Hero - de Kempen - Blank - Independent

"I keep a reading journal, though I'm not nearly as fancy as other journallers out there - my notes aren't aesthetic at all! I needed a new notebook to track my audiobooks as I keep them separate from my notes about print books, and chose the de Kempen large notebook in Independent.

It's really beautiful in design, I love the marbled end papers and the leather cover feels super soft and supple. The paper is smooth and takes my fine nib Twsbi fountain pen well. It did feather slightly using my Kaweco, which has a broad nib, and the sheets are thin enough to see the writing from the other side, but no ink was actually bleeding through. The paper has a slightly yellow tone, which looks really nice with the Diamine Damson ink in my Twsbi.

I wish it came in a slightly smaller size as I prefer to use A5 notebooks; this is somewhere between an A5 and a B5, and the smaller version is more like an A6. But it's so pretty I don't really mind!"

Alice - Dark Room Hot Chocolate- Uganda; Sailor Shikiori 5 pack markers- Summer; Kuretake Bimoji Brush Pen Mino Washi Designs- Japanese Symbols

I chose three things this month for my staff picks. To begin the Darkroom Hot Chocolate, as we are entering the colder months hot chocolate is a necessity. This hot choc is dark, smooth and delicious. It has actual chocolate flakes so having a coffee machine or hot chocolate maker would be ideal but I found a saucepan and whisk worked great, just to make sure all the flakes are melted. It's also amazing in a mocha!

The Sailor Shikori inks have always been a favourite of mine so when we got marker packs in the same colours I was sold! These 5 packs of twin tip markers come in 4 different colour ways, I chose Summer as it had all my favourite colours. The markers are so vibrant, one side is a fine line and the other a brush tip. I had a lot of fun with them from journalling to doodling to sketching. They are a great addition to any stationery lover's collection.

Finally, Kuretake brush pens have long been a staple in my pencil case. The black is opaque, does not move and the brush tips are probably my favourite on the market. So when we got pens wrapped in beautiful washi paper I was very excited. The paper has a lovely hand feel and adds a level of luxury to the writing experience. There are 5 designs to choose from all of which are beautiful and have gold foil on them too. There is also a rubber grip that helps the pen not slip in the hand. This is my go to pen for sketching but would also be great for journalling, calligraphy or letter writing.

Jenny - Pilot Kakuno and Ink Cartridges

This month I got my first ever fountain pen ! I’ve worked at Hunter Paper Co for nearly a year and I love using all the tester pens in store, but I was afraid to take the leap and get my own. I fell in love with the Transparent Aqua Pilot Kaküno fountain pen and knew this would be the one for me. It is a brilliant little pen both for beginners like myself and fountain pen enthusiasts, it is super lightweight and very easy to set up. It also comes in a huge range of colours and with a price point of only —- it’s a great way to explore the world of fountain pens without breaking the bank (yet). I paired my Kaküno with some Pilot iroshizuku cartridges in Kon-peki, the colour ascetically matches my pen, flows beautifully and is such a vibrant shade of blue. The Kaküno does come with a black cartridge as standard which is brilliant but it’s always nice to treat yourself to a beautiful ink colour, and the iroshizuku range has stunning colour options which makes the Kaküno even more special.

Hollie - Traveler’s Company Notebook Camel; Connecting Bands and Pen Holder.

I absolutely love my new TRAVELER’S COMPANY notebook. It was a hard decision deciding on a colour but I ended up choosing the camel colour way, the colour is beautiful. I love how timeless and understated it feels! It’s very me.

I purchased the connecting bands and pen holder alongside it, which make it so practical and easy to personalise. There’s something really cool about a notebook that you can build on and make your own. It’s beautifully made and thoughtfully designed, which makes it the perfect companion for everyday notes, you can also add a diary! Definitely multifunctional, it will get tons of use.

This notebook is a lovely addition to my ever growing stationery collection.

Emily: Hahnemuhle Nostalgie 190gsm Sketch Book, Kuretake Brush Pen, 12 Colour Art Nouveau, and Starry Colours.

This month I wanted to try something completely different: some of our gorgeous Kuretake watercolour paint with a water brush pen. I’m not an artist by any means; I think the last time I picked up a paintbrush or sketchbook would have been in high school - but I found these paints really easy to use.

The Art Nouveau set are gorgeous and vibrant pastels; they’re quite pigmented when solid, and very buildable - if you only want a slight hint of colour, you don’t need to use a lot, whereas if you want more of a solid colour, you can work the water into the paint to agitate more of the pigment.

The Starry Colours Palette is GORGEOUS. I love love love these colours. I found that, much like with the Art Nouveau set, if you want to pick up the most pigment possible, you need to really work the water into the palette to get the most out of the glitter - I think this is going to be so fun to use coming up to Christmas in my Christmas cards, or for homemade gift decoration!

I don’t think the Hahnemuhle Sketch Book I purchased was the most suitable for watercolour - I found the pages warped quite easily and quite a lot during the drying process; and it could be my novice approach to watercolour, but I think this would be better suited to sketching. I also found the water brush was a little challenging to fill at first; it requires you to remove the brush part, and submerge the tip of the body in water and press the sides together to suck the water in. After some practice I think I’ll get the hang of it, but maybe a traditional paintbrush would be better suited if you lack the patience of refilling a brush pen.

Overall, I’m really delighted with these picks - I think each item is well-crafted and high quality - despite my user errors - definitely great for beginner and seasoned artists alike.