Last week, I saw this in the Substack newsletter published by Greta Johnsen.
In the spirit of abundance and also fatigue, I have a question for you this week: what can you take off your plate? Are you doing something you “have” to do that you could actually let go of? Does the idea of doing less excite you? LEAN INTO IT. Maybe you can cancel a plan, or say no to something you feel obligated to do. Maybe you can give yourself permission to be ever so slightly less easygoing and a little more aligned with what you actually want to do. This isn’t bitchiness for the sake of being bitchy, it’s about spending your energy where you want to, about enjoying the fullness of the season without overextending yourself.
This has lived rent-free in my brain since I read it. I thought today would be a good day to share it with you. With a potential long weekend, consider resting, relaxing, hanging out with people you like instead of trying to tick off everything on your honey-do list.
Take that to-do list and cross off a couple things, move some others to “do later”. Give yourself a chance to breathe, play, relax. I am saying this for myself as well.
Play more, rest more, say no to things you don’t want to do. We are all stretched to our limits so its time to take time for yourself.
Inspired by a post on Inky Imaginings, I decided to accept the challenge and pick the 10 fountain pens I’d keep. I’m glad I didn’t have to include non-fountain pens in this list.
This was a fun adventure and it was interesting to see that, for the most part, I picked similar pens from the last couple challenges but the model or color may have changed. I think when I think about only having 10 pens, I chose more neutral exterior colors so I could choose any color ink. When I choose a distinctly colored pen body, I want to choose an ink to match. If I only have 10 pens, I want to be able to use ALL the inks.
From left to right: SchonDSN Brass Faceted, Esterbrook J-Series, Vintage Platinum Fountain Pen, Lady Sheaffer Skripsert XXXV Damask Gold on Silver with “Brilliants”, Pelikan M600 “Ghost”, Sailor ProColor Custom, BENU Skull & Roses, Sailor Pro Gear Slim Starburst Galaxy, Kaweco White Iridescent Sport and at the bottom Platinum Carbon Desk Pen
The Modern Pens
When I started collection pens for this challenge, I wanted to feature both modern and vintage pens. I am such a Sailor fan, I had to pick two Sailors but there are other modern pens that made the cut.
1. Sailor Pro Gear Slim
I own about 6 different colorways of the Sailor Pro Gear Slim but if I could only keep one, I’d save the Starburst Galaxy model. Even though I have two versions of the the Nagasawa Original Pro Gear Slim (Gakuen-Toshi Fresh Green) I continue to go back to the lovely, everyday useful Starburst Galaxy. It has shown up in my 21 Pen Questions and You Can Only Keep One lists in the past so clearly, I continue to favor this pen. It’s my version of a Black Pen Society pen… they never said it couldn’t have sparkles!
2. Sailor ProColor Custom
This is a pen that I love to use, love the silliness of an inexpensive ProColor (originally a $60-ish pen with a steel nib) that was upgraded with a gold-tone 21k gold nib (approx $200 upgrade). It’s the only 21k Sailor nib I own and it really is a great nib.
3. Schon Dsgn Brass Faceted “Ferrara Rocher”
I continue to love this pen . Its a hand carved brass faceted model of the Schon Dsgn which makes a marvelous pocket pen. But there is an emotional attachment too. The nib is a custom Franklin-Christoph nib that Audrey ground so its got an extra special nib. Then both of my best friends bought the same pen and we all put F-C nibs on ours. So, every time I use it, I think of my friends — the ones who made the pen, modified the nib and write with the same model.
4. Kaweco Sport White Iridescent
I love the color of the Kaweco Sport White Iridescent. Its one of the first experiment that Kaweco took making unique material colors. This is another pen that I had Matthew Chen grind a custom nib from a BB stock nib making the nib twice as expensive as the original purchase price for the pen.
5. BENU Skull & Roses
The BENU Skull & Roses is another pen that I was excited to purchase because it was so fun but then I had Richard Binder modify the nib to an extra fine Waverly style nib. Silly pen with an equally extreme needlepoint nib. I think every time I get a special nib grind on a pen, it becomes even more special to me.
6. Pelikan M600 “Ghost”
This has been my go-to “big girl pen” the white-on-white stripes are timeless and the nib is beautiful. Even the EF nib is still a little wide for me but with only 10 pens, it gives me the chance to get it custom ground in the future.
The Vintage Pens
Esterbrook J-Series
One of the first fountain pens I ever purchased was a vintage Esterbrook J-Series. The one I bought finally became unusable due to cracks so I replaced it with this model (and several others). I love the classic Esterbrooks and they continue to remain my favorite pens. They were beautiful, customizable and priced for the every user.
Lady Sheaffer Skripsert XXXV Damask Gold on Silver with “Brilliants”
Picking ONE Lady Sheaffer Skripsert is so hard! I have so many including prototypes, an entire retail display filled with pens and so much more so I chose the most classic, coveted design. The “wedding ring” style is one of the designs people look for most often. Its unique, beautiful and such a “ladylike” pen. One day I’ll do a post revealing the whole embarrassing collection. Someon asked if I was “still collecting” Skripserts and I had to admit I seldom find a design I don’t already have.
Platinum Vintage Fountain Pen
I am not sure the specific model but this pen that looks like my beloved Sheaffer Skripserts. The surprise besides the 14k nib is the turquoise grip section when the cap is removed. This is a beautiful pen that writes as beautifully as it looks. These Japanese “ladies” pens have become my new collecting focus. The remind me of the “jewelry quality” of the Skripserts with beautiful, often 14k nibs.
The Weirdo
Platinum Carbon Desk Pen
I still love my original Platinum Carbon Pens. The new versions that do not have the “fingernail nib” (partially hooded) and do not seem as fine so I covet the older models. This is my favorite drawing tool, filled with Platinum Carbon Ink so that it is 100% waterproof for multimedia creations.
So, that’s my “only 10” collection. If you could only have 10 fountain pens, what would you pick?
I live in the middle of the country so I seldom see the sea. To make up for this, I spend July in my “mermaid month”. I seek out art, films, books, colors and anything else that feels like ocean breezes, sand dunes and salty hair. Patrons received printables for this month filled with this year’s Jazz Mermaid including calendar inserts for planners and desktop and phone wallpapers. If you want to embrace your mermaid month too, consider subscribing to our Patreon. You’ll get our bi-weekly podcast, printables and more.
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For a few months now I have pledged to re-dedicate myself to journaling without any real direction. So I decided that for July I’m going to structure things a bit differently.
I keep seeing Instagram challenges with 31-days of prompts so I went looking to see if there was one for journaling. And wouldn’t you know it, I found a great list of July journal prompts over at BaronFig from 2024. The thing I love about this list is that there are 50 prompts to choose from. That means if I’m not feeling one, I can just skip on to the next.
A few of the ones I want to tackle?
What are your goals for the second half of the year?
Share your favorite summer recipe.
What is your favorite summer activity and why?
What is your favorite summer song and why?
What are your top 5 summer bucket list items?
I’ve gathered my pens and all my stickers (especially my date dots) and I’m ready to go. I’ll report back in a few weeks with how it’s going. Anyone want to join me?
We are back from the St. Louis Pen Show and we had a great time. I taught sooo many classes, Bob met so many people at the table and we ate soooo much good food. We got to spend time with friends and make lots of new ones too. While the St. Louis Show still feels like its growing, I think its becoming a really good show. If you live in the area, I think its worth the trip. Unless you have to drive I-70 from KC to STL. I’ve never seen 200 miles of highway all under construction at the same time! Sheesh!
Our dinner crew photos from Friday and Saturday evenings:
We found a fabulous Vietnamese place called DD Bau just minutes from the show and we of course went to Bombay Food Junkies a couple times. The Pistachio oat milkshake was amazing as was every dish we ordered. Someone suggested I start a pen show restaurant review page but I don’t go out in many cities because I am so tired in the evenings. I often just order DoorDash. Do you have a new favorite place to eat thanks to a pen show trip? Drop the recommendation in the comments!
As for capturing other photos and videos from the show, once again, I was so busy that I never got a chance. I recommend that you check out Brad Kimberly’s upcoming show report on The Pen Addict or @FYC_toni on YouTube where she publishes video Pen Show walk-throughs, interviews and more.
The Shops are Open
Now that I’m home and unpacked, the shops (Big Cartel, AKA www.Col-o-ring.com and Etsy) are back open and the few remaining “Land of Inkin'” Col-o-rings are available for purchase. First come, first serve. While supplies last!
There will be re-stocking orders placed this week as we sold a lot of product and depleted our stocks! Thanks to everyone who came by our table and bought up all the goodies. Can’t wait to see you again next year!
When I placed my order with Cult Pens UK a few weeks ago, I threw in a few other exclusive items just because. One of those was the Grey Skies No More ink which is part of the exclusive Diamine x Cult Pens Summer Fountain Pen Ink (30ml bottle). The series included eight colors total and I am kind of kicking myself for not grabbing a few other colors in the series.
The reason I grabbed the Grey Skies No More was that there is a distinctive multichromatic quality, I love a grey ink and the irony of an ink called Grey Skies No More that’s grey amused me. So very English summer.
All the colors in the Diamine x CultPens UK Summer Fountain Pen Ink Collection. Which one is your favorite?
I love the color of Ice Lolly in the sample but fear it would be too light in practice for me. A Jug of Sangria and Sand Between You Toes were close runner-ups for me based on the swatches above. I mean, really, they are all lovely if I didn’t already have too many inks.
But let’s get back to the ink at hand…
Grey Skies No More is a shading, sutble multichromatic in a warm grey tone. My swatches look much warmer than the sample shown by CultPens UK earlier in this review.
There is a distinct purply under tone. In wet application (like a brush, flex nib or swatch), the color is yummy and quite readable. However, in light applications like a fine nib, the color is quite light.
The writing samples above show the writing with an extra fine dip nib to be too light to be usable for writing. With a medium nib, things got more legible. Then with a large folded nib, the color variation is very intriguing.
The close-up above hints at the pink and blue chromatic effect in the overall greige ink.
When compared with other inks, my first thought was J. Herbin Gris Nuage which can also be too light to be usable in most writing circumstances. I was surprised to realize that Gris Nuage is a much cooler grey and also much lighter. I want to love Gris Nuage but its almost impossible for me to use.
Probably the closest ink color is Dominant Industry Downpour which does not have the multichromatic effects and is slightly more neutral grey-black but is the same or similar value. If you prefer cooler or more neutral toned greys, Diamine Silver Fox or Pelikan Edelstein Moonstone are better options.
Ink Institute Cat at Dusk has some of the multichromatic effects but is also a much cooler blue-grey with peachy undertones.
I might throw Grey Skies into my TWSBI Eco with the 1.1mm nib as it will give the ink its best chances at showing off the effects but for my day-to-day micro writing with EF nibs will not work with this ink. Sad about that FOR SURE.
But it is a really pretty color.
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Here we go again! I’m setting off for St. Louis today with my my patient, kind husband who is spending his weekend standing on his feet, eating vegan food (he’s not a vegan, I am) and driving back and forth down I-70 (the sorriest strip of highway in America). What a good sport!
We will be at the St. Louis Pen Show for the weekend. I am teaching a bunch of classes and eating my weight in Bombay Food Junkies and hanging out with some of my favorite people: Jaclyn and Laura, Andrew, Alan and Alan, Brad and so many more!
Our table is at J-06, next to Kaleidocraft Prints. Come by and say hi! I can’t wait to see you all!
Side note:
Both our Esty shop and our Big Cartel shop are closed for the weekend while we are in St, Louis. I don’t want orders sitting, waiting to be shipped. If you want to place an order on our shops, they will be back open on Monday, June 29.
