It's time to use your favourite inks...
It's hard to imagine this with the warm weather we've been having (20°C in November!), but there's six weeks until Christmas.
What's the first spark of the holiday season for you? One of my first steps is finding and writing Christmas cards.
Writing cards is a ritual I enjoy. I make a list of names and pop into the post office to pick out stamps. (The Nativity star and winter birds are featured this year!)
It's a time to make myself a warm beverage, light a candle and pull out my favourite fountain pens and inks. As I select a card for each person, I think about them and send them good wishes.
Add a little shimmer to your Christmas card writing this year by using a shimmering fountain pen ink.
Diamine is famous for its shimmer inks. When I see Golden Sands Shimmer together with Moon Dust Shimmer the festive song 'Silver and Gold' plays in my head. There's also the gorgeous red and gold Dragon Blood and Firefly Shimmer inks. Razzmatazz Shimmer is a beautiful chartreuse with gold that reminds me of the branches of yellow dogwood in wintertime.
Another new shimmering ink option is Ferris Wheel Press. Reminiscent of icy snow on evergreens is Moonlit Jade, a green ink with silver shimmer.
If you prefer non-traditional, punchy colours that sparkle, consider:
- Queen Allium (purple with gold shimmer)
- Midway the Magnificent (fuchsia and glistening blue shimmer)
- Pink Sugar Beach (hot pink with electric blue shimmer)
If you prefer inks sans-sparkle, but still want something festive, try one of these colourful options:
- Diamine Evergreen
- Ferris Wheel Press Wonderous Winterberry
- J. Herbin Vert Olive
- J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage
- J. Herbin Rouge Grenat
- and for some added scent, J. Herbin Les Subtiles Encre Rouge
When it comes to selecting Christmas cards, we've several options, including local and European items. New this year, Katie Leamon has cards that have been sustainably made using upcycled coffee cup material. [In case you missed it, check out the October 4th issue of Tuesday's Tonic for our interview with Katie.]
Available in-store only, you'll find Simply Stitches, a local card maker who hand stitches her greeting cards one at a time.
There's also a mix of modern and traditional from Museum & Galleries and Rossi. Rossi's letterpress cards are close to my heart. My love of letterpress runs deep and is one of the reasons why I created Figg Street Co. Run your fingers over any of the letterpress in the shop and you'll experience the same tactile pleasure I enjoy. Bliss.
What ink colours will you use to write your cards this year? If you can't decide and enjoy experimenting with colour, consider our Diamine advent ink calendar and you can use a different hue each day, starting with December 1st!
