Currently Inked: February 16, 2025

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Last Sunday I did a Currently Inked post, and most of you seemed to enjoy it, so we’re going to do another one today (this post contains Amazon affiliate links, just FYI). We still have bronchitis at our house, so I’m keeping my daily carry setup pretty simple. I stuck to fine/medium nibs and mostly black inks.

This Pilot Kakuno Green with a fine nib came in the mail last week and I inked it up and fell in love. For the price point it’s really great-smooth and lovely in the hand. The Zebra Sarasa Mark On 0.5 Black is a fabulous gel pen, one I think I’ll use often. That’s not a surprise-so far I’ve loved all of the Zebra Sarasa pens I’ve tried, including these Zebra Sarasa Vintage pens. The Steadtler Triplus Textsurfer is a good flexible highlighter in a nice neutral color. I always have a Sharpie on hand.

Last week I got asked why I always have a highlighter and a sharpie with me. When I write out my to-do lists I usually use a standard/gel pen in my planner. Then I highlight my top three priorities and cross each one out with a sharpie as I complete it. When all three highlighted tasks are finished I go through and highlight the next three until all tasks are done.

I purchased this Anodized Aluminum Faceted "Pocket Six" Fountain Pen like 5 or 6 years ago at the San Francisco Pen Show and it’s basically been inked up with Monteverde Documental Black ever since. I actually don’t think I’ve ever cleaned it-I just put a new cartridge in it with the same ink every time it runs dry. It’s small but mighty. This Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto 3 color is a little girthy for me, but I enjoyed the 0.5 tip size. I love these Writech Dual Color Gel 0.5 in Navy Blue and Persian Red-I purchased them in a bunch of colors, and so far I love all of them. I like this Kokuyo Mark + highlighter in gray and of course I have a sharpie.

This TWSBI Mini in Rose Gold (medium nib) has been inked up with Sailor Jentle Black for weeks. I think it’s my sixth time filling it. It’s just such a good combo that I don’t have any plans of separating the combo anytime soon. I fell in love with the Zebra Sarasa Grand (in white) months ago, and have switched out the refill 4 times. Right now it has a Sarasa Dry 0.5 refill in black. It used to have a 0.7 refill until I switched to smaller grid paper, so I downgraded to a 0.5 refill. It’s still pretty juicy on nice paper so I could even go down to a 0.4 refill (0.5 is the perfect size on crappy paper). I love these Staedtler Triplus Fineliners, especially in the wintery colors. The Monami Essentisoft Highlighter in brown is a nice highlighter-pale and a good neutral color.

I don’t remember which Kaweco Sport with a fine nib this is-I always get the color names mixed up. It’s full of Pilot Iroshizuku Take-Sumi, which is a fabulous combo. I loved using it in my journal. The Uni One F Gel Pen in Pink Beach with a 0.5 black refill is wonderful-smooth and a perfect size in the hand. I saw the Pilot Juice 0.5 in Classic Green online and knew I had to try it out. I love Pilot Juice pens, and I love this Classic Green ink color. This Pilot Kire-na highlighter is terrible-the tip is too floppy and the ink is too pale.

I ventured away from black inks for one day with Diamine Canalside in a Pilot Custom 74 in Forest with a medium nib. Canalside is a really good wintery green, classic and smooth. In the past I’ve loved Pilot G2’s, but recently I’ve steered away from them. They’re just not quite juicy enough for me. I put a Pilot G2 0.5 black refill in this Pilot G2 Limited Premium Gel Rose Gold body, and I’m just not a fan. It’s okay but not great. The Muji Gel Pen 0.5 in blue is so good. It’s smooth and comfortable to write with. I just ordered some more in black since I only had it in blue. I hate this Morris Just Click Highlighter in Gray. The clicker is terrible-you extend the tip and it gets stuck that way. It went in my never-to-use-again drawer.

The Pilot Kakuno in Blue with a medium nib is full of Platinum Carbon Black. I’ve been using this combo to re-swab some of my ink bottles. I love how water resistant it is. The bottle lives on my desk and I use it often. This TUL gel pen in 0.5 is so nice and juicy-I love it. I also love the Pentel Energel 0.5 Blue Black. I love blue black pens so much-I need to get more of them ASAP! The Tombow Kei-coat Highlighter in brown is a nice highlighter, the color is just a little too warm for me.

Here’s some pens I inked up to test out inks for ink reviews-here’s a few of my first impressions: I’m loving the three Diamine 160th Anniversary Inks (I’m pretty sure Wax Seal is going to be one of my new favorite red inks), as well as Teranishi Guitar Classy Burgundy. Ink Institute Fortune Bunny is ok, but not fabulous.

I’m not a fan of Ink Institute Shuinandong Smelter and Dominant Industry Atlantis-they are too pale to be easily read. I love both Teranishi Emotional Olive and Lady Emerald. Emotional Olive has some fabulous shading. Diamine 160th Anniversary Tariff Teal is a wonderful dark petrol teal.

The Pilot Kakuno in Green showed up in the mail last week and I quickly ordered a blue one. I love how smooth the nibs are, especially for the price. The only thing I’m not crazy about is the size-I wish it was just a little bit smaller. Now I need to pick up some in the new Madoromi Color Series. I’m waiting for someone to have some in stock

This week @daniellekindsfater on Instagram sent me some stickers to try out and I’m in love. They are super good quality and amazingly detailed. They are going in my journal right away. The fountain pens and dragons are my favorite.

This week I’ve been working on re-swabbing my bottled inks. I love rediscovering inks I’ve forgotten about. I’m swabbing by brand and by color, which helps me find what I need quicker. I’ll do a blog post about the process when I’m done.

Here’s some other currently for this week:

Watching: I’ve been re-watching some episodes of the Big Bang Theory and M.A.S.H. Both are funny, and have cheered me up while I’m still feeling ill.

Listening to: this week I listened to a lot of Taylor Swift with my teenage girls (they are huge fans, I am not).

Reading: I read/listened to eight books this week. I just started re-listening to To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The last time I read it was in college so it’s time for a re-read.

Drinking: Blue Lotus with Raspberry Torani Syrup.

Cooking: Today I’m making BBQ Beer Pulled Chicken Tacos with Ranch Corn Slaw in my Crock Pot. It’s a family favorite and I love how flavorful it is.

Making: I’m sewing up some Denver Totes by Sotak Handmade. I love Sotak Handmade patterns. I’ve made at least 25 of her bags/pouches (mostly for gifts) and the instructions are clear and well-written.

Hating: I’ve discovered that I absolutely hate full cast audiobooks. I’m old-fashioned-I grew up with Harry Potter audiobooks narrated by Jim Dale. He did a fabulous job of doing all the different voices while still feeling cohesive. Full Cast Audiobooks have multiple narrators and just grate on my nerves for some reason. I have no idea why.

Burning: Capri Blue Volcano candle in Copper, exclusive to Nordstrom. I love burning candles-I find them relaxing and pleasant. I always have a candle burning on my desk.

Shopping for: I’ve had multiple Platinum pens in the past (all with large nib sizes), but the nib has never been quite right for me. Now that I’m transitioning into smaller nib sizes I’m considering giving Platinum pens another go, probably in a fine nib. I saw this Platinum 3776 Century Shape of a Heart Bluebird Fountain Pen and I fell a little in love. The pen looks fabulous, but that’s way too much money for me to spend when I’m unsure if I will like the nib, or if it will work for my handwriting style. I’m also considering picking up TWSBI Eco’s in Creme, Caffe and Espresso with fine nibs. I’ve had my eye on them for months, so it might be time to finally pick up one or two.

If you have any recommendations for me this week, let me know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which give me a small commission at no further cost to you.

Flowery February Ink Palettes

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It’s February, and I’m two weeks late with this post unfortunately. This first palette is right up my alley. I love deep saturated colors in winter. Sailor Ink Studio 964 is a fabulous teal, and goes really well with the rest of these inks.

Monteverde Olivine is my favorite out of these five. I enjoy the deep olive color and smooth writing experience.

I love this photo so much. Paper Plume 011 was a limited edition, but I still ink it up occasionally.

Robert Oster Eucalyptus Leaf is a fabulous green, especially for the winter season.

What are you inking up this February? Let me know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: All opinions and swab images are my own. This post is not sponsored, and it does not contain affiliate links.

Kokuyo Sooofa Notebook Review

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I needed some new notebooks recently, so I picked up an A5 Kokuyo Sooofa Soft Ring Notebook in light pink/peach (I’ve seen it advertised as both names). I purchased my notebook from JetPens, but I also found one a little cheaper on Amazon (aff. link).

This notebook measures 8.3 x 5.9 inches. It contains 80 sheets of Kokuyo Campus paper in a 4mm grid. The pages are microperforated. It has an elastic band closure and a clear pocket on the back cover.

The 4mm grid is a light grey, helpful but not obtrusive. I really love the soft ring binding-it doesn’t dig into my hand as I write.

The paper handled all of my fountain pens really well with some ghosting but no feathering or bleeding.

The paper also handled standard pens/gel pens and highlighters well. The only bleeding was from the Sharpie.

Overall, I really like this notebook. It’s a great size, I love the 4mm grid and the soft ring binding. The paper handles all pens well (except the sharpie) and it’s got a cute colored cover. I would absolutely recommend this notebook.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This post is not sponsored, but it does contain an Amazon affiliate link.

Ink Review #2711: Endless Alchemy Molten Bronze

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Today’s ink is Endless Alchemy Molten Bronze. My sample of ink came from Vanness Pens.

The color:

Molten Bronze is a medium slightly warm brown.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some shading.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-just in the flex nib.

Other properties: medium shading, tiny black sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some bleeding and feathering in the larger nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Molten Bronze is darker than Inkvent Gingerbread. Click here to see the brown inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Kaweco Al-sport Gold with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, I like this ink. It’s a pretty color and has some nice shading. The cool bottle is just a bonus.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #2710: Teranishi Guitar Nostalgic Honey

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Let’s take a look at Teranishi Guitar Nostalgic Honey. I’ll tell you right away that I’m in love with this color. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens. Thanks to the reader who sent this ink in for review!

The color:

Nostalgic Honey is a golden brown.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some depth to it.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: high shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some bleeding and feathering in the larger nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Nostalgic Honey isn’t quite as golden as KWZ Honey, and it’s not quite as dark as Vinta Fortaleza. Click here to see the brown inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Lamy Al-star Bronze with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, I love this ink. I’m obsessed with the color. I love the flow and fabulous shading. I compared it in swabs to KWZ Honey-I’m pretty positive you need not one or the other, but both. I don’t understand why more people aren’t talking about Teranishi inks-all the ones I’ve tested so far have been fabulous. A full bottle is on my wishlist now because this one is a stunner!

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: This product was provided by a reader for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #2709: Robert Oster Gummy Shark

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Robert Oster Gummy Shark was an exclusive ink from The 2024 Melbourne Pen Show. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens until they sell out.

The color:

Gummy Shark is supposed to be a medium grey, but to me it reads way more purple than grey.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some interesting shading.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 15 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and bleeding in the larger nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Gummy Shark reminds me a lot of Summer Storm-another Robert Oster ink that’s supposed to be grey but is more purple. Click here to see the grey inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Lamy Safari Petrol with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, I like this ink as a medium purple. It’s interesting and has some character. As a grey ink it leaves a lot to be desired. If you like this color then it’s a good idea to order some sooner rather than later since it’s an exclusive ink.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #2708: Ferris Wheel Press Leadcast Letters

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Today’s ink is Ferris Wheel Press Leadcast Letters from The Print Shoppe collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Leadcast Letters is a pale grey-brown.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks less brown-leaning than it does on the Col-o-ring swab.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 10 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and bleeding in the larger nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Leadcast Letters is similar to Colorverse 85 Costar in that they both lean toward brown. Click here to see the grey inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Kaweco Al-sport Anthracite with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has a slightly dry flow.

Overall, I think the color is a rather unique grey-there aren’t many inks out there in a similar shade. The flow is a little dry for me, I prefer to use it with a little bit of White Lightning (ink additive).

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Octopus Fluids x Fountainfeder Inks

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Today’s inks are six Octopus Fluids x Fountainfeder inks. These inks are exclusive to Fountainfeder, and can be purchased in their online store. Thanks to Fountainfeder for sending these inks over for review!

Swabs:

Left to right: Midsummer, Schietwetter, Grunkohl, Nordlichter, Ostsee and Nordsee.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry Time: 30-40 seconds

Water Resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium-they feathered quite a bit on Rhodia.

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Medium-there was some bleeding on Rhodia and Leuchtturm.

Other properties: The three teal-ish inks all had pink sheen.

On Walmart Pen + Gear copy paper there was quite a bit of feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Midsommar is closest to Backpack Amsterdam Orange.

Schietwetter’s lighter shading is similar to Robert Oster Sydney Darling Harbour, the darker part of the shading is closer to Diamine Dark Forest.

Grunkohl is similar to Kobe 15 Maiko Green.

Nordsee is on the blue side of teal and is closest to Diamine Yuletide. Ostsee is more of a true teal, and is similar to Diamine Aurora Borealis. Nordlichter is on the green side of teal and is darker than Colorverse Pale Blue Dot.

Overall, I love the colors of these inks. The teal ones are obviously my favorite since I love teal, but the other colors are just as good. Schietwetter is probably the most unique, and the one I would pick to get a full bottle of if I had to pick one. I would stick to nicer papers like Tomoe River though because there was some feathering and bleeding on Rhodia and Leuchtturm.

Disclaimer: These products were provided by Fountainfeder for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and is not sponsored in any way.

Currently Inked: February 9, 2025

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I never know what to post on Sundays. Do I stick to ink reviews and only ink reviews (which can get a bit tedious at times), or do I branch out and do more interesting posts every once in a while? This Sunday I decided to focus on what my daily carry was for this week. Generally my daily carry is different almost every day, mostly because I get bored easily and I really enjoy variety. I don’t know if these kinds of posts are interesting to y’all, but here we go anyway. (This post does contain Amazon affiliate links, just a heads up!)

I placed huge JetPens and Tokyo Pen Shop orders last week, which quickly arrived and I’ve had so much fun testing out new pens. I’ve been in search of new gel pen/rollerball/ballpoint pens to try out. In the past I’ve always used 0.7 standard pens along with large nib sizes, but as I’ve started enjoying paper with smaller grid sizes (like the Sterling Ink 3.9mm x 3.7mm grid), my nib size and standard pen sizes have shrunk as well. Now I’ve been using fine/extra-fine nibs and 0.5 pens. So for my pen orders I stuck to 0.5 sizes for the most part and got just a bunch of different styles to try.

Overall, this week has been rough at our house-most of our household has bronchitis, including me, so that has slowed me down a lot. Being super sick has made me slim down my daily carry quite a bit, and I’ve kept it pretty simple. I didn’t actually plan on writing a blog post today but it’s something I can do from the couch while I watch a movie.

This TWSBI 580 AL fine/Sailor’s Sailor combo is one of my absolute favorites. Sailor’s Sailor is one of my all-time favorite inks and I really enjoy it everytime I ink it up in a pen. I’ve come to the conclusion that I should use my favorite inks and enjoy them rather than hoard them for the future. It helps give me some joy when I’m feeling so crappy. I’ve inked up this combo twice now, and it may just live in this pen for a while. This is my second Pentel Energel Clena, and this one is almost out of ink. It’s smooth and comfortable to use. I almost always have a Zebra Mildliner and a Sharpie with me.

Wednesday’s fountain pen was a Pilot Decimo in Stone Grey (fine nib). I’m pretty sure I’m settling into my brown/neutral pen era, so I’m loving this grey color. The Pilot Vanishing Point used to be my all-time favorite pen but lately I’ve been passing over it for the slimmer Decimo. It’s just a little more comfortable for longer writing. I really want to get a Decimo in this Champagne color. I used to hate the Pilot fine nib so much, they were just way too fine for me, but over time it’s really grown on me and now I enjoy it. I had some issues with this Monteverde Documental Black feathering in this combo, so it’s not a combination I would ink up again. The Staedtler Triplus Fineliner is a pen I had years ago and I wore them out and had to throw them away. I finally got around to replacing them and I’m enjoying them again this time around. I’m leaning more towards the vintage style colors this winter rather than the bright and summery colors. This is my first Pilot ILMILY pen, and it’s been a surprise to me. It’s a smooth writer for a 0.5 tip, and I’ve written multiple pages with it. Again, I always have a Zebra Mildliner and a Sharpie with me.

I tried out Pilot Iroshizuku To-ro for the first time this week and fell a little bit in love. It’s right in-between a yellow and an orange, while still being readable. I love Pilot inks and usually get a full bottle of each one, so I need to pick up a bottle. I tried this Uni-ball One for the first time and absolutely love it. It’s so smooth and the grip is comfortable. I’m adding this one to my frequently used pen case.

I love the Pilot Ishime in Navy I got it a few years ago and it’s almost always inked up. It’s one of my favorite fountain pens, but I do enjoy the fine nib more than this medium nib. It’s full of KWZ Chicago Blue, which is one of my all-time favorite blues and I wish it hadn’t been a limited edition ink. I always seem to fall in love with limited edition inks (why do they do this to me???). This Tombow Mono Graph Lite 0.5 in Smoky Pink is an immediate no for me. I grip my pens pretty close to the tip/nib, and the grip on this pen is way too far away from the tip for me to comfortably use it. The ink is also too pale and stingy for me. It’s going in my drawer of pens to never be used again (maybe I’ll do a giveaway from this drawer eventually). The Zebra Sarasa Vintage 0.5 on the other hand is awesome. I’m glad I picked up both sets of these colors since they are fabulous. I’ve eyed them in the past and always passed over them due to the 0.5 tip size, but now that I’m into that size I finally decided to give them a try. Again, another Mildliner and Sharpie to complete the day.

Here’s some other currently for this week:

Watching: Star Trek Voyager. Yes, I’m a nerd, but I’m enjoying watching these old episodes with my kids. I’m also watching a lot of YouTube videos by Seaweed Kisses. She’s fabulous, and while I don’t share her love of the Moleskine, she and I enjoy a lot of the same pens and inks.

Listening to: My music tastes vary widely from Classical and Opera to Country and Pop. This week I’m listening to Livingston.

Reading: I read/listened to ten books this week (I spent a lot of time reading on the couch while I’ve been so sick, and I’m a fast reader) thank goodness for the Libby/Overdrive library apps. The standout to me out of the ten books was the newest cookbook by Tieghan Gerard called Quick and Cozy. My sister got it for me for Christmas since she knows I’m a big fan of Tieghan’s recipes. I’m just nerdy enough to read a cookbook cover-to-cover (but I’m pretty sure I outed myself as a nerd earlier by watching Star Trek so that ship has sailed).

Drinking: Lemon zinger herbal tea and flavored water.

Cooking: I have Lentil Tortilla Soup going in the crock pot because there’s nothing better than soup when you are sick.

Making: I’m finishing up sewing the Social Sharks quilt by Elizabeth Hartman for my son. I already made him the Dinosaurs by Elizabeth Harman, but now he’s into sharks more.

Hating: I’ve discovered that I absolutely hate Lemon Ginger tea. I know it’s supposed to be good for you, but I’m not a fan.

If you have any fabulous recommendations for me this week, let me know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which give me a small commission at no further cost to you.