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Rachel's Reflections Posts

Ink Battle: Colorverse and DiamineInk Battle
July 14, 2023
Rachel
5 Comments

Ink Battle: Colorverse and Diamine

Posted in Ink

No matter how much I try to sample or test an ink before buying it, sometimes that isn’t possible. Because of this, I have some inks that are incredibly similar in color. That’s where “ink battles” come in.

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.

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 can find all of the ink battles posts on the tag page.

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Pen Porn: Stanford Pen Studio HummingbirdsPen Porn: Stanford Pen Studio Hummingbirds
July 11, 2023
Rachel
2 Comments

Pen Porn: Stanford Pen Studio Hummingbirds

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. 😉

Back in November last year, Stanford Pen Studio posted a giraffe pen in a stunning color palette. I’ve never been a giraffe fanatic, so I held off buying it. When I finally decided to get it anyway, I found out I was too late, it had already sold. But, that left me with an opportunity. I asked Di if it would be possible to get the same color palette, but with a hummingbird as the subject. She took my request to Marian Binder, the artist who painted the giraffe pen, who agreed to the commission.

Fast forward a few months, and this beauty, and its accompanying bright packaging, made it to my door. Of course, with something this awesome, I have to share it with you.

Stanford Pen Studio Hummingbirds
Hummingbird pen with packaging
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Don’t Pay the Pen TaxDon't pay the pen tax
July 7, 2023
Rachel
6 Comments

Don’t Pay the Pen Tax

Posted in Fountain Pens

There are several pen maintenance supplies that have been repurposed from other walks of life. As sometimes happens, these items are subject to a markup when sold as pen items — let’s call it a pen tax.

So, I want to walk you through some items that you should purchase in their original form/under their original uses.

Note: I’m including Amazon links for the “original” form because it’s easy and available to everyone. I’m sure there are many other locations you can buy these.

Keep ReadingDon’t Pay the Pen Tax
2023 Mid-Year Check-InMid-Year Check-In
July 5, 2023
Rachel
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2023 Mid-Year Check-In

Posted in Fountain Pens

When I wrote about my previous month’s purchases in January and February, I intended it to be a monthly post, but life derailed that idea. Now that we’ve made it halfway through the year, it seems like a good time for a check-in on my 36 pens maximum for the year.

I’m only counting the fountain pens I purchased. Gifts don’t count, and neither do rollerball or ballpoint pens.

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2023 St. Louis Pen Show2023 St. Louis Pen Show
June 30, 2023
Rachel
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2023 St. Louis Pen Show

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.

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Ink Battle: Diamine and MonarcaInk Battle
June 27, 2023
Rachel
4 Comments

Ink Battle: Diamine and Monarca

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.

Keep ReadingInk Battle: Diamine and Monarca
Ink RainbowInk Rainbow
June 23, 2023
Rachel
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Ink Rainbow

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.

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Fountain Pen CosplayFountain Pen Cosplay
June 19, 2023
Rachel
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Fountain Pen Cosplay

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.

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Out of Reach PensOut of Reach Pens
June 16, 2023
Rachel
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Out of Reach Pens

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.

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Genetic Testing for Mental HealthGenetic Testing for Mental Health
June 13, 2023
Rachel
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Genetic Testing for Mental Health

Posted in Personal

I’ve written about mental health a few times now, generally to share information I’ve recently learned. This post only differs from those in that I haven’t recently learned about genetic testing for mental health.

Jim credits the genetic test he took about 9 years ago with changing his life. The one I took about 2.5 years ago wasn’t quite as influential, but it saved me from the medication equivalent of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Neither Jim nor I have done much research recently on the genetic tests we took. So, I won’t attempt to give you much in the way of up-to-date information. Instead, I want to tell you about what we each got out of taking the tests. I hope this gives you enough information to be able to talk to your doctor about getting a test done, especially if your current treatment isn’t getting you the results you want.

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Dupe The Expensive VibesDupe the Expensive Vibes
June 9, 2023
Rachel
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Dupe The Expensive Vibes

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.

Keep ReadingDupe The Expensive Vibes
Athena: One Month Post TreatmentAthena: One Month Post Treatment
June 1, 2023
Rachel
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Athena: One Month Post Treatment

Posted in Cat

This post is a continuation of my series on her treatment and integration into the household. If you haven’t already, I suggest reading my previous posts on her. You can find them on her tag page.

Like the previous posts, this one is in a journal-esque format. I’m covering major/important events and updates, rather than what happens each day.

Keep ReadingAthena: One Month Post Treatment
Ink Battle: Colorverse and LamyInk Battle
May 26, 2023
Rachel
8 Comments

Ink Battle: Colorverse and Lamy

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.

Keep ReadingInk Battle: Colorverse and Lamy
An Unsponsored HelloFresh ReviewAn unsponsored HelloFresh review
May 23, 2023
Rachel
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An Unsponsored HelloFresh Review

Posted in Non-Stationery Reviews

DISCLAIMER: I want to start with an acknowledgement that I’m vaguely aware of HelloFresh’s promise that produce goes from farm to your front door in 7 days. And they have a program to help needy families. However, I haven’t done any research into either. With this post, I’m trying to share my thoughts on the experience of heaving a HelloFresh subscription. Neither of the two aforementioned items factor into my experience of subscribing to HelloFresh.

If you watch YouTube at all, you’ve likely seen an ad or sponsored post on HelloFresh. After a million and one ads, I finally gave into curiosity and gave HelloFresh a try. Having done so, I want to share an unsponsored review. There are some heavily promoted points that just aren’t true. And there are some things worth knowing that don’t get discussed at all.

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Pen Porn: Benu Talisman SakuraPen Porn: Benu Talisman Sakura
May 19, 2023
Rachel
4 Comments

Pen Porn: Benu Talisman Sakura

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.

Benu Talisman Sakura
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Review – The HypocriteBook Review Featured Image
May 16, 2023
Rachel
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Review – The Hypocrite

Posted in Book Blogger

The Hypocrite

by Shana Granderson, A Lady

Genres: Regency Romance, Historical Romance
Release Date: November 5, 2020
Pages: 765 pages
Purchase from: Amazon
My Rating: ★★☆☆☆

***PLEASE NOTE: This is a new and edited version of ‘The Hypocrite.’ The faulty manuscript has been corrected and replaced. I hope that you enjoy the updated and edited story.***

The Hypocrite is a low angst, sweet and clean tale about the relationship dynamics between Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet after his disastrous and insult laden proposal at Hunsford. How does our heroine react to his proposal and the behaviour that she has witnessed from Darcy up to that point in the story?

The traditional villains from Pride and Prejudice that we all love to hate make an appearance in my story BUT they are not the focus. Other than Miss Bingley, whose character provides the small amount of angst in this tale, they play a very small role and are dealt with quickly. If dear reader you are looking for an angst filled tale rife with dastardly attempts to disrupt ODC then I am sorry to say, you will not find that in my book.

This story is about the consequences of the decisions made by the characters portrayed within. Along with Darcy and Elizabeth, we examine the trajectory of the supporting character’s lives around them. How are they affected by decisions taken by ODC coupled with the decisions that they make themselves? How do the decisions taken by members of the Bingley/Hurst family affect them and their lives?

The Bennets are assumed to be extremely wealthy for the purposes of my tale, the source of that wealth is explained during the telling of this story. The wealth, like so much in this story is a consequence of decisions made Thomas Bennet and Edward Gardiner.

If you like a sweet and clean, low angst story, then dear reader, sit back, pour yourself a glass of your favourite drink and read, because this book is for you.

Keep ReadingReview – The Hypocrite