The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 298 - This Pen Show Has Character

Not this time Natty Boh. Not this time.

I’m back from my first trip to the Baltimore Pen Show, and I’m ready to make plans to return next year already. It was that fun. I recap the event in this week’s episode, plus Myke’s Pink Love story never ends, and he gives a full review of the Kaweco GRIP for Apple Pencil.

Show Notes & Download Links

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BGM Washi Tapes Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

Some beautiful new designs of BGM washi tape recently landed at JetPens. I've always found washi tape to be fun, but this is the first time I'd have described it as "irresistible". The new seasons-inspired watercolor-effect patterns totally swept me off my feet, and the next thing I knew, there was a bag of tape in my mailbox.

Washi tape does, of course, have a very practical, utilitarian purpose--to highlight, underline, compartmentalize, or label planner pages and such. A lot of what's available reflect this purpose with plain colors or patterns to indicate certain tasks or hobbies. Some are just cute and fun and brighten up an otherwise mundane to-do list.

These new seasonal tapes take that purpose to another level. The delicate watercolor designs evoke moods and look more like art than an office supply. The ethereal inkblot-style designs would look amazing on pages that are used for watercolor illustrations or liquid ink tests. There's something soothing about the designs, too. A softness that doesn't just draw the eye, but helps it relax a little. It might add a little Zen to a hectic week.

The tape isn't just gorgeous, though, it performs well functionally, too. The adhesive is strong but resilient. It stays stuck where you put it but peels up easily and re-sticks without any fuss. I did have a little trouble with tearing when I was unraveling one of them, where the tape started to split lengthwise. I think that was more my error than a fault in the tape, though, as it hasn't happened again. It is delicate tape, so make sure you unspool it slowly.

The tape looks lovely on either light or dark paper, but the subtlety of the illustrations looks a little better on lighter paper. The background is quite sheer, and any grid or lines on the paper will be visible through the tape. The tape is thinner than many I've used before--like a very fine crepe paper that won't weigh down pages.

The tapes vary in price depending on the width and design. The narrower ones are a little over $3 and the wider tapes are around $4.50. That puts them right in line with the cost of other tapes.

I'm very thrilled with these tapes, overall. My primary use for them is labeling notebooks. I like to be able to tell at a glance which notebook I'm reaching for, and quickly orient myself to what's the top-front of the book. Since I tend to enjoy the paper in notebooks that have minimal branding or labels, a bit of lovely washi is very useful for pointing me in the right direction. And I've never seen any washi more lovely than this. My favorite is the jellyfish. I have to remind myself that if I put jellyfish on everything, it will defeat the labeling purpose of the tape. But it is oh, so tempting.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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LIFE Stationery Margin A5 Side Bound Notebook Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

When it comes to notebooks, you can find one for every specific purpose. Be it certain industries, odd rulings, or other constraints and requirements, there’s probably a notebook for it. I’ve always found that interesting, and it’s no surprise that I was intrigued by the Life Margin notebook.

The Life Margin notebook is a soft cover notebook with 80 pages of smooth, ivory paper that feels incredible to the touch and when writing. Like the other Life notebooks, this is some seriously good stuff. It’s a simple notebook, but it’s also simply wonderful.

On the outside, the Margin notebook is a craft paper material that bends easily, but is still resilient. Depending on the paper rule, the branding and cloth binding material is red (plain), blue (ruled), or yellow (graph). Apart from the minimal product information on the covers, there’s nothing else, which gives it a utilitarian feel. The Margin notebook is A5 in size and is held together by stitching and cloth tape. Overall, it has a clean, professional look on the outside.

On the inside, you’re greeted with a minimal front page that has a space for creating an "index" of your writings, or a place to write down your contact information. After that, we get to the good stuff. This paper is some of my favorite, and there’s 80 pages of it in this little notebook. It’s a light ivory color and has a special coating on it to make it extra smooth. Despite the coating, it handles all types of inks, graphite, etc. with ease. Dry times for inks aren’t affected, and it also does a decent job of preventing show-through on the back of the page.

Apart from the super wet Schmidt P8126 refill, the show-through is minimal and leaves the back pages perfectly usable for other writing. If you typically use wet pens, it will depend on what kind of ink you use with this notebook. In some cases, you may not be able to use the back page.

Writing on this paper is an incredibly enjoyable experience. It’s smooth when writing, has a good weight, and also has a pleasant color. The pages lay open easily, and the notebook closes flat when not in use. The binding seems strong, but also very pliable. There are no pages numbers in the notebook, but it does boast something special.

Like the name implies, this notebook features a vertical margin line about 1.5 inches or 35mm from the left side of the page. It’s an unobtrusive light gray line that’s helpful for leaving a (you guessed it) margin on the left side for notes, edits, or whatever else. Due to the somewhat light weight of the paper, you can also see the margin line showing throw from the back page, which gives you a handy right margin as well. Due to the light ink, it’s easy to disregard the margin when you don’t need it. And, the margin is present on each ruling type. I found the margin useful for making outlines and lists, but I could also see how it would be useful for note-taking and planning. Given the open structure, you can use it in whatever way makes sense to you in different situations.

Life notebooks have long been a favorite of mine due to the paper and build quality, and the Margin notebook is no exception.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!