My ADHD brain in blog form.
When we first had to wear masks, I used an N95 cup mask we had left over. I didn’t have a problem with mascne with that mask, since it barely touched my face. It wasn’t very comfortable, though. When I had to replace it — the elastic broke — I eventually settled on a KF94 mask for its comfort.
Posted in Paper
I always feel a little presumptuous, writing these “here’s how I do things” posts, but you all seem to really enjoy them. So today, I’m sharing my current notebook layout and how it’s evolved into this over the years. I’ve just started a new notebook, and this seemed like the perfect timing for the layout post I’ve been planning.
Note: Please excuse the redactions. Some info I just can’t share with the world.
Posted in Storage
For most of us, our pens are precious. Even more so as we venture into more expensive territory. Considering how much a pen can cost, it’s no wonder we spend freely on protective cases. With the purchase of my most recent pen case, it occurred to me that I have some very specific ideas when it comes to a perfect case.
There are sleeves, roles, and penvelopes; leather, fabric, and wood; portable and leave-at-home. But, in all of that, we still don’t have a perfect multi-pen case — in my view.
Hear me out. I’ve had several cases in my time. Some of them are near perfection — Girologio — and others left much to be desired. But none of them offered my ideal mix of crush and scratch protection.
Posted in Storage
Recently, I purchased a Raymay Detecool Pen Case after watching a JetPens video (Detecool segment starts at 0:16). I wasn’t sure how it would work out for my pens, but I was very pleasantly surprised.
After using it a few times, I can happily say it’s my favorite traveling pen case. Here’s some of what’s so great about it.
Link to JetPens photos: https://www.jetpens.com/Raymay-Detecool-Pen-Case-Gray/pd/30952
Posted in Fountain Pens, and Non-Fountain Pens
The other day, I watched a video on Theresa is Dead’s YouTube channel covering The Eyeshadow Palette Tag. It was an old video, from a year ago, and based on an idea from Allie Glines and Samantha March. However, it occurred to me that I could have fun with it — with some modifications — for fountain pens.
Some of these questions were hard for me to answer, but, let’s give it a try.
At the time of writing (9/5/21) my newest pen is the Retro 51 Wings of the Monarch fountain pen.
I decided not to get the rollerball version last year, and regretted it. So, when a fountain pen version was released a few days ago, I jumped on it. No regrets here. It’s stunning, and I already did a Makeup Monday look with it.
Posted in Paper
Three years ago, I wrote about my favorite notebook at the time, the Franklin-Christoph Firma Flex. It remained my favorite notebook for years, until, sadly, it was out-of-stock for an extended period of time late last year and early this year.
In that time, I went looking for a replacement notebook. This was partially because I wasn’t sure if the Firma Flex would ever be available again and partially because I’ve been looking for a notebook with paper that will better show ink shading.
Fragonard is the first perfume brand I’ve ever liked enough to purchase multiple items from. Find out what makes it so great.
Posted in Ink
Wow, I didn’t really think I’d do another of these. They’re a bit time consuming. But, I came across this pair, and knew I had to share. I’ve decided to leave off the chromatography strips, as they take the longest, and don’t tell you anything about how the inks look coming out of your pen.
Jim found Maruzen Eternal Blue a while back when a local pen peep was selling off some ink. He fell in love with it, and went out of his way to find a second bottle on eBay. It’s pretty hard to get a hold of, so I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that one of Taccia’s new Jean inks is a near perfect dupe.
This one was trickier to scan, since there is some sheen, so I also took a photo.
Maruzen Athena Inks Eternal Blue
Price: $40?
Bottle Size: 50ml
Price Per Ml: $0.80
Availability: Maruzen store in Japan or eBay
Taccia Navy Blue Jeans
Price: $18
Bottle Size: 40ml
Price Per Ml: $0.45
Availability: Readily Available
Posted in Non-Stationery Reviews
Well, this is the last 2021 DC Pen Show post. I’ve milked it for all it’s worth. But, it’s been fun taking a more in-depth look at my haul. I haven’t really done that before.
Brandon Lee of Modern Chocolatier is a bit of a fixture at the DC Pen Show, typically seen next to Ryan Krusac‘s table. This year, however, he was up near the entrance, which made it easier to make multiple visits.
Brandon had 20 flavors with him, and I ended up getting all but 2 — Curry Lime and Habanero.
While it will be a year (assuming COVID stop the world again) before I can have more, I’d like to share my thoughts on the various flavors. And it will serve as a good reminder for me to get my favorites next year.
