The Pen Rest - A Kickstarter worthy of your pens

Today, I want to share an in-progress Kickstarter project with you from David Frieslander: The Pen Rest.

At its core, The Pen Rest strives to solve a problem that seems to plague many of us with desks - the pens always seem to get lost, whether in the shuffle of papers or at the bottom of a drawer. Sure, these pens may have their own special place on the desk, but what makes that placement stand-out and avoid being overwhelmed by our work or projects? Enter The Pen Rest. The name speaks to its heart: providing a safe home for your in-use pens or pencils. And yet, it is so much more. From the stackable aspect, allowing you to create a veritable tower of rests, to the sleek top, capping your single or multiple rests with smooth sleekness, The Pen Rest seeks to bring excellent design and class to your desk, verging upon - dare I say - art.

The options are simple: do you want silver rests or gold rests? Do you want a silver top or a gold top? Care for a mix? Not a problem, as all of the rests and tops are interchangeable. You choose what will most fit your decor.

In the final two weeks of their campaign, I want to urge you to share this project and back it yourself, if you feel inclined to do so. They are still working toward their goal, and having spoken with David myself, I know that a lot of design work has gone into these pieces. The Pen Rest brings form and function together in a sturdy and practical model. Click here to learn more!

Photo credit to David Frieslander. Used with permission.
This promotion was uncompensated.
Text is copyright 2015, Built from Ink and Tea.

Teas and More Teas! - Kickstarter Updates

Last week I told about the Just Organic Tea Kickstarter project, which was on track to successfully finish, soon after my post. It finished most successfully at nearly four times the goal. In the coming months, I will be sharing further thoughts on their offerings. If you missed their campaign, you can still buy their tea from their website, here.


I had also mentioned the "Loose Leaf Tea: Sip & Slip Into the Leaves of a Story" project. After the project gained full funding, the fairytale blends inspired backers to push for the first stretch goal: even more tea! With the achievement of this stretch goal, Rebecca King intends to add villain-inspired blends to each fairytale package. In her eighth update to the project, she reveals the first of the villain blends:

For the first blend, I've chosen to go a more traditional route with a combination of black teas from three regions: Assam, Darjeeling, and Ceylon. Because each of these black teas comes from a different growing region, they have different flavor profiles: Assam is known for a malty undercurrent, Darjeelings are lighter and fruitier in flavor, and Ceylon teas pack in that traditional black tea flavor. The combination is a robust blend that floods your taste buds with flavor and a clean finish.
This tea blend was inspired by the sea-witch in The Little Mermaid. In the Hans Christian Andersen tale, the little mermaid swims by boiling eddies, bubbles, and whirlpools to reach the sea-witch's domain. In the same way, the three black teas are similar in type and general flavor but add their own unique characteristic to the overall tea. Additionally, the clean finish to the tea reminds me of water which fits well with this story.

Her ninth project update reveals the second villain blend:

Refined ladies everywhere enjoy hosting afternoon tea so naturally Cinderella's step-mother regularly hosts gatherings. After all, she has to keep up appearances! However, her sour disposition can't help but filter through which means her tea takes on a citrus twist.
This tea base is a classic Earl Grey (black tea, cornflower petals, and natural flavors) with the addition of: Orange pieces, Hibiscus & Rose petals, and Lime leaves. The result? Classic Earl Grey flavor with a lemon highlight. 

Rebecca King's Kickstarter tea project ends on Friday, May 23. The funding is currently at $3,600, and she has promised a fourth fairytale, when the funding reaches $4,500! I truly hope that it achieves its goals. Check it out and back it for some awesome-sounding tea!


Read my post from last week, here.


All photos and logos are owned by their respective campaign creators.

Notebooks and Teas - Kickstarter Updates!

As of May 1, the Furrow Books campaign is closed. The great news is that they successfully met their funding goal. The goal had been set at 12,500 USD, and the campaign managed to raise 22,052 USD! The best part of this achievement is that in addition to the rewards for which they backed, every backer, at the 6 USD or higher levels, will now receive a Furrow Books sticker. Plus, the Founding Supporter Limited Additions became available in the large size notebooks (5.5" x 8.25"). Thanks to everyone who helped back that project. I am very excited to see the notebooks and share my thoughts with all of you.

Just Organic Tea is a small tea company in Ohio, United States, who focuses on providing excellent organic teas that taste great and result from fair trade with the growers. Their Kickstarter campaign, here, involves an effort to produce and provide their teas in greater quantities. However, in order to do so, they must have large minimum orders, and this is where they have turned to their backers! By pledging for various levels, you opt to receive one or more of their teas, based on your reward level. The Kickstarter campaign has been on-going, and will finish in three days. Though they have already far exceeded their funding goal, another stretch goal lies before them...a goal at which they will add a new, community-inspired flavor to their lineup! Please take a look at their offerings. I will be sharing my thoughts on their teas and herbal blends, soon, and you can visit the Just Organic Tea Steepster page, here, to read the opinions of others.

One final Kickstarter campaign, which is new to me, is the "Loose Leaf Tea: Sip & Slip Into the Leaves of a Story" project. Inspired by classic fairy tales, the creator, Rebecca King, strives to share her future vision of a fairytale-themed tea room. This campaign and the creation of these tea blends marks the first step toward that future goal. With sixteen days remaining, she has nearly reached full-funding, and there are still more rewards to be had for over-funding! A number of reward levels are available, including the option to receive a small amount of each of the six blends (available within the United States and internationally). Your assistance in funding this campaign looks to be met with tasty rewards!


All photos and logos are owned by their respective campaign creators.

And the Winner Is... Giveaway Announcement and Furrow Books Kickstarter Update

Thanks to all of you, who entered the giveaway for the Levenger True Writer! The winner of this beautiful fountain pen was entry #14, Roger Calhoon. Roger, I will be contacting you, soon!

Even though the giveaway has ended, you can still read the review of the True Writer, here. Levenger was very generous in sponsoring this giveaway, and I encourage you all to take a look at their website. the True Writer in foliage is available, here.

In other news, Aaron Zeller, of the Zeller Writing Company and Furrow Books, has announced that the project has been 100% funded! It is now more than $1,000 over its goal. Even more exciting is the revelation of stretch goals for the Furrow Books Kickstarter campaign. Furrow Books is moving in wonderful directions, and I cannot wait to see just how far their campaign goes. Visit them and back the project on Kickstarter, here!

Furrow Books Comes "Plowing" into Kickstarter!

Good morning, readers! This morning, I want to share with you another great Kickstarter by a man, who is performing revolutionary work in the realm of notebooks: Mr. Aaron Zeller (of Zeller Writing Company Fame) and his project, Furrow Books.

The concept of Furrow Books revolves around the idea that not everyone wants horizontal lines, vertical lines, grids, dot grids, plus grids, or other pre-determined layouts on their notebook pages. Additionally, having those layouts on the page can often be limiting, when it comes to preferring a different layout for different pieces of content within the notebook (e.g. boxes for storyboarding, lines for journaling, grids for architectural sketching).

Furrow Books strives to solve for all of the above dilemmas. Gone will be the need for multiple notebooks, due to different internal layouts. (Using multiple notebooks is always still an option!) With a dual-purpose lined and ruled card that slips behind the page on which one is writing/sketching/doodling/marking, lines for guidance are immediately present for as long as they are needed. The below graphic from the Kickstarter illustrates the process:

This project makes a great point in that the pre-printed lines in notebooks, regardless of the layout, really do not serve much purpose, once the writing/sketching/doodling/marking is complete. In my own personal correspondence, I find that an unlined piece of paper with writing on it looks so much more clean than a lined sheet with writing. However, I have issues writing in straight lines, and my words start to go at angles to the page. For that reason, I use a lined sheet behind my blank piece of paper, which serves to keep my lines of writing straight yet is removable, when I finish with that page. Furrow Books has taken the same concept; improved it by making it sturdier, more portable, and more versatile in its options; and created this brilliant project.

For this initial Kickstarter, Aaron Zeller has crafted two different sizes of notebooks to span preferences.

The various levels for backing include a variety of combinations for numbers and sizes of notebooks. Plus, in the pocket size, a special edition has been created, inspired by the Kickstarter colors, hand-numbered, and only available for a limited time!

I highly urge you to take a look at Furrow Books and provide them with your support. This endeavor is certain to go beyond Kickstarter, and I look forward to seeing what other notebook styles and card templates are developed in the future! The Furrow Books Kickstarter may be found by clicking this link. Additionally, you can visit the official website of Furrow Books for more information, by clicking here.

Stay tuned for more updates as Furrow Books "sprouts" into action!


All images credit to Furrow Books.