Ren Faire Pen Faire

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

Pen addicts have a gift for sniffing out stationery wherever we go. From airports to farmers markets, and even the Renaissance Faire, we can find our pens and paper. In fact, the stationery at the Bristol Renaissance Faire near Kenosha, Wisconsin was particularly fantastic. Here are a few highlights.

Right when you enter the faire, almost the first shop you see is this one, Arte of the Booke. And it's my favorite store there. Just a few yards in, and already temptation overwhelms. The shop owners are Nancy and Matt Hulan, and they have a lovely stall full of gorgeous handmade journals, hand-turned wooden dip pens, wax seals, bottles of ink, and calligraphy references. They have lots of other books and maps, but we're here for the stationery! The journals are some of the coolest I've ever seen. Nancy makes them herself, from the leather stitching to the inset gemstones. They probably had to wipe down the glass case after all of my drooling, and I think I'll be saving up for one of those next year.

The next stationery spotting was Grinchels - A Wrinkle in Reality. This is by far the most ... expressive leatherwork one can find. And they make everything you can think of, from bags to toys to masks--but of course, we're here for their journals. Each one of these clearly has its own personality, and I very much enjoyed browsing all their sweet little faces. It would be nice to have a friendly face to ask questions of when I'm writing. Or even a grumpy face. Or a downright scary one. Frankly, I like those ones the best.

Deeper into the faire was another stall, Crows Crossing. It was primarily dedicated to woodworking, but the vibes were right, and sure enough--more stationery. In this stall there were yet more leather journals, all handmade, some large, some extremely tiny, and one particularly tempting journal with a soft leather cover that rolled up like a scroll to be carried in a leather tube. If my youngest hadn't spent all my money on giant pickles by this late in the faire, that tube journal would be in my house right now. Alas, Crows Crossing is not online, so I'll have to wait for next year to correct this.

There were plenty of other side quests, apart from stationery hunting, and it was overall an amazing day. I grew up going to ren faires every summer and it’s great to be carrying on that tradition with my kids. Even if they spend all my notebook money on pickles.

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Lamy Safari Ballpoint Piña Colada Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

At this point in the year, summer vacations are winding down and everyone is settling in for the last big push before the end of year holidays are upon us. When I think of piña coladas, I instantly associate that with beach-side vacations and carefree living. While the 2024 special edition Safari can't replicate that experience, it can certainly lighten the mood with these bright colors.

The Lamy Safari Piña Colada is a light blue and bright yellow color combo that I haven't been able to put down. I'm using the ballpoint version, though you can get this in fountain pen, rollerball, and pencil variants as well.

If you've ever used a Lamy Safari ballpoint before, then there's nothing new here aside from the unique color combination. The refill included inside is Lamy's proprietary M16 medium point with black ink. As far as ballpoint refills go, the M16 is decent, but not my favorite. Unfortunately, there aren't other refills that you can easily drop-in to replace the M16, but Lamy do offer some other point sizes and color options for the refill.

The body of the Piña Colada is a light blue with a touch of green. There's a clear finish on the body that catches the light. The clear finish also provides a nice feel when writing, but can cause some oil build-up after writing for a while. The pen is easy to wipe down, though!

The accents (nose cone, bellows/nock, and clip) are all a matte bright yellow color that goes perfectly with the light blue-green body.

The squishy bellows mechanism requires a good amount of force to operate, but it's so satisfying to use, just like any other Lamy Safari ballpoint. I love the bellows cover — it would be easy to identify this pen as a Lamy just from the clip shape, but the squishy accordion nock is another signature clue.

The grip section is a three-sided contour that provides three flattened areas for resting your fingers. This works well for how I grip the pen, but it might not be to everyone's liking. The nose cone is long enough that you can even grip the upper part if needed for more control.

The only branding on the pen is a LAMY logo debossed into the side of the body right under the bellows and opposite the clip. It's subtle and can be easy to miss in low light. The clip is strong and will keep the pen secured to whatever you clip it to.

At $16, this Piña Colada special edition Safari is a good deal on a classic pen. For me, this was a compulsive purchase just because of the colors. The fact that it's a great writing instrument is just a bonus. If these colors speak to you, be sure to pick one up before they're gone!

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Papier Tigre A5 Notebook And Eraser Giveaway

One of my favorite finds from Stationery Fest was Paris-based Papier Tigre. Not only do they have their own in-house stationery design team, their notebooks, such as this Softcover A5 Toki design, are also manufactured in house. I’m giving away this notebook, and it’s several unique interior sections, plus their popular Tiger Eraser. One entrant will win both, so read the rules below and enter away!