not sure if this is strictly stationery, or stationery with some art mixed in, but it's really cute: make your own teacup envelopes at Omiyage's blog!
After seeing this at The Well-Appointed Desk, I totally want some more lime green writing utensils! Especially this Muji retractable gel pen!
I think these are the cutest little notecards at All Things Paper!
I think these lead holders are so cool, although I'd have no idea how to use one. Has anyone used this one before? Or anything like them? What do you do with them?

Art

Aww c'mon everyone! Give a gal some support! Enter a sketch GIVEAWAY by @Aisazia on her blog!

Journaling

Something I struggle with myself... trying to move away from whiny, useless journaling to something more useful and helpful! Thanks to @KaizenJournal for tweeting her blogpost!
Six Habits of Truly Memorable People at Inc.com - I think this is really nice, and things that all of us can live by!

Green

Amazing super trees in Singapore! This is one of the coolest things I've ever seen!

Other

75 Day-Brightening Stories of Generosity - this restored some of my faith in humanity! Some of these are really sweet. I often try to do small things to make the life of someone else easier, even if it's as simple as opening a door for them, or picking up something they may have dropped.
This is my FAVORITE show of all time. Ever. I could watch this every day, all day, forever. I totally want this set.

Review and Giveaway: Lihit Lab Teffa Pen Case - Book Style - Yellow Green

2012-05-18T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hi there! First, the review, and at the bottom: THE GIVEAWAY! So make sure you read all the way through! (Or just skip to the bottom if you don't love me).

Awhile ago, I noticed some of my fountain pens had micro scratches on their bodies and I realized it was because many of them were in an open pocket pencil case and they were hitting each other! An atrocity. Obviously I had to remedy this situation immediately.

Naturally, I went to browse JetPens because they have an awesome selection of pencil cases. I was looking for a pencil case that would hold all my fountain pens (or some of them anyway) in such a way that they would not bounce around against each other - so they would have to be "restrained" in some way. I also wanted a decent capacity. Finally, I came to the (at the time new) Lihit Lab Teffa Pen Case - Book Style - in yellow green. It is also available in black, brown, and orange.

This is truly a pencil case that somehow resembles a book! When you open it up, it has a flap in the middle that makes me think of pages of a book. So "book style" is pretty appropriate! On the outside, there are two pockets against the front. Because they are open pockets, I would recommend only putting things in here that are not going to slide out (such as an eraser). Along with the pockets, the little rubbery red thingy says "Designed for arrangement". I presume this means the insides were designed as they were so you can arrange things in them! Anyway, it's a cute little nub.

The whole has a zip closure, which is GREAT. Because I have stuffed this thing to the max so the zipper gives me confidence that nothing will fall out (as in, no precious fountain pens will meet their fate on the ground). Upon opening, the left inside cover is open, with a strip across the bottom and another near the top where you can clip the tops of your pens. If there's no clip on your pen, no biggie, they sit comfortably behind it. Because of the design, even if they slide up or down, they can't fall out.

My own pencil case (not the one for the giveaway!). Making use of the outside pockets!

Inside first two flaps: 13 pens!

The inner flap acts as a separator but also has storage space on it! It looks similar to the first section, but has a sealed bottom strip so pens won't slide out the bottom. If they're clipped in, they won't slide out regardless! In my case, I keep a Pilot Plumix in this section and it's never fallen out.

The other side has 3 mesh pockets. The attached tag to the pencil case suggests you can put a USB drive, or pencil lead or an eraser in here. I usually keep ink cartridges in here (for emergency ink situations), and very small correction tapes. And sometimes stickers.

The back pocket is a mesh pocket that covers half the space. I also stick fountain pens here. This case is all about my fountain pens! The mesh pockets on both these pages are slightly stretchy so I don't put the the metal fountain pens back here. This space is reserved for plastic/rubber bodies. Sometimes I even keep a ballpoint in here, just in case! I know, the insanity! (What I'd really like to add to this space is this). The back pocket can also hold small notepads and/or scissors, along with other similar-sized items.

Back flap: 10 pens, a correction tape, and a ruler in the back. I left the mesh pockets empty for obvious reasons!

As you can see, there's plenty of space in this bad boy for your most treasured pens. The material inside and out is easy to clean - should there be a most-unwanted spill. And no matter how much I stuff this thing, it never looks gross and bulky. In total here, I have 23 pens and there's still room for more things. And I selected some very large pens so they are taking up a lot of space. Your miles may vary of course, depending on which pens you pop in.

If I could change anything, I would have preferred the flap didn't have three mini mesh pockets - perhaps one or two instead. I'd prefer if they were more stretchy like the big one! Or, just two strips like the front half to tuck pens into, as that was my primary purpose for getting this pen case.

Another Great Review!
Guest Post on The Pen Addict

Price
JetPens - $14.00

Overall
This is without a doubt one of my favorite pencil cases ever. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a protective case for their fountain pens (and can't afford one of those really awesome kinds) or for any other pens/pencils. This pencil case is tasteful, well designed, easy to clean, and very functional. If you're scoffing at the $14.00... shush. It's well worth it! I even went back and bought a second. Because, sadly, I have that many fountain pens.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

You'll need this if you want to get ten extra entries! Don't worry. It's really not that difficult. Not for pen nerds anyway. All you have to do is tell me what popular pen brand logos each letter comes from. Hint: all the answers can be found here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Feline Friday: Tyco the Supercat

2012-05-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen any of my videos on my YouTube channel, I have a bunch of the cats doing various things. I know, it's not stationery. But this is a blog about cats and stationery! Here are two that I particularly enjoy:

Review: Zebra Jimnie RT Ballpoint Pen

2012-05-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

I used to use the classic Zebra Jimnie gel pen when I was younger, mostly in high school and my first year or two in University and then I just never saw them again, so they faded out of my life. Then a friend recently sent me a Jimnie ballpoint pen! Amazing! I didn't even know these were still made - whoopee! I get to give it a test run!

Not too shabby, right? Look at that delicious, inviting clip. LOOK AT IT!

My memory did not fail me. Jimnie pens are fantastic. These pens are truly a classic. I know ballpoints are not really exciting for most people because like... eh. It's just a ballpoint. Right? No. The Jimnie is such a good looking ballpoint. Handsome, really. And the clip is to die for - you can press on the top of it and it lifts! It has a nice clicking mechanism as well - the kind you just want to keep on clicking for no reason. And check out the grip - it's the perfect shape, goes right to the start of the tip (unlike some pens...), and it's the right softness for being comfortable.

Soft paper and this pen are a match made in heaven. The paper crinkles, the pen is smooth. Sigh.

The overall result of this amalgamation of features is nice, smooth lines that are clean and tidy. No blobbing to write home about and thus, no smearing.

Complaints? Once again - they should ALL be recycled plastic. It's the perfect type of plastic and look for it too. Zebra does make an eco version of this, but why bother making a non eco version at all?? But, at least it's refillable. Better than nothing!

Price
Staples - $14.79 per dozen (eco version - even better!)

Overall
Ah, another pen to add to my list of favorites. This one earns a highly-coveted spot (amongst other pens anyway) in my pencil case. By all means, if you see this pen somewhere, you should pick one up and keep it on you.

Has anyone else used these? Do you love them as much as I do - whether it's the ballpoint or the gel ink version?

Giveaway at Notebook Stories

2012-05-16T20:46:00.003-07:00

Time for yet another awesome giveaway at Notebook Stories, this time of a Monsieur Notebook! Click here to go enter!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-05-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

Giveaway at JetPens

2012-05-14T13:09:00.001-07:00

JetPens newest blog post is about brush pens and how they're used for celebrations and condolences in Japan. In addition to learning proper brush pen etiquette, you can also enter to win a $50 JetPens gift certificate! Go check it out!

Associated Addiction: Stickers

2012-05-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

I LOVE STICKERS! I love the way they look, smell, feel, make plain boring paper look super duper cute, and so much more! This is a sample of my sticker collection. I know, it seems absurd to collect stickers in this messed up world but hey, they put a smile on my face and I think on the faces of those who receive them on their letters.

Ummm...I'm a little ashamed that I have a Twilight sticker in there. Please don't judge me... I CAN HEAR YOU JUDGING ME IN YOUR HEAD!

Does anyone else collect stickers? Or not necessarily collect, but have somehow unintentionally amassed a large amount of stickers?

May 13. 2012 - Sunday Reads

2012-05-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

Art

Free Andrew Loomis art instruction downloads! (I saw this on Twitter via FPOkami!)

Stationery

Obviously I'm going through all the posts at Whatever! for this month's Carnival of Pen, Pencil, and Paper.
Have you entered Aisazia's sketch giveaway??
Getting a good kick out of this post by Renee, on her Rad and Hungry tote!
I love cats and I totally want this Sailor pen, as reviewed on No Pen Intended.
Paperblanks Filigree journal giveaway at Confessions of an Overworked Mom!
Seriously considering getting all of these Jetstreams...
Not that I need more page flags or anything, but these are so neat...I love smelly stationery!

Other

A speed reading test by Staples!
Adding these to my list of things to do/places to see!

Review: Daycraft Executive Pocket Diary - English Version in Blue

2012-05-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

Mr. Foreal Lee, the retail & marketing manager at Daycraft, generously sent us the Daycraft catalogue, two notebooks, and an executive planner for review! I was delighted by the items he selected to send.

Although I want to do one massive review of all three products, I thought each notebook/planner deserved their own review so they can be viewed in all their glory.

Awesome!

Daycraft's motto is "We Make Your Day" which is rather clever in several ways in that Daycraft specializes in day planners, diaries, and notebooks. They can literally help make your day. Daycraft is made in Hong Kong and they have quite a range of products. Without further ado, today's review will be on the Executive Pocket Diary.

Love the size and color. It's a perfect match.

Some features of the Executive Pocket Diary

248 pages
Week-to-view
Fine Italian PU
Inkjet printed edges (matches cover)
Blue satin bookmark
w89 mm x h165 mm

This pretty little pocket diary is like eye candy. It is slim and portable. The color is really fantastic - it's a warm, rich turquoise blue (which I'm not sure I was able to capture in the picture properly). The planner is complemented with a dark mustard yellow elastic that is attached at the back of the planner, and hooks snugly and securely on to a metal post on the front cover.

Isn't this post simple and genius?

For size comparison - next to a Quo Vadis Habana (small)

At first glance, this little thing can be mistaken for a pretty wallet. Plus, the cover is fine Italian polyurethane, but it looks like leather. It's easy to wipe clean if you spill anything on it! The spine has the year - 2012 - engraved into it. Imagine how pretty a whole bunch of these lined up on your bookshelf would look...

Sleek and simple.

The back cover has Daycraft tastefully and cleanly stamped into the bottom corner. The inside back cover has a little pocket. It won't hold an 8.5''x11'' paper or anything, unless you fold it, but it'll certainly hold tickets or receipts and various things like that.

This amazing little diary is chock full of information, and yet it still manages to be slim and slender. The first few pages contains yearly calendars for 2011/2012/2012. This is followed by international holidays, international guides (taxes, currency, etc), time zones, a world map, and IDD codes. And then there are a few strange and unique pages: golf courses, a vintage chart for wines, conversion tables, tables of food calories, and sections on nutrition and health. I was mostly fascinated that Daycraft thought to include most of these because most of these are unheard of in US planners. It's very neat and interesting to see planners designed in other parts of the world.

Please excuse my fingertips.

On to the calendar! Each month has its own color, and it begins with a page of a quote. December is brown, and the quote is "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life", by Steve Jobs. I love this feature. It's a little bit of inspiration at the start of each month. Sometimes a good quote can turn your day around. Across from this page is a blank page for notes, as well as a month overview at the bottom. Each week is spread across two pages - as usual, Saturday and Sunday share a space. There is sufficient room for most notes/appointments and deadlines, but if you are a person who writes every single thing down in their planner, you will run out of space! Don't forget though, this is a pocket sized planner, so it's for on-the-go. Another pretty touch is that as the end of the month nears, the color scheme starts to transition into the new month's color!

I love the first page of quotes. Also a good place to jot notes and other keepers!

The end of the day planner has the following year calendar - in our case, 2013 - as well as pages for income and expenses, a venue list, main contacts, and note pages. Another interesting thing to note is the page of personal information (name/address/phone numbers etc) is at the back of the notebook, right before additional blank pages. In US day planners, the personal information page is right at the front.

If you are a fountain pen user, this day planner will not be suitable for you. The paper is somewhat thin and your ink will certainly bleed through. The same goes for liquid ink pens. Gel, ballpoint pens, and pens all worked just fine. Again, for an on-the-go day planner, I suspect most people toss a ballpoint or pencil into their bags.

Sadly, you can see the bleed through. Stick to pencil, ballpoint, and gel pens!

More Daycraft!
Pencil Revolution

Price
I have yet to find a US online retailer for the day planners. If anyone knows of any, please share in the comments. Daycraft will ship worldwide though!

Overall
This is a very pretty and well designed diary. It is The only downside is they are rather pricy on this continent, however planners are hardly cheap to begin with, especially nice ones. I'm really impressed with this planner's overall character and quality - this planner goes to show that things made in Hong Kong can still be very well made! If you are in the market for a cute/pretty, portable day planner, this is a great one.

Feline Friday: Tyco's Paw Curls

2012-05-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

Tyco is a strange cat. I love this video because of his paw curling. He does paw curls to EVERYTHING. He tries to pick things up with this method. Clearly, it always fails. He sometimes looks at his paw afterwards to see if he got what he was trying to get. (He never does).

Review: Field Notes Memo Books & Ballpoint Pen Giveaway

2012-05-10T09:55:00.000-07:00

Recently, Dawson at Field Notes sent a parcel for us to review! Thanks a bunch Dawson!

Field Notes 2012 Calendar, Set of three ruled paper memo books, and six Field Notes ballpoint retractable pens.

Field Notes's motto is "I'm not writing it down to remember it later, I'm writing it down to remember it now." I particularly like this. There's just something about writing things down that makes me feel mindful, aware, and in the moment. Now...on to the parcel!

This is a very aesthetically appealing package. It all matches and is very easy on the eyes.

The calendar is adorable. I have it on my desk for glancing at and it is quite convenient when planning out and scheduling blog posts.

Three pack of memo backs, still bound.

An individual memo book.

Field Notes notebooks are manufactured and printed in the USA. As you know, I am a big fan of buying locally (or as local as possible at least) because this reduces shipping costs and resources used, and there are also more often than not better environmental and safety laws in place for manufacturing. The covers are made with durable materials but are very comfortable to the touch. The bindings are saddle-stitched and also have three staples, to make sure your notebook doesn't fall apart! These pocket-sized memo books are perfect for the pocket. They are small and thin enough to literally slip into your pocket with a little bit poking out for easy grabbing. The covers are flexible and as such, the entire notebook is very bendy.

Left: Rhodia Webbie A6 compared to Field Notes memo book. Pocketable!

Unfortunately, my pants do not have pockets, so I cannot attest to how durable these little guys will actually be once in their intended home. Given their flexibility and materials, I think they will bend with your pocket, and since there are only 48 pages, you'll fill it up before it begins to get shredded by pocket violence. (You know... like if you have keys in your pocket as well). And the extra saddle stitching will help keep it together. As an alternate test, I put my notebook in my purse for a week. I toss my purse around a lot and it's often quite stuffed so I figured it was a good enough test! I wasn't too surprised when I observed it at the end of the week and found it was just a little bent. No dog eared pages, no tears, nothing. Just a little bent. Not bad, right?

Just a little mussed up.

Written with Uni-ball Power Tank 0.7 mm in blue.

It's very pretty paper. Again, great color scheme. Easy on the eyes.

If you are interested in a fountain pen friendly paper, and you use fine or dry writing fountain pens, you'll be able to use these notebooks. While I love the color of the lines and the adorable size of the paper, my fountain pens bled through - with a wet writer, it bled through to the second page. The wet fountain pens also feathered a little bit, although not enough to deter me. Most of my fountain pen collection is with medium nibs and I definitely prefer wet writers, so please take that into consideration if you are concerned about the fountain pen friendliness!

Ballpoint pens and gel ink pens were just fine on this paper though. I think this is meant to be literally, a pocket notebook, and I suspect most people would be carrying a ballpoint or gel ink pen in their pockets for scribbling notes on the go, not necessarily a fountain pen. Don't be upset with me for saying that, fountain pen users, I know lots of you carry fountain pens in your pockets as your go-to pen. Nothing wrong with that either!

I've read other reviews where the user did not have bleed through with their fountain pens. Again, note the pens that bled through were very wet writers, and/or filled with a lubricated ink!

Note the second page bleed through of the orange ink.

The inside cover is really cute. Things like this amuse me. There's a little check box for you to pick "there is/isn't a handsome reward". To me, this is a personal touch that gives this notebook some character. Check out the back cover, it's even better!!

I LOVE the "practical applications". You'll get a kick out of it. And if you're ever looking for journaling topics...well, there ya go!

The only little problem I found was at the top of two of the three notebooks, there was a notch in the paper where it looks like a paper cutter slipped a little and shaved off a millimeter extra. It's a very minor thing and for a notebook with so much personality (you did see the inside cover right?) it almost suits it. To some, this may be a deterrent because it's not showcase perfect. To me, it makes it feel "professionally homemade", and I like that.

Obviously, I love pens. Especially ones with a stationery brand printed on it. Woo! Since I was generously sent six pens, I thought perhaps five of my readers might like a Field Notes pen of their very own! If you would like one of these pens mailed to you by moi, please go to this page and send me an email with your mailing address! There are only five so you better hurry if you want one - first come, first serve! I'll email you back to let you know if you were in the first five!

PENZZZZ!!!

If this particular set isn't your thing, Field Notes has a big range of special colors and special notebooks you should investigate! These three packs are also available in: graph, ruled, plain, or mixed rulings.

Feel like more Field Notes?
Amateur Economist
Dave's Mechanical Pencils
Economy Pens
Inkophile
The Pen Addict
Rants of the Archer
Field Notes on Facebook
Field Notes on Twitter
Field Notes on Flickr

Price
Field Notes - $9.95
JetPens - $9.95

Overall
If sign up for the Field Notes email list, they will contact you when they have specials, in which case I think it's a perfect time for any user to try these cute little notebooks out (otherwise, shipping can be pricy). These notebooks are great to slip in your pocket and tote around with you to, yes, write things down to remember NOW, not later! Don't be too put off by the little notch that mine had in the paper - it never bothers me and I only mentioned it to be thorough!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-05-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

Shades of Tuesday

2012-05-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

There's a few multiples, but it's pretty to look at, isn't it?

Mailbox Goodies: Rad and Hungry Tote Bag

2012-05-07T06:30:00.001-07:00

Prepare your eyeballs folks - we received our Rad and Hungry tote bag - the RAG baggu in neon liptastic, which is "pure awesome-sauce".

What on earth is neon liptastic, you ask? Allow me to demonstrate:

My apologies for the obvious saturation here. This bag is BRIGHT. You won't lose it, and no one would even consider stealing it from you.

This little guy unfolds into a grand bag that will hold a whopping 50 pounds! And it opens to be quite large, so you can stuff a lot of things in it.

Super easy to fold up and stuff back into the pouch.

It's also easy to clean because you can throw it in the washing machine. For all of you who use single use plastic bags from stores, now you have no excuse to do that - you can tote this tote in style.

OMG. I loves it.

Thank you @radandhungry for the Twitter contest! I looooves my RAH tote!

Get one of your own here!