watercolors
- Available at Blick | Da Vinci Website
- Made by a family-owned company in California
- Most colors are lightfast; refer to Kim Crick's problem pigment lists to cross-reference your selections
- Set up nicely in pans with very little shrinking
- Re-wet easily
- Wonderfully pigmented colors which are not "inky" at all
- Excellent, moderately priced, artist quality paints, especially for those living in the US
- Da Vinci 12 Full Pans
- Available only on Da Vinci's website
- Typically under $60
- Made by a family-owned company in California
- Most colors are lightfast; refer to Kim Crick's problem pigment lists to cross-reference your selections
- Hand-poured full pans in standard size
- Tin provided
- Color selection is excellent, including a Quin Rose and Sap Green, but there is no grey so you'll need to mix that when needed
- 92% single pigment
- 100% lightfast (I or II)
- Re-wet easily
- Wonderfully pigmented colors which are not "inky" at all
- Excellent, moderately priced, artist quality paints, especially for those living in the US
- Van Gogh 12+3 Watercolors
- Available on Amazon | Jackson's
- Typically under $30
- Manufactured in The Netherlands
- Extruded half pans in a traditional size
- Box includes thoughtful lift-out mixing tray
- Included pocket brush is serviceable to start, but you'll want to collect other brushes for everyday use
- Color selection is fantastic, including a nice Quinacridone Rose and Sap Green along with cools and warms of all primaries and helpful earth tones
- 60% single pigment
- 93% lightfast (the only color which is possibly not lightfast is Prussian Blue which can shift in any brand)
- Zero colors ping on my UV fluorescent brightener test (most likely to fade quickly)
- Disperse very well in water
- Re-wet extremely easily
- Vibrant, highly pigmented colors
- Can run on the more opaque side when painting on journaling notebooks and planners, but seem much more transparent on actual watercolor paper
- Van Gogh bridges the gap between cheap student grade paints and ridiculously expensive artist quality watercolors; it sits somewhere in the middle and is an ideal starting point for beginners; there may be better values at $100 or $200, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a better, more complete set from a reliable brand for under $30
notebooks
- Leuchtturm1917
- Available at Amazon
- 251 pages
- Available in dot grid, plain, 6mm rule, and square grid
- Hard cover
- 80gsm paper which resists bleeding and has very little ghosting
- Can go without a cover but will easily slip into popular leather options
- Ink dries faster than on Tomoe River Paper used in the Hobonichi and Nanami lines
- Takes most watercolor (especially paints with good quality pigment rather than dye-based wet media)
- Elastic closure, rounded corners, numbered pages, two bookmarks, and back pocket
- Acid free and FSC Certified
- Made in Germany
- Paper Sunday
- Personalized scripture journals and planners
- Dozens of cover choices
- Kids' styles offered as well
- Coil bound, soft cover, and hard cover formats
- English and Spanish options
- Thoughtful gift, as your recipient's initials are placed on the front cover and their name is incorporated in every verse
- Made in the USA
- Use coupon code KEYLIME22 for a 10% discount
- Stalogy 365
- Available at Amazon
- 368 pages
- Best all-around bullet journal with square grid pages
- Sturdy, water-resistant soft cover
- Bible-thin paper which resists bleeding and ghosting
- Can go without a cover but will easily slip into popular leather options
- Ink dries faster than on Tomoe River Paper used in the Hobonichi and Nanami lines
- Takes most watercolor (especially paints with good quality pigment rather than dye-based wet media)
- Rounded corners
- Acid free
- Made in Japan
- Wanderings
- Available at Amazon | Etsy
- Traveler’s notebook inserts available in passport, standard, A5, and larger sizes
- Cardstock softcover
- Choice of dot grid, plain, 8mm rule, and square grid
- Takes everything except juicy Sharpie markers
- I’m able to work extensively with ink and wash watercolor; there’s absolutely zero bleed-through on the other side of the page
- Rounded corners
- Acid free, tree free paper made of recycled cotton
journal covers
- Apple Pig
- Available on Etsy
- Many stock sizes available
- Custom design ideas and sizes welcomed
- Leather
- Made in Taiwan by a master craftsman named Ting
- All projects are made to order; worth the wait
- Elizo
- Available on Amazon
- Journal covers in Large (for Moleskine Large size), A5 (generously cut), and XL (for composition books)
- Leather (I like Chestnut the best)
- Usually in-stock and ready to ship
- September Leather / Newestor
- Available on Amazon
- A5, Standard, and Passport size traveler's notebooks
- Card pockets and folio pockets
- Reinforced spine
- Four elastic bands
- Leather
- Economical
- Usually in-stock and ready to ship
- Wanderings
- Available on Amazon
- Standard size traveler's notebook
- Card pockets and folio pockets
- Leather
- Economical
- Usually in-stock and ready to ship
pens
- Tombow Mono Drawing Pens
- Available on Amazon | Blick | Jackson's
- Set of 3 sizes including 01, 03, and 05
- Other sizes can be purchased individually once you decide which will work best for you
- Completely waterproof ink with no waiting between sketching and painting
- Tips tend to last longer than comparable Sakura Pigma Micron pens
- Zebra Zensations Fude Brush Pens
- Black available on Amazon | Blick
- Colors available on Amazon | Blick
- Archival, water-resistant ink
- Easy to control for beginners
resources for writers
- Grammarly
- Free accounts: correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation
- Premium accounts: scan your work for tone, readability, confidence, and inclusive language and check for inadvertent plagiarism
other blogs for inspiration
- America’s Test Kitchen | cooking
- Barefoot Contessa | cooking and entertaining
- Growing a Greener World | gardening
- Handprint | watercolor pigment database
- Jacques Pepin | cooking and art
- Jeff Bridges | film, music, photography, and painting
- Kim Crick | watercolor reviews
- Naturally Danny Seo | eco friendly style
- Parka Blogs | art supply and tech reviews
- P. Allen Smith | cooking, decorating, and gardening
- Stampington | DIY ideas and instructions for making artful cards, decor, gifts, jewelry, and mixed-media projects