Recording Family History

Family bibles uses expand beyond being just religious scripture document. Many have also served the purpose of providing a home for records of important events that happened such as deaths, births, graduations and weddings for centuries. Many family bibles even include traditions, recipes and family anecdotes.

Recording electronic family history may now be the norm, but hi-tech solutions are not essential. The preference for keeping detailed paper records, including handwritten biographical outlines for each ancestor, family group records and pedigree charts, in a family bible or beautifully adorned journal is once again gaining momentum.

Even though most people are completely comfortable working with a computer, there is something to be said for keeping a fine penmanship record of your ancestors’ past. You not only keep your family history alive you also contribute to preserving the keeping of private and public records using the fine art of handwriting.

It may be time to treat yourself, and future generations, to a fine heirloom pen that can not only record your family’s current activities; it can be used by your great-great-grandchildren in many years to come.

Here’s a good starting point of suggested pens to get your search going:

http://www.penboutique.com/parker-sonnet-sterling-silver-cisele-gold-trim-rollerball-pen.html
http://www.penboutique.com/aurora-ipsilon-satin-blue-rollerball-pen.html

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Engraved Pen Gifts

As early as 60,000 BC, humans engraved ostrich eggshells used as water containers. These eggs are the first sign of humans engraving patterns. More advanced engraving developed over time and by the reign of the Egyptian and Greek empires engraving as a form of documentation and communication had developed. Again, to this date documentation from ancient Egyptians remain in museums around the world, leaving an engraved insight into an ancient world.

In addition to being a form of communication and documentation, engraving was used to reproduce printed artwork, documentation and in printing. Engraving has been used to create printing templates out of metal to reproduce newspapers, books, currency and art. To this day, engravings are used to produce unique moulds to create intricate currency the world over.

An engraved pen is a personalized gift that lasts forever. Graduations are the ideal time to give a gift that shows you know the former student has accomplished much and you congratulate the efforts.
Pen Boutique specializes in fine writing instrument engravings. We take great pride in personalizing with precision.

Here are some suggestions for the accomplished graduate on your shopping list:

http://www.penboutique.com/parker-ingenuity-small-black-with-gold-trim-pen.html
http://www.penboutique.com/waterman-hemisphere-deluxe-silky-black-ct-fountain-pen.html
http://www.penboutique.com/pilot-namiki-vanishing-point-metallic-fountain-pen-mountain-blue-5946.html

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Featured Story: History of Pen Stands/Holders

Portable pens that could carry its’ own ink supply were not perfected until fairly late in the 19th century. None of the great writers before that time, from Aristophanes to Shakespeare to Dickens, were in a position to enjoy such an instrument. Even Thomas Jefferson, who later in life sampled an early reservoir pen, had to fall back on the quill to draft the U.S. Declaration of Independence. For the first three millennia or so since the invention of paper, the writing instrument of choice in Western culture was the quill. One simply used a goose tail feather, the process being harvest the feather, allowing it to dry (often by immersing it in a bed of hot dry sand), "gutting" it and trimming off the excess fuzz. The tradition of needing a pen stand for your writing instrument was out of necessity to avoid ink from getting all over your desk. This historical tradition is celebrated today with functional and well crafted Jac Zagoory pen holders.

Jac Zagoory Design is nothing if not the epitome of creativity and innovation. Their collections include an almost unimaginable variety of pieces that are just as charming as they are unusual. Just as their mission statement proclaims, Jac Zagoory Design aims to create, innovate and acquire pieces that will help others reach for inspiration in their own lives. To help put a smile on the faces of those that value their rewards like they value their work. 

Although a relatively young company, Jac Zagoory Design has gained a solid footing in the world of art, pens and luxury merchandise. Their products have been featured in Wired Magazine, Stylus, Gift and Decorations, Greetings, Pen World, the New York Times and in many foreign publications.

Be inspired with these marvelous choices:

http://www.penboutique.com/jac-zagoory-humming-birds-pen-holder.html
http://www.penboutique.com/jac-zagoory-chain-your-bike-not-your-thoughts-pen-holder.html
http://www.penboutique.com/jac-zagoory-growling-bear-staple-remover.html
http://www.penboutique.com/jac-zagoory-lion-s-roar-staple-remover.html

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History of Pen Pals

A Pen Pal relationship is often used to improve literacy, to learn more about other countries and life-styles, and to make friendships. As with any friendships in life, some people remain Pen Pals for only a short time, while others continue to exchange letters and presents for life. Some Pen Pen Pals eventually arrange to meet face to face; sometimes leading to serious relationships, or even marriage.
Pals come in all ages, nationalities and cultures. Pals may seek new pen friends based on their own age group, a specific occupation, hobby, or select someone totally different from them to gain knowledge about the world around them.

Some Famous Pen Pals

Karl Marx and Abraham Lincoln exchanged letters at the end of the Civil War, with Marx writing on behalf of the International Working Men’s Association. Although they were divided by far more than the Atlantic Ocean, they agreed on the urgency of suppressing slavery and the cause of “free labor.”

One day in 1961 Groucho Marx received in the mail a note from none other than T.S. Eliot himself. Expressing his admiration for the comedian, Eliot asked him for an autographed portrait. A shocked Groucho sent back a studio photograph of himself, only to receive a second note from the icon of modern poetry requesting instead a picture of the iconic Groucho, sporting a moustache and holding a cigar. A second photograph was sent out and a happy Eliot wrote to thank Groucho: “This is to let you know that your portrait has arrived and has given me great joy and will soon appear in its frame on my wall with other famous friends.

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Aurora

How the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War II, inspired a new pen company.

Aurora is an Italian manufacturer of fine writing instruments, fountain pens, paper and leather goods. Their products represent the first true Italian fountain pens and are still manufactured in their original factory in Turin, northern Italy.

It was 1919, the year the treaty of Versailles was signed. In an Italy marked by a post-war crisis, but bubbling with great hopes for recovery, the first steps down a long road were taken with the birth of Aurora, and the creation of the first true Italian fountain pen. A rich textile merchant, founder of the Torino Company of the same name, saw the crystallization of a dream he had long meditated and planned. In that year, the success enjoyed by the Aurora pen coincided with a new historic direction. Italy woke up to the first rays of a sun that was destined not to set, while Aurora became the name of a company destined for success.

From those very first years the company showed that it was able to produce writing instruments with inimitable allure and refinement. A unique style which, following the evolution of taste, yesterday as today, brought together experience, technique, precious materials and artisan skill and refinement. Having earned the appreciation of admirers round the world, the trademark represented forms and materials which, from the beginning, were tangible examples of the most refined made in Italy products. The brand is synonymous with high quality, exquisite taste, and fine Italian craftsmanship. Each Aurora Pen is influenced by the renowned culture, artistic legacy, and design characteristic of the Italian tradition. One of the only manufacturers to craft their own nibs, Aurora fountain pens feature fixed points - a reference for future generations of writing masters.

Pen Boutique is currently offering 20% off recently reduced prices on Aurora Ipsilon Resin pens. This is the lowest price available from an authorized dealer!

http://www.penboutique.com/aurora-optima-auroloide-rollerball-pen.html
http://www.penboutique.com/aurora-optima-burgundy-auroloide-rollerball-pen-with-chrome-trim.html
http://www.penboutique.com/aurora-talentum-rubberized-soft-touch-rollerball-pen.html
http://www.penboutique.com/aurora-ipsilon-deluxe-black-rollerball-pen.html
http://www.penboutique.com/aurora-ipsilon-deluxe-black-ballpoint-pen.html
http://www.penboutique.com/aurora-ipsilon-grey-lacquer-rollerball-pen.html

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Message in a Bottle:Water-proof Ink

    

     

A Message in a Bottle is a form of communication whereby a message is sealed in a container (archetypically a glass bottle, but could be any medium, as long as it floats and remains waterproof) and released into the sea or ocean. Among other purposes they are used for scientific studies of ocean currents.

Ever since humans have had the "vessel" for a letter, the ability to write and the time to do it messages have been dropped into the sea. Messages inside of bottles have been floated over a long period of time by a variety of people, for a variety of reasons. The earliest known sender recorded was the Greek philosopher Theophrastus who, in around 310 B.C., threw sealed bottles into the Mediterranean to prove that the inland body of water was formed by the inflow of the Atlantic.
On his return to Spain following his first voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus's ship entered a severe storm. Columbus threw a report of his discovery along with a note asking it to be passed on to the Queen of Spain, in a sealed cask into the sea, hoping the news would make it back even if he did not survive. In fact, Columbus survived and the sealed report was never found, or at least, its discovery never reported.

Queen Elizabeth I of England in the 16th Century used bottles to carry intelligence reports. Messages in bottles have been chronicled for centuries and include some of the most famous names in history. For example, Ben Franklin, used message-carrying bottles to compile a basic knowledge of East Coast currents in the mid-1700's, and to this day is still used by the U.S. Navy.

According to Guinness World Records, the oldest message in a bottle spent 92 years 229 days at sea. A bottom drift bottle, numbered 423B, was released at 60° 50'N 00° 38'W (about halfway between Aberdeen, Scotland and the coast of Denmark) on April 25, 1914 and recovered by fisherman Mark Anderson of Bixter, Shetland, UK, on December 10, 2006.

Today the romantic notion of casting a Message in a Bottle is still alive. Contemporary culture has spawned a popular song by the Police, a book by Nichols Sparks and a companion movie to the best seller. Even Message in a Bottle pre-made kits are now available for purchase.

If you are am island castaway, or you just want to enjoy this time honored tradition, using waterproof ink is your best bet for this endeavor. It is a form of ink that can be used in various pens and is intended to not be water-soluble and therefore not run or be ruined by exposure to water. Pen Boutique carries a wide variety of waterproof ink to be used in your own Message in a Bottle!

Question: What is the most popular waterproof ink?

Answer: Noodler's Black

Noodler's:

#41 Brown: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11896-noodlers-ink-41-brown-ink-bottle-refill-original.aspx

Bad Belted Kingfisher: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11895-noodlers-ink-bad-belted-kingfisher-ink-bottle-refill-original.aspx

Bad Black Moccasin: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11894-noodlers-ink-bad-black-moccasin-ink-bottle-refill-original.aspx

Bad Blue Heron: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11893-noodlers-ink-bad-blue-heron-ink-bottle-refill-original.aspx

Lexington Gray: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11904-noodlers-ink-lexington-gray-ink-bottle-refill-original.aspx

Luxury Blue: http://www.penboutique.com/p-14451-noodlers-ink-luxury-blue-1oz-eternal-ink-bottle-refill.aspx

Bad Green Gator: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11897-noodlers-ink-bad-green-gator-ink-bottle-refill-original.aspx

Black: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11848-noodlers-ink-black-ink-bottle-refill-original.aspx

X-Feather: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11892-noodlers-ink-x-feather-ink-bottle-refill-original.aspx

Year of the Golden Pig: http://www.penboutique.com/p-10215-noodlers-ink-year-of-the-pig-gold-45-oz-highlighter-ink-bottle.aspx

Diamine Registers Ink:
30ml: http://www.penboutique.com/p-13747-diamine-blueblack-registrars-ink-bottle-30ml.aspx

100ml: http://www.penboutique.com/p-13746-diamine-blueblack-registrars-ink-100-ml.aspx

Montblanc:
Black bottle: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11504-montblanc-permanent-black-60-ml-ink-bottle-refill.aspx

Blue bottle: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11505-montblanc-permanent-blue-60-ml-ink-bottle-refill.aspx

90th Anniversary: http://www.penboutique.com/p-12331-montblanc-meisterstuck-90th-year-anniversary-special-edition-permanent-grey-ink-bottle-category-refill.aspx

Black ink cartridges: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11507-montblanc-permanent-black-ink-cartridges-refill.aspx

Blue ink cartridges: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11506-montblanc-permanent-blue-ink-cartridges-refill.aspx

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History of Demonstrator Pens: Featuring Pelikan Special Edition M805

Demonstrator pens, also known as skeleton pens, were originally furnished by manufacturers to dealers, so that the features of their products could be shown to potential buyers. Sales reps from the classic era would not have called on a customer without a couple of these demonstrators in his sample case; they would use them to show dealers the latest tricks for keeping ink inside a pen. Today, many collectors seek out these rare old demonstrators.

The first demonstrators had openings cut in their barrels, and usually, their caps. These would typically allow direct viewing of the filling mechanism and the section-inner cap junction, respectively. The first transparent demonstrator pens were probably Parker's Bakelite-barreled eyedropper-fillers, which were soon made a regular production model. Parker and Sheaffer both made fully transparent versions of their best-selling Duofold and Balance models in the early 1930s. Other demonstrators were only partially transparent, the transparency highlighting the pen's special features.

The demonstrator is still with us today, although it is no longer just a sales tool; demonstrators are offered to the buying public as "special editions" of established pen lines. For example, Aurora recently offered a completely transparent version of its venerable 88, while the translucent Pelikan 200 would also have to count as a demonstrator of sorts (although its colors are a bit too dark perhaps for true demonstrator status). Lamy also offers a demonstrator in its Vista variant of the economy-priced Safari. Omas has also offered numerous see-thru pens. There are plenty of other examples to be found among modern luxury pen manufacturers.

In recent years, transparent fountain pens have become very popular. In contrast to demonstrators past, which were made in very limited numbers and not sold to the public, these pens are regular production items, though sometimes made as limited editions. This trend may be traced back to Pelikan's transparent green M800 and transparent blue Blue Ocean M800 of 1992.

To that end, currently the most popular demonstrator brand, Pelikan, announces a new special edition, the Pelikan Souveran M805 Demonstrator Fountain Pen. Pelikan launched the Demonstrator in 2008 with transparent barrel to show how the piston mechanism works. With the huge success of the series, Pelikan re-launches the writing instrument in size 805. Featured with palladium plated trimmings and 18k gold nib covered with rhodium, the writing instrument can been held snugly in palm of hand and experience effortless writing. It is available in different nib sizes.

Pelikan M805:
SE Demo:http://www.penboutique.com/pelikan-souveran-special-edition-m805-demonstrator-fountain-pen-with-engraving-medium.html

SE w/markings: http://www.penboutique.com/pelikan-souveran-m805-stresemann-fountain-pen-207.html

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Monks Contributions to Calligraphy

Medieval monasteries were the refuges for book copying during the Middle Ages. The burning of the library at Alexandria in the 5th century had been a terrible blow to humanity. Countless scrolls containing scientific, philosophical, artistic and mathematical knowledge were destroyed out of ignorance. Surviving documents were rare, and were often brought to monasteries to be copied for future generations.

The Bible was certainly the most copied book of the Middle Ages. Not only was the Church interested in using these Bibles to spread its gospel throughout the land, these volumes were to be a veneration of beauty. Monks would often work in large rooms called a scriptorium, and only those working on texts would be allowed in this room.

Monks became specialists. The antiquaries were masters of calligraphy. Rubricatores illuminated the large initials at the beginning of a page while miniatores illustrated the margins. Monks called illuminators painted intricate designs and biblical scenes on pages, to supplement the text. One of the most famous of these, the Book of Kells, was written around 800 a.d. and can still be seen in the library at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.

Some monks made tremendous strides in changing the acceptance of non-biblical writing. Thomas Aquinas rattled the foundations of the Church when, instead of denouncing early Greek thinkers, he read ancient texts to reconcile their philosophies with Christianity. The illuminations also went against the convention of "never paint a picture of Christ." These illustrated scenes became masterpieces, and aided in the peasants' understanding of biblical stories.

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History of Presidential Pens

When President Obama sat down to sign the health care bill into law, he warned: "This is gonna take a little while" — because the president used 22 pens to affix his signature to that one document, jotting down one tiny portion of a letter at a time. The president then began handing those pens out as souvenirs — many of them to legislators who helped steer the bill through, honoring the tradition of giving away presidential signing pens. At least since President Truman, presidents have been using pens and handing them to people who helped push bills through. Probably the most famous one is when LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act. He used multiple pens when it was signed. Harry Truman was the first one to have a box of pens. This tradition was  actually started by somebody who sent President Truman a box of pens that said, “I swiped this from Harry Truman's desk.” The Parker Jotter pen was President Kennedy's favorite pen to use at bill signings. Legend has it that he handed off the pens used to whoever was in attendance, as a souvenir of the occasion.

Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter used Parker pens, somewhat more expensive models than had been used up to that point. That continued through President Ronald Reagan, although a variety of models were used. During President Bill Clinton‘s administration, Cross pens came to be used. But it was during the administration of President George W. Bush that the presidential pen took on new heights, with the adoption of the Cross Townsend Selectip, a heavier, more expensive pen that can be loaded with a ballpoint tip, a roller ball or a felt marker.

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History of Collecting Autographs

The joy of collecting autographs on signed letters, books, memorabilia and good old fashioned autograph books has long been satisfying hobby for the serious and novice alike. In this fast-paced world of electronic communication personal collections of the past offer the unique satisfaction of holding pieces of history, quite literally, in our hands.

Autographs bring moments in time to life, often with incredible power. The window they open onto the past helps us better understand a person or event of importance to us. Autographs let us feel an individual's presence, experience his or her joy or sadness, inspiration or frustration, exultation or despair. In short, at their best, autographs convey the essence of an individual's personality. There are multiple clubs, magazines and blogs devoted to the subject.

For many people, collecting autographs is a stimulating and absorbing pastime. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, for example, often turned to his autograph collection as a distraction from the pressures of the presidency. Others find autographs a way to learn more about the people and circumstances that especially intrigue them. Some present autographs as memorable gifts, delighting in their recipients' pleasure at owning a memento of an admired individual.

The word autograph comes from Greek meaning to “self write". It is a document transcribed entirely in the handwriting of its author as opposed to a typeset document or one written by a copyist the meaning overlaps with that of the word holograph.

Autograph also refers to a famous person's artistic signature; this term is used in particular for the practice of collecting autographs of celebrities. The hobby of collecting autographs is known as philography. What might be considered the oldest "autograph" is a clay table from about 3100 BC which includes the name of the scribe. No ancient written autographs have been found, and the earliest one known for a major historical figure is that of El Cid from 1098.

If you are the one providing the autograph, do yourself a favor and invest in a nice writing instrument. It doesn’t matter if the ink is blue or black, if the barrels is thick or thin, just choose something that you love and that makes you feel like an author!

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