Not About Pens, Inks, or Paper

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

I spend a lot of time using my pens, swatching inks so I can pick the perfect match, and writing on different papers, so it’s no surprise that a bulk of my articles would be about pens, inks, and paper. In recent weeks, as I’ve been putting more effort into various projects, like working on my 2024 book journal (oof, I wish that was a typo, but I’m a little behind), I started noticing the non-pen/ink/paper things that have been sparking joy for one reason or another, so that’s what I’ll be writing about today.

Pen Rests

My inked pens are always in a pen binder, ready to be used at my desk, at a meetup, or pen show. But I often have pens that don’t leave the house because I don’t need or want them with me. Some of these pens, like my trusty Pilot Metropolitan and Tombow brush marker, are used every day in my bullet journal, but only to draw and write a date box. Others are used for projects, like my Kaweco/Kakimori for ink swatching, or the hand painted Winnie-the-Pooh Kaweco that stays at home because I don’t want to damage the artwork (scroll towards the end to see the pen). I will also put out pens that I want to ink up next. It’s also handy to have a pen rest in case you need to put your pen down, but don’t want it to roll off the table.

Pen rests by Galen Leather and Toyooka Craft, pen tray by Toyooka Craft.

Standing Pen Pouch

I did not think I needed a standing pen pouch until I saw this adorable boba pen pouch while shopping at bobo design studio. As soon as I got it, I rescued some of my favorite standard pens (which were jammed into cups on my desk) and put them in the pouch. I never take my standard pens with me (except my trusty Parker Jotter which lives in my pen show lanyard), but now I have a place for them when I am out and about!

How cute is this boba pen pouch? The pink “straw” is the tab you pull up when you’re ready to close the pouch.

Unzip the pouch and pull down on the two side tabs to reveal the contents - a variety of Legami, G-2, Frixion, Sarasa, Uni pens! (No Spokes here, they’re too precious to leave the house!)

Washi Accessories

When I first started using washi tape, I would either rip it by hand or use a pair of scissors. Both methods are fine but I found that my rips often would result in a very crooked tear and using scissors was just annoying. At some point, I realized plastic cards, like hotel key cards which I sometimes forget to return, work great as cutters. You can also get inexpensive clips that have a serrated edge that you tear the washi against.

Hotel key card (left) and a washi cutter (right).

But what I am really digging right now are two cassette style washi holders/cutters! As someone born in the 1900s (wow, that’s really painful to type), I especially love the retro aspect of the cassette tape. I really noticed how awesome this was when I put my “day” washi in it - it’s now so much easier to get just the right amount of washi for “Friday” when it’s in a dispenser like this!

Clear cassette from Kuboandlucy Stationery and black cassette from Kaleidocraft.

I’m also very fond of washi tape stands where I can have a few favorite washi on my desk, instead of having to dig through the stash. Right now, the washi tape in this stand is book-themed so I can bring it out when I want to work on my book journal. I’ve also put the whole stand in my bag if I plan to journal away from my desk.

Love this Trash Penda washi stand that I bought from InkyConverters a couple years ago. I don’t see them in her shop right now but I’m hoping they’ll make a comeback!

3D-printed Clickers/Fidgets

I will 100% blame Jaclyn Myers of Kaleidocraft because I’ve never been much for clickers until I saw her table at last year’s Chicago Pen Show. They are fun, silly, cute, and give my hands something to do when I’m feeling anxious or taking a break. They’re just the right amount of whimsy when I need it.

I love my PENS clicker that I bought as part of the St Jude Fundraiser as well as my fountain pen clicker. Both are from Kaleidocraft, yes, there are more, no, I’m not addicted to them, well, maybe I am, and no, this is not an ad, lol.

Ink Vial Holders

I am often swatching samples or making samples, and having a stable vial holder really helps prevent inky accidents. I first started by using an Ink Miser enclosed by LEGO I “borrowed” from the kid (I can use the Ink Miser for filling OR as a vial holder too). Thanks to 3D-printing, there are a lot more products for holding ink vials!

My dog (front left) and Inktopus vial holders from Ink-a-Pet (hat and hook sold separately). Ink Miser in a LEGO holder. I love the cup vial holder from RandomThinks - there are inserts for “coffee” or “green tea”!

Clips

Remember the book journal I keep alluding to? My book journal is currently in a Traveler’s Notebook which does not lay flat. Ditto the TN sticker release insert, as well as my other sticker release book which a friend gave me a few years ago. Clips to the rescue! Whether you use a Chip Clip™ , or other kind of clip, having something that holds your thin books open makes it so much more pleasant to use/write in!

Penco clip holding my sticker release book open, while the Traveler’s Company clip keeps my book journal open.

I’m sure if I looked around some more, I could find more things to talk about, but these were the ones that I’ve been using a lot lately. They’ve been making my life a little bit easier and sparking a little bit of joy. And isn’t that what we could all use a little more of?

(Disclaimer: All products are my own and were bought at regular price.)

The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 703 - I Sorted by Price

The wonderfully eye-searing Montblanc StarWalker PolarGreen ink, via Montblanc.

I sidetracked us from the jump, and Myke followed suit shortly after. The result? Hilarity. We had a lot of fun with this one, which included some live research, and my thoughts on a classic stationery product.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PENADDICT.

Pen Chalet: Check out this week's special offer, and to get your code for 10% off.

Esterbrook Estie Fountain Pen - Back to the Land Button Fill Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

Esterbrook's popularity continues to grow in the pen community, and this series, Back to the Land, gives 110% energy on its retro theme. I honestly don't know how something can be this loud and still be classy at the same time. But it is.

The pen comes in a box with the series name in giant gold foil letters, and the back of the box tells you everything you could ever want to know about the inspiration for the three colors in the set. A pull ribbon opens the box like a drawer.

Inside are a few small extras. Each color comes with a different gift, and this one, Incredible Rock, comes with a car air freshener shaped like the US. That might seem like a super strange thing to receive inside a pen box, if you skipped the novel printed on the outside of the box describing its road trip inspiration.

The pen is held in place with a fuzzy faux-suede magnetic loop that can be removed from the ruler-marked backing and used as a pen clip in your notebook. The magnet clip is quite strong, so it holds securely to most notebook covers, and it holds the pen well without a risk of scratches. It is a bit thick, though, and creates a big lump in the notebook. I do like this concept, though, and it's nice to have useful, functional packaging.

The pen itself is made from smooth resin with gold-colored accents. This Incredible Rock version is an earthy clay brown with a turquoise cap band. It screams southwest 70s retro. But it screams it in a dignified, understated way. The pen is cigar shaped with a nice springy clip. The cap has Esterbrook's delightful spring-seal Cushion Closure, which keeps the pen from drying out. The grip section is smooth and slightly tapered, with a flair at the end to keep your fingers from slipping onto the nib. There is a clear ink window behind the grip section so you can see your ink level.

This is the button filler version of this series, so the end of the pen has a gold-ringed end cap that screws off to reveal a push-button piston fill plunger. So if the design itself wasn't retro enough for you, the filling system takes it up a notch. This system is based on the Parker Piston Vacumatic from the 1940s. To fill the pen, you push in the spring-loaded button, dip the nib in your ink, then release the button so the pen draws in ink. The ink fills a tube inside the pen. The tube is visible through the ink window, but it does not fill the whole inside chamber. It's not as much of an ink tank as I thought it would be, but it's a fun filling system to try, and it still holds more than a standard converter.

My favorite thing about the pen, though, is the nib. I was lucky enough to get this model with a Needlepoint grind, available from Dromgoole’s for an extra $54 (along with other specialty nib grinds like Mini Stub, Journaler, Scribe, Techo, and Fude). If you look closely, you can see the grind to the steel Jowo tip, where some of the gold finish has been removed. It writes very well. It's a nice extra-extra fine line without being too dry or scratchy. It's still not as fine as a Japanese extra fine, but it's dreamy to write with. It's crisp without ever snagging the paper, and the fine lines make the ink supply last longer.

The Back to the Land standard Estie sells for around $175, with the Button Filler edition selling for $225 (plus extra if you want a fancy nib). In today's pen market, that's a very good price. This is a very well-made pen and nothing about it feels cheap. It's all precise and balanced. Esterbrook is making some of the best pens at their price point, and I've enjoyed all the ones I've tried. If you dig a retro road trip, this series might be a winner for you.

(This product was purchased from Dromgoole’s at regular price.)

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