Well hello, new little sparkly bright blue limited edition Kaweco Sport! Sea Spray, their latest collaboration with Goldspot, had me hooked from the jump. And of course if bought one for me, I had to buy one - with a Fine Steel nib - to give to one of you, too. And the winner is:
Congrats Steve! I’ve sent you an email to collect your shipping address.
(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)
Do your pens need to recline in luxury? Does your desk need a little organizational help? Do you keep more than a handful of pens inked at all times? If you're reading this blog, I know you answered yes to all, so you may need one (or all) of these pen trays from Stationery Stack.
The set pictured here includes the Honcho, the Amigo, and the Alfie. The Honcho is the single pen rest, and it's available in two lengths and several different finishes. It's perfect for keeping your main pen handy, especially if you have a pen that wants to roll away on the desk. This will keep it safe while remaining easily accessible. Like a pen cot.
The Amigo is also a single pen rest, but with an added slot that can hold a few sheets of cardstock, like business cards or even a to-do list or calendar page.
The Alfie is the large pen tray. It can hold ten pens--seven longer ones, and three shorter ones. The shorter slots run the width of the tray, with the seven longer ones along the length. It's a clever design that maximizes the number of pens it can hold while keeping a reasonable footprint on the desk. It is 10.5" by 6.25" by 1". It takes up less space than a sheet of paper.
All three shown here are in the St@cked brand color--a lovely Celadon Green that is literally my favorite color. The green paint has a satin finish. Beneath the paint, the Alfie is made from solid Cherry wood. The Alfie is also available in Maple and Walnut. The Honcho and Amigo are Pine. The finish on everything is exceptional--the wood shaping and paint is smooth and flawless. The fabric that lines the pen grooves in the Alfie is a faux suede in the “Sandy" color (Grey is also available). It feels lightly velvety, and makes a nice soft bed for your pens.
Pen trays like this solve my number one obstacle to using my pens: convenience. If I'm sitting down for a planned writing session, it's nice to have my pen handy. But more often I need to grab a pen for a quick note. I'm not likely to dig into cases for a quick need--I end up grabbing whatever writing instrument is most handy, which is usually a freebie disposable pen, or one of my library's numerous golf pencils. Having my pens out in a tray has noticeably led to me using them more frequently. And using nice pens more frequently, as we all know, increases happiness!
All of the pieces at Stationery Stack are made by Addy, who makes very cool things and has big plans for even more. The soon-to-be-released Journal Caddy will be an immediate must-buy for me. There is a status page on the website where you can find information about upcoming shop updates and product releases, which is great. Because this is a one-woman shop, production moves at the pace of perfection.
Do be warned that the time and craftswomanship are reflected in the prices of these products. The prices are absolutely fair, but they are expensive. The Alfie, the largest pen tray, is priced at $145. The Honcho is $14 and the Amigo is $20 for the shorter length and $23 for the longer. It's a big leap up between the models, but that has a lot to do with the materials (pine vs cherry) and the time that goes into crafting a larger piece.
I have really enjoyed these, and I'll be watching for the Journal Caddy launch. And whatever else Addy dreams up next!
(These products were provided by Stationery Stack at no charge for purposes of this review.)
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I’m off to the Washington D.C. Pen Show, and have big plans! What are they? Listen in to find out, and also be amazed at how many new products were released on a random week in July.
This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:
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