Sunday, July 10, 2011

Sunday-10am

We had a wicked storm Friday night that woke me up at 2am (the dryer flap drumming against the side of the building and thunder shaking the floor). The sky was still dark all morning, but it broke up...
...to an afternoon of blue skies and cotton candy clouds again. I am loving these clouds!
That meant, to Karma's chagrin, the porch carpet was totally soaked yesterday. ;)
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Okay, the teeny, tiny nib. I took the glue you are supposed to be able to use on metal and glued the nib to the post on that holder and let it sit overnight. But when I went to try to write with it...well, it fell apart right away. So much for that glue.
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So, next--I scraped out the old glue and tried some gel super glue. I left that to dry overnight. But this time I hedged my bets. I took some one-inch wide red duct-type tape and cut off a couple inches. Then I had to cut it lengthwise into 1/3 inch strips (that's how tiny this nib is!) to wrap around the base of the nib and the post. I used all three strips.
This is how tiny this nib is against my finger. And--no--I don't have giant hands--LOL!
I wrote with this little nib (no problems with it falling apart this time!) and was so surprised at how extremely flexible it is! I added it's test on the bottom of the test sheets I had previously made for the fountain pens. I honestly didn't think it would be very usable, but it really is! And if you barely press on it you could probably get almost eyelash thin--yet when you pressed harder you could lines almost as thick as the parallel pens!! Amazing!
Meanwhile, I planned to test the new Sharpie stick pens and the resurrected old personal favorites--the Le Pens!!
So I thought I should also try my untested old set of Staedtler Triplus Fineliner pens, too...
...since they all have similar tips.
The Triplus are these triangular shaped pens. May look weird, but they are comfortable in the hand.
So, I took the three sheets of sample paper that had the most bleeding, the two kinds I just bought from Office Max, and regular computer paper and tested away with all three types of pens.
The only one that bled through was the computer/typing paper.
Here's a closeup. You can see the shadow of the Sharpies on top. They did not bleed through the paper but they looked close to it. The LePens and the Triplus bled through the cheap computer paper in spots.
My ceramic cup got a bit full with the new pens jammed in there. I'll probably need to find a new home for them when I finally get the LePen set I forgot to order. I'm not sure I can fit many more of them in there, even if they are so skinny--LOL!
I was asked to explain about cutting off that first sheet in the journals. Here's the wider shot. In many journals or journal refills the very bottom of the first sheet (and the last one) is glued along the edge onto the cover.
I used a ruler and special cutter to trim away at the edge of the glued part of the page so it would be as neat as possible.
Here's the other journal, too.
And here's my special cutter I got from Levenger many years ago. I don't think they carry them anymore, but I have seen various versions for sale elsewhere over the years.
They are touted for cutting coupons because that teensy little blade you see below will cut through just one sheet of paper--or maybe two if it is thin and you press really hard. Another one of my odd tools that I have found many uses for over the years. ;)
Anyways, it was kind of nagging at me that the Sharpie pens looked like they would almost bleed and I had only used one type of cheaper paper so--for the fun of it, I took a sheet of computer paper and a sheet of regular lined notebook paper (or what we used to call school paper) and really went for it! Scribbing, writing very slowly, dots, crosshatching...
...and this is what I got.
(If you click on any of my photos they should enlarge for you.)
The computer paper (above) did have spots of bleed-through on all three pens...even the Sharpie stick pen. But, of course, a few spots is nothing like a regular Sharpie that bleeds straight through to the other side, right? The school paper did better with no actual bleed--had that close to it look, but didn't really. They all had dark shadowing on both, but these are very cheap papers. So--there you have it! I was surprised, to be honest, that I can probably use all three kinds in my bookcards. TaDa!
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Oh, Brian Goulet made a video about the new Ink Drop and I didn't realize that (1) all the inks react to a black light and glow--even the highlighter inks, and (2) you can use the highlighter inks in a regular fountain pen. Not sure why you'd want to, but good to know that I could write an annoying fluorescent green letter if I so desired--ROFL!! ;)
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Speaking of, my Goulet order didn't arrive on Saturday. :( But, then again, I had plenty to show you today without even more pictures, eh? Ahhh! The beginning of the month is such an exciting time--LOL!
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I watched the last of True Blood Season Three. It didn't disappoint--left me hanging and wanting to know more. That show is soooo wild and crazy! You never know what they are going to come up with--creatures, plot twists, shock value tidbits. It is consistently and most definitely gruesome and gory, for those of you who don't care for that. Seems like every year they come up with some new supernatural creatures to deal with. Certainly not just a vampire show--hehe! Of course, you know me--I like variety. *says the girl who loves True Blood, Deadwood, and Dexter, but still cries every time she watches It's A Wonderful Life*
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They're saying thunderstorms should be rolling in again later today...but for right now we have sunshine. Just an R&R day for me today. :):)
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"As the sun shines upon my heart, so may my heart shine upon others."
The Upanishads

11 comments:

Donna @ The House on the Corner said...

For a few hours it got really dark and cloudy - the wind picked up - and we had our fingers crossed that we might, might get some rain.....but after an hour or so, it got all sunshiny and clear - no rain. So sad :-(

Deanna said...

Poor Karma!

Those storms can be scary. It is strange here because floods continue to threaten and yet we need rain.

You have such a wide variety of pens!

Queenie Jeannie said...

It's great to see you enjoying yourself!! We had the most dazzling storm last night, with ferocious winds!! Totally took down our gazebo in the backyard, which really makes me sad. We'll definitely be replacing it but they don't carry the heavy-duty ones like we bought last year. It's just too hot to sit out there without one though!

Toriz said...

Cotton candy clouds... Nice! :)

When you said the metal glue didn't work, I was going to suggest superglue. That's what we use for figures when the "metal glue" fails to do the trick. I'm glad you didn't have the experience I did when I last used superglue though... I glued my fingers together and it took over an hour to remove the glue. My hands were sore for days (I think I mentioned it on my blog afterwards).

Sounds like you're having a great time with those pens, inks and papers! :)

The way you're going you'll need more than just one more pen storage cup/pot. LOL!

That's what I thought you meant when you said what you were doing with the sheet inside the cover. But I've had so many "journals" (diaries over here, hence the "s) that I've seen that inside sheet loads of times. I guess if you don't deal with things like that on a regular basis though then it might be more difficult to picture what you were doing.

I love the start of the month too... Parcels, YAY! ;)

I could never make up my mind what I thought of that show. On the one hand it seemed to be a good show, on the other... Well, I kind of felt like they spent most of it with someone or other engaging in intimate activities, and I wanted them to focus more on the various creatures than on those scenes. "Game Of Thrones" had several scenes like that, but there was also a lot more storyline than in "True Blood" so I didn't mind. I like a bit of definate plot progression as a rule. Call me picky, but I do! I think the books are better and focus more on the storyline than the "intimate activities" though, so I wouldn't mind giving them a read. Maybe if I know better what's going on with the story I might enjoy it more? *Shrugs*

Love the quote!

DJan said...

The clouds are indeed beautiful, and the pens and your adventures with them are endlessly interesting. The pictures are very informative, too.

Rita said...

Donna--Oh I wish we could send you some of this rain--and not in the form of flooding. It's been so wet up here that I heard that about of quarter of the fields in North Dakota never were able to be planted. And then you guys are parched! Not good. :(

Deanna--We've both got such extremes with the rain. :( Let's hope you get some and we don't.
I've had a weakness for pens and inks since I was nine years old (among other things--LOL!). I have about eight cups of pens around here--various types in various cups--and then there's the craft pens and markers which are kept in the bookcases with the craft stuff. That's why I need pens that are not going to dry out on me any time soon--hehe! ;)

Jeannie--Sorry to hear about your gazebo! I hope you get another one soon so you can enjoy your time in the backyard. :)

Tori--Ha! I've done that in the past--glued my fingers together--so I am very, very careful with super glue.
Yes--my various cups change every so often. That one I was showing is a cool one made by a local potter up here. It is technically a glass, I guess--no handle--but it looks like a small round pot with dents all over it. He used his fingers and pressed into the damp clay to make dented spots for you to hold onto the glass/mug better. But he had much bigger hands than me--LOL! I just loved the looks of it--kind of fat with blue on the top and speckled brown on the bottom. I've always used it for pens or brushes. (I also have a whole bunch of pots/cups for brushes, too.)
Yup! You know about the pages glued to the base of the covers. But people who don't journal had no idea what I was talking about. (It's an annoying page, anyways, because it's difficult to write on.)
Part of the show is the romance stuff. Funny--I heard there are people who have complained there's not enough of it--LOL! This third season had a lot of story plots going on at the same time, more mystery as to what people's true agendas were, and was more into the characters--which I liked. I can't imagine how different it must be to follow shows that are so visual, tho--even if they describe what is happening. You probably have a better imagination than the majority of us!! :):)

AliceKay said...

Have you ever typed up a comment and hit the X up there in the corner instead of "Publish Your Comment"? I just did. :( *tries again* (it's been a long day...lol)

White puffy clouds make for pretty good pictures sometimes. I hope Karma had a chance to lay out on the porch today.

That tiny nib writes very well. I was surprised. You have pens galore now. It's neat seeing you write and sample them.

The weather has been crazy lately. Such extremes all over the country. We have hot humid weather today. It's weather you can wear. ;)

Loved the quote.

(i was sure i checked for a new post for you yesterday, but it might have been before you posted this)

Intense Guy said...

Karma needs a "beach towel" to lay out in the sun on that doesn't "bleed rainwater" up through it...

Hhmm... I wonder if anyone has patented that idea yet?

Toriz said...

The cup sounds very pretty.

I always used to write something on that page to indicate when I started it (usually my name and current age, or something like that) and then would do some kind of small doodle just for fun. Seemed like a good idea at the time, and sort of became a ritual, I guess; start a new journal, decorate that page that's hard to write on anyway, then start the actual writing on the next page.

Toriz said...

Oh, and quite a few shows don't give descriptions; True Blood was one of them. That usually doesn't help my enjoyment factor... I don't want to annoy people by keep asking what happened, so if things are too visual I just end up losing track of what's going on (and often eventually losing interest in the whole idea of even attempting to watch it).

Rita said...

Djan--Thanks! I'm so glad you find my ink and pen adventures interesting. Not everybody would, that's for sure--LOL! ;)

AliceKay--Yes, I have hit the "X" instead of publish--LOL! You are not the only one. And why does it happen when you're already tired, too. Well, that's probably why--we're too tired. ;)
Karma did get some porch time. And there will be more ink tests--hehe!
I hope it cools off your way and you have a great week! :)

Iggy--A big old beach towel with a plastic backing--and I'd have to carry her over to it because she doesn't like wet feet--ROFL! Oh, you make me giggle! :)

Tori--I have no trouble starting writing journals, but that blank page in a sketch journal stops me in my tracks. ;) YOu have a great little ritual.
Without descriptions it would be really, really difficult to watch True Blood! A LOT of shows! That sucks--no vampire pun intended. ;)