Author: Rachel

Ridiculous Pens

Posted in Fountain Pens

Today’s post is somewhat inspired by a YouTube video. “Weird pen collabs” seemed like a fun topic, at least until I realized the only one I could find/think of was the Montegrappa & Harry Potter series. And that’s only weird for what Montegrappa chose to draw inspiration from. The Quidditch pitch, really? But I digress.

So, I modified the idea to ridiculous pens. The pens I chose are either ridiculously bad OR ridiculously good. On the bad side of things you have poor design and pricing. On the good side you have amazing showcase of materials and skill. I’m sure there are many other ridiculous pens I’ve missed, but I tried to go for a variety, and I think I succeeded.

Side note before I begin: I’m not judging the artistry or craftsmanship on the “bad” pens, just the decisions.

Now, let’s start small and work our way up, shall we?

Review – Longbourn

Posted in Book Blogger

Longbourn

by Jo Baker

Genres: Historical Fiction, Regency Fiction
Release Date: October 8, 2013
Pages: 354
Purchase from: Amazon

My Rating: ★★★☆☆

View ratings overview

☆☆☆☆☆ – Did not finish
★☆☆☆☆ – Hated it
★★☆☆☆ – Disliked it
★★★☆☆ – Okay
★★★★☆ – Liked it
★★★★★ – Loved it
Read the full explanation of my book rating system.

While Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters fuss over balls and husbands, Sarah, their orphaned housemaid, is beginning to chafe against the boundaries of her class. When a new footman arrives at Longbourn under mysterious circumstances, the carefully choreographed world she has known all her life threatens to be completely, perhaps irrevocably, upended. Mentioned only fleetingly in Jane Austen’s classic, here Jo Baker dares to take us beyond the drawing rooms of Regency England and, in doing so, uncovers the real world of the novel that has captivated readers’ hearts around the world for generations.

25 Days of Dupes 2022 – Week 2

25 days of dupes 2022 Facebook share image.

December 12, 2022

25 Days of Dupes 2022 – Week 2

Posted in Ink

Hello, welcome to the second post of 25 Days of Dupes 2022. Below you’ll find the inks for days 5-11. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Some reminders:

The first image for each ink shows the inkvent ink and what I feel is the best match, swatched on Tomoe River paper.
The second image for each ink shows the inkvent ink and the different inks I tried matching it to, swatched on Iroful paper.
I swatched ink with a small paintbrush, and wrote with a Zebra G dip nib in the first image.
I can’t guarantee that the color you see on your screen will be true to life. However, with all the dupes on the same page, you’ll see how the colors look in relation to each other, which is the main point of these posts.
I’m not attempting to dupe the special properties of the inks (sheen, shimmer, scent).

Enjoy, and happy inking!

Revisiting Encanto

Posted in Non-Stationery Reviews

I’ve intended to write this post for months. But, every time I’ve put it on my blog schedule, I move it. However, with tomorrow being the 1-year anniversary of my Encanto post, it felt like a “now-or-never” kind of thing.

So, here I am, revisiting Encanto. For the most part, my review was positive. Where I came down a bit hard on Disney was the music. Since then, though, my opinion on the music has changed, and I was wrong.

Review – The Other Bennet Sister

December 7, 2022

Review – The Other Bennet Sister

Posted in Book Blogger

The Other Bennet Sister

by Janice Hadlow

Genres: Literary Fiction, Regency, Romance
Release Date: March 31, 2020
Pages: 481
Purchase from: Amazon

My Rating: ★★★★☆

View ratings overview

What if Mary Bennet’s life took a different path from that laid out for her in Pride and Prejudice? What if the frustrated intellectual of the Bennet family, the marginalized middle daughter, the plain girl who takes refuge in her books, eventually found the fulfillment enjoyed by her prettier, more confident sisters? This is the plot of Janice Hadlow’s The Other Bennet Sister, a debut novel with exactly the affection and authority to satisfy Jane Austen fans.

Ultimately, Mary’s journey is like that taken by every Austen heroine. She learns that she can only expect joy when she has accepted who she really is. She must throw off the false expectations and wrong ideas that have combined to obscure her true nature and prevented her from what makes her happy. Only when she undergoes this evolution does she have a chance at finding fulfillment; only then does she have the clarity to recognize her partner when he presents himself—and only at that moment is she genuinely worthy of love.

Mary’s destiny diverges from that of her sisters. It does not involve broad acres or landed gentry. But it does include a man; and, as in all Austen novels, Mary must decide whether he is the truly the one for her. In The Other Bennet Sister, Mary is a fully rounded character—complex, conflicted, and often uncertain; but also vulnerable, supremely sympathetic, and ultimately the protagonist of an uncommonly satisfying debut novel.

25 Days of Dupes 2022 – Week 1

December 5, 2022

3 Comments

25 Days of Dupes 2022 – Week 1

Posted in Ink

Hello, welcome to the first post of 25 Days of Dupes 2022. Below you’ll find the inks for days 1-4. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Some reminders:

The first image for each ink shows the inkvent ink and what I feel is the best match, swatched on Tomoe River paper.
The second image for each ink shows the inkvent ink and the different inks I tried matching it to, swatched on Iroful paper.
I swatched ink with a small paintbrush, and wrote with a Zebra G dip nib in the first image.
I can’t guarantee that the color you see on your screen will be true to life. However, with all the dupes on the same page, you’ll see how the colors look in relation to each other, which is the main point of these posts.
I’m not attempting to dupe the special properties of the inks (sheen, shimmer, scent).

Enjoy, and happy inking!

Provocateur Images – Passionate Photography

December 2, 2022

Provocateur Images – Passionate Photography

Posted in Non-Stationery Reviews, and Personal

A few years ago, I took advantage of a Groupon deal to try out a boudoir shoot. I wanted to improve my self-confidence and thought that seeing myself through someone else’s eyes might help. It was a nice experience, and it did what I’d hoped. We still have some of those photos on the wall in our bedroom.

That shoot led me to research boudoir photographers on Instagram, which is how I found Trevor of Provocateur Images. His posts caught my eye. They’re gorgeous! I especially liked seeing that he’s size-inclusive and LGBTQIA+ friendly. And, while it didn’t apply to me, he takes great couples shots.

But, he’s in Toronto. A bit far to travel for a photo shoot. Jim, though, came up with a fabulous idea to combine a trip for the photo shoot with a trip for Scriptus. Brilliant man.

So, we booked a trip for October 2020. And then the world exploded. Thankfully, Trevor allowed me to put my shoot on hold until things got back to normal.

25 Days of Dupes… Differently

December 1, 2022

2 Comments

25 Days of Dupes… Differently

Posted in Ink

Thanks to David of the DC Pen Crew, I will once again be duping the Diamine Inkvent calender. This year, however, I’m doing things a little differently. Unlike 2019 and 2021, I won’t be doing a daily post. Instead, I’m going to share a post once a week with all the inks from that week.

It’s An ADHD Thing?!

Posted in Personal

At roughly a year since I first sought help for a resurgence of ADHD symptoms, I’ve learned a lot, especially from meme accounts on Instagram. One of the big things I’ve learned about fairly recently is that sharing a personal story to relate to something someone has said isn’t something everyone does! I legitimately never noticed that I could be somewhat unusual in that.

Twitter post: When people with ADHD bring personal anecdotes into conversations, we aren't trying to "make everything about us." We just listen to what you're saying and get excited by the instant connections we're making to things we've experienced — Just one example, of many, posts I’ve come across regarding ADHD’ers sharing personal anecdotes.

Pens Unique to a Brand

November 25, 2022

Pens Unique to a Brand

Posted in Fountain Pens

Part of what I like about indie-made pens is finding models, materials, etc. that are unique to a maker. Obviously, I don’t know every maker. Nor do I even come close to purchasing from every maker I know of. However, I want to dedicate this post to pens I know of that are unique to their respective makers. I’m listing these alphabetically by maker.

Slowing the Shopping

Posted in Fountain Pens, and Personal

If you read my ADHD post, you know I have troubles with purchasing things. As it seemed that at least some of you found that post helpful, I’d like to share one of my biggest weapons in managing my shopping impulses, especially with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday shopping coming up.

For me, the most helpful thing has been what I call anti-shoping mantras. These short phrases and questions let me pause my thinking long enought to reconsider what I’m doing. This extra moment is often enough to allow me to stop myself.

Pen Porn: Benu Minima Feather in the Wind

November 21, 2022

Pen Porn: Benu Minima Feather in the Wind

Posted in Fountain Pens

Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for pen envy or impulse purchases resulting from viewing this post.

Per usual, you can click on the images to view them larger. I do my best to provide you with high-quality pen porn. 😉

I’ve been trying hard to buy less pens, since I over purchased this year. For the most part, I’ve been doing a bit better. But, when I saw the Feather in the Wind, I couldn’t resist. Just look at the gorgeous photos Benu shared.

aesthetically pleasing photo of the Benu Minima Feather in the Wind — These gorgeous photos are from the Benu website.

Indie Packaging Influence

November 18, 2022

Indie Packaging Influence

Posted in Fountain Pens

I received an interesting question a few weeks ago: who does the best packaging for their pens, and do you think that factors into whether you go back to them as a pen seller?

The question was geared toward indie-made pens, so that’s what I’ll be focusing on today. However, I’m going to ignore the first part of the question as “best” is highly subjective.

Pen Porn: Stars on Sapphire Lakes

November 15, 2022

Pen Porn: Stars on Sapphire Lakes

Posted in Fountain Pens

Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for pen envy or impulse purchases resulting from viewing this post.

Per usual, you can click on the images to view them larger. I do my best to provide you with high-quality pen porn. 😉

If you’ve been here a while, you know I’m not a fan of the Franklin-Christoph models that have threads at the nib end of the section — like this Model 46. But, look at how pretty the Stars on Sapphire Lakes is! It’s well worth it, in my opinion, to try to get used to a different grip to be able to use this pen comfortably. Plus, it’s great supporting my pen friend, Azizah, of Gourmet Pens.

Side note, they’re sold out right now, but more will be coming in the future. Keep an eye on Gourmet Pens Shop.

Fountain Pen Myths

Posted in Fountain Pens

I came across a post a while back where someone was concerned that their nib didn’t have a breather hole. I didn’t bother to comment that a breather hole isn’t necessary for your pen to function because multiple people already had. But, it got me thinking, what other fountain pen myths are there? These are the ones I could think of, with some help from Azizah of Gourmet Pens.

Pen Porn: The Right Royal Pen

November 8, 2022

2 Comments

Pen Porn: The Right Royal Pen

Posted in Fountain Pens

Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for pen envy or impulse purchases resulting from viewing this post.

Per usual, you can click on the images to view them larger. I do my best to provide you with high-quality pen porn. 😉

I hardly know where to start with this treasure. I suppose it makes sense to begin at the beginning.

360 degree view of The Right Royal Pen — I pieced together a 360 degree view of my fantastic new pen.

2022 Scriptus Pen and Writing Show

November 4, 2022

2022 Scriptus Pen and Writing Show

Posted in Pen Shows

For those who aren’t familiar with the show, Scriptus is held in the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon, on the second floor of the Toronto Reference Library, from 10am to 4pm. This year, it was on Sunday, October 30.

When we arrived at the library about five to 10, there was a line wrapped along the Asquith Ave wall of the library, and it was clear that a large number of people had already been allowed in. The line moved quickly, and, once we made it inside, I was amazed at both how fabulous the library is and the length of the line ahead of us.

Kencko, Too Good to be True?

October 21, 2022

2 Comments

Kencko, Too Good to be True?

Posted in Non-Stationery Reviews

For transparency, this review is completely unsponsored and unaffiliated with Kencko. But, if they wanted to sponsor me, this is one brand I’d happily partner with. That said, every Kencko member gets a referral link. If you use mine, you get $20 off your first box, and I get $20 off my next order. Neat, right? EDIT 3/6/25: Although I can’t go online and get a link anymore, the link above does still seem to work to save money.

A few months ago, I got inundated with Kencko ads that made me curious. After all, I don’t eat enough fruits and veggies. But it seemed too good to be true — easy, tasty fruits and veggies. After getting hounded with enough ads — that seem to have completely disappeared now — I decided to give Kencko a try.

Cypress Dandelion Construction

October 12, 2022

Cypress Dandelion Construction

Posted in Fountain Pens

No, this isn’t a duplicate post. I find the construction of the Dandelion pen so unique and interesting that I want to give it its own post.

Previous pens I’ve purchased from Cypress (formerly Mr. Cypress) have had a standard cartridge-converter construction (cap, section, and barrel). This Dandelion pen, however, is very different.