My ADHD brain in blog form.
Posted in Fountain Pens, Non-Fountain Pens, Paper, and Pen Shows
I typically share my pen show haul after each show I attend. I see no reason to diverge from that for this show. However, be prepared, because my haul is not pen heavy this time. Shocking, I know.
Let’s start with the pens, shall we?
Posted in Pen Shows
Jim and I needed a vacation after all of the Athena stress, but we had trouble figuring out where to go. We ended up deciding on a long weekend trip to the St. Louis Pen Show. We weren’t really sure what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised.
The entrance/registration desk was at the same level as the hotel lobby, with the show itself one floor below. Thankfully, there were both two elevators and a stairway, so there wasn’t a bottleneck — at least not that I saw.
The space allotted for the show was rather large. There were two adjoining rooms, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say there was a large conference/ballroom with an anteroom. However, you want to look at it, both areas were used as show floor.
Posted in Ink
As I mentioned in my first ink battle post I do my best to purchase inks I’ve already tested, but that isn’t always possible. And so, more often than I would like, I end up with a couple — or more — inks that are very similar.
Based on the comments that I received on my last post, I need to clarify a couple of things. An ink battle — unlike ink dupes — is between two inks I like. I enjoy using them enough to have them both in my ink collection. If one of the inks performed poorly or caused problems, I wouldn’t keep it. And, if that were the case, an ink battle would be unnecessary.
Bottom line: you can assume I have no problems with any ink that appears in an ink battle. I may decide, when using the inks side-by-side, that one performs better, but the point of the battle is to choose a favorite color. I use a pair of similar inks in pens with the same nib, then test them out to see which I like better.
Posted in Ink
I’ve got another tag post today, but it actually originates in the fountain pen world this time! Issue 338 of Ink Journal (6/11/23) featured Ginger Peachy Pens‘ YouTube video, A Rainbow of Ink Faves TAG #InkRainbow23.
An ink rainbow seems especially apropos given that it’s pride month. I’m following Sarah’s rule of going with the first ink to come to mind in each color category, but I’m adjusting the color categories somewhat.
I don’t have enough pink inks to need a magenta-specific category, but I do have enough gray inks to warrant their own category. I also have enough blues and purples to add blue-black and blurple.
Posted in Fountain Pens, and Personal
If you’re a member of Goulet Nation, or if you follow me on Instagram, there’s a good chance you know about my Makeup Monday posts. On any Monday that I have the time to do so, I match my makeup to a pen. Usually a pen I own, occasionally a pen I want, sometimes one of NibsAndFlourishes beautiful photos.
At some point, someone on Goulet Nation called it fountain pen cosplay. While I still wish people a happy Makeup Monday, I tend to think of the matching by that term. Over the years that I’ve been “cosplaying” as fountain pens, I can’t count the number of times someone has requested that I teach a class or write a post. So, I’m finally doing so. Having said that, I’ve tried to write this post so many times. Never have I started a post as many times as I have this one. But, I think I’ve got it figured out now.
Be aware, this post is really long. I’ve added links so you can pop straight down to any section that interests you if you don’t want to read the whole thing.
Posted in Fountain Pens
A while back, a question was posted to the Facebook group Goulet Nation:
Are there any pens that just are outside our reach but stay in our desired list even as we know we won’t get them?
I’m highly fortunate to be able to purchase most pens I want, but there are definitely some that are outside of my reach. To be honest, even if I won the lottery, I don’t know that I’d buy these pens. I have a hard time imagining spending so much for a single item — big ticket items, like a house or car, excluded.
Posted in Fountain Pens
If you’ve been a fountain pen person for any length of time, you likely know that their prices have a VERY wide range. But, if you aren’t married to a name brand, you can get the feel of more expensive pens for a small fraction of the cost.
Granted, I make no promises on the quality of the various pens and nibs. Some may be great, some may be crap. But, these let you have that expensive look without the dollar outlay. And, if you’re saving enough on the pen, there’s little a good nibmeister can’t fix.
Note: I’m NOT talking about knock-offs today. That will be in a future post.
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. 😉
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. 😉
Posted in Ink
While I do my best, especially recently, to only buy inks I’ve already tried, sometimes that isn’t possible. Because of this, I have some inks that are incredibly similar in color.
I’ve decided to have “ink battles” to figure out which to keep. I’m going to put the similar inks into pens with the same nib, then test them out to see which I like better. Or, I may find out that, when used with the same nib, they’re sufficiently different to keep them both.
Depending on how these “battles” turn out, I may tag some of the posts as ink dupes as well. You’ll be able to find all of the ink battles posts on the tag page.
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. 😉
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m letting myself collect the Benu Talisman pens that have shaped glitter. I love the swirly material on the Sakura; and I’m not unmoved by the flower-shaped glitter.
Posted in Fountain Pens
I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, but it kept getting pushed back. So, some of these pens are rather old at this point. However, the premise still holds true: all of these pens remind me of of other, non-pen, items.
Please note: I’ve borrowed all of these images, they are not mine. Each image links to the page where I found it. In the future, some of the links likely won’t work.
Posted in Fountain Pens, and Ink
I came across the following information as the pinned comment on Liane Likes‘ video Part 1: My Fountain Pen Journey, Conversation with seemownay. The comment was posted by Iron Mic; unfortunately, I don’t have any further information about them. I copied and pasted the information directly from the comment, but I added a couple of paragraph breaks to make it easier to read.
Posted in Fountain Pens
This post is an answer to the questions in Liane Likes‘ video Part 1: My Fountain Pen Journey, Conversation with seemownay. Liane Likes collaborated with seemownay who posted How many Fountain Pens is enough? Interview with lianelikes Part 2 of Conversation.
I discovered Liane Likes’ video through Ink Journal’s weekly newsletter.
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. 😉
Jim bought his first Gioia pen well over a year ago, and has really enjoyed having it in his collection. However, until the Cameo Edition was released, their library of models hadn’t really called to me.
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. 😉
For the first time, I’ve been privileged to receive a pen for review. However, rest assured that this post, and all views that I express, are my own. Ruth of Shibui North reached out to offer me a pen in exchange for a pen porn post. Once I got over my shock, and confirmed all pertinent details, I chose the Pocket Fox Asa No Ha in Cherry Black.
Posted in Fountain Pens
It’s time again to feature new-to-me indie pen makers. Every so often, I post an update to my original Indie Pen Makers post. So far, I’ve posted an update and an addendum. These update posts are meant to let new-to-me pen makers have their time in the spotlight, and allow you to know who is “new.”
Since the pen-making world is constantly changing, I’ve decided to create a permanent reference page of makers I know of. Every time I post about indie makers, I’ll update that page, adding new makers, and removing any who have left the field. This means I’ll no longer update past indie maker posts.
Keep in mind, I have not purchased a pen from most of these makers, so consider this an informational list, not an endorsement.
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. 😉
In late January, I saw a post about Nahvalur’s Lunar New Year special edition. After having been told there would ne be resin versions of the Nautilus with porthole ink windows, the Lunar New Year special edition surprised me.
However, despite the beauty of the pen, I made myself wait until February to buy it. After all, I’d already bought too many pens. The universe was clearly looking out for me — or rewarding me for good behavior — as, during the self-enforced wait, I came across a post for the Enigma Stationery-exclusive Brilliant Bunny limited edition of 50 pens.
Posted in Pen Shows
Last weekend was Baltimore Washington International Pen Show (BWIPS) weekend. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, or if you know me, then you know BWIPS is my favorite pen show. This year, however, was significantly different than previous years for me and Jim.
We attended this year’s BWIPS without any responsibilities. We didn’t volunteer, and we didn’t commit to teach any classes. It was nice, from that perspective, to attend a show like “normal” people. We didn’t have to worry about schedules or anything.
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 saw my 2023 wish list post, then you know I’ve wanted one of the Gravitas Pens Universe pens for a while. I had to give the initial release a miss because of Athena’s illness, but I was determined to get one from the next release, and I did.
