In the Shop: Mark'style Tous Les Jours Ballpoint and Traveler's Ballpoint Restock

Those of us who are partial to marginalia and annotation tend to have strong preferences regarding the tools that we use, and in my case it’s the needle-tip ballpoint pen. Whenever I travel, the Traveler’s Company needle-tip ballpoint is usually found clipped to the cover of the book I’m reading or notebook that’s accompanying me, and when I’m at home, I either opt for a woodcase pencil or one of the Mark’style Tous Les Jours ballpoints, which use an Ohto Needle-tip refill similar to that found on the Traveler’s Company pen. We’re happy to announce that both pens are now back in stock and available for purchase, with the Mark’style pens available in 14 different finishes!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including Traveler’s Company and Marks. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Thursday Drops: Launch Day for the TWSBI ECO in Cerulean Blue, and a Glow Green Restock!

TWSBI Ecos in Cerulean Blue start shipping today! If you missed it, the Cerulean Blue ECO is the latest solid-color ECO, on the heels of the glow-in-the-dark “Glow Green” and in the wake of the retirement of the TWSBI ECO Lilac. (Note: We still have a few of the Lilac pens available, if you missed out on this release!) Along with our shipment of ECOs in Cerulean Blue, we also received a fresh restock of the TWSBI Glow Green fountain pens in all nib sizes. Finally, a reminder that our Nahvalur (formerly Narwhal) promotion ends tomorrow, with a free ink sample shipping with each new purchase of Nahvalur fountain pens. No coupon code necessary.

Happy Shopping!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

1. TWSBI ECO Cerulean Blue Fountain Pen. The latest solid-color Eco release arrives in “Cerulean.” What ink are you going to choose to match with this one?

2. TWSBI ECO Glow Green Fountain Pen. The TWSBI Glow Green sold faster than any pen we’ve ever stocked, and for good reason - it’s the glow-in-the-dark TWSBI ECO that everyone has been demanding for years, and TWSBI absolutely nailed it.

3. Nahvalur Fountain Pen Ink Sample Promotion. Through September 30 (tomorrow!) we’re offering a complimentary ink sample with any purchase of Nahvalur fountain pens, including the new Original Plus as well as the Nahvalur Nautilus. Check out the review of the Original Plus, published yesterday.

4. Anderillium Inks: Cephalopod and Avian Series. Earlier this week we launched a new ink line, in order to be able to offer our customers more ink choices along with their fountain pen purchases. Anderillium is an excellent series of nature-themed inks, and I’ve been doing a lot of writing with “Colossal Squid Dark” from their Cephalopod series.

5. TWSBI Bottled Fountain Pen Ink. We’ve been out of stock of several colors of both the TWSBI 1791 Inks, and running low on standard workhorse favorites such as the Midnight Blue and the Blue-Black. All are restocked!

6. TWSBI Lilac Fountain Pen. This one’s going away, so get our remaining limited selection while you can!

7. Traveler’s Notebook “Airplane” Series Limited Edition Cover. The LAST ONE is in stock and available for purchase! If you’ve been holding out, now’s your chance. We’re also restocked on regular Traveler’s Notebook Covers, accessories and refills, including undated planner inserts.

8. Midori MD Notebooks in A4 Size. Those who appreciate a larger writing surface love the Midori MD paper in full-size A4. In addition to having the notebooks back in stock, we also have the full range of A4 covers, including paper and leather versions.

9. Midori MD Notebooks in B6 Slim Size. Similarly, we’re fully restocked on the popular B6 Slim “Cafe” or “Novel” sized notebooks in grid, lined, and blank rulings.

Yes, it really does glow like this in the dark!

In The Shop: Welcome Anderillium Inks

Please join me in welcoming Anderillium Inks to the Curated Shop! Based in Tampa, Florida, Anderillium makes sixteen different inks inspired by nature. The inks themselves are divided into two different “series”: the octopus and squid-inspired “Cephalopod” series, and the bird-inspired “Avian” series. If you’re a fan of darker, more muted colors, you’ll want to check out the Cephalopod series, while the Avian series leans a bit brighter.

You can see the slight color shift as the Cuttlefish brown dries to a grey-toned sepia.

So far, my favorite Anderillium inks include Cuttlefish Brown (a sepia-toned ink that has some color shifting properties, which I picked up at last year’s Chicago Pen Show and previously reviewed), as well as the recently discovered “Colossal Squid Dark” - both from the Cephalopod series. Anderillium ships their ink in 1.5oz, wide-mouth glass bottles for ease of filling. The inks are currently available for purchase in the T.G.S. Curated Shop, and are priced at $14.50 for individual bottles, or alternatively $50 for an eight-ink “Series Set” (currently only in stock for the Cephalopod series), which contains one .5oz bottle of each ink in the series.

Remember that through the end of this week (September 30, 2022), we are running a promotion in which any purchase of a Nahvalur (formerly Narwhal) fountain pen ships with a 4ml sample of Anderillium ink, so you can get to writing immediately! Also, be sure to check out T.G.S. “Gently Used,” a place to pick up a good deal on pre-loved fountain pens and more, as items were recently added.

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of Anderillium Inks.

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“Colossal Squid Dark” is a rich teal-black.

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These .5oz bottles are only available in the Anderillium “Series Sets,” but are a convenient size for both sampling and travel.

In the Shop: How I Use My Hourglass (And Tell Us How You Use Yours!)

Over the past few years, one of the most popular items in our shop has been the Hightide Hourglass. I often have people remark that they would love to add one of these beautiful pieces to their desk setup, but they don’t know how they would use it. I thought it might be helpful to offer a few examples of how I either personally use this analog timer, or how other people have indicated that they use them day-to-day.

1. Timing Work Sessions. As someone with a fairly sedentary day job that requires relatively long hours researching, writing, and drafting, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of taking regular breaks to stand, walk around, and stretch. Setting the hourglass next to my laptop is a calm, non-jarring reminder to stop working every so often and get up!

2. Mindfulness or Breathing Exercises. I’ve had several people tell me that they love to use the hourglass as a focal point while they meditate or practice mindfulness exercises.

3. Journaling or Morning Pages. I’ve used my 30-minute Hourglass to get myself back into the habit of journaling or writing morning pages when I don’t feel like it. Pick up a pen and a notebook or pad of paper, turn the glass, and write whatever comes to mind until the sand runs out. Most of the time I don’t stop at 30 minutes.

4. Cooking Timers. While I’ve never personally done this, I’ve had people tell me that they use the three and five-minute hourglasses as timers for cooking eggs and steeping tea, among other things.

5. As a Simple Reminder of Time Passing and the Need to Appreciate the Moment. Whether as a formal Memento Mori or simply a reminder that time is fleeting and you need to do whatever it is that you really want to do with your life, even a small hourglass can serve as a subtle prompt to keep you on track.

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From left, the 30, 15, 5, and 3-minute interval hourglasses!

Personally, I can’t stand using my phone as an alarm. While of course it’s sometimes necessary (for example, when you need to be somewhere important and you can get into the zone and just not notice the hourglass), I find any sort of alarm or alert jarring and disruptive to flow and concentration. An analog timer like an hourglass is a much gentler, more serene method of timing that I I actually enjoy and look forward to using. So tell us, if you’ve purchased one (from us or elsewhere), how do you use yours? I honestly love to hear how these products are put to work in the real world!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop currently has hourglasses (or “sandglasses”) available in four different intervals (30, 15, 5, and 3 minutes), and multiple colors. Of all the colors, I would have to say the Amber is my favorite, followed by the Green or Turquoise, though of course it’s a matter of personal preference!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all products shown, including Hightide Hourglasses and other accessories.

In the Shop: Welcome Nahvalur (formerly Narwhal), with a Welcome Promotion!

It’s always a fun day when new pens arrive for the shop, and yesterday a huge box of Nahvalur (formerly Narwhal) pens showed up. We’re starting out with two models: the Nahvalur “Original Plus” and the Nahvalur Nautilus, both of which bring something unique to the current shop lineup as we build our our fountain pen offerings.

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Introducing the Nahvalur Original Plus

You may recall that I previously reviewed the Narwhal “Original”, a piston-filler fountain pen offered at the $45 price point in four brightly colored swirled acrylics. While I very much enjoyed that pen, the materials used in the “original Original” were a bit loud for my taste, and I was intrigued when Nahvalur switched things up a bit by launching the “Original Plus” series with some major modifications. First of all, Nahvalur has introduced a vacuum-filler mechanism, similar to those found on pens such as the PenBBS 456 and TWSBI Vac700R / Vac Mini. Second, while the new “Original Plus” keeps the same general four-color scheme as the “Original,” Nahvalur has opted for transparent acrylic with more subtle colored swirls, and I love the new look. While all four colors (“Altifrons Green,” “Melacara Purple,” “Azureus Blue,” and “Gold Ocellatus”) look great, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add yet another yellow demonstrator to my collectionn (though the blue is calling my name).

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Introducing the Nahvalur Nautilus in “Stylophora Berry” Ebonite

I’ve picked up two different versions of Nahvalur’s ebonite piston filler, the Nautilus, over the past several months, and I came away so impressed with the value this pen offers that I had to go ahead and add it to the shop as well. First of all, ebonite pens are still somewhat uncommon outside the custom pen world, despite the fact that it’s the original material from which most early fountain pens were made. I have several ebonite pens in my collection, ranging from the inexpensive to the luxurious, and the feel of this material is difficult to reproduce in any other way. Second, the design of the Nautilus intrigued me, especially the “porthole” ink windows. You’ll be seeing much more of the Nautilus in the months to come, as I had C.Y. of Tokyo Station Pens add a mini-Nag grind to one of mine at this year’s San Francisco pen show.

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Where to Buy and an Inaugural Promotional Offer

As of this morning, you can purchase both the Nahvalur Original Plus and the Nahvalur Nautilus in the T.G.S. Curated Shop. The Original Plus ($55) is available in all colors and nib sizes, while the Nautilus ($160) is currently available in Stylophora Berry ebonite. Since both pens are bottle-fill only, we also have several different ink options available in the shop, and to kick off the festivities we plan to include a complimentary ink sample (my own random choice, but it will be something quality and I will try to select a color to match your new pen) with all Nahvalur pen purchases through Monday September 19, at 11:59pm. Be sure to let us know what you think of the ink that we include - we’re “test driving” a few different brands as we think through future expansion!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands shown, including Nahvalur!