March Carnival at European Paper Company

Thanks to Julie (Okami) at Whatever for pointing this out, the March Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper is being hosted by European Paper Company. Do check this out, some great blog posts.

December-in-March Carnival

Last night I was checking my emails and was somewhat dumbfounded when I saw about 30 that were for the December 2011 Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper that I hosted on December 6. Back at the time I was wondering why no one had submitted anything, but decided that with the Holidays at hand people were too busy. Then when the Carnival came out, several people emailed and asked if I could include posts they had already submitted but which hadn't gotten to me. Now I know why--and in addition to the original emails I also received duplicates, which explains why my inbox was so full.

Here is the December 2011 Carnival part deux, with some great new posts. Keeping in mind that all giveaways have concluded, so entering, like resistance to the Borg, is futile.

Millie presents the Clairefontaine roadbook.

Check out Steven's custom-made desk organizer and his review of the TWSBI inkwells.

Economy Pens has a holiday gift guide, a review of the Alvin Penstix, and a Zebra in Tul(le).

TonyB reviews the Pilot Frixion Retractable.

Clement Dionglay reviews the Quo Vadis Keith Haring Artist Series notebook.

Sandra Strait, aka molossus, looks at two of my favorite notepads: the Rhodia dotPad No. 16 and the Rhodia "R" No. 16.

EuroPaper has a post about Penmanship and Calligraphy.

Tom Lynch reviews the Pilot Falcon, one of my favorite fountain pens.

Dowdyism reviews the Stainless Steel Sharpie and the Marvy LePen in Oriental Blue.

Julie (Okami) looks at the Franklin-Christoph Penvelope 6.

Yosef has a post about Peanut & Chicken Penne inspired by Pad Thai.

December Carnival of Pen, Pencil & Paper

To start off the Carnival, here's a great post on favorite pens by Nifty of Notebook Stories, founder of this monthly extravaganza.

Tom Lynch at Went Sketching has a fantastic post featuring one of my favorite pens, the Pilot Falcon. He's also got a review up of the new Noodler's Ahab flex fountain pen which is a must-read.

Economy Pens puts a Zebra in tulle, or something like that (sounds like something out of Fantasia, with ballpoints and gel inks dancing around a fountain of Noodler's Black Swan ink).




Multi Pen Dimentions has a great review of the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto in metallic gray, there's something very Klaatu Barada Nikto about that pen.

While I don't watch Mad Men that often, whenever I read about the show I think of the guy who runs their supply room. Here's a great picture of Parker Jotters in a rainbow assortment.

Inkophile has a great review of Noodler's Blue Nose Bear, an ink I'm tempted to buy just for the name.

Over at Does This Pen Write is a great post comparing markers, Cra-Z-Art versus Crayola.

Goldspot Pens has a really nice post on alternatives to buying a Mont Blanc. I love that Laban pen, and I wanted to put this in the Carnival since every midway needs its sales stalls.

Plannerisms took a poll asking a seemingly simple question: white or cream? Paper that is, and the results were surprising.

Peninkcillin has two posts I want to highlight: a review of Waterman Havana Brown Ink, and this review of the Kaweco Sport Classic Fountain Pen.

Kim at Tiger Pens Blog reviews the Pentel Lancelot Ballpoint, one very attractive pen I might add.


Via Dave's Mechanical Pencils I cam across The Catalogue of American Mechanical Pencils by Jonathan A. Veley. This looks amazing, and you can purchase it as an ebook or on a CD, or the photo supplement alone.

777 Pen Repair has an interesting post on Noodler's ink, is it dangerous? There have been many posts on different forums about the corrosive qualities of certain inks on fountain pens, so take a look at Tyler's thoughtful writing.

Nancy Olson, Ink always has some amazing photos of pens, stationery, and more over at her place and this Lominchay Riviera Waves is no exception.

The Pen Addict hosts a guest post by Bryan on the Pilot Prera, definitely a fantastic little fountain pen.

Finally, Brian Goulet over at Ink Nouveau has a really great tutorial on Goulet Pens' swab shop, which in itself is one of the most valuable sites on the Internet. Hundreds of q-tips gave up their cotton so that we might see Diamine Twilight ink on white and ivory paper, so do head over and take a look.

Update: Looks like at least one submission didn't make it through to me (I've had that happen too), and it's a good one from Julie (Okami) at Whatever on the Franklin-Christoph Penvelope.

Update II: Steven H. submitted these great posts that also didn't get through to me, one on a custom-made desk organizer and the other on the fabulous new TWSBI ink bottles.


The next Carnival of Pen, Pencil & Paper will be on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 and is hosted by Goldspot Pens. You can submit posts here.

Submit Your December Carnival Post

I am hosting the December Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper, with the post going up on Tuesday, December 6. Entries are due by Sunday, December 4, you can submit here.

October Carnival of Pen, Pencil & Paper

Economy Pens is hosting the Carnival, head over and take a look at all the great posts.

August Carnival Time

August always makes me think of the Great Allentown Fair, so I'm in the mood for a carnival. Peaceable Writer is hosting the August Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper and there are a lot of great posts so go take a look (especially the post on seven brown inks).

The July Carnival Is Here

Can't believe the Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper is here already, hosted by Notebook Loves Pen. Go check out the great posts, lots to read and enjoy.

June Carnival

Note Booker, Esq is hosting the June Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper, and he's pulled together a lot of great posts to enjoy. Stop by and browse the great posts.

May Carnival Time

Economy Pens is hosting the May Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper, and there are a lot of great posts to read. Do stop by and take a look.

March 2011 Carnival

A little late, but I just realized I hadn't checked in on the March 2011 Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper hosted this month by travisthetrout of Notes in a Book. Many great links, stop by and take a look.

Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper

The Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper is a monthly traveling blog carnival that highlights the past month's best reviews, posts, pictures, musings, and raves about pens, pencils, journals, notebooks, paper, and the other paraphernalia that make life worth scribbling about.

Founded by Nifty of Notebook Stories, this January 2011 edition (which I'm very pleased to host) is the 18th in the series. You can find past, present, and future Carnival information and submission guidelines here.

And a big thank you to C., my co-worker and fellow fountain pen collector, for making the January banner.


EDITOR'S PICK

I loved Amy's review of the Platinum Carbon Desk Fountain Pen at The Pen Addict, definitely check it out.


TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Margana at Inkophile has a great post on the ink blotter, definitely a dirty little secret in more ways than one. Great writing is partly the pen, partly the hand holding it, and partly the blotting process, as she shows in this post.


PENS AND INK

While I've heard of Retro 51 I can't say I've used any of their pens, but OfficeSupplyGeek has a review of their Tornado Deluxe Bamboo Rollerball Pen (and what a cute Panda engraving!).

Brian at Goulet Pens gives the new Noodler's Flex Nib fountain pen a pretty thorough work out, using the instant-classic ink Black Swan in Australian Roses.

From PencilWrap we have a bevy of Bic Markers (go for the review, stay for the really nice handwriting).

Lady Dandelion shows off 11 italics in her collection as well as more beautiful handwriting, and makes a number of very good points about the way we write with different nibs (my Parker Latitude stubby italic slows me down, while my EF and F "plain" nibs speed me up and make my writing...interesting).

Bleubug found this Lady Dandelion post on nib width just as intriguing: "I like this post because it reminds us of the different width's strengths and has some nice comparison shots. " Definitely!

Here's a great post from Alex at EconomyPens on a stunning duo: the Lamy Safari with a 1.1mm calligraphy nib and Noodler's La Couleur Royal ink.

Seize the Dave also does a quick test drive of the Noodler's flex fountain pen and the Black Swan in Australian Roses ink (Dave's script is amazingly beautiful as always). And check out his review of Diamine's Monaco Red (that is a beautiful color).

Cheryl at Writer's Bloc did a really great review of the STAEDTLER pen's Dry Safe feature, putting triplus pens (one of my favorites) to the test.

Snarky's Machine over at Does This Pen Write? reviews the EXECUTIVE STYLE 4-in-1 pen.

Julie as Whatever reviews these awesome Quiver Pen Holders, they look incredible and are stylish as well. And then there's her review of the new Edison Mina pens--wow (and a hat's off to Brian at Edison Pen Co. as well)!

Keith at Penned House reviews the Parker 51, in this case a pen owned by one of his grandparents and still in excellent condition (his grandmother was a fountain pen saleslady in a Singapore department store--now there's some history). And check out his search for suitable stationery.

Writing and Scribbling reviews J. Herbin's reddish-brown Terre de Feu ink, and do take a look at the link to Waterman Havana in the post. There's also a visit to Paper-Papier, giving a nice review of the store and it's many wares (including some awesome store bags).

Finally, Lito Apostolakou sent in this post from Palimpsest on Alizarine Ink with recipe and famous author (Nietzsche) included. There's also a recipe for Ink Cocktails, so do stop by and take a look.

PENCILS

Scription shows off the Ain Stein pencil lead (the punch line for the name is in the second paragraph, love it!). Then head over to Dave's Mechanical Pencils for a longer review.

I've been following the re-launch of the Blackwing pencil, and thought I'd just post this blog for anyone interested in Palomino's effort.


PAPER AND JOURNALS

Why keep a journal? Well, Snarky's Machine has a list of 10 reason's why you'll be cooler if you do.

Chris of Pens'nPaper reviews the 2011 Exacompta Prestige Journal 21 Daily Planner and includes lots of pictures of all the extras that come with this planner (for the picky at heart, it's a treat!)

Zequenz Notebooks, which are as flexible as kittens but easier to write on, gets a great post at Journaling Arts.

Lauren, formerly of Pennington-on-Paper, has a new blog (unhalfbricking) and an introspective post on journaling that's a lovely read.

Katie of Orange Circle Studio sent in this introduction to the new Edgewise Journals.


ThirdeYe

Derek submitted a lot of great reviews, so I'm giving him his own set up on the Carnival midway.

The Blue-Black Platinum Preppy

Parker Quink Blue-Black Ink

Antique Store Finds (lucky dog!)

1967 Parker 45 Pen

Noodler's Zhivago ink

Sharpie Pens

Pilot Plumix (nice pics!)


BEST OF 2010 LISTS AND OTHER POSTS

I love to read lists of favorites (it's like looking over someone's shoulder as they read or write), and Inkophile's Favorites for 2010 was no exception.

Brad at The Pen Addict has his Top 10 Pen Reviews posted, definitely a must read before heading out to Staples or Office Depot (or wherever you buy your supplies).

Tom at Goldspot Pens also has a Best of 2010 list with the Top 5 Pen Reviews of the year

Another Best of 2010 list is from Dave's Mechanical Pencils.

From the OfficeSupplyGeek is a Top 10 Office Supply Reviews List (number 1 is and isn't a surprise).

And here's the 2010 list from Inkyjournal with some great pics.

Finally, here's Heather at A Penchant for Paper, her 2010 list includes one of my favorite journals--the new Rhodia unlined webbie.

Bleubug guest blogs at Rhodia Drive with a post about marks on paper (watermarks, wax and stamps, seals). I know how TAO feels, I love the marks on those green and white rectangles, the one with the funny $ signs and pictures, and the pyramid with the eye.


DEPARTMENT OF WHY NOT?

I do admire people who submit to any Carnival that comes along no matter what the topic, as it takes a lot of nerve. For your reading "pleasure" I give you:

Personal Cents on Saving Money at the Grocery Store.

Erica and her 50 Best Free E-Books for Your Business Education from Online Marketing Degree.

Andrew's post at his ComboInk Blog about inkjet cartridges for your printer.

January Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper

I'll be hosting the January 2011 Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper and am looking for submissions. Blogcarnvial seems to be having some problems accepting submissions, so you can email me directly (diane.fennelATgmail.com) .

Please use Carnival in the subject line, otherwise I might delete your post. I've been getting some suspicious emails lately purportedly from friends, but the subject is empty and I'm being asked to click to some link I don't know and therefore won't touch.

Submissions are due in by Sunday, January 2. And I'll be reading around the web, grabbing great posts to showcase, so don't be surprised if you see yourself here on the 4th!

December 2010 Carnival

The December Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper is now up at Journaling Saves, lots of great posts (especially the notebook section).

And if you're in the mood to submit for the January 2011 edition (which I'll be hosting on January 4), here's the entry form.

Many thanks to Nifty of Notebook Stories for founding this Carnival, check out the many fine notebook posts.

It's Carnival Time

The Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper is here, hosted by The Pen Addict. Take a look at the great posts on the new inks, pencils, and more.

October Carnival is Here!

Journaling Arts is hosting the October Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper. Go take a look at all the great posts (the Diamine Oxblood review is fantastic). Next month's Carnival will be at the Pen Addict, don't forget to submit your entries.

Daydreamers Welcome: Carnival of Pen, Pencil, and Paper!

Hey, the Carnival is here already! Take a trip over to Daydreamers Welcome: Carnival of Pen, Pencil, and Paper! for some really great posts!

The September Carnival will be hosted on September 7 by OfficeSupplyGeek, and submissions can be made here.

12th Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper at Goldspot Pens

Goldspot Pens is hosting the 12th Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper, go over and browse the posts (especially Julie's post on her awesome pen cabinet). And a big thanks to Nifty at Notebook Stories for founding the Carnival a year ago

11th Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper

TonyB at Tiger Pens Blog is hosting the 11th Carnival of Pen, Pencial and Paper, lots of interesting submissions so do take a look.

It's Carnival Time Again

The 10th Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper is now up and running, hosted by Julie (Okami) at Whatever. Stop by and take a look, have a funnel cake, and enter the coin toss for a cute goldfish (ahhh, memories of the Great Allentown Fair).

Tiger Pens Blog will host the 11th Carnival on June 8, stop by if you get a chance.

8th Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper

Welcome to the 8th Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper, founded by Nifty of Notebook Stories. The Carnival highlights posts of interest, amusement, and information through submissions as well as nominations by the editor (in this case, yours truly Pocket Blonde).

This month we have lots of great posts encompassing pens, pencils, inks, notebooks, and...other entertainments. Enjoy the reading, and please do invite your friends to drop 'round by posting a link to this website.

The 9th Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper is scheduled for May 4, 2010, and will hosted by Julie (Okami) of Whatever blog. You can submit entries (either your own posts or nominations of other posts) using the Carnival submission form.


Editor's Choice

Leigh Reyes at My Life as a Verb showcases an impressive Nakaya Long Piccolo fountain pen with a roll-stopper that's a show-stopper.

Brian at Edison Pen Co. has an in-depth look at steel nibs: a quality modern steel nib will offer virtually everything that a modern gold nib can, with the exception of flex to provide line variation.


Pens

Tom at Goldspot Pens presents Review : Cross Affinity Crimson Red
Fountain Pen,

A morsel of Mont Blancs at My Supply Room, and I wonder if he's got a Pentel Rollerball I could borrow?

The Amateur Economist reviews the Uni-Ball Jetstream Hybrid Pen.
The workhorse of the pen world is the Esterbrook, and Julie (Okami) at Whatever has a nice post featuring an Esterbrook J Double Jewel black fountain pen.

Lady Dandelion shows off her Yard-O-Led Retro broad nib fountain pen and 11 inks currently in rotation.

The Pen Addict looks at the 0.38mm Muji retractable gel ink pen in orange.

A Penchant for Paper takes a look at the Pentel Slicci 10 Colour Set.

Grease Monkey Hands reviews the Pilot Falcon II and includes lots of great pictures of the blue one.


Pencils
Bleets at Scriblets has a great post on the Uni-Ball Kuru Toga Mechanical Pencil.

Kid Sketches reviews the Paper Mate Write Bros. 0.7mm Mechanical Pencil and Col-Erase pencil.




Inks
Woodworker at Inkyjournal reviews Rohrer & Klingner Sepia, a dark brown-black ink, and Sheaffer Red, the "perfect" red ink.

Clement Dionglay, better known to us as The Archer at Rants of the Archer, has her own take on the best red ink as she reviews the amazing Camel Scarlet Red. And check out her review of Daycraft's Signature Notebook.
Over at Everyday Correspondence there's a review of Rohrer & Klingner's Morinda, the color a cross between dried blood and rose red (the perfect ink for Stephen King is he used a fountain pen).

Another Rohrer & Klingner ink, Solferino, is a beautiful grape juice color and gets a workout over at Without Ink.

Which segues nicely to a post from The Dizzy Pen serving up a wonderful sampler of purple inks.

BiffyBeans has hundreds of great ink reviews at her place, Spiritual Evolution of the Bean. This one is for Diamine's Indigo fountain pen ink. And check out her review of the Ecosystem Blank Journal.



Paper and Notebooks

Journaling Arts reviews Artists Mediums in a Fiorentino Journal Refill (go for the review, stay for the beautiful drawings).

A pair of great posts by travisthetrout of Notes in a Book are these reviews of the Quaderno Italiano notebook and the Oxford International Notebook.

Margana at Inkophile takes a look at Clairfontaine's French-Ruled notebooks and gives her Namiki Falcon a workout on that wonderful paper. "Clairefontaine paper is outstanding for fountain pens, dip pens and everything in between," she notes. Quite true - a flex nib + Clairfontaine paper= fun!

Mark Dykeman of Broadcasting Brain submitted this great post on the insanity of paper notebooks, adding "Some musings about how we use paper notebooks - great comments section."

Passion at The Pen Archives offers a wonderful review of the D-Sign Notebook by Daycraft. Daycraft is not available in the US yet, but hopefully these fabulous notebooks and planners from China will find a distributor.

A visual diary by d'Blogala (he didn't like the Sharpie pen tattoo?). Speaking of Sharpies as the pen of choice go over to Journals of An Amateur Naturalist for a great post, Capturing Notes in the Field.

Over at Quo Vadis Blog there's a competition: Habana v. Webbie v. Moleskine, with film!

And don't miss OfficeSupplyGeek's thorough review of the Leuchtturm1917 Ruled Notebook.


For Your Reading Pleasure

TonyB of Tiger Pens writes: "We love using pens, and what better way to use them than to keep track of the important moments in our lives?" He's put together a great step-by-step guide on how to start writing a journal, and also asks the important question: Do you prefer to take notes with pen and paper or on a computer?

Over at Rhodia Drive we get the definitive answer (if we didn't know it before) to the question, "What's the best paper to use with a fountain pen?" Hint: it begins with "R" and is similar in color to a pumpkin, if that helps.

Another great post from Quo Vadis Blog, Leah posts about competitive pen spinning (which should really be an Olympic sport).

Liz from Life, Love, and Books discovers the joy of buying pens and accessories online, and shows off a JetPens.com order.



Other

Totally off-topic, but as I've taken up knitting I thought I'd showcase this amazing Citron shawl that Aimee at StupidHippy completed. The bread looks mouthwatering, too.


You've Got Mail

In Nifty's email to me outlining Carnival duties she mentioned something about emails coming my way that aren't related to the topic (a.k.a. "spam"). Why would anyone do that, I thought. Then strange submissions popped up in my mailbox. Poetry? Truck Art?
Ranjita patra presents 'That's The Life Baby' - A Perfect Novel for the Young People posted at Breaking News Online.
Robert Terrell submitted this poem from The Existential Poet.
From Brenda D. Chapman come this post from Construction Management Schools on some amazing trompe l'oeil, 20 Outstanding 3D Truck Art Images. I would love to see that in the US, but oh the accidents (and lawsuits)!

Anne Simone submits this post from Online Colleges. net on the 100 Best Places to Appreciate Art6 Online.

And Angela Martin submits this post on 80 Awesome Ideas for All Your Old or Unwanted Books from Online Colleges.net.