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Tag: Retro 51

Year in Review – 2022 PensInstagram 12-29-22
December 29, 2022
Rachel
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Year in Review – 2022 Pens

Posted in Fountain Pens

While it was difficult to do last year, ranking my pen purchases was a useful exercise. So, I decided to do it again. I have to say, I’m embarrassed by the long list of pens I purchased this year. I was hoping to buy less pens this year, not more. But I’ll discuss that in another post.

I realize that this is a long block of text. But, if I added a photo of each pen, it would take absolutely forever to get through. So, for pens that I’ve already discussed in a dedicated post, I’ve linked to that post (and the photos contained therein). For the rest, 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) or one of my own Instagram posts.

Keep ReadingYear in Review – 2022 Pens
Would I Buy Them Again Today?Instagram 5-13-22
May 13, 2022
Rachel
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Would I Buy Them Again Today?

Posted in Fountain Pens

This post is inspired by Angelica Nyqvist‘s video But, Would I Buy Them If They Were Released Today?! In that video, they credit Dolly Mama Beauty with coming up with the idea.

The idea behind this post is pretty straightforward: if the below pens were first announced/released today, would I buy them? So, this is different than the more typical, “if my collection disappeared” or, “if this pen got lost” that usually prefaces the “would I buy it again” question. Suspend disbelief for the duration of this post. Imagine that none of the below pens have ever existed in this world before today. And I’ll tell you if I would buy them.

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My Pen Collection Part 1instagram 4-1-22
April 1, 2022
Rachel
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My Pen Collection Part 1

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.

“Less Expensive” Pens

We’re back to posts you requested! I’ve been considering dedicating a post or two to showing off my pen collection for a while. When I saw that quite a few of you were interested in that as well, I started thinking about how best to manage it.

I knew I couldn’t share them all in one post. That’s WAY too much at once. Instead, I’ve decided to break this into three roughly equal parts. This one will focus on my less expensive mainstream pens. I’ll link to part two and part three once they’re posted.

Keep ReadingMy Pen Collection Part 1
Pen Mini Reviews – BWIPS ’22 HaulInstagram 3-25-22
March 25, 2022
Rachel
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Pen Mini Reviews – BWIPS ’22 Haul

Posted in Fountain Pens, and Reviews

Well, I meant for this to go up on Tuesday, but I just didn’t get to it. You all seemed to enjoy my pen mini reviews of my DC Pen Show Haul, so I’m doing them again with my BWIPS 2022 haul. I hope you enjoy this one, too. FYI, I’m listing the pens in purchase order.

As usual, click on any image to view it larger.

all pens from my haul
A full rotation of pens in one haul.
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BWIPS 2022 Show Experience – Part 1Instagram 3-16-22
March 16, 2022
Rachel
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BWIPS 2022 Show Experience – Part 1

Posted in Fountain Pens

Buckle up, folks, this is a long one. I did my best to summarize what I did and saw at Baltimore, but there’s a lot to say. You’ll notice a dearth of photos of the show itself. I was so focused on enjoying myself that I didn’t take a single photo while in the show room. Oops. But, you can get your fill of BWIPS imagery on Instagram by looking up #bwips2022 or #baltimorepenshow2022, visiting the BWIPS website, or watching Mike Matteson’s — AKA Inkdependence — video on YouTube.

Keep ReadingBWIPS 2022 Show Experience – Part 1
Pens That Almost Got AwayInstagram 2-11-22
February 11, 2022
Rachel
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Pens That Almost Got Away

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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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Year in Review – 2021 PensInstagram 1-7-22
January 7, 2022
Rachel
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Year in Review – 2021 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.

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.

Keep ReadingYear in Review – 2021 Pens
The Fountain Pens TagInstagram 9-14-21
September 14, 2021
Rachel
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The Fountain Pens Tag

Posted in 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.

1. What is your newest fountain pen?

At the time of writing (9/5/21) my newest pen is the Retro 51 Wings of the Monarch fountain pen.

Retro 51 Wings of the Monarch

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.

Keep ReadingThe Fountain Pens Tag
January 3, 2020
Rachel
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Year in Review – 2019 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.

I purchased a great deal of pens in 2019. More than I should have. I’m a little embarrassed, actually. Some I adore, others I seriously regret. However, despite regretting some of them later, they have all helped me on my fountain pen journey; they’ve all taught me more about what I do or don’t like.

I figure there isn’t much better a way to welcome a new year than to have a retrospective look at the previous. I’d originally planned to go through all the pens I acquired this past year, including some information about each.

But, after some thought, I don’t think it’s really necessary. Instead, join me in a look back at a selection of my pen purchases of 2019, including my biggest regrets, my favorites, and my best new discoveries.

Keep ReadingYear in Review – 2019 Pens