Fall Cards!

Hello again crafty friends! It’s finally fall around here (at least the Great Pumpkin Spice says so), and a few weeks ago I made some fall cards for some friends of mine. I waited to post so that I didn’t spoil them if they happened to see them online before receiving them.  Ultimately, I was really happy with how they turned out:

I designed these cards in Design Space and used my Cricut Explore Air 2 to cut out the various pieces.  For the line borders and text, I actually had my machine draw them out with a fine tipped marker.  Normally I love handwriting stuff, but I’m such a perfectionist about it that I would probably still be working on them.  I used some photo matte tape to give the leaves and pumpkin shapes some dimension, and added some twine as a finishing touch.

Admittedly, they were much more labor-intensive than I originally planned, so I only made four of them, and even that took two days.  Not sure I would do the same thing again, but I’m still happy with the results.

I would love to hear what you think down below in the comments. Cheers, y’all!

Kaweco Summer Purple

Hello again fellow stationery enthusiasts!  Today, I’m bringing you the last in my brief series of summer ink reviews.  Now that we’re well into September, summer is officially over – but Kaweco’s Summer Purple is going to stay in my everyday rotation for a long time to come.

Pen pictured is a Pilot Vanishing Point in Tropical Purple, with a medium nib.

Kaweco Summer Purple Ink Swab

This has quickly become one of my favorite purple inks, and I’ve tried a lot of them!  I was hesitant to try it for a while because Kaweco inks have a reputation for being dry, and I really can’t stand dry inks, but I was very happy to find that this ink really isn’t dry, as long as you don’t put it in a dry nib.  I simply love the bright, warm tone of this violet ink.

Dry time on this ink is decent, and you can get some really nice shading out of it if you use a wetter nib.  All in all it is a well-behaved, beautiful ink.  I purchased mine from JetPens, which you can find here.  I’d love to hear what you think down in the comments!

Faber-Castell Essentio

Today’s review is the new Faber-Castell Essentio.  While Faber-Castell has been around for quite a long time, they are not as big of a name in the fountain pen community as other staples, like Pilot, Lamy, or Pelikan.  Their low-key hype is a real shame, because in my experience they make terrific pens.  I ordered mine from Goulet Pens, and have been trying it out for the last couple of months.

Having owned a Faber-Castell Loom for several years, I had high expectations for the nib, and was hoping that the grip section was designed much better, as that has been my biggest (perhaps only) complaint with the Loom.  I was not disappointed.  This pen is fabulous!

The Essentio comes in three colors: black, blue, and rose.  Of course I got the rose one because I have no self-control when it comes to anything rose gold.  It’s simply gorgeous!

It is a very long pen, but also very light, and more slender than the Loom.  The cap can post easily and securely, but then the pen is ridiculously long, so I use it unposted.  Aesthetically, I think it’s beautiful for the most part, other than that black band between the section and the body.  It’s advertised as an ink window, but the plastic is so dark I don’t know how anyone could guage ink levels through it.

As for the writing experience, the Essentio has the same great nib quality that Faber-Castell is known for.  It is super smooth, wet enough to make writing a breeze but it’s definitely not a gushing nib.  The grip is more than comfortable for longer writing sessions.

Conclusions: I looooove this pen, and am so happy to have it in my collection and in my daily rotation.  At around $50, it would be reasonable to own multiples in several colors and nib sizes.

I’d love to hear your thoughts!