On Saturday, September 22, Kevin and I left Austin around 6:30 a.m to head for Dallas for the
Dallas Pen Show! This was our first pen show ever, and it was a good introduction to pen shows, I think. It was about a four hour drive to get to the show but it was well worth it. At first, we were both a little overwhelmed by everything but we quickly got our bearings.
We did bring our camera but you know... with so many pens and goodies around, it's really hard to remember to take pictures of things instead of petting them...so...there aren't many pictures. I swear, for the next show, I'll be able to handle it better!! We spent a good seven hours walking around, talking to people, looking at things, picking things up, testing things, etc, etc.
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| Kevin took this of me, gazing longingly at things I couldn't buy. EYE CANDY!!!!! Do you spy me, with my crazy pink tote bag? |
I had a very short mental list of things I was interested in (Mabie Todd/Esterbrook). I was quickly distracted from this mental list and kept adding things to it as I walked around.
We also had the pleasure of meeting Julie (
@FPOkami), which was really great, and we even went for dinner after the show (a hard-earned dinner because lemme tell you, walking around for that long and looking at pens really works up an appetite). It's so awesome to meet pen people in real life!!
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| Please keep in mind that I woke up at like 5 a.m and we drove for four hours before walking around for seven hours before eating a proper meal. We had a delicious Italian dinner and great conversation! |
I'm sure you're all curious what we came home with... I'm a little ashamed. I did go with no pen budget but some of the things were irresistible. Big surprise, right? Poor Kevin.
Inks: Visconti purple, Pelikan Edelstein Turmaline, 2 Noodler's Comanche Rouge, Diamine Aqua Blue, Diamine Apple Glory, and J. Herbin Green Apple scented ink.
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| Isn't the baby Diamine bottle SO CUTE? |
Paper - Quo Vadis Habana - with WHITE paper! Score!
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| One of my favorites. |
Pens - Waterman 12 vintage + wet noodle nib and a Peter Pan celluloid lever filler from 1939 + XF or F nib. I was generously gifted a Conklin SS crescent ringtop + F (?) flex nib from
Kim at Penquest, and Kevin was gifted a Pilot Varsity in green (hi Arnie!).
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| Sure, they look pretty unspectacular in this picture. But just wait until the reviews. They are NOT unspectacular at all. |
I was also able to spend awhile with
Mauricio from VintagePen.net and I was able to try out several (extremely delicious) pens from his personal collection!! What a treat! We also chatted about pens in general and he shared his wealth of knowledge with us.
Overall, we had a grand time and it would only be more fun with more pen friends! If you've been on the fence about attending a pen show, make it happen Cap'n! FPGeeks have some pen shows compiled
here. Pen people really are awesome. I can't wait until next year to attend the Dallas Pen Show again!
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13 comments:
Oh please - I look so FAT in that photo!! LOL!!!
Heey! This might be the first time I have ever seen you. Great! By the way, you had really nice colors of inks. Especially, I am wondering about Visconti Purple and Apple Glory.
that looks so fun!! :D
an your haul is so fun! lately I've kinda had the idea of owning a vintage flexy pen... but they're so expensive :C any ideas where to start?
I rarely post pictures of myself hehe. But here I am! Looking exhausted and crazed hahahaha. I'll post a pic of the ink colors! I have been itching to get the Apple Glory for a long time, I love the "green apple" color!
Good question! Depends what your budget is and how much flex you're looking for. I went with Mauricio because I knew zilch about vintage flex pens so I was willing to pay a premium for his expertise. There's many places you can get a vintage flex but you have to know what you're doing (they are usually cheaper than from a person who restores/sells them). You should email Mauricio though, he's SUPER helpful and can help you find something that you'd like, within your budget! They are expensive but I love them the most out of all my pens. Nothing compares to them!
Oh pleez! you look adorable! cute dress!
Hello, Azizah,
I *almost* met you at the pen show, but you were talking with someone and I was carried away in the frenzy before I could get a chance to talk to you. I did meet Julie O. and it was quite a chance meeting. I was at the Anderson's table and she came up to show them her new pen. When she said something about Florida I knew it could be her through twitter & flickr exchanges I'd had with her. It is fun to meet people you only previously knew online, especially at a pen show. I love the colors you got. Can't wait to see the apple green in a flex pen! Also, I learned the recipe for the Richard Binder custom color from Pendleton Brown. I believe he said it was Sheaffer Red and Montblanc Violet. Maybe you can blend some of the Noodler's Comanche Rouge with the Visconti Purple?
Here is a link to the few photos I took at the show:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22393601@N05/
Oops, I just realized I misquoted part of the ink blend recipe for Binder Burgundy. It is Sheaffer (or Skrip) Red + Waterman Violet. I have Pendleton Brown's version in a pen I bought from him and it is quite dark out of that pen. Diluted a little, you can see more of the burgundy shades.
Hi!! Aww I wish we could have met! I'd love to meet some readers and pen peeps :D I know what you mean though, about carried away with the frenzy lol. I'll be there next year so we can always plan a meet up!
I'm going to try that mix! I've actually never mixed inks before but it sounds super fun!
Thank you for commenting :) Don't be a stranger! Will you be attending any other pen shows? I'd love to get to the LA and DC pen show sometime.. *sighs longingly*
Hi. Great review of the show! I enjoyed meeting you when you were looking at the Nakaya and Sailor pens at John Mottishaw's table.
Thank you!! Ohhh yeah :D I had a great time doing that (and of course my wish list grew exponentially.... hehehehe)
It's a pleasure reading your blog(s) about the pen show, and "meeting" you online, since I missed you at the show. I had a table and, with my wife and some seriously dedicated volunteers, helped run our non-profit auction. I like your taste in Mabie-Todd and flex pens, which is mostly what I like (and repair and try to sell), along with some other vintage flex makers. Mauricio's a true flex fan and LOVES vintage stuff. Glad you enjoyed yourself!
Hi Bill! Thank you so much for commenting and saying hi! Well rats, I'm sorry I missed you at the show. Next year I'm going to wear a name tag and put out a request that everyone comes and says hi hehe. It was an awesome time, and a great "first timer" pen show. I can't wait until next year! If you are there again, I will make sure you are on my to-visit list :)
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