Mini Review: Bortoletti Dip Pen

Me thinks it’s about time I get back to blogging now, so we’re kicking things of the right way with a review! At the suggestion of one of my favorite readers, I decided this would be the best way to jump back in. No introductions needed.

That being said, give me some slack, because it’ll take me some time before I get as good as I was at my reviews and photography. :)

Read on to find out about my new favorite fountain-pen-related writing instrument…

I'm finally back...

Hey guys! It's me, no really, it is. :) It sure has been a long time, at least it feels that way for me. I hope you all missed me, cause I sure missed you.

The last 9 weeks of my life, without a doubt, have been the most difficult and long weeks I've ever been through. The experience was life changing, to say the least…

To the left, yup, that's me. That was about 3 days before we finished up our training down in Texas. I look a little different with short hair, and a uniform, eh? :)

But hey, I’m back now! And I must say, it's great to be back. I've been home for about two weeks now, but as you may have noticed, I’m not answering any emails, or doing any blogging, or any pen repair. I am taking a short break to get back into the swing of things here.

A lot has been happening lately, so I best go over the future, and let you all know what things are looking like for me. There are definitely going to be some changes. Some will be little, a few will be bigger.

For starts, let me address anyone who currently has a pen here at my place, waiting on a repair:

I will be looking into repairing your pen, but whether or not I am able to do it will depend on the repairs needed, and parts-availability. I need to get all the pens currently with me, out of my office. Whether I repair them, or return them without repairing them will be decided later on, and I’ll discuss that with each of you personally. My goal is to start back at “ground-zero” so-to-speak, and set up my pen repair business over again with no current customers waiting on me. Obviously, if your pen is not repaired for any reason, there will be no charges, and I will pay the return shipping on it.

The reason I am setting up “fresh” is to minimize distractions, as I will be changing a few things about the way my pen repair business runs. I’d like to be able to work on that with no obligations to be working with customers on a time limit. I hope that makes sense.


Let’s see… Next, I’ll probably have a very large sale. Hooray for you! Don’t you love it when I’m trying to quickly get rid of pens, and I have to sell them for extra low prices? :) I’ll be getting rid of all my current inventory of pens that I have for sale, as well as a few from my personal collection. This will once again free up my time and space to focus on reorganizing my business.

How about the blog:

I will be starting up the blog again, but not quite yet. Over the next few weeks, I will post a few things here and there, as well as some updates on what’s going on in the background for me. I don't have time to blog like a madman just yet. Once I am set up, there will be more time for that.

Emails: 

Chances are you’re probably waiting for me to respond to an email you sent. If you are, fear not - I will be getting around to answering all of those, in time. It’ll take me a while to get to everyone though. After all, I have 9 weeks worth of emails to get through… Try to be patient and understanding here. I realize some of you are still a little confused with how things worked out right before I left. I promise you, I'll be sure to work with each one of you and get it sorted out. Just give me time to get to each person, as I want to make sure everyone is fully satisfied, and not left confused.

Now, you’re probably wondering “why all this change?”. Well, there’s a good reason for it, and I’d like to make sense of it for you, so here goes:

Firstly, my future is slightly uncertain. Don’t freak out now, I’m not quitting the pen repair business, or the blog. But they may not be full-time for me anymore. Depending on how things work out, there is a chance I will be returning to Texas in 2013 to do more training there. Nothing is decided yet, and I may never go back, but the opportunity is there. I've taken a great interest in going through the EMT/Paramedics school down in Texas there. Again, that’s not saying that I’ll be doing that, but there is a chance I will. If I decided to go through that training, I’d be gone for almost a year down in Texas.

Also, I may be headed down to Texas in January to do some volunteer work. That would be for 9–10 weeks. That may or may not work out, depending on a lot of things. It's looking pretty sketchy right now though...


What this means for my little pen repair business is pretty big. It means that I may not get much time to work at it. This is why I’m trying to get back to ground-zero, and get rid of all my current inventory. I need to be able to either go mobile with it, or leave it again for a few months.

With all this uncertainty, you’re probably thinking I’m done repairing pens for good. But again, fear not. Even if all this works out, and I leave for another year to go pursue a job doing something else, I will still come back to continue doing pen repair and blogging. One of the reasons I've taken an interest in Paramedics is the work schedule. A job like that would allow me to run a small business on the side quite easily. So yes, I would continue to repair pens along side that.


Please take all of this with a grain of salt. None of this is for sure, and I’m just letting you know so you can be prepared, in case I decide to suddenly leave again for a few months. The road ahead is kind of foggy, bumpy, and uncertain. Still, know that I will eventually be continuing my blogging, pen repair, and general FP geekiness. :)

That's about all for now, but I'll keep you folks updated with any further info I get. And I'll let you know how setting up the repair business is going. I am greatly looking forward to getting back into the FP world!

P.S. - Be sure to email me here (sparingly! ;) if you're confused about something, or just want to say hi!

Goodbye for the summer

Well, I don't have a lot to say today. I'll keep it short and simple.

I leave tomorrow for Texas, and I won't be back till September. I don't expect to resume blogging till late September to early October. But we'll see.

I look forward to my time in Texas, but I will greatly miss you all! I value every one of my blog readers, so I promise you - you will not be forgotten. :) And when I return, I can resume blogging full-speed. I've already got some great plans.

All that being said, I must now bid you goodbye. Unfortunately I will not have my computer with me, so if you're wanting to contact me, you better do it today (6/21/12). I'll do my best to respond to everyone's emails, but I can really only handle the most important ones right now. I appreciate your understanding, and even if I can't respond to your email, know that I have read it, and will address it as soon as I reasonably can (if applicable).

That's it. Goodbye again my friends. See you all later this fall. :)

The little ink bottle that couldn't...

If you read my reviews here, chances are you’ve come across my comments on how much I dislike the J. Herbin ink bottle design. Nothing wrong with the ink inside it (usually), but the shape of the bottle is so un-fp-friendly that I can’t help but wonder what they were thinking.

Since I've been ranting about this for a while, I thought it'd be good to actually show why I dislike the bottle, instead of just complaining for no apparent reason.

Poll: Blog commenting software

What do you think of the upgraded commenting software?
	What upgrade? I didn't even notice...
	It's great!
	It's fine - I don't really care
	It works, but I don't like it
	It's broken - won't even let me post a comment
pollcode.com free polls

Well, for a long time now my commenting software of choice has been DISQUS. Recently, DISQUS emailed me showing off their new&improved upgrade to their current commenting software. It was free, so I decided to give it a go. 

Since then I has been really hit or miss. Some commenters have noticed nothing new, while others love it, and a few folks seem to be unable to comment at all, which really sucks.

So I'm left with a decision, and I want your help. I need to choose to either stick with the upgrade and hope for some bug fixes, or revert to the old version and wait it out till the new one is stable.

This being the case, and at the suggestion of one of my commenters, I've assembled a handy poll so that I can get your vote. If you want to take part in this, it's super easy, and I would be extremely grateful. Just select an option from the poll on the right.

And be sure to leave me a comment (assuming the new software is allowing you to do so) if you have further details.

Thanks for your participation! Each vote counts, and will help shape this blog to be better than ever.

Of need to reach me, and you are unable to leave a comment due to bugs, feel free to send me an email.

Weekend Reads 6-23-12

Welcome again to another edition of the Weekend Reads. It won’t be much longer till I’m gone in Texas, so enjoy them while they last.

As of today, I have nearly 4.5 weeks till my departure. Depending on how busy I am, we may only have 2–3 Weekend Reads left.

That being said, let’s take advantage if the time we have, and get right to it!

Weekend Reads 6-17-12

Well I hope you’re all ready for a Weekend Reads. Last week’s reads were canceled last-minute due to my computer issues, but I have succeeded this week in spite of my computer still being a little uneasy.

Also, yesterday was my younger sisters birthday! So I spent the day out with her and my family. It was a worthy cause for delaying this post until today. :)

Enjoy the reads!

Just upgraded the blog commenting software

Well, the software I use for comments on the blog (DISQUS) just released a nice update for us all. Check it out below the post and give it a test run! Seems like they've implemented some interesting new features, but I'm counting on you all to let me know if you like it better, or if I should revert to the old one.

Drop me a comment and let me know about the comment software. :)

The Cartridge/Converter

Most of you know by now that I am not a huge fan of the cartridge converter filling system. But I really should say that I was not a huge fan of the c/c filler.

Yes, I’ve finally come to appreciate the cartridge converter. Believe it or not, I’ve even come to prefer it in many of my pens.

Obviously this warrants an explanation, so read on to find out more:

It's official now

Temporarily shutting down through the summer

I will be leaving in July for Texas, and I'll be gone for a total of 9 weeks. During this time, I will be unable to answer any emails, or do any pen repair. Because of this, I am temporarily shutting down my repair business till September. When I return home, I'll need a week or so to get set up, and then I should be back in the swing of things very quickly.

I really appreciate your business, and thank you all for supporting me. I will not be sad to go to Texas, but I am sad to leave everyone hanging like this. My apologies for any inconvenience this causes you.

Starting now (June 8th), I will be accepting no new pens or nibs for repair/modification.

If you currently have a pen and/or nib with me, please know that I am doing my best to finish before I leave. If I am unable to finish, you will have the choice of leaving your pen(s) and nib(s) with me (they will be safely stored and guarded), or having them returned home.

Please email your questions and comments to: tyler@tylerdahlpens.com

*******************************************

This is copied over from my website, and only applies to my repair business. I will still continue blogging for as long as I can, though I will not be able to while I am in Texas. Thank you all for your understanding, and have a great weekend.

Computer issues temporarily resolved

Well, I am very fortunate to be able to say that my computer issues have been temporary resolved. I am now able to resume some email communication, as well as do some blogging.

But, my computer hard disk is still warning me of an imminent failure, so I will be very cautious, and will be making regular back-ups.

That being said, I will also have to eventually replace the hard disk. Perhaps not just yet, but I can’t keep my computer like this for too long. When I do replace it, there will be an obvious disruption to any email communications for about 2–3 days. I will let everyone know when I am preparing to do this.

Once again, thank you for your patience everyone! I will be attended to as many emails as possible today. If you don’t get an email you expected, please let me know. There is a chance that some emails may be MIA due to the hard drive errors. Just send me another one to: tyler@tylerdahlpens.com

Computer Issues

Uh oh… Those words can strike fear into the heart of many, including myself. As tech savvy as I am, I’m still not immune to computer glitches and errors. And this week I was just thrown a big one.

You’ll have to excuse me, because I won’t be getting any blogging done with my computer in this state.

Microsoft Windows has just gently informed me that my hard disk is failing. I am currently backing up everything I have, and after that I’ll need some time to think over what I’ll do. It may just be a little bug that I can fix, or I may actually need to replace my hard drive. Either way, it was not a pleasant surprise when I got that horrible little pop-up.

Wish me luck my friends. I hope to be blogging again soon, but until further notice, I am quite unable to.

I’ll try to keep you all posted with little updates. Follow me on twitter @TylersPens to get the fastest updates.

For all of you who were wondering how I wrote a blog post when my computer is crashing: Written with Byword for iPhone.

Weekend Reads 6/2/12

There's been a lot of good stuff going on this week in the fountain pen world. New inks, some reviews, and even a FPN blackout (see the official FPN status update here).

We've got lots to cover, so without further delay, here's your fountain pen fix for the weekend.

Edsion Pearl LEE Review

At the end of the day, a fountain pen is still a fountain pen.

But among fountain pens, some are more special than others. Occasionally, you find a pen that just  "clicks". It fits right in, and it works just how you like it. Today I'll be reviewing a pen that really "clicks" with me. Enter the Edison Pearl, LEE.

Ink Review: J. Herbin Cacao du Bresil

Another ink name I truly cannot pronounce. :) Today I'll be reviewing J. Herbin Cacao du Bresil. I'll be honest when I say that this is an ink I am not too excited about.

Nonetheless, review it I shall. I'll do my best to keep the review accurate, even though I don't like the ink.

Read on to find out more:

Weekend Reads 5/26/12

I hope everyone's ready for a relaxing weekend! I just finished doing some minor/major renovations to my workshop, so my apologies if communication has been slow this week.

As a result, I thought I'd share some photos with you of my improved workspace! On top of that, I'll be explaining in this post about my 9 week trip to Texas, and what I'll be doing there. Read on to find out more!

Pen Review: The TWSBI Vac700!

Without a doubt, this is one of the most highly anticipated pens, and reviews of the year. I have personally been eagerly looking forward to the arrival of the Vac700 ever since I first heard about it.

For those of you who've been waiting for an initial review before buying, wait no longer! Here's the official Tyler Dahl review of the TWSBI Vac700.

Weekend Reads 5/19/12

Well I'm back again with another Weekend Reads! I've got a bunch of well selected articles for you to read this week, along with our Q&A section.

Whenever you get the chance, grab some coffee and enjoy this week's reads!

Mini review: Tidbit Notepad

Notepads come in all shapes and sizes. They also come in many different styles, such as lined, dotted, graph, etc.

The notepad we'll be looking at today is something that I bet most of you have never seen before. It's a new take on the standard lined sheet of paper.

Another homemade pen-repair tool!

Well, I always like to share my experiences with pen repair, so I thought I'd show you another homemade tool I created the other day. This time, for the removal of a Montblanc piston!

It's a very simple tool to create actually, granted you have access to some basic power tools and grinders. Check it out:

Weekend Reads 5/5/12

It's been way to long since I've done a Weekend Reads on the blog!

Hopefully you've all had a great week so far. Mine was pretty busy, but that just makes the weekend all the better, right? :)

Relax and enjoy the reads!

Pen Review: Pilot Petit 1

The Pilot Petit is a pen that I never would've picked out myself. It's small size, cheap plastic look, and bright colors would've really put me off.

But looks can be deceiving! Read on to find out what kind of fountain pen you can get for less than $5.00.

Guest review: Pilot Petit 1

Well, how about something a little different? I had a friend run this great idea by me, for a two part guest/blogger review. That's what we've got going on here today.

I'm really excited about this - It's going to be a great way to take a look at a pen from the eyes of two people who view it rather differently.

I'll explain how this is going to work out in just a minute.

TWSBI Vac700 - First Look!

Obviously, a review is in order for this pen. :) But in the meantime, I'd like to share with you a few photos of the latest addition to my little pen collection.

The TWSBI Vac700 has been talked of, and hyped about even more than the Diamond 540. After months of waiting, delays, and revisions, the long awaited Vac700 is out!

Noteboook review: Apica Mini

Well, I have to say, this is one of the few notebooks that I've tried, and was disappointed with. Maybe I expected to much, or maybe I got a bad one.

Either way, I was not too impressed with this sample of my Mini Apica notebook.

Button-filler gone terribly wrong!

Hmm, looks like someone had a bad day repairing fountain pens.

This was one of those pens that I opened up, and immediately knew what had gone wrong with the previous repair "fix-it job".

So, I present you with a fun and educational lesson on proper button filler repair!

m.memo notebook review

This is a really neat little notebook. With a name like m.memo, you know it's bound to be awesome. Japanese-awesome in this case, as most of us know how great the paper is from The Land of the Rising Sun.

This little notebook has a lot to offer, at least for me. It seems to do what other notebooks fail to do for me. All I wanted was a simple spiral bound, miniature pocket notebook, that's FP friendly. How hard is it? Apparently difficult for everyone else except this little company. :)

Let's dive right in and see what this cute little thing has to offer us:

Mini Review: Sundial Agenda

At long last, I have gotten the time to get posting to the blog again. Amazing how difficult it can be to get back in a routine again. :)

But all that aside, I've got a fun little mini-review for you today. some of you may recall me talking about a really cool calendar called the "Chrono-Notebook", in one of my Weekend Reads a while back.

While I still have yet to purchase and try one of those, I did get a chance to try something very similar. Enter the Sundial Agenda.

Delays, delays, delays... :)

Wow, it's been too long since I've posted on the blog. I apologize for being so slow. It's been busy for me returning from vacation. I have piles of pens to repair, and more coming in each day.

But I do want to get back to blogging on a regular schedule again, so I'm hoping to start things of soon with a notebook review. Sounds nice eh? :)

Keep watch for that, and thanks for being so patient with me! I promise I'm not gone forever.

Till later, and have a great day everyone!

Saying goodbye for a week!

Well, this is it - my last day before I leave on vacation. I'm headed out tomorrow morning, and I won't be back till the 10th of April.

I've got my email set up to send out an auto-response, since I will have very limited internet connection. I will do my best to get to important emails, but unless it's very urgent, I'm going to try and let it wait till later. After all, I am on vacation, right? ;)

While I'm gone, why don't you take a moment to go back into the blog archives and read a few old articles. I guarantee you haven't read it all yet, and maybe there's something in there that you'll find interesting.


Until later, and have a great day everyone!

Pen review - Monte Verde Invincia Stylus

The Monte Verde Invincia Stylus is the Stealth Fighter of fountain pens.

It's heavy, sturdy, and most importantly - stealthy.

This is one incredibly cool pen, and I've got a lot of good things to say about it. Get ready for another big review!

Weekend Reads 3/24/12

We're back again with the Weekend Reads! Sorry about missing last week, but hey, we're back now and that's what matters, right? ;)

I've got some good stuff this week, including the podcast!

Relax, and enjoy yourself, with some good FP reading.

Notebook review - Mead "Moleskine"

No, I'm not reviewing a Moleskine. I've done one better.... I'm reviewing a copy of a Moleskine, made by Mead. :)

But I have some good things to say about it, and best of all, it's readily available at a local store so you can try one too!

This will be more of a mini-review like my last paper review. Enjoy!

Ink review - Mont Blanc Irish Green

Time for a review of a Mont Blanc ink. I don't get to review many of these inks, and I honestly don't know the brand that well.

But this ink definitely deserves a good look. It's not my favorite green, but it's definitely an admirable competitor.

Weekend Reads 3/17/12

Well, time for a somewhat shortened Weekend Reads! It'll be fun, I promise. ;)

Some of you may have heard about why this weeks going to be cut a little short. Again, I really appreciate you guys for being so patient with me.

But onto the fun part now! Relax and enjoy the semi-shortened reads!

Weekend Reads cut short this weekend

I just thought I'd give everyone a heads up - I'm going to cut the Weekend Reads a little short tomorrow.

My older brother and sister have been gone in Texas for about 5 months now, and they're coming back home tomorrow night (Yeah!). It will be wonderful to have them home, but that means I'm going to want to spend some time with them. You understand. :) I'm also going to be busy prepping for their arrival.

Not quite sure what I'll do, but I might do 1-2 links, and 1 question. I'll still attempt the podcast too.

Paper mini-review: Umm....

Well, I'm not really sure this paper even has a name. :) It's a no-name brand paper, from a dollar store.

I was given this notepad by a friend, and I must say, I had my doubts about it. All of my doubts have now been squashed however, and I have a new respect for this unassuming little pad.

Ink Review - J. Herbin Ambre de Bermanie

This ink is a real odd one. I had a very hard time reviewing it, because I like it a lot, but at the same time, it has some undesirable qualities that I really don't like.

Like most J. H. inks, the name is increasingly difficult to pronounce. :) This ink has some beautiful shading, and I don't think I've seen many colors quite like it.

Weekend Reads 3/10/12

I was very busy this week. Almost forgot about the Weekend Reads, but I didn't. :)

Business was successful, I got a lot of personal things accomplished on my to-do list, and I even got time to help out with someone else's website. This week definitely deserves to be followed up with a good relaxing break. 

Join me, as I ease into the weekend with some fun topics and  links, Q&A, and more. And if you're busy - don't worry, it'll all be here waiting for you when you're ready to take a rest. :)

My homemade Sheaffer Vac-Fill tool!

If you're the DIY repair kind of person, you'll love this little tool I made.

Ever struggled trying to find something to unscrew that nut inside the blind cap of a Sheaffer Vac-Fill?

Finding something that fits is next to impossible, so you're left with only one good choice - make something of your own.

If you're looking for inspiration on doing this, hopefully this post will help you out.

Paper Review - Basildon Bond

Time for another paper review. This will be my first time reviewing a "fancy paper". That is my quick-term for any paper that is marketed as high-end, prestigious, and/or luxurious.

This Basildon Bond paper is a total winner for me. I love every aspect of it, and it seems to excel where other papers fail for me.

Weekend Reads 3/2/12

We're into March now, and spring is fast approaching. It's feeling like it's already here in Tennessee, with some lovely 75+ degree weather. With all this beautiful weather, it's definitely time to get outside and do some outdoor work, for me anyway.

While it may not be the season to curl up by the fire anymore, its never a bad time to relax and talk about fountain pens! And that's what we intend to do here with the Weekend Reads 3/2/12.


Grab a chair outside (if your weather permits), a good media device, and enjoy. :)

Final Update - ONE MONTH Pocket Challenge!

Time for the wrap-up to our fun little ONE MONTH Pocket Challenge!

If you haven't been following along, check out the original post as well as the mid-month update.

I'm pretty excited about this. It is the first time I've ever done something like this, but I think it worked out spectacularly! You'll have to read on, and let me know what you think.

The podcast is up on iTunes!

If any of you folks are Apple-junkies (like me!), you can now subscribe to the Weekend Reads Podcast via iTunes!

Please, give it a look folks, and if you'd be so kind, give it an honest review and/or rating. I would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. The more ratings you leave, the better chance that we can spread the fun to a larger crowd!

That's it for now everybody. Tomorrow will be the wrap up for the ONE MONTH Pocket Challenge. :)

Ink Review - Private Reserve Spearmint

Time for another ink review! I told you would be doing a lot of inks this week. :)

Private Reserve Spearmint is one of my favorite greens out of the bunch that I've tried. It's bright, vibrant, and moderately well behaved.

I'm not quite sure if the color reminds me of spearmint, but nonetheless, it's a beautiful color!

Ink Review - J. Herbin Rouille d'Ancre

With a name like that, this had better be a good ink. :) Lucky for us, it looks like J. Herbin delivered!


J. Herbin Rouille d'Ancre is one of the most unique inks I've ever used. It's a color like no other, and I find it extremely intriguing. I'm not sure if it's something I'll buy a full bottle of, but I am definitely glad I got to try a sample of it.

Weekend Reads 2/24/12

Weekend Reads Edition 9! Wow, almost ten now. I can't hardly believe it's been almost three months since we started the Weekend Reads. Feels like it was just a week ago to me. :)

I've got another podcast for you today, as well as some great questions and answers! A special thanks goes to Maja, who provided me with two delightful questions to address today. Thank you Maja! :)


To the rest of you: make some coffee, find that favorite chair, and enjoy!

DELAYED - Weekend Reads 2/24/12

I'm so sorry everyone, but the Weekend Reads has been pushed to tomorrow morning!

I got a sick with a cold, and was not able to record the podcast on time. I really want to do the podcast again, so I decided it'd be best to delay the Weekend Reads just one day, till Sunday.

Sorry for the inconvenience. I'm sure you all can find something fun to do with your spare Saturday time. :)

Hey, here's an idea: why not actually use one of your fountain pens!

Happy writing everyone.

Notebook review - Norcom Composition

Time for another notebook review, this time, of my favorite go-to notebook!

These notebooks can be had at your local Wal-Mart for the princely sum of $0.99. :)

They're cheap, they work well, and I like them! Read on for the detailed review!

Ink Review - Noodlers BayState Blue

Well, if you have a habit of starting flame-wars on forums and blog-comments, I'd suggest you stay clear of this review. :)

Noodlers BayState Blue (BSB) has stirred up a lot of contention in the online world. Anytime it's mentioned, you can be sure to have dozens of supporters, as well as dozens of haters, all flocking to the article.

I am going to attempt a head-on, honest review of this ink. Personal opinions will be included, at a minimal level, but I'll stick primarily to just the facts.

My new pen is here!

Well, if you listened to the Weekend Reads podcast last Saturday, you probably heard that I ordered (another!) new pen. :)

The MonteVerde Invincia Stylus.

This is one pen that I am very excited to play around with and review. It's sweet looking, writes amazingly well, and has a touch0screen capable tip on it!

Ink Review - J. Herbin Verte Olive

Aside from having a rather hard-to-pronounce naming system, and a poorly designed bottle, J. Herbin is a really great ink manufacturer. After trying 3 of their inks now, I feel ready to review this one. So far, my impressions are very positive!

J. Herbin Verte Olive is one of those "They really nailed that color" inks. It looks just like olive oil, and I find it quite appealing.


Read on, for the full review!

Pen Review - Noodlers Ahab Flex Pen

Today's review will focus on the extremely popular and relatively new Noodlers Ahab Flex Pen.

Marketed as one of the few modern flex pens in existence, and purchasable for under $25.00, the Ahab Flex Pen is has been the subject of much talk in the world of FP's over the last few months.

Stay tuned for the review folks, it's going to be a long one. ;)

Weekend Reads 2/18/12

Get ready for yet another Weekend Reads! This is edition #8, so we're nearing 10 already. :)

Are you all ready to relax and enjoy the weekend!?

Well, before you do, here's an important piece of news:

This week, we are testing out the very first Weekend Reads Podcast!

ONE MONTH Pocket Challenge - Update - 2/13/12

Well, we're two weeks into February, and I think it's time to see how our little pocket-friends are holding up. :)

If you're new to the ONE MONTH Pocket Challenge, check out this post for all the details.

Read on to find out how a Kaweco Sport and a CF Notebook have held up in my pocket for two weeks.

Ink Review - Diamine Orange

How about reviewing one of the brightest inks I've ever used? :)

An orange so vibrant, you'd swear someone's Orange-Cream Popsicle dripped on your page when you see a swab of it.

Diamine Orange is one of the nicest oranges I've ever used! It's far to bright and vibrant to be used in any "normal" setting, but as an orange, it's one of my favorites!

Check out the review, and enjoy!

Mid-month, February Sale!

Weekend Reads 2/11/12

I hope everyone's excited about today's Weekend Reads! I know I am. :)

It's cold and chilly today in Big Sandy, Tennessee, and I hear winter is finally moving in across the USA. Sounds like a good time to keep inside, and cozy up by the fire.

So go ahead, grab your computer, iPad, or iPhone, and settle in for some relaxing morning reading! What better way to start your day, than to read about your favorite addiction, er... I meant hobby. ;)

It's time for the Weekend Reads - 2/11/12 edition!