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Showing posts with label pens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pens. Show all posts

Wednesday, 25 June 2014

Popular Pens for Particular Purpose (Plus Personal, Peculiar and Playful Picks ) - Photo Playback inc: new note & new pics

Dear Scribblers



I thought I would post all the photos from my Popular Pens for Particular Purpose (Plus Personal, Peculiar and Playful Picks) series in one place so you can see all my favourite pens in one place. There's a new note and an extra picture along the way. As an extra treat, if you read all the way to the bottom, there's a further new photo I didn't post about my other pens. 

My older Balmain set, and my everyday Uni-ball gel pen for use in my Filofax. 

My other Filofax pen, Ted Baker stylus pen.

The Stylus Pen in use. 


Smythson wafer diary and  matching ladies pen.

Smythson jotter and silver pen. Additional note, that I didn't mention in my previous post: This leather jotter was a special release for Concorde! I remembered the pen did come with the cover, and has Concorde logo engraved on it. 

My favourite journal pens, which are also my oldest (black and white) and newest (Balmain - duck egg blue.)

My Chanel pencil case, general pens and stationery, plus the digital pen wallet. 

IRISNotes2 Executive digital pen. 

Bargain Asda supermarket notebook and file organiser, with colour ink and gel pens. 

New mini 'Passport' notebook with hotel freebies, promotional, memorable and sci-fi fantasy pens. 

Close-up of my Harry Potter, Doctor Who and Star Trek pens. 

Here's the photo I haven't posted before, in my previous post, I wrote: I have further pens and pencils in my collection which are important and I use regularly in crafting, such as: charcoal drawing pencils, a variety of Sakura gelly roll pens, Whispers Strokes and Permanents coloured double ended felt tips, and various coloured drawing and watercolour pencils. I thought you might like to see some of them. 

I hope you've enjoyed this series. I'll be back soon to show you some of my favourite stationery extras, along with those technology ephemera that's used along side my photo, iPad and computer. 

Enjoy writing and crafting wherever you are!

Happy Scribing!

Important Notes

1. Please note that I am not connected to any company mentioned in this post. I do not receive any products, funding or gifting from these businesses. All products shown have been bought by me, or gifts from family or friends. I mention the items because I like them or have my own private opinion about them. It's just little old me talking about ma stuff! ;-)

2. If you would like to see more of anything in this series, please write a comment below, or 'like' and leave a comment by my 'Popular Pens' Instagram photo, letting me know what you would like me to post photos and write about. 

3. If you like what you read, don't forget to bookmark this site, and please share it with your friends. 

4. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram - @TheCraftyScribe which I update regularly with all things crafty, scribbling, beauty, fashion, the cats, sci-fi, fantasy, and the ephemera of 42*................... *42 = Life, The Universe and Everything!

Friday, 20 June 2014

Popular Pens for Particular Purpose - 4 of 4 Useful Others, Fond Memories, Colour and Beyond!

Dear Scribblers

Welcome to the last day of Popular Pens for Particular Purpose (Plus Personal, Peculiar and Playful Picks ) focusing on my favourite pens and their uses.



1. My Old Favourites and Regularly Used
2. My Smythson Pens
3. Hidden in my Pencil Case - the Expected and Digital Unexpected
4. Useful Others, Fond Memories, Colour and Beyond!


Other pens I reach for are my coloured gel pens and felt tip style.


The ones shown here are: Crayola Super Fine Pro writing pens in blue, green and red, and Crayola Pro 0.7 liquid ink rollers in red and blue. Along with Bic Z4 0.7 gel pens in blue and purple. These are the ones I tend to reach for to add definition to a note, list or diary entry in my Filofax or journal, or to add detail or write on a card, scrapbook or smashbook page. I most often write in black, and add detail in colour. The pens are lying on a fabulous find from Asda. A cream lined page notebook and slotted concertina file in this great vintage seaside print. Details on the back say they are made by www.dggl-products.com A stylish bargain (less than £3 each) from a supermarket! 

Here's another new notebook: 


This time from one of my favourite stores already mentioned in this post - TK Maxx. On the front it reads: Passport - New York City, and my goodness, it really feels like an old passport! Same size, weight and even the cover has that rippled strong texture to it. If you ever owned a British passport before they changed them to the EU burgundy sort, you'll know exactly what I mean! This is so cute! The pages are a pale pink and lightly printed with the Statue of Liberty, and the first two pages are printed like a real passport for you to add a photo and your details. All for £3! It's a great journal, especially for travelling. We have a number of trips organised, and already been on, this year, but I've already started a book for that (which I'll post here, if you would like to see it.) However, we may also be going to New York at the end of the year - fingers crossed - if we do, this will be perfect! If not, I'll keep it for our journeys next year. 

So back to our main topic, the all-important pens on top! These are the personal, peculiar and playful picks, I mentioned, in the title. Sometimes a pen comes your way that writes so well and it's free - well, sort of. It often has a room attached! I've found some great pens on our travels in hotel rooms. The ones lying around the notebook cover all came from hotels, and they all write really well. Not all freebie pens are good quality, but these are, and I gladly use them as every day pens that lie in apt places around the house, car or handbags. I never look a gift pen in the nib, but they are always worth a click and scribble to find out. One of my best flowing ball points came from a hotel and I use it to write every thing from lists to story first drafts. It's the one lying on the book, now I just need an excuse, plus a humongous pile of pennies to get back to Hawaii! 

The top picture of the two smaller photos shows those writing instruments which have meaning to me, and even though they are cheap and cheerful, I'll never throw them away. The two smiley pens were free from a company stand at the first screenwriting convention I went to in Los Angeles, and the camera pen was bought, on the same trip, from a shop opposite the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood Boulevard (where the Oscars are held.) The dragon pencil is Figment from the Journey into Imagination ride at Epcot, Florida - bought over 18 years ago. There's another pen in the main title above which is another cute choice - 'I Love Amsterdam' with a plastic red heart dangle bought from Schiphol airport. Very silly, but we were there for my hubby's birthday and it was a brilliant time. When I see this fun pen, I'll remember the fab times we had. 

The lower picture shows my other loves - Sci-fi and fantasy! There's a Doctor Who pen I received free with a magazine a number of years ago, along with my ninth doctor Sonic screwdriver, as well as being a working pen, it makes all the right noises and lights up blue - which when you use the UV tip to write secret messages - the light allows you to read them. It's magic! 

Talking of magic, in the main picture, you'll also see a little white owl by the name of Hedwig! It's my Harry Potter pen. Hedwig covers the nib, and when you write he sits on the other end watching as you scribe your Owl Post letters. There's also a switch which turns the nib into a torch so you can continue to write in the dark! Lumos! 

I found another light up pen, my red glowing Star Trek: The Next Generation pen bought at the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton, Las Vegas. Unfortunately the attraction containing memorabilia museum, behind the scenes sets, Klingon and Borg simulation rides and Quarks bar no longer exists, but I have my pen! (Although there is Star Trek: The Experience. More can be found here:  or via this OS app: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/star-trek-the-exhibition/id663233661?mt=8

I may be grown up, but it doesn't mean I'm a Grown-Up! ;-)



I have further pens and pencils in my collection which are important and I use regularly in crafting, such as: charcoal drawing pencils, a variety of Sakura gelly roll pens, Whispers Strokes and Permanents coloured double ended felt tips, and various coloured drawing and watercolour pencils. 

I'm sure many crafters and writers have a love of pens, and have their favourites. I've shown you some of mine here, and I'd love to hear about yours. Please leave your comments below, especially if you have any recommendations. 

I've been writing in black for such a long while I've been thinking of choosing a different colour. Does anyone have a signature colour in which they write. It would be great to see if we can make a rainbow of writers. I wonder what colour I'll chose? Mmmmm... can you buy ink cartridges the colour of Chanel Vamp nail polish? That's the shade of deoxygenated blood, apparently!

I hope you've enjoyed this delve into my pencil case and more. I have other cases, along with other pens, this was a tickle along my favourites. Once I've reorganised my Filofax and Chanel case, I'll post the changes. 

So what's next? Maybe a review of my recent writing course, along with an in depth look at my latest technology and the accessories I use with them. I'll always post a picture on Instagram, and a Twitter comment, letting you know when there's new content. 

If there is anything you'd like to see, please let me know. 

Happy Scribing!


Important Notes

1. Please note that I am not connected to any company mentioned in this post. I do not receive any products, funding or gifting from these businesses. All products shown have been bought by me, or gifts from family or friends. I mention the items because I like them or have my own private opinion about them. It's just little old me talking about ma stuff! ;-)

2. If you would like to see more of anything in this series, please write a comment below, or 'like' and leave a comment by my 'Popular Pens' Instagram photo, letting me know what you would like me to post photos and write about. 

3. If you like what you read, don't forget to bookmark this site, and please share it with your friends. 

4. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram - @TheCraftyScribe which I update regularly with all things crafty, scribbling, beauty, fashion, the cats, sci-fi, fantasy, and the ephemera of 42*................... *42 = Life, The Universe and Everything!

Thursday, 19 June 2014

Popular Pens for Particular Purpose - 3 of 4 Hidden in my Pencil Case - the Expected and Digital Unexpected

Dear Scribblers

This is my companion series to the 'Notable Notebooks' series. Here's day three of four! Popular Pens for Particular Purpose (Plus Personal, Peculiar and Playful Picks ) focusing on the pens I use, and the tasks they perform.


1. My Old Favourites and Regularly Used
2. My Smythson Pens
3. Hidden in my Pencil Case - the Expected and Digital Unexpected
4. Useful Others, Fond Memories, Colour and Beyond!

My older every day pens and other stationery pieces live in here:



It's a Chanel cosmetic case that came with a set of makeup brushes, and it works perfectly as pencil case. The brush slots are used for some of the pens I want for quick reach, including my Balmain set, some coloured gel pens, a multicoloured ball point, a propelling pencil and a feather!*   (*See below!)                               

The pocket holds my fountain pen cartridges, a ruler, Doctor Who eraser and pencil sharper and an old Smythson diary from 2009 which holds some story ideas and other notes I may need, along with some blank pages which I want to write on. There's often washi tape or stickers or mini ink pads and stamps in here, but it's pared back at the moment as I'm reorganising. I'll post again once I've finalised my Filofax and case. 

Lying in the centre of the case is the little black 'glasses case style' pouch  which holds a secret weapon. My IRISNotes 2 Executive digital pen:



This simple ball point pen hides a great function. When you link it to the tiny receiver, which you clip to the top of any paper and write, it captures your hand-writing, which you can then upload to your PC or Mac. You can either keep your writing as it looks, or process it to computer font which you can then transfer into your normal word processing app. I use it with my MacBook Air using OS X Mavericks pasting my writing into Pages and Scrivener and it works seemlessly. I've also used it with OS X Lion and it worked just as well. It's incredible! 

There's also features which allow you to use the pen as a mouse (you change the standard ink refill for a special tip which is included.) Plus there's a 30-pin connector lead which allows you to use the pen with an older iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch via a free app. I'm not sure if you connected the lead to an adapter whether it would work on a newer device. I don't know as my iPad is an older 30-pin version. If you have the pen and tried it on a newer device, please let me know if it still works, I'd love to know. I have an iPhone 5, but never use the pen with it as I think it works better on a larger screen. I hope I've explained this okay, however if you want to learn more about the pen, here's the website: 

I hope you'll return tomorrow for the last part, to see those Personal, Peculiar and Playful Picks in 4: Useful Others, Fond Memories, Colour... and Beyond!

Happy Scribing!

*By the way, the feather in my pencil case... One day, I was writing in the garden. I had my head down, then all of a waft, this white feather drifted down and landed on my page. I think it was a gift from the angels, so I keep it in my pencil case for good luck, inspiration and positivity. Well, that's what I think anyway! ;-)

Important Notes

1. Please note that I am not connected to any company mentioned in this post. I do not receive any products, funding or gifting from these businesses. All products shown have been bought by me, or gifts from family or friends. I mention the items because I like them or have my own private opinion about them. It's just little old me talking about ma stuff! ;-)

2. If you would like to see more of anything in this series, please write a comment below, or 'like' and leave a comment by my 'Popular Pens' Instagram photo, letting me know what you would like me to post photos and write about. 

3. If you like what you read, don't forget to bookmark this site, and please share it with your friends. 

4. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram - @TheCraftyScribe which I update regularly with all things crafty, scribbling, beauty, fashion, the cats, sci-fi, fantasy, and the ephemera of 42*................... *42 = Life, The Universe and Everything!k

Wednesday, 18 June 2014

Popular Pens for Particular Purpose - 2 of 4 My Smythson Pens

Dear Scribblers

Here's the follow up to my 'Notable Notebooks' series. Day two of four: Popular Pens for Particular Purpose (Plus Personal, Peculiar and Playful Picks) focusing on the pens I use, and the tasks they perform.



1. My Old Favourites and Regularly Used
2. My Smythson Pens
3. Hidden in my Pencil Case - the Expected and Digital Unexpected
4. Useful Others, Fond Memories, Colour and Beyond!

Onto my Smythson handbag wafer diary and notebook, I use matching Smythson pens with them both. The first is official called a 'lady's pen' as it fits into the dainty hand of a 'laydee', and also into any of her petite purses she may be carrying. An old-fashioned term which may make us laugh, or cringe, or roll our eyes now, but still an extremely useful pen. A tiny gold blue ball point with the diary, you pop the lid into the end which extends the length making it easier to hold, then when not in use, it clips into the spine of the diary keeping it safe. I've had both this and the next pen for over six years, I think.  



You can tell the silver pen is older and been given some use as it is quite scuffed now. I can't remember if it came with the leather jotter, I think it did. I've only recently pulled it out from my notebook pile where it's been sitting unused (but never unloved) for a while. It's going straight into my bag for easy access when I need to scribble down that idea, note or list. 


Unfortunately, Smythson no longer offer these pens in their online store. There is a similar shape to my silver pen available in a pencil, and in  a choice of silver or gold: http://www.smythson.com/silver-wafer-pencil.html

Please return tomorrow for Part 3, to discover what's hidden in my Pencil Case... the Expected and the Digital Unexpected!

Happy Scribing!

Important Notes

1. Please note that I am not connected to any company mentioned in this post. I do not receive any products, funding or gifting from these businesses. All products shown have been bought by me, or gifts from family or friends. I mention the items because I like them or have my own private opinion about them. It's just little old me talking about ma stuff! ;-)

2. If you would like to see more of anything in this series, please write a comment below, or 'like' and leave a comment by my 'Popular Pens' Instagram photo, letting me know what you would like me to post photos and write about. 

3. If you like what you read, don't forget to bookmark this site, and please share it with your friends. 

4. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram - @TheCraftyScribe which I update regularly with all things crafty, scribbling, beauty, fashion, the cats, sci-fi, fantasy, and the ephemera of 42*................... *42 = Life, The Universe and Everything!

Monday, 16 June 2014

Popular Pens for Particular Purpose - Part 1 of 4 My Old Favourites and Regularly Used

Dear Scribblers

At the end of my 'Notable Notebooks' series, I mentioned I would post the details of the pens I use with my notebooks, Filofax and more. So here it is!



As I wrote the blog post, I realised I had a lot more to say than I expected, so I've split it into a four day series:

1. My Old Favourites and Regularly Used
2. My Smythson Pens
3. Hidden in my Pencil Case - the Expected and Digital Unexpected
4. Useful Others, Fond Memories, Colour and Beyond!

My longest used pens are these:



My Uni-ball Signo gel-grip 0.7 gel pen in black. This has a good free flow which reminds me of a fountain pen, with the ease of a ball point. Very comfortable to write with for lengthy sessions. I also have the same pen (unphotographed) in white - or as they call it angelic! - which is great for crafting and art journalling. The black one seen here lives in a loop in my Filofax, and there is always an extra on stand-by. My hubby loves to use these too. 

Talking of the other half, the gorgeous silver tiled effect Balmain set was a surprise gift. He knows me well. They are a ball point and cartridge fountain pen, both with black ink, bought from TK Maxx. The gold-tipped fountain pen was my journalling pen for over the last two years, although it has recently been replaced by...



...yet another Balmain fountain pen, also from TK Maxx. This duck egg blue iridium point pen was an absolute find. It came in the matching box, although the ball point which should have been included had been nabbed by some unscrupulous person, so customer services let me buy it at a fraction of the cost, as it was an incomplete item. I was very pleased with the result! The pen is well-balanced with a great nib. It fits perfectly in my hand, as does another old favourite which I keep in the same box now. 



My black and white Kingsley ball point pen is the oldest one I have in my collection. Another present from my husband about 15 years ago! It's my shortest and fattest pen, but the unusual shape lies in the curve of my thumb and forefinger ergonomically. I love the monochrome look and the silver trim has a Greek key design running around it. This pen has had a lot if use, the only problem is that the size of the ink refills. They are unusual, which you don't find on the high street. I need to go searching on-line to get replacements, difficult when you don't know the size you are looking for. 

The pen in the other loop of my Filofax was a birthday present from a friend. It's the Ted Baker ball point pen with screen stylus, and case. It's thin and elegant, and I use it as my everyday pen. Very practical, and it's become a habit to use the stylus tip with my iPad. Helps reduce those greasy finger marks you can't help causing on the screen. As it stays with my Filofax, I don't use the little leather case it came with. It fits a long lipgloss, with additional space at the end, but that's about it. If you can think of a way of using it, please leave a message in the comments. 


Please come back tomorrow for Part 2: My Smythson Pens. 

Happy Scribing!

Important Notes

1. Please note that I am not connected to any company mentioned in this post. I do not receive any products, funding or gifting from these businesses. All products shown have been bought by me, or gifts from family or friends. I mention the items because I like them or have my own private opinion about them. It's just little old me talking about ma stuff! ;-)

2. If you would like to see more of anything in this series, please write a comment below, or 'like' and leave a comment by my 'Popular Pens' Instagram photo, letting me know what you would like me to post photos and write about. 

3. If you like what you read, don't forget to bookmark this site, and please share it with your friends. 

4. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram - @TheCraftyScribe which I update regularly with all things crafty, scribbling, beauty, fashion, the cats, sci-fi, fantasy, and the ephemera of 42*................... *42 = Life, The Universe and Everything!

Thursday, 15 May 2014

Notable Notebooks Part 1 of 5 - My Ultimate Quality Favourites (and a plea to Smythson!)

Dear Scribblers

I think I've said this to you before, nothing really changes, does it?

In my last post, I mentioned the importance of keeping a good notebook beside you. Then I looked to a post way back on 30 June 2011, as part of my 'Favourite Things' series, I discussed my love of Smythson notebooks and stationery - 


I still feel the same now. Please, welcome to my new short series 'Notable Notebooks' (One of Five):


Over the next five days, the series will include:
1: My Ultimate Quality Favourites 
2: The Organiser
3: My Newest Arrivals
4: When a Notebook isn't a Notebook
5: Used, Loved, Never to be Thrown away

Please read the important note at the bottom of the post. 

There's nothing like the sensation of a great quality notebook, and I find, for me, that no-one comes close to Smythson -  http://www.smythson.com/



These leather bound books, with the smooth pages that let your pen glide with ease, makes writing a pleasure. I especially adore the feather-weight pale blue papers. They may be a little pricey, but you can start with a wafer notebook for £35 (even for less, if you can find an outlet price, such as their store at Bicester Village, or their on-line New Year sale), but be warned, once you have one, they become addictive! 

Over the years, I've used two lockable journals (please bring back the red version with the flat gold lock, Smythson. Please? Please?!), Runway 11.5x13.5cm tuck fastening black notebook (yet to fill), a number of Panama 9x14cm and Wafer 7x10.5cm notebooks (I always write my poetry in the wafer books, I don't know why, it just feels 'right' http://555poet.blogspot.co.uk/), a featherweight replaceable pad in leather cover and little silver pen (which makes me feel like a Film Noir Detective!), along with my yearly diary, A4 pads (white lined pages) and something of a find, this year, the blue featherweight lined notepapers in Duke size which fit my A5 Filofax. 

For those who love their organisers, this may be your way in to try Smythson stationery. You get 25 sheets for £10, which I think is quite reasonable for the quality - an affordable luxury. As I said, I've found that their Dukes size fits the A5 rings (paper size 15x21cm). So, I'm thinking that their Bond Street refills may fit the Personal size (paper size 9.5x17cm), there's also a smaller size (paper size 8x12.5cm - I've checked on the UK in-line store, diary refills are in stock, but the notepaper isn't at the present time) called the Bijou, which I think may be the Pocket size, but please don't quite me on that as I haven't tried them. 

Most of these have been birthday/Christmas/special presents from my hubby - he knows me well!

Please come back tomorrow and see the next instalment of 'Notable Notebooks' - The Organiser. 



Happy Scribing!

Important Notes

1. Please note that I am not connected to any company mentioned in this post. I do not receive any products, funding or gifting from these businesses. All products shown have been bought by me, or gifts from family or friends. I mention the items because I like them or have my own private opinion about them. It's just little old me talking about ma stuff! ;-)

2. If you would like to see a more in depth look into the individual Smythson notebooks, or the diaries and books I've used in the past, or anything else in this series, please write a comment below, or 'like' and leave a comment by my Notable Notebooks Instagram photo, letting me know what you would like me to post photos and write about. 

3. If you like what you read, don't forget to bookmark this site, and please share it with your friends. 

4. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram - @TheCraftyScribe which I update regularly with all things crafty, scribbling, beauty, fashion, the cats, sci-fi, fantasy, and the ephemera of 42*................... *42 = Life, The Universe and Everything!

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