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Author: Rachel

Customized Elabo Review

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February 22, 2022

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Customized Elabo Review

Posted in Fountain Pens

Of course, just after telling you I was going to scale back on the blog posts, two pens arrived, so you’ll get 2 posts a week for a little longer so I can do my reviews. Plus I have two more pens on order, and there’s BWIPS in two weeks, so… yeah. Lots to write.

Anyway, a while back I came across a very interesting pen on Instagram from Penwing Stationery. At first, I thought it was a Japan or China exclusive. However, it turned out to be a customized Pilot Custom 74. I showed Jim, and we ended up ordering three different pens, including that first one I saw.

It took about a month to actually ship our order, but they they arrived in only 4 days. We eagerly unboxed our pens. Jim’s Pilot Custom 91 is good. Of my two (the Custom 74 and a Pilot Elabo — basically a Falcon) one was lovely, and one was a disappointment. I’ll be reviewing the latter today. Save the best for last, and all that.

One Wasn’t Enough

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February 18, 2022

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One Wasn’t Enough

Posted in Fountain Pens

DISCLAIMER UPDATE (6/24/22): TWSBI and Narwhal have released a joint statement which I cover in my most recent TWSBIgate post. While not completely satisfied with TWSBI’s response to the situation, I no longer feel the need to dissuade people from purchasing their products.

DISCLAIMER (5/1/22): Since writing this post, TWSBI has been involved in some unsavory actions, and I am currently boycotting them. For more information, refer to the #twsbigate tag page.

This post is inspired by Angelica Nyqvist‘s video One Wasn’t Enough… | Products So Good I Went Back and Bought More!!. In that video, she credits Lauren Mae Beauty with coming up with the idea.

While the idea is pretty straightforward, I’m taking a specific facet of it. I’m not examining all pens I had to have more than one of. Instead, I’m only taking a look at those pens that I purchased more than one of the same model because I loved the way it writes. Maybe later I can share pens I bought more than one of because of the way they look. Would you be interested in that?

Anyway, that’s enough blathering, let’s get to the fun stuff.

Benu Talisman Wild Rose Review

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February 14, 2022

Benu Talisman Wild Rose Review

Posted in Fountain Pens

When the Wild Rose was first announced, I didn’t plan to get it. I’m not big on pink, and, as I’m trying to limit my pen acquisitions this year, it seemed silly to get it “just because.”

However, when I found out the material includes rose petals and heart-shaped glitter, I decided to get it. I pre-ordered from Pen Chalet and requested either #19 or #69 if they got either one. I was lucky enough to get pen #69.

showing the pen number on the cap band — Yes, I’m a child, and proud of it.

Quagmire "Giggity" meme — Yes, I’m a child, and proud of it.

So, I have a holy grail of pens, a Valentine’s Day pen numbered 69. On top of that, it was, by sheer coincidence, my 214th pen. So I can’t get rid of it. Ever. Well, unless someone offers me an obscene amount of money for it. But, enough backstory, you’re here for a review.

Pens That Almost Got Away

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February 11, 2022

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Pens That Almost Got Away

Posted in Fountain Pens, and Non-Fountain Pens

DISCLAIMER UPDATE (6/24/22): TWSBI and Narwhal have released a joint statement which I cover in my most recent TWSBIgate post. While not completely satisfied with TWSBI’s response to the situation, I no longer feel the need to dissuade people from purchasing their products.

DISCLAIMER (5/1/22): Since writing this post, TWSBI has been involved in some unsavory actions, and I am currently boycotting them. For more information, refer to the #twsbigate tag page.

Before I dive into this post, I have an announcement. After over two months of twice-a-week or more posting, I’m going to slow down a bit, and only post once a week for a while. I’m trying to give myself some more time for other hobbies, including an embroidery project, ancestry research, and a completely new hobby I want to try, bead weaving. Fountain pen posts will go up on Fridays. Non-fountain pen posts will go up on Tuesdays. Now, on to the pens that got away!

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February 4, 2022

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Survey Results

Posted in Miscellaneous Information

First off, thank you to everyone who responded to my survey. I’ve closed down the form, and I want to share the results. If you can’t see the charts below (depending on what device you’re on right now, it may be too small to read) you can view it on Google Data Studio. If you don’t want to view the charts, there’s a basic table further down in this post.

The votes surprised me. I didn’t think you’d be interested in brand “grudges,” and I thought pen porn would rate higher. I’ll have to do this again next time I’m running short on ideas.

Pens I Almost Bought

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February 1, 2022

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Pens I Almost Bought

Posted in Fountain Pens

Yep, it’s another adaptation from YouTube; is anyone surprised? Honestly, the YouTube makeup world has some great year-end round-up ideas. This one comes from Angelica Nyqvist‘s video 10 Palettes I ALMOST Bought Recently (but then DIDN’T). But, back to this post. The idea is pretty self-explanatory.

So, what pens did I almost buy, and what kept me from purchasing them?

What is “Decommissioned?”

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January 28, 2022

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What is “Decommissioned?”

Posted in Fountain Pens

I’ve had a few questions, over the past year, about my pen statuses. Most commonly, I’ve been asked about “decommissioned” pens. Since that status appears to confuse people, I’d like to explain what the various statuses I use mean.

In Rotation: A pen I own that is in active rotation use.

On Break: A pen I own that is not in active rotation. Typically, these are pens I’m trying to decide if I want to sell.

Help Me with Ideas

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January 25, 2022

Help Me with Ideas

Posted in Miscellaneous Information

I’ve been writing for my blog so much lately that I’m running low on ideas. I’m hoping you’ll help me out. Below are all the ideas I can think of. Please vote for anything you’d be interested in reading, or submit ideas in the “other” field.

The form will be active to accept answers for a couple of weeks, then I’ll deactivate it. I’ll add a note here once I’ve done that. The form is now deactived.

My Current Pen Wish List — Jan. 2022

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January 21, 2022

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My Current Pen Wish List — Jan. 2022

Posted in Fountain Pens

Well, it’s time to revisit my wish list. I’ve bought some pens, decided against others, and found new pens I want. My wish list still isn’t the longest it’s ever been, so I suppose that’s a good thing.

I’ve split my list into two: the “Tier One” that I’m actively looking to acquire, and “Tier Two” that I’d pick up if there’s a good deal, or if the stars align perfectly.

My Pen Collection – Start of 2022

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January 18, 2022

My Pen Collection – Start of 2022

Posted in Fountain Pens

Another year, another overview of my collection. Last year, I used Adobe Illustrator and created vector images for each table — accuracy was a pain in the butt. This time, I went with Google Data Studio. I don’t have as many shape and display options as I do with Illustrator, but I can more easily separate and display data this way. I have so much fun playing with data that I went a little overboard with this, so you can click through the four pages at the bottom of the frame. Or, if it’s easier for you, you can view directly in Data Studio.

Pen Resolutions Tag

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January 14, 2022

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Pen Resolutions Tag

Posted in Fountain Pens

This is another adaptation from Theresa is Dead, this time, her OH 2021… | BEAUTY RESOLUTIONS TAG video. The Beauty Resolutions Tag originated with Mel Thompson. At first glance, I thought this one wouldn’t require much adaptation. It seemed as though most questions could easily apply to the pen hobby simply by changing one or two words. However, when I sat down to really answer each question, I realized that a lot more work was required. But I digress

I’ll have to revisit this in 2023 and see how I did with these resolutions.

1. What is something you do regularly in your pen routine that you will try to stop?

I need to get better about putting off pen cleaning. I used to clean my previous week’s pens when filling the new week’s pens. But that turned a 10-minute activity into a 20+ minute activity, which annoyed me. So, I started cleaning my pens on Mondays, then Tuesdays, and, well, you get the picture. I usually get them cleaned by Wednesday, but a couple of weeks ago, I never got to them and had to clean 10 pens at once.

Reviewing My Purchasing Habits

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January 11, 2022

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Reviewing My Purchasing Habits

Posted in Fountain Pens

Surprisingly, I actually have a short post for you today. As I’ve discussed previously, I’m trying hard to ensure that I think through my pen purchases. I seem to have done fairly well with that in 2021. I sold 14 pens last year, and not one of them was purchased in 2021. That put me ahead of the same-year sales I had in 2020 (2), 2019 (3), and 2018 (4).

I disposed of less pens in 2021 than 2020 (17), 2019 (15), and 2018 (26). However, I only bought two more pens (42) in 2021 than 2020 (40) despite a significant positive change in our financial situation. I’m pretty proud of myself for that.

Year in Review – 2021 Pens

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January 7, 2022

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Year in Review – 2021 Pens

Posted in Fountain Pens, and Non-Fountain Pens

DISCLAIMER UPDATE (6/24/22): TWSBI and Narwhal have released a joint statement which I cover in my most recent TWSBIgate post. While not completely satisfied with TWSBI’s response to the situation, I no longer feel the need to dissuade people from purchasing their products.

DISCLAIMER (5/1/22): Since writing this post, TWSBI has been involved in some unsavory actions, and I am currently boycotting them. For more information, refer to the #twsbigate tag page.

Both last year and in 2019 I wrote about my biggest pen wins and regrets. It was fun to look back on my pens, so I decided to do the same thing this year. However, with my 2021 Top Pens post, I basically already did that. So, I decided to do something I’ve seen in the YouTube makeup world — surprise, surprise — and rank all of my pen purchases.

Note: Some of the pens have already been discussed in recent posts. If a description looks familiar, that’s likely why. Also, where possible, I linked to an Instagram photo from the pen maker or store they collaborated with. When that wasn’t possible, I linked to a good photo on Instagram (consider following those fine folks). And, when all else failed, I linked to my own photos on Instagram.

Mr. Cypress – Pushing Boundaries

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January 4, 2022

Mr. Cypress – Pushing Boundaries

Posted in Fountain Pens

Welcome to 2022! Once again, my first post of the year is about pens. And there are several more this month.

Early in 2021, I commissioned a Día de Muertos pen from Mr. Cypress. I wrote a 3-part series about that experience (part 1 | part 2 | part 3). At the end of the year, I purchased a second pen from Mr. Cypress, which also has a skull-based design. This puts me in the unique position to compare the two.

2021 New Pen Releases, The Tag

December 31, 2021

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2021 New Pen Releases, The Tag

Posted in Fountain Pens, and Ink

DISCLAIMER UPDATE (6/24/22): TWSBI and Narwhal have released a joint statement which I cover in my most recent TWSBIgate post. While not completely satisfied with TWSBI’s response to the situation, I no longer feel the need to dissuade people from purchasing their products.

DISCLAIMER (5/1/22): Since writing this post, TWSBI has been involved in some unsavory actions, and I am currently boycotting them. For more information, refer to the #twsbigate tag page.

This post is based on the “New Makeup Releases | THE TAG” video from Angelica Nyqvist. She’s done this tag for several years, and I thought it would be fun to adapt it to the fountain pen world.

This tag is about evaluating the releases — in this case pens & inks — from the past year.

2021 25 Days of Dupes Wrap-Up

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December 27, 2021

2021 25 Days of Dupes Wrap-Up

Posted in Ink

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series. If you were unable to purchase the Inkvent Calendar, then I hope this settled your mind about experiencing the colors. I can only assume that the 2021 colors will eventually be released individually, so hopefully this series helped you decide which ones to get.

Comparing the Two Inkvent Calendars

I definitely preferred this year’s calendar to 2019’s. There were actually some unique inks, including some I had to make custom mixes for, rather than a bunch that were practically rebottled versions of standard colors. However, I still feel like Diamine could do better. It shouldn’t be possible to dupe a color in the Inkvent Calendar with a Diamine Ink. That means the colors aren’t “new ink colors that can’t be found anywhere else in Diamine’s existing ranges.” But, I have to at least give Diamine credit for the improvements, especially the additional of multishaders.

25 Days of Dupes 2021 – Day 25

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December 26, 2021

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25 Days of Dupes 2021 – Day 25

Posted in Ink

Day 25’s ink is All the Best, a shimmer and sheen ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Colorverse Andromeda is the best color dupe. 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.

Enjoy, and happy inking!

25 Days of Dupes 2021 – Day 24

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December 25, 2021

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25 Days of Dupes 2021 – Day 24

Posted in Ink

First of all, Merry Christmas! I hope you have a great day and that you get to spend quality time with your loved ones.

Day 24’s ink is Yuletide, a standard ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Colorverse Gravity Wave is the best color dupe. 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.

Enjoy, and happy inking!

My 2021 Top Pens

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December 24, 2021

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My 2021 Top Pens

Posted in Fountain Pens

DISCLAIMER UPDATE (6/24/22): TWSBI and Narwhal have released a joint statement which I cover in my most recent TWSBIgate post. While not completely satisfied with TWSBI’s response to the situation, I no longer feel the need to dissuade people from purchasing their products.

DISCLAIMER (5/1/22): Since writing this post, TWSBI has been involved in some unsavory actions, and I am currently boycotting them. For more information, refer to the #twsbigate tag page.

My planning from last year has paid off. This year, I’m revisiting my 2020 Top Pens and seeing what differences there are in comparison to my 2021 top pens.

As I said last year, I tend to sell or trade pens that don’t make me happy to own. I’m getting closer to all of my pens being favorites, but I made myself narrow them down to a top 10 and top 20. I kind of cheated with the Always Inked section, but don’t judge me too harshly.

This was so much harder than I expected it to be. I slightly adjusted my judging criteria this year. I did my best to put these pens in order of which ones I’m most disappointed to un-ink (clean out). And so, I give you my top pens as of the end of 2021.

25 Days of Dupes 2021 – Day 23

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December 24, 2021

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25 Days of Dupes 2021 – Day 23

Posted in Ink

First of all, Merry Christmas Eve!

Day 23’s ink is Wonderland, a standard ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Diamine Marigold is the best color dupe. 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.

Enjoy, and happy inking!