An aninkversary, literary homages and a little bit of magic

Diamine are celebrating 160 years of ink-thusiasm with... what else but ink? 

 

Their long and innovative history has been distilled into 6 bottles of ink in wonderfully vintage shades to commemorate their Liverpudlian roots. They include Rosewood and Wax Seal; Athol Violet and Tariff Teal, tributes to the streets where the factory was located; and Canalside and Port of Call, which represent the factory's proximity to the all-important canal. 

Courageous Gryffindor or clever Ravenclaw? Loyal Hufflepuff or slippery Slytherin? 

 

Whichever one you are, LAMY has an AL-star fountain pen to suit. Each is dressed in its house colour - scarlet, gold, blue or green -  and features a lion, badger, raven or snake on the cap end. They're available singly, or as a set of 4 if you really can't decide which one you are.

 

Beware, though... these are as elusive as the Golden Snitch so you'll need to have reflexes worthy of a Seeker.

Oscar Wilde's gothic horror novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, has been rendered in ink by Wearingeul.

 

It's a grey ink shading to purple, representing the mouldering portrait in the attic and the picture of youth and vitality that the seeming immortal Dorian Gray appears to the world at large.

We have new Dominant Industry ink! And this time it's scented.

 

The Twilight Garden series consists of Duftrausch rose - a deep purplish-pink - which forms the base note; Ylang Ylang, a warm yellow which forms the middle note; and the bright blue top note - Bog Sage.

 

Perfume to write with!

What is it about model railways that has certain people transfixed? Who knows? But does it matter? No.

 

What matters is that Retro 51 have recognised the cult status of Lionel Trains (sort of like Hornby) and created a Tornado Rollerball to celebrate 125 years of model railway mania.

 

The Super Chief is decked out in its iconic red, yellow and silver livery and is chuntering away in the station, ready for action.

F Scott Fitzgerald's classic American novel of excess and intrigue - The Great Gatsby - defined an era, and is the latest to get the Montblanc Great Characters treatment.

 

With dark blue barrels representing the Art Deco skyline of 1920s New York, and a glow-in-the-dark cap end influenced by the green lights on the dock at Daisy Buchanan's house, there is a choice of fountain pen, rollerball and ballpoint; and a leather-bound notebook and glass bottle of green ink complete the set.

The Carbon Moiré is the latest to grace Visconti's Homo Sapiens collection. Inspired by Italian supercars, it's constructed from grade 5 titanium and features forged carbon and gold plate.

 

It also sports Visconti's double reservoir power filler, ensuring fewer pit stops. 

 

It is indeed a thing of beauty: beauty that comes at a price. Not quite that of a supercar (fortunately) but still enough to warrant its special order status! 

Begin the week with a Fresh Monday or enjoy a Creative Thursday with BENU. And look forward to kicking back and chilling at the weekend with a Relaxing Sunday.

 

BENU's new collection is the DailyMate, which rather usefully consists of 7 pens, one for each day of the week. No need to rely on socks (or pants) to remind you which day you're on - grab a helpfully labelled pen instead. Pre-order now for delivery late December.

Caran d'Ache's Cosmic Collection is an array of celestially-inspired pens, pencils and accessories.

 

The 849, Leman and Ecridor, along with colouring sets and a Heath Robinson-style Sharpening Machine, have all been given a stellar makeover fit to launch a thousand rocket ships.

Use the code FPD2024 at check-out and you'll get 10% off a huge selection of fountain pens, from everyday workhorses and the perfectly pocketable to irresistible gems and collectible treasures.

 

But the offer ends soon - at midday UK time on Thursday 7th November - so you'd better get cracking. 

Give a small person a bit of paper and a selection of coloured pencils and they'll usually set to with gusto.

 

Give them a few Giottos and they'll have the pleasure of bright, vivid colours, robust leads and the choice of branching out into colouring pens and paint as well.

 

most of the range!

Blendable, layerable, bold, vivid colour - that's Chromaflow, Derwent's range aimed particularly at students and enthusiastic amateurs. There's the exceptional quality you'd expect from Derwent, but priced to please.

 

And for a limited time they're even more pleasing, because you'll get a free wrap when you buy 12 single Chromaflow pencils. 

Before you know it, it'll be time to start the countdown to... er... well, you know.

 

So if you haven't yet broken and given in to temptation, we still have a few of Diamine's ink-credible Inkvent Calendars, filled with Good Tidings, Salted Caramel, Chilly Nights and a dash of Potpourri (among other things).

 

Oh, and we've managed to get our hands on a few more of Legami's Advent Calendar! Pre-order to avoid disappointment!

A home-made Christmas (sorry to mention it, but it's sort of inevitable) is a memorable Christmas (sorry again), and we're offering something special to get you started on all that.

 

Milly of Blink Lettering has teamed up with Staedtler (and us!) in an online workshop, which is available right now! 

Tonight is Bonfire Night. Or Guy Fawkes Night. Or Fireworks Night. Call it what you will, it's a celebration of a foiled attempt over 400 years ago to assassinate the protestant King James. Gone are the days when bonfires were built willy-nilly from things that probably shouldn't be burnt, and 'guys' were dragged through the neighbourhood on cobbled-together go-karts with requests for pennies, but that's probably a good thing. Organised displays are now the order of the day, much to the relief of the fire brigade.