This month’s carnival has some great posts featuring some of our favorite things. Visit the following blogs for great reviews and more.

Artsy Stuff

• Discover what interesting things you can do with a Sharpie marker in your basement. Check out the basement of this Lexington, KY home.
• See some great examples of  Moleskine Art at You the Designer.

Pens and Ink

• Diane at Pocket Blonde has gone to the dogs with Monami Love Pet Pens. Check out her review of colorful markers that will have you panting for more.
• See why Clement at Rants of the Archer is seeing red by reading his inky post .
• Can a ballpoint pen deliver 600 A4 pages of text? Find out now at Tiger Pen’s review of the Caran d’Ache 849 Fluo.
• Is it a pen, a design tool or both? Find out just what the PHX-1 Design Tool Set can do at The Pen Addict.

Notebooks and Journals

• Have you ever wanted a travel journal that is fountain pen friendly? Check out a great review of the Midori Travelers Journal at Rants of The Archer.
• Is there really a journal that brings more happiness to the world? Find out at Writers Bloc who reviews the Write Now Journal by Compendium.
• Find out what Sandra at Life Imitates Doodles thinks about her new 2012 Rhodia WebPlanner.
• Mille reviews the super-colorful Ciak notebooks at Planer Millie. Read her Ciak Notebook review to find out if they fountain pen friendly.
• Checkout a beautiful patchwork notebook that can be refilled in sections at Pens, Paper and Ink . . .Whatever.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Allegra Newman , author of 365 Things to Write About

Allegra Newman is a guest blogger and author of 365 Things to Write About. She shares ways to enhance your creative writing skills and journaling. Check out her blog by clicking the above photo.

Ten months ago, I would never have written about a hermit crab. Or a lemonade stand. And certainly not my perspective about the color orange. No, ten months ago, I would have hemmed and hawed about writing anything, despite the fact that my biggest dream has always been to be a professional writer. However I thought about writing much like someone thinks about eating healthier: a lot of thinking, but not much doing. I really want to, but today’s just not a good day was a common excuse, followed with a weak explanation. I don’t have enough time. I’m too tired. The kitchen cabinets are practically begging to be cleaned out and reorganized again. There’s a ten-hour marathon of Project Runway on TV. Or my personal favorite: I don’t feel inspired.I’ve always loved thinking up stories in my head but hate them as soon as I try to describe their characters and actions on paper. My laptop has been witness to many of my awkward coffee shop dates with fresh, blank Word documents, where we stare dumbly back and forth, silently waiting for the other to initiate the conversation. Needless to say, most of those dates did not lead to serious relationships. In January, I decided to take a different approach to writing. First, I gave my laptop a vacation, and I picked up a pen and notebook to engage in that old-fashioned ritual of longhand writing. I’ve sometimes found that I have better luck scribbling out a rough draft than attempting to type it onto a glaring screen.

Writing daily in a notebook or journal opens the door to creative thinking and encourages you to combine words and pictures on the page.

Second, I committed to journaling EVERY day instead of once a week or month, as I’d become prone to doing. Instead of waiting until 10pm to jot a few tired sentences into my journal, I started waking forty-five minutes earlier and forced my hand to fill three pages with whatever jibber jabber poured from my sluggish brain. I didn’t give myself time to think about what I was writing and how someone might react if they read my entry. I just wrote. My thoughts were all over the place, my word choices pitiful at best, but by 6:45am, I would set down the pen and close my journal feeling elated because I’d actually fulfilled my first daily writing goal. I quickly noticed that using a free association approach to journaling was actually allowing me to unleash fears, doubts, and insecurities on the page without any reservations. It also helped me to acknowledge my strengths and recognize goals. Vent or whine about relationships and work. Express my point of view. Take notice of the small things in my life. Without an expectation to write the most interesting and thought-provoking journal entry ever, I felt empowered to fill pages and pages with whatever thought, idea, or colorful description sprung to mind. As I became more comfortable with writing in my journal, I decided to apply the free association technique to describing random objects around my apartment. Rather than deliberate for an hour over the perfect analogy to characterize the houseplant by the window, I gave myself 10 to 15 minutes to write whatever initial thoughts I had about its big, flat leaves and long, gnarled vines in my notebook. Writing this way had a liberating effect on my creative esteem. When I gave up control over creating the perfect story and let the prompt tell me what to write, I found my imagination bending and expanding in directions I’d never considered before. New writing styles and character dialects flowed from my pen onto the page. And I enjoyed the act of writing again! From those exercises, the idea of a creative writing journal called 365 Things to Write About was born. How might a Friday night, Buckingham Palace, or slime inspire my imagination…or someone else’s? I thought it would be helpful to have a book with one- or two-word prompts like those listed at the top of lined pages where writers can explore their personal and creative thoughts about them as a daily exercise or whenever they want a change in their writing routine. I encourage people who use 365 Things to Write About to withhold judgments on their writing, style, or story idea and simply express on paper what they associate with the given prompt. There are no rules for how the prompt is used – it can be the main character, a vehicle for change, a metaphor, or simply the prop which opens a scene. Be goofy, pensive, or observant. But most of all – have fun! 365 Things to Write About can be purchased online at Amazon.com or at BarnesandNoble.com.

Head on over to Economy Pens for this month’s Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper.

The Editors’s Picks this month are:

• Miscellaneous Pen Porn, from Gourmet Pens!
• No Pen Intended breaks down Stabilo’s Move Easy Left Handed Fountain Pen.
• Rosetta Leadholder and Accessories from Pencil Talk.
• Pen and Paper Hoarder shows off the Moleskine Writing Set Box with .7mm Rollerball Pen.
• Learn about the Muji Aluminum Ballpoint Pen .7 from Multi Pen Dimensions.
• Tyler Dahl, of 777 Pen Repair, shares his review of Diamine Grey.
• Nifty provides us with a story about The Notebook of an Autistic Artist.
• Check out this posting on the Traveler’s Factory and More, from Scription.
• Inkophile brings us another assortment of links in Doodles, Moleskine and a Cherry Link.
• Perhaps several of us can relate to Writing Down the Ink #9 from peaceable Writer
• Seth, of Good Pens, shows off the JZ Designs Key Pen
• Leigh Reyes demonstrates how A Little Balance Goes a Long Way.
• Bleistift gives us a look at just how prevalent The Ubiquitous Staedtler Pencils can be.

Next month, JournalingArts will be hosting the Carnival. Submit your post using this form no later than 5pm EST on the first Sunday of the month.

If you are looking for a beautiful pen to compliment your Moleskine notebooks or planners, check these out. Moleskine’s new roller pens are designed specifically for use with Moleskine paper and the design is great, too. The unique clip is designed to be slid onto your notebook cover from the side or top, even when the notebook is closed. The low profile and flat design prevents roll and helps keep it in place.

The unique design of the clip enables you to slide the pen on from both the side and top of the notebook. It stays firmly attached to the pen to keep your pen secure.

I was a bit skeptical about the comfort of these pens when I realized that the shape is rectangular rather than round, but after using one for a while, I can confirm that it is comfortable. The rectangular shape stays put in my hand better than a round barreled pen which keeps my grip relaxed. Round barreled pens tend to creep on me, which encourages me to grip too tightly.

The ink scribes a smooth, even line with no feathering or bleedthrough.

The ink is smooth and dries quickly. So far, I have had great success using it with the paper in my Moleskine journals and even the thinner paper in the planners, no bleedthrough or feathering. The gel ink is nice and black, reminding me a little bit of a rollerball line.

Colorful stickers are included with both pens and can be used to customize your pen or indicate ink color.

The pen clip attaches firmly and can be slid onto your notebook from the top or side. It works best with Moleskine’s hard cover journals since the cover thickness matches the notch in the cap. You can use it with the soft cover notebooks but you will need to clip onto both paper and cover since the soft cover is too thin to hold the pen in place.

The matte-black, abs plastic finish makes for a sleek pen that is very light weight.

There are two finishes to choose from, satin steel and matte-black, abs plastic. The satin steel pen is all metal construction and is substantially heavier than its black sibling. As a premium product, it comes packaged in a Moleskine style gift box and retails for $50. The matte black pen is extremely lightweight and comes packaged in standard hang-tag packaging and retails for $15.

Both pens are refillable using Moleskine gel refills. To refill, just unscrew the bottom of the pen, remove the old refil and replace it.

Both pens are refillable using Moleskine gel refills and are available in .5 and .7 point sizes and Black, Brilliant Blue, Bright Green, Bright Red, Dark Brown, and Deep Violet ink colors.

Leuchtturm 2012 Planners are available in 3 different planning formats.

Leuchtturm released three planners for the 2012 planning year. In addition to pen-friendly paper and adhesive labels we are accustomed to with Leuchtturm notebooks, the planners feature a few extras that you won’t find in other planners. One of the most unique features is the fold-out project planner in the front of each planner, perfect for scheduling long-term projects.

Each of the planners comes package in the large 5¾” x 8¼” size with hard, black covers, however the 12 month weekly planner is also available in a variety of pastel colors including pink, violet, blue, light blue and green. Here are the basics for each of the 2012 planners:

• 18 Month Weekly Planner
  Vertical column planning format with an entire week spread across each two-page spread. Planning dated September 1, 2011 through February 28, 2013. 192 Pages of Acid-free, ink-proof paper
• 12 Month Weekly Planner
  Horizontal planning format with the week on the left page and a ruled page for notes on the right page.  Planning dated January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012. 144 Pages of Acid-free, ink-proof paper.
• 12 Month Daily Planner
  One-page-per-day planning format. Planning dated January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012.  353 Pages of Acid-free, ink-proof paper

Leuchtturm's 18-Month, Weekly Planning Format features vertical columns.

The daily planning format is one-page-per-day, with plenty of room for all of your appointments.

The 12-month weekly planning format includes the planning week on the left and a ruled page for notes on the right.

Head on over to the blog Peaceable Writer for this month’s Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper.

• Take a sneak peek at a notebook addict’s notebooks shelf at Futurebird.
• Check out the Dotted Webbie at Julie’s blog, Whatever.
• Discover how to use fountain pen ink as highlighter at Diane’s blog, Lady Dandelion.

Many more great posts can be found at Peaceable Writer.

Moleskine's new Limited Edition Peanuts Planners are available in both weekly and daily formats and large and small sizes.

Moleskine has many new items for 2012 and some of my favorites are the new Limited Edition Peanuts Planners.

Crisp white illustrations silk-screened on the covers infuse light-hearted artwork by Charles Schultz while maintain Moleskine’s minimal style. The illustrations continue on the inside of the planner’s covers including the address book.

The daily planners feature an illustration of Snoopy piloting his doghouse.

Daily and weekly planning formats are available in both large and small sizes. The daily planners feature a one-page-per-day planning format. The weekly planners have the week-to-view on the left page and a full ruled page for notes on the right.

A limited-edition postcard and address book are included in each Peanuts planner.

Daily planners feature one-page-per-day planning.

Peanuts fans can find these planners and more at JournalingArts.com.

Which planner do you prefer, a paper calender or an electronic calender?

A friend of mine recently alerted me to an article in the New York Times about our society’s continued move towards an electronic lifestyle that outlined some of the pros and cons of paper and electronic calenders. Where do you stand on this issue? Do you prefer a paper planner, an electric planner or a combination of both?

Check out the New York Times article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/fashion/calendar-wars-pit-electronics-against-paper.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=style