Diamine Inkvent - Advent Calendar madness!

[Ashenden]

Inkvent Madness, Day 17

 

OMG this rollercoaster needs to end. I am two days late posting this one because I had a very stressful day yesterday and while everything is fine now, there was a couple of hours where I really thought it wasn't going to be. Phew. Disaster averted. Now back to our regularly-scheduled program... enjoy the next ink in our calendar.

 

 

Spoiler

This is Winterberry. OMG I love this one. Not only is red a favorite color of mine, but I really like this kind of pomegranate-ish version of it. This is a shimmer ink, for you lovers of the sparkly stuff, and the color of the shimmer seems to vary between a similar shade of this red and kind of an orange tint. It's really beautiful. I'm definitely looking into a full bottle of this. With the shimmer color, it's unlike any other red I have in my collection.

 

We are catching up on wine and chocolate still so twice the normal amount of the good stuff. Both of the chocolates were yummy. I have noticed that this wine calendar is repeating wines, though. I'm on another bottle of red blend, and while it's good, I miss the unique daily offerings that last year's wine calendar had. 

 

We stopped by the wine store last night to pick up champagne for our New Year's Eve party and I saw this sign, which made me laugh out loud, which after the day I had, I really needed. I thought you pen and ink people would enjoy this too and next time you either write cursive, or drink, you'll think of it. I know I will!

 

 

 

[Ashenden]

Inkvent Calendar Madness, Day 18

 

Alrighty, getting caught back up. Today has gone pretty good compared to yesterday and I'm six-rows-and-edge-trim from being done with my weekly Hobbii advent crochet project. I can't wait for this one to be over. It's a triangular kerchief and starts from the point up, so as I add rows, those rows get longer... and longer... and longer. And hugely repetitive. Its an interesting pattern that visually looks nice, but doing it is just the same thing times a thousand, and I'm so over it! In a bit of a frustrated outburst, I spent an hour today pulling apart my yarn stash to find a new project that's more exciting, so having something to look forward to out there on the horizon will push me to get the current one done. 

 

I am trying to decide whether or not to buy a fountain pen that I've had on my wish list forever and one popped up on an auction site this week. But after the huge drop in the stock market yesterday, money feels kind of like a sensitive issue today, even though none of that really has any bearing on whether or not I can afford a $200 pen. With 150 pens in my collection already it's kinda hard to justify another one, if truth be told. But.... I want it..... Sigh.

 

Because yesterday was so crazy, we didn't do any of our wine or chocolate and so we'll be doubling up tonight with pics to come tomorrow. 

 

Here's yesterday's ink:

 

Spoiler

Yep, this one is giving me a Vibe... a kind of Polar Glow-like, Nitrogen-ish, really saturated blue sheener vibe. Not being a fan of dark blue sheeners (I gave away my whole bottle of Polar Glow last year), I don't think I will be buying this, but for those of you who like this kind of thing, it's a lovely version and behaves nicely. The sheen runs to the red and purple side, mostly red. I like how deep it is and finally this calendar gives us something besides washed-out-pale, so at least there's that. 

 

 

[LizEF]

So glad disaster was averted!  Hope your holiday season slows down and smooths out.   Speaking for myself, I don't mind at all the timing of your posts.  The calligraphy is so lovely that it's worth the wait!

 

24 minutes ago, Ashenden said:

We stopped by the wine store last night to pick up champagne for our New Year's Eve party and I saw this sign, which made me laugh out loud, which after the day I had, I really needed.

I don't even drink, but still thought it was hilarious!

 

 

[Misfit]

15 minutes ago, Ashenden said:

But.... I want it..... Sigh.

I don’t want to be an enabler with your money, but I say go for it. Get that pen! I know it feels weird right before Christmas, but that’s what pen people do. 

[inkstainedruth]

@Ashenden Other than not really being a fan of shimmer inks at this point, Winterberry seems to be quite a lovely color.  I may decide I need a bottle of this if and when Diamine decides to market this year's Inkvent colors as individual bottles.  

As for Vibe?  I'd have to see it in person (and already do have several blue inks that sheen red). 

But thank you for continuing with this project (although my wallet is making cranky noises to the contrary... ).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

[Ashenden]

Inkvent Calendar Madness, Day 19

 

Alrighty, getting caught back up—again. I missed yesterday. Trying to finish up last minute stuff so I can relax and rest next week and enjoy the holiday.

 

On 12/19/2024 at 4:51 PM, Misfit said:

I don’t want to be an enabler with your money, but I say go for it. Get that pen! I know it feels weird right before Christmas, but that’s what pen people do. 

 

And that's just what this pen person did. After all, it's only money.  I'll try to post pics somewhere when it arrives.

 

And now on to day 19 in our calendar:

 

Spoiler

Fruit Cocktail. This ink has the same problem I've noticed with more than one of Diamine's scented inks. It's way, way, way too wet. I had a rough time controlling this on the paper. You can't really see it in this photo, but it totally crinkled my Tomoe River notebook paper due to the excessive ink bleeding out of the pen. You cannot get the very fine lines in the calligraphy with the side of the nib because there's just so much ink coming out. It makes whatever pen it's in a real gusher, so if you've got a pen that writes annoying dry, this ink is for you. For me to be able to use it, I'm going to have to cut it a little bit with water, which is what I had to do with one of last year's scented inks. Strangely, though, it does not feather AT ALL—all that wetness just sits there on the paper with defined edges like a water bubble until you zap it with the heat gun. And yes I realize that Tomoe River is very FP friendly, but I've had inks feather on it before—this one just doesn't.

 

YES it is scented. However, unlike Forest Gateau, the last scented offering in this calendar, I don't much care for the smell of this one. It's kind of sticky-sicky-sweet, like inhaling Kool-Aid. 

 

As for the color—the picture doesn't quite get the correct color for this ink. Yes it is a brilliant orange, but it's a little more like a neon mandarin peel than the solid dense orange of the picture. It kind of reminds me of an orange highlighter marker, if truth be told. 

 

I finished my crochet advent. Come to find out that I could have added a couple more shell rows to the piece, because I ended up with about a third of a ball of yarn left over, and the piece wet-blocks to 2 inches too small in all directions. This despite my gauge supposedly being correct throughout the project. The kerchief was tiny to begin with, so given how small it ended up, I don't know if this project will be useable as something to wear. I guess I'll have to repurpose it as a table doily or even wrap a gift in it. I wish they'd included an extra ball of yarn so I could make it big enough to be useful as a shawl or something. The pattern is pretty though, and I've made notes on it for next time, so I may try it again in the future.

 

This was our last night on doubling up on the wine and chocolate. I'm gonna miss that little extra bit of sweetness! 

 

 

[Ashenden]

Inkvent Calendar Madness, Day 20

 

Wow, guys, it's getting right down to the wire! Just a few more days until Christmas. I hope you're all done with shopping. I went out today to pick up a couple of very tiny last minute items and get some groceries for our Christmas Eve dinner, and the traffic was absolute MADNESS. It took forever to get where I needed to go. However, once in the stores, they were adequately staffed and getting my stuff and moving through checkout was pretty easy-peasy, so huge thanks to our local retailers for taking care of your customers. Are you guys all caught up with work so you can enjoy your week next week? I've gotten my to-do list totally cleaned out, and anticipate not having much to worry about on Monday or Tuesday other than enjoy the festive holiday season. Does anybody have any fun or unusual plans?

 

Now on to day 20! Only five more inks left to go after this one!

 

Spoiler

Potpourri. This is EXACTLY the color I would have expected from an ink called Potpourri. It looks like dried roses and violets and herbs and other delightful aromatic things from the garden. This isn't a scented ink, but I can't help thinking that Diamine missed the boat in not making this scented like potpourri, instead of wasting the smell on yesterday's disaster of an aroma.  The ink has a fair amount of shading—don't you just love shading????—and it's unusual enough in color that I might just consider it for a whole bottle.

 

We're back to the normal allocation of wine and chocolate. However, I'm supplementing our chocolate with some truffles I got at the Christkindlmarkt a couple of weeks ago. Tonight's is supposed to taste like Black Cherry Bourbon. I don't know about that, but whatever it's supposed to be, it was GOOD.

 

My final week of the Hobbii crochet advent promises something interesting—pattern is released tomorrow. But look at those four balls of Friends Cotton Silk—what lovely, gorgeous, squishy, soft yarn! And the color choice is interesting. I love those pale spring-like pastels.

 

 

 

 

[LizEF]

Thanks for another lovely pair!  Interesting that all the scented inks tend to gush out of the pen.  I wonder what it is about the "scent carrier" that it (presumably) has to be such a flow-aid.

 

You kerchief triangle is a beautiful pattern.  It'll look great wherever you decide to use it.  Looking forward to the rest of your calendars!

[Sailor Kenshin]

I like the Potpourri color.  It reminds me of JH Poussiere de Lune, one of my earliest bottles of ink.

 

Thanks for the visual treats.

[inkstainedruth]

@Ashenden Hmmm.  Potpourri is, um, interesting looking.  Another one I'd probably have to seen up close before making a final decision, since it might have TOO much shading....

But thanks again for doing this.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[yazeh]

Love the Potpourri colour. You're getting there, chocolate, wine, ink and nice shawl, hopefully and the grail fountain pen  

[Ashenden]

Inkvent Calendar Madness, Day 21

 

Oh my. I think I am finally done with errands, shopping (other than groceries), and all the other holiday tasks. I finished wrapping all my gifts and they're under the tree! I'm going to step back and do something fun tonight... I'm going to make cookie dough so my daughter and I can decorate on Christmas Day when she comes out to visit—at her request. I'm so looking forward to that!

 

On to day 21:

Spoiler

This one is a goodie from a color standpoint. I'm not a big fan of super saturated sheening inks, and aside from the normal problems with those, this is really a lovely ink. It's a clear Caribbean turquoise if you dilute with water (the dots in the side panels are made by dabbing the ink with a q-tip saturated with water, then blotting), and a deep rich royal blue running to purple in the dark parts, with a prominent magenta sheen. For once, the photo captures this pretty well. It has a good flow and covers really well.

 

On the bad side, it takes FOREVER to dry, and leaves piles of dry pigment on the paper that brush off and get everywhere. It's like Baystate Blue in that you find ink later in places that you never had the pen or the paper at all. Just everywhere. It got into the rest of the pages in my journal and you'll see that the next two days of calligraphy get contaminated with small bits of this blue (I did through Dec 25 today so I can relax and enjoy the rest of the days leading up to Christmas). I'm afraid when I wash my clothes after doing this calligraphy that I'm going to find blue spots everywhere that I can't get out. For this reason I will not buy this ink. But for those willing to risk the problems, this is really a delicious color and does in fact extreme sheen!

 

I haven't started my last crochet project yet as I was busy all day today, but I did peek at the pattern, and it is a cute little market bag which I will enjoy making and actually get some use out of.

 

Last night's wine was a Claret, pretty decent tasting. The long bar of chocolate was supposed to be Orange Bourbon and it was spot on for the flavor! The little square one with green specks was mint cream and quite good. 

 

 

 

 

 

[LizEF]

Oh wow!  Your calligraphy and decorations are exceptional this time.  Perfect for the name and color.   (But I'm with you - I'll take life without the multiplying, migrating sheen flakes! )

I hope you enjoy the remainder of your week.  Looking forward to the remaining colors!

[Misfit]

@Ashenden your chocolate advent calendar is so much better than my Lindt version. I have enjoyed seeing all your advent goodies.  

[inkstainedruth]

@Ashenden OOOOOH!  The big nib really brings out the color range for Cosmic Glow .  But the long dry time might DEFINITELY make this one a deal breaker.... 

Hmmmm.  Wonder what would happen if this got mixed with something like Noodler's Blue Ghost (which is said to add permanence to inks which are otherwise not remotely water resistant) because it might help with the long dry time.  But of course, it might not....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Ashenden]

Inkvent Calendar Madness, Day 22

 

I am still working up to working on the last crochet advent. It might not happen before Christmas Day because I'm busy today making up guest beds, pre-assembling Christmas Eve dinner, whipping up some cookie dough, and doing last minute grocery shopping. Although Halloween is my favorite holiday, I love this time of year as well for the cozy feeling and good will that seems to be everywhere. A random stranger chatted me up and wished me a Merry Christmas while we were bagging groceries across from each other at the grocery store today. People have let me into line during insane, crowded traffic and have just generally been pleasant everywhere I go. We need to remember to treat each other with the same kindness during the rest of the year!

 

I hope all you lovelies are enjoying the festivities, the craziness, the beautiful lights, the snow (or the sun, whatever your preference), and are having fun! 

 

Spoiler

 

Egg nog is one of my favorite things of the holiday season, and what's a glass of eggnog without a little NUTMEG sprinkled on top? This color is lovely and is truly a candidate for a full bottle. It's a medium, nutty brown elevated with some glorious gold shimmer. The flow is great, and look at that shading! This color is gorgeous. It's just warm and rich and reminds me of hot winter cocktails, spiked eggnog, the brown on perfectly baked sugar cookies, and fruitcake—YES—fruitcake. My mom had her issues but she knew how to make a delicious fruitcake, rich with walnuts and candied fruit and soaked in bourbon for several days. Yum. I can't stand store-bought fruitcake, but I'd give anything to have a bite of mom's again.

 

Last night's wine and chocolate were more of the same yumminess as we've been enjoying throughout the month. The long chocolate was tiramisu. I am ashamed to say that I took one bite of it and forgot about the rest while I was taking care of some laundry. When I got up this morning, the cat had found it and gnawed a couple of sets of teeth marks into it. DO CATS HAVE PROBLEMS WITH CHOCOLATE like dogs do?????? He seems alright today, so I don't think he ingested very much of it at all, but sheesh. I have to remember to put stuff away that might tempt the little fiend before I turn in for the night. Weirdo.

 

 

 

 

[LizEF]

Nutmeg is very, very appealing!  I may have to sample it one day, if they ever offer samples.  Love the square and the leafy decorations over it.    I'm not looking at the chocolate.  I'm not looking at the chocolate.  I looked at the chocolate...

[inkstainedruth]

@Ashenden Interesting color, but I haven't had the best of luck with shimmer inks, even though I have a few.

But thanks for continuing working your way through this year's Inkvent Calendar.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[LandyVlad]

@Ashenden I think that watching this thread and your inkvent calendar efforts is better than having my own!

 

[Ashenden]

Inkvent Calendar Madness, Day 23

 

I don't suppose there will be many folks online today, as in many homes such as ours, Christmas Eve is the big holiday. I've been up since 7 a.m. making food, cleaning house, and visiting with folks who have dropped by with gifts and to say hello. I'm finally done, and waiting for our guests to arrive around 3 pm. I need to take a load off my feet and have a glass of wine! I thought I'd rest a bit and get this posted. The last two inks in our calendar will both come tomorrow, on Christmas Day.

 

Now on to the ink for day 23:

 

Spoiler

What's Christmas without some pine? We have a pine tree for our Christmas tree, pine wreath on the door, pine garlands festooned with brightly colored lights, and pine scented candles. And now, we've even got an ink that's Pine Needle. This is another great candidate for a full bottle. I love greens that are a bit on the yellow side vs. the blue side, and this one is exactly that, but not too yellow. This pine needle also comes with its own frosty look in the form of green shimmer! It's quite loaded with sparkle and the shimmer is really apparent even in the small writing, although my photo doesn't capture it. Like most Diamine inks, it flows well and doesn't feather. I'm in love with this ink, just like yesterday's offering. I'm happy that there are these few really good ones this late in the calendar.

 

We're down to the last two bottles of wine and the last two chocolate days from our advent calendars, as they stop at Day 24. So I'm savoring these, since come January first I plan to wrangle my diet back into shape and lose this excess few pounds I've been carrying around since the fall. It's just too hard to diet over the holidays and so I don't bother. Besides, life is more fun if you sometimes and in moderation enjoy the guilty pleasures! The small chocolate was toffee—one of my favorite things—so a nice one to have near the end of the advent. Last day of wine and chocolate will also post tomorrow. Sigh. I will miss it