Author: Laura

Lamy Dark Lilac Safari: Happy New Pen Day

Laura5 Comments

Lamy Safari Dark Liliac fountain pen

My Dark Lilac Lamy Safari just arrived, and it’s really excellent. This is the nicest Safari in years, in my opinion. And not just because it’s neither neon nor green. It just looks great.

I have heard that purple pens aren’t big sellers, which may be why Lamy waited so long to add one to the Safari lineup, but this is very smartly done. It’s less tween, more grownup. The textured plastic, which is also found on the Charcoal Safari, helps with that. There’s also the black clip and nib, and the dark boysenberry color of the pen.

I also bought cartridges of the Dark Lilac ink, which is similarly dark and actually very attractive.

Here is the Dark Lilac next to the Charcoal, to give a better sense of the color.

Lamy Safari Dark Liliac fountain pen compared to Lamy Safari Charcoal

Thank you to Appelboom, who sent this very quickly.

All Those Years Ago

Laura1 Comment

Today is the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. Sonnet 18 seems especially apt:

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

————

Image in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Pen of the Day: Venvstas 77 “Chicago”

Laura4 Comments

Venvstas 77 "Chicago" fountain pen and J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage

Venvstas 77 “Chicago” with medium nib. Sadly, this Venvstas isn’t mine. But happily, Venvstas has made this special edition 77 just for next week’s Chicago Pen Show. The Chicago 77 will be available as a demo at the show, and one lucky person will win it.

This 77 has a two-dimensional glossy carbon fiber body and polished stainless steel trim. I’ll put together a review soon, but spoiler alert, I like it. The medium nib is especially nice.

Venvstas 77 "Chicago" fountain pen and J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage

It’s spring here, but unseasonably cold and blustery. Nonetheless, it was the green grass of spring that inspired me to ink the Chicago 77 with J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage. And it’s perfect. It reminds me of Wrigley Field, the most Chicago place of all.

J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage writing sample

Pen Review: Venvstas Carbon T Fountain Pen

Laura4 Comments

Venvstas Carbon T fountain pen

I’ve really been enjoying the Venvstas Carbon T, a carbon fiber fountain pen with a minimalist-inspired modern design.

Venvstas is pronounced “Venustas.” That’s because in the classical Latin alphabet, “v” served as not only a consonant, but also as a vowel pronounced “u.”

Venvstas pens are designed and made in Paris, and I bought mine from the  Venvstas website. Because Venvstas new on the scene, I’m going to write a little about the company and its origins before talking about the Carbon T itself.

(click Page 2 below to continue)

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Pen of the Day: Venvstas Carbon T

Laura2 Comments

Venvstas Carbon T fountain pen and J. Herbin Rouge Opera ink

Venvstas Carbon T with fine nib. Yes, I just got this, and yes, I already shared some photos, and yes, I am working on a longer review. But it can also be Pen of the Day. Because today is a day, and the Carbon T is the pen I’m using.

Venvstas Carbon T fountain pen and J. Herbin Rouge Opera ink

Also, this lets me show J. Herbin Rouge Opera ink.

There are three J. Herbin inks with the first name Rouge — the Rouges Bourgogne, Caroubier and Opera. Each offers something lovely. Bourgogne is the pinkest, Caroubier is the most unusual, and Opera is the reddest. But Rouge Opera is from J. Herbin, so it’s a stylish sort of red.

J. Herbin Rouge Opera ink writing sample

Department of Mixed Feelings: Emptying the Ink Bottle

Laura5 Comments

empty bottle of J. Herbin Rouge Caroubier ink

I may have mentioned before that I have more than a few bottles of fountain pen ink.  The actual number is either “too many” or “nuts.” I’m a lot faster at accumulating new inks than finishing them.

But I do go through them eventually. In the last week I finished one bottle of Waterman Serenity Blue and one of J. Herbin Rouge Caroubier.

That’s partially a good feeling: I’m whittling down the numbers of bottles.  But there’s wistfulness, too.  Because I’m not going to replace the Rouge Caroubier right away.  Even though it is a beautiful, well-behaved ink, from one of my favorite brands. Even though I really like it.

Because the truth is, I still have … oh, what’s that unpleasant expression people use? Oh yes: “enough.” I still have enough ink.

But what a beautiful color.