Lamy Petrol Bottled Ink + Cartridges
For 2017, Lamy released a special edition Al-Star, the Pacific, with matching turquoise ink, and also a special edition Safari, the Petrol. The fountain pen is a dark teal colour, with a matte texture and matching black trim - and the ink is also a great match for the name and the pen.
Original Sailor Jentle Inks Coming Back
The original six Sailor Jentle Inks are coming back! You may recognize a few familiar names: Epinard (green) Grenade (reddish) Apricot (orange) Peche (pink) Ultramarine (purply blue) and of course Sky High (a peacock blue) There are some shipments of ink that you look forward to, but that you don't really physically hug - you know there are going to be styrofoam peanuts flying out and sticking all over to you, or possibly broken glass bottles and you might get inky, but Sailor inks are always just beautifully pristine in perfectly sized boxes just waiting to arrive at your shop. And now this original line of Jentle inks is coming home to me, right where they belong (and possibly you, you know, the ones remaining, and not the ones stashed in my closet).
The $9 Faber-Castell School Pen
We recently began stocking the Faber-Castell School Pen, and I think this may very well be my new favourite fountain pen. And for $9, it's okay that I left my first one at a nature hostel out by Algonquin Park a week after I got it, and then promptly had to crack open another.
Pelikan Smoky Quartz Ink of the Year
Pelikan has released an ink of the year, Smoky Quartz, and of course I was thrilled. Another brown ink to add to the collection! Just what I need! I suppose I am slightly worried that one day, like the wind, my tastes in ink will change and I will no longer like brown inks, but until that day comes, this is a beauty to add to my shelf. Pelikan offers its standard 4001 series (Brilliant Brown, Brilliant Black, etc.), and its luxury Edelstein line, named for gemstones. Interestingly enough, several of our calligraphy teachers have long asked us to carry the Pelikan 4001 fountain pen inks for dip pen work - being a bit drier gives more precision hairlines.
Platinum Classic Iron Gall Inks
I have been eagerly awaiting this line of inks, Platinum Classic Inks, to arrive to the shop: a line of earthy-coloured Japanese inks in beautiful packaging - how can I resist. I'm always on the lookout for brown inks, especially permanent ones, and this is line of iron gall inks - which are water resistant and become more so over time - has two beautiful ones, a Sepia Black, which is more of a grey brown, and a Khaki Black, which has hints of red/orange to it.
Lamy Pacific Blue 2017 Al-Star of the Year
It's about time I share a few long overdue photos of the new Lamy Pacific Blue Al-Star, this year's special edition. I've had it inked up with the Pacific Blue cartridges, and took a few extra photos when I was taking photos for my last "What's in my Pen Roll" post.
New Classiky Washi Tape
Our Classiky shipment came in a few weeks ago now, and it was nice to have some of our old favourites back in stock, especially the wooden boxes. The Desk Tools Box was backordered, but has just shipped, so if you were waiting for that specifically, they're on their way!
Announcement for New Olive Edition Traveler's Notebook
So the big news of the week was the announcement from Japan of the new Olive Edition of the Traveler's Notebook! As a retailer, we'd been sent some information about this before, but of course we had to keep our lids on until it was officially announced, and I can't wait.
New Wax Seals from Backtozero Co
We're starting the new year off with one of my favourite new products: new wax seals! You can see our new line up of wax seals on the website here, or of course in person at the shop.
Midori MD Leather Cover After a Year
It's the new year! And what better time to post an update on something I've been meaning to do for a while. I don't know if I'm going to make any resolutions besides the usual (try new recipes, keep fewer pens inked up, stop letting the dog eat food off the floor, stop dropping food on the floor), but this year I am trying to put a good effort into keeping up with the blog a bit better.