Shopping in your own stash

[Misfit]

The Jet Pens email today showed the Creme and Rose Gold TWSBI Eco, and Delfonics Notebooks. One Delfonics cover looks brown, and is called Cap-Martin Greige. There is also a lovely blue version called Cap-Martin blue. I put the pen and the greige color in my Wish List. They look like they would make a nice pair. 
 

The thing is Delfonics notebooks seem to only come in graph paper that is a cream color close to yellow. The review that introduced me to Delfonics is by a person who writes small. I don’t. I did buy two Delfonics notebooks in the past that I haven’t used yet. 
 

It got me thinking. I’ve got pens I’ve yet to use. Same for notebooks. It’s like I could go shopping in my own holdings, and likely find a new pen and new notebook that would pair well. Or even a pen used only once. Does this sound familiar to anyone else?
 

 

[DilettanteG]

As someone who tends to be feast or famine with my pen buying, I understand this completely. I've been testing out the Edelstein inks in my Pelikan collection instead of filling them up with my usual go to choices. I see now that these pens and inks were literally made for each other. Really shows off the shading in the inks and the variation in my broader, wetter nibs. Nice!

[AmandaW]

Oh yeah, but it doesn't stop me wanting to order something new. Especially if I am trying to cheer myself up when life is not going to plan...

 

(I won't bore anyone with the details of my experience with Amazon losing my Christmas shopping...)

 

 

[DilettanteG]

@AmandaW all my sympathies. It sounds like you deserve a little retail therapy.

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, Misfit said:

It’s like I could go shopping in my own holdings, …‹snip›… Does this sound familiar to anyone else?

 

Yes, but it really depends on the objective or goal of that particular instance of “shopping”.

 

I have a vast personal library of fountain pens, inks, paper products, and other paraphernalia, easily broader in range than most small-scale commercial pen and/or stationery stores, as various people have remarked now and then. I easily have more brand new pens and unopened bottles of ink — including many colours I haven't yet tried for myself — that likely eclipse a lot of fellow enthusiasts' entire collections after delving into the hobby for two to three years. If I just wanted something “new to me”, yes, I can easily just “shop” inside my own possessions.

 

Or, looking at it differently, I can even more easily “shop” for other fountain pen users from my stash, and find something that will meet their needs.

 

But that isn't going to tell me anything about the Majohn A3, which is relatively new to the market, if it happens to be what I want to know, (most likely) because others in online forums are actively discussing the pen model. Or some recently released ink. Whether it's out of sheer personal curiosity, or wanting to have something to say in the conversation (including but not limited to openly disagreeing with others' assertions and comments, where there is a solid reason to do so), it requires “shopping” to acquire new stuff and expanding my library.

[A Smug Dill]

13 minutes ago, AmandaW said:

Amazon losing my Christmas shopping

 

I'm very sorry to hear that, especially if it's shopping for presents to give to others, for which you now have to find alternatives in much more of a rush, and possibly less access to favourable pricing with all the late-November discount offers having expired, and cannot wait for post-Christmas sales. ☹️

[AmandaW]

10 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

I'm very sorry to hear that, especially if it's shopping for presents to give to others, for which you now have to find alternatives in much more of a rush, and possibly less access to favourable pricing with all the late-November discount offers having expired, and cannot wait for post-Christmas sales. ☹️

Exactly.

[kestrel]

My "problem" is a little different.  Years ago when I first fell down the rabbit hole I bought pens in lots from auction sites, mostly lower tier pens for "parts or repair," to practice my developing repair/restore skills on.  The low hanging fruit went first, the easier repairs.  Leftover pens/parts went to a box labeled "PEN PARTS."  I have started going back to some of those old  "junk" bags and discovered that a lot of the junk is now within my ability to repair.  Instead of buying pens I am focused on the parts lots to see what I can do.  I am even finding little jewels.  One of the first bags of pen parts I bought contained all the necessary components to reconstruct a nice 120 year old Conklin Crescent S3.  I don't see a lot of new (to me) purchases in the near future.

 

 

[Misfit]

3 hours ago, AmandaW said:

Oh yeah, but it doesn't stop me wanting to order something new. Especially if I am trying to cheer myself up when life is not going to plan...

 

(I won't bore anyone with the details of my experience with Amazon losing my Christmas shopping...)

 

 

Oh, I’m so sorry to read this. Bore us anyway if it will help you feel a tiny bit better.  Grrr on Amazon. 

[Penguincollector]

I go shopping in my own stuff all the time, it’s how I ended up with so many inked pens and notebooks in use. It’s fun, and sometimes things thought lost can reappear. I do this with clothes as well, it’s like playing dress up or store. 

[dms525]

I don't have a lot of pens that have never been inked, but I do have many that haven't been inked for a few years. I keep a log of inked pens which includes the date each pen was inked with which ink, so, if the last date is, say, 2019, I know that pen has been neglected. That's usually just because I have something newer to play with.

 

David

 

 

 

[Misfit]

I used to have my inked pens under control. That was years ago. I’d wait to put ink in a new pen. I have pens from past birthdays waiting, a Lamy Safari Strawberry pen, and a Lamy Studio in dark brown. Plus several new Kaweco pens that arrived when I was in no hurry to use them. That includes Toyama teal, sage, dark olive, mellow blue and lavender. They will get their time. Lavendar can wait for Spring, along with mellow blue. 

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, Misfit said:

I used to have my inked pens under control. That was years ago.

 

Same here.

[Misfit]

@A Smug Dill it’s good to have company in too many pens filled. I think @Penguincollector would say she has too many inked, but does use them. 

[Lithium466]

11 hours ago, Misfit said:

The thing is Delfonics notebooks seem to only come in graph paper that is a cream color close to yellow. The review that introduced me to Delfonics is by a person who writes small. I don’t. I did buy two Delfonics notebooks in the past that I haven’t used yet. 
 

It got me thinking. I’ve got pens I’ve yet to use. Same for notebooks. It’s like I could go shopping in my own holdings, and likely find a new pen and new notebook that would pair well. Or even a pen used only once. Does this sound familiar to anyone else?
 

 

I don't know if Delfonics uses the same paper in all their notebooks, but I would definitely try yours before buying some more!

 

I unfortunately don't have a big enough collection/stash/accumulation for it to feel like Christmas when I pick something from there. It's barely large enough for me to for forget about something and "rediscovering"...usually to remember a few hours later "oh that's why I don't use this more often".

 

Still as I'm seriously getting there in age and very probably am past the SABLE (stash above life expectancy?) status, I find your idea brilliant!

[amberleadavis]

On 12/13/2023 at 7:37 PM, Penguincollector said:

I go shopping in my own stuff all the time, it’s how I ended up with so many inked pens and notebooks in use. It’s fun, and sometimes things thought lost can reappear. I do this with clothes as well, it’s like playing dress up or store. 

 

My favorite dress shop was Mom's closet.  She was very well-dressed and I miss her style.

[amberleadavis]

I went shopping in my supply closet. I have better paper than anyone else can buy for a reasonable price in the store.

[AmandaW]

Inspired by the thread started by @DilettanteG about organising inks I'm re-arranging the glass cabinet in my study so it looks like a shop display. Someone said my picture looked like a shop display, I hadn't noticed that. So now I'm working on it to make just like that, I hope. Inks and little pen stands and... will post a picture when it's done. Just waiting on  a couple of orders for it.

 

 

[Penguincollector]

I think that was me, @AmandaW. I can’t wait to see it when you’re done!

[AmandaW]

3 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

I think that was me, @AmandaW. I can’t wait to see it when you’re done!

Thankyou! It has become a fun project. Irrelevant stuff has been moved out, another set of mini drawers for pen parts added, inks curated into a prettier display and now some pen stands are on their way here.

 

I'm hoping the stands will become the place for my 'currently inked', prompting me to use and refresh. The inks, likewise, will get rotated with others. It won't have all my things, just a curated selection that I want to remind myself to use.

 

I am prompting myself to be shopping among what I have and have the pleasure of re-arranging the display as often as I want.