Tuesday 26 March 2013

National Stationery Week

It's getting near that time of year again, where we and other retailers, pen enthusiasts and stationery lovers around the country help to celebrate National Stationery Week, which runs from the 22nd to the 28th April. 

If you'd like to get involved, you can find out all the info here on the National Stationery Week website, www.getbritainwriting.com


Here are their top tips on how to get involved!



·  Use Twitter and Facebook to tell us your favourite stationery product or pen, your favourite stationery brands and your favourite stationery retailer. 

·  Upload a picture to Twitter with the hashtag #NatStatWeek #GetBritainWriting #lovestationery or #stationeryaddict and upload onto Facebook

The picture simply needs to be something #NatStatWeek related which reminds you of the written word, stationery, pens and pencils.

There are some great stationery prizes to be won in the weeks leading up to National Stationery Week.
·  Write a letter or card to a relative or friend and show you care.
·  Go on a stationery crawl!  Itinerary for London’s West End available, on request.
·  Treat yourself to a new pen or notebook – or even both! – during National Stationery Week.  You know you want to! 

·  If you have children, tell them why writing by hand matters and encourage them to write a card or letter to their grandparents or a friend. 

·  If you are a teacher, focus on the importance of good handwriting to your pupils and have some fun handwriting-themed activities in class during the week.

Share your plans on our Facebook page. - See more at: http://nationalstationeryweek.com/get-involved/#sthash.bQ3pqAm2.dpuf
 


  • Use Twitter and Facebook to tell us your favourite stationery product or pen, your favourite stationery brands and your favourite stationery retailer.
  • Upload a picture to Twitter with the hashtag #NatStatWeek #GetBritainWriting #lovestationery or #stationeryaddict and upload onto Facebook
    The picture simply needs to be something #NatStatWeek related which reminds you of the written word, stationery, pens and pencils.
    There are some great stationery prizes to be won in the weeks leading up to National Stationery Week.
  • Write a letter or card to a relative or friend and show you care.
  • Go on a stationery crawl!  Itinerary for London’s West End available, on request.
  • Treat yourself to a new pen or notebook – or even both! – during National Stationery Week.  You know you want to!
  • If you have children, tell them why writing by hand matters and encourage them to write a card or letter to their grandparents or a friend.
  • If you are a teacher, focus on the importance of good handwriting to your pupils and have some fun handwriting-themed activities in class during the week.
    Share your plans on our Facebook page.
  • - See more at: http://nationalstationeryweek.com/get-involved/#sthash.bQ3pqAm2.dpuf

  • Use Twitter and Facebook to tell us your favourite stationery product or pen, your favourite stationery brands and your favourite stationery retailer.
  • Upload a picture to Twitter with the hashtag #NatStatWeek #GetBritainWriting #lovestationery or #stationeryaddict and upload onto Facebook
    The picture simply needs to be something #NatStatWeek related which reminds you of the written word, stationery, pens and pencils.
    There are some great stationery prizes to be won in the weeks leading up to National Stationery Week.
  • Write a letter or card to a relative or friend and show you care.
  • Go on a stationery crawl!  Itinerary for London’s West End available, on request.
  • Treat yourself to a new pen or notebook – or even both! – during National Stationery Week.  You know you want to!
  • If you have children, tell them why writing by hand matters and encourage them to write a card or letter to their grandparents or a friend.
  • If you are a teacher, focus on the importance of good handwriting to your pupils and have some fun handwriting-themed activities in class during the week.
    Share your plans on our Facebook page.
  • - See more at: http://nationalstationeryweek.com/get-involved/#sthash.bQ3pqAm2.dpuf
  • Use Twitter and Facebook to tell us your favourite stationery product or pen, your favourite stationery brands and your favourite stationery retailer.
  • Upload a picture to Twitter with the hashtag #NatStatWeek #GetBritainWriting #lovestationery or #stationeryaddict and upload onto Facebook
    The picture simply needs to be something #NatStatWeek related which reminds you of the written word, stationery, pens and pencils.
    There are some great stationery prizes to be won in the weeks leading up to National Stationery Week.
  • Write a letter or card to a relative or friend and show you care.
  • Go on a stationery crawl!  Itinerary for London’s West End available, on request.
  • Treat yourself to a new pen or notebook – or even both! – during National Stationery Week.  You know you want to!
  • If you have children, tell them why writing by hand matters and encourage them to write a card or letter to their grandparents or a friend.
  • If you are a teacher, focus on the importance of good handwriting to your pupils and have some fun handwriting-themed activities in class during the week.
    Share your plans on our Facebook page.
  • - See more at: http://nationalstationeryweek.com/get-involved/#sthash.bQ3pqAm2.dpuff
     


    Wednesday 20 March 2013

    paper is best!

     This video provides the perfect argument for why paper is at least some of the time, still best...


    As we delve further into the digital age, is paper becoming used less? Are people more at ease with a tablet than a pad? Perhaps people are taking the environment into consideration, or maybe a computer screen is better than a plain old piece of paper?

    Whether you think spell check is a good or bad thing, it's certainly true that your computer will never let you spell a word wrong - even if it misunderstand what word you are actually trying to write...

    If you're looking to add a personal touch to your correspondence then this is where paper comes into its own, you can never accuse someone that's written a letter with a pen and paper of not giving it their own personal touch - it comes naturally, and usually makes much better reading than a page of 'Times New Roman' - although if you use that font, maybe you shouldn't be allowed near a computer anyway.

    Which is best?....











    Friday 15 March 2013

    Salvador Dali from Visconti now available!

    Visconti Salvador Dali Blue Fountain Pen
    Visconti Salvador Dali Brown Fountain Pen 
    Visconti Salvador Dali Green Fountain Pen 

    See the full range here...


    This new range from Visconti celebrates the work of Spanish Surrealist Salvador Dali, one of the greatest artists from the 20th Century. The eighteen-faceted design is available in fountain pen, ballpoint, rollerball, rollergraphic or mechanical pencil.

    The Visconti Salvador Dali Collection sees his painting 'The Persistence of Memory' used as the basis for the inspiration behind the colour and design of this new range. Available in green, brown or blue, reflecting the colours used in his painting, Visconti have also featured Dali's famous melting clocks exquisitely reproduced on the clip of the pen. Salvador Dali's signature is featured around the ring at the bottom of the cap.

    Material: Vegetal Resin
    Colour : brown/bronze trims - green/golden trims - blu/palladium trims
    Nib: Visconti Steel Nib
    Filling System: Converter/Cartridge
    Artistic Artwork: "Dance of Time I"© standing on the Clip and melting central band with Salvador Dalí signature engraved.
    Box: Regular box with Salvador Dalí image 






    Blue 
    See them up close here...

    In addition to the regular editions, Visconti have also commissioned this Limited Edition range of Fountain Pens, celebrating the works of Salvador Dali. The pen is limited to 904 pieces (referring to the day of birth of Salvador Dali, 1904). The fountain pen uses two famous patents of Visconti, the 23k. Palladium Dreamtouch nib, and the Double Reservoir filling system.

    Lobster, one of the great obsessions of Dalí, hard peel and soft interior: this concept has been revisited by the material of the pen in AG 925 enameled but that leave to see the soft interior represented from the ink. Pen is delivered full of ink.

    Newton: we can see two open windows on the cap that allow to see the pen interior, the feeder and the nib.

    Drawer: the drawer on "Woman Aflame" represents the feminine sensuality, but in the Visconti pen represents the writing sensuality and it is used to fill up the pen.

    Melting Watch: we could not resist to reproduce the "Dance of Time I" that décor half portion of the body.

    Bleeding Heart: the "Unicorn" is bleeding, but on our pen it is not real bleeding blood… it is represented from the ink that slide gently towards the nib.


    Surrealistic Pens Collection in Limited Edition
    904 pen in blue enameling, sterling silver rodium plated 925
    904 pen in green enameling, vermeil 925
    Material: Sterling Silver 925
    Nib: bicolor 23Kt. Dreamtouch Pd
    Filling System: Double Reservoir filling system
    Artistic artwork: microfusion in enameled sterling silver
    Box: wood box with original pen stand reproduction of the "Profile of Time"


     Green

    Thursday 14 March 2013

    Pen Evening Report - 8th March 2013


    As always, a jolly old time was had by all at our latest pen show on the 8th March. 

    We were a man down, as unfortunately Michael from Visconti ended up not being able to attend, but the show must go on!


    John Sorokwa was here dishing out his nib and fountain pen expertise and everyone enjoyed testing out the new Omas, if you missed it, or just want to reminise, here's a little video we put together of the night!





    Wednesday 13 March 2013

    Sailor Brush Pens

    Thought I'd introduce you to a great little pen from Sailor, the Brush Pen. As you might expect, instead of using a nib it uses a brush, but most importantly you can still use fountain pen ink with it. either cartridges (which come with it) or you can buy a Sailor converter to use with it. 

    Ideal for artists, illustrators, calligraphers, or anyone in between!

    The very flexible brush tip can go from narrow to sweeping broad strokes with just the lightest bit of pressure. This model comes with the lovely rounded top seemingly more blending with the entire fountain pen and the weight balance is at it optimum.

    And now, Sailor have introduced (available from April) some colour into the equation!  See them all here...


    Rabbit Design - Black
    Rabbit Design - Black
    Rabbit Design - Red
    Rabbit Design - Red
    Iris Design - White
    Iris Design - White
    Iris Design - Black
    Iris Design - Black
    Cosmos Design - Black
    Cosmos Design - Black
    Cosmos Design - White
    Cosmos Design - White
    Peony Design - Black
    Peony Design - Black
    Peony Design - Red
    Peony Design - Red



    Sailor Yubi Maki-e Brush Pen - Available in April

    Thursday 7 March 2013

    Our New Yard-O-Led

    Handmade, British, (made not too far away from us in Birmingham) Solid Silver, what more could you want from a writing instrument? A reasonable price you say? Well that's also in the mix to!

    Silver really doesn't get much better looking than these Yard-O-Led, at the minute we've only got the ballpoint and pencil varieties, but are awaiting some lovely fountain pens to come in as well.  If you're lucky enough to be coming along to our pen evening, tomorrow! (8th March), then you'll be able to see these beauties in the flesh. Until then, check them out here....






    Monday 4 March 2013

    Some more images of the Omas Noir Paragon








    An absolutely amazing looking pen, one of the best that Omas have product in our humble opinion!

    Friday 1 March 2013

    A little more info on the Visconti Dali



    Here's a little bit more info on the Dali for you, and a few more lovely images, we'll let you know more about the official release date when we can!

    See more images here...