Inkwells and tango shoes

For a long time, Miss DSD bugged me to take pictures of my tango shoes. I kept putting it off (and she gave up eventually) till today when I was reminded of the request as we spoke of another pair of shoes I purchased recently. So here they are, my tango shoes, October Fest (I have no idea why they're called so), from Buenos Aires. (I apologize for the inferior lighting in my photos.)

I can't get rid of the large scuff on the front of one shoe. It's sad when you get to wear beautiful shoes to go dancing and someone tramples on them. And in case anyone's wondering, they're 3.8-inch heels. Funnily enough, I can't walk in high heels, but I can dance in them.

Inkwells don't have anything to do with tango shoes, but since I had the camera going I thought I'd put a couple of other subjects before the lens. I do enjoy the fine shape of an elegant inkwell, especially the antique-looking ones. All the better if it also comes with ink that flows smoothly and a hue that stays true. My favorites include Visconti and Campo Marzio inkwells. I also love the range and quality of Private Reserve ink. The bottles aren't as beautiful, but I'm won over by the ink itself, and the names. Names like Sherwood Green and Burgundy Mist.

Campo Marzio and Visconti inkwells. They're too beautiful to be opened, I think. Fun fact: Campo Marzio, a Roman company, has the exclusive rights to produce the writing instruments for the Vatican. I don't think we get the same ones the Pope uses though.

My favorite CM ink - Polvere di Luna. Powder of the moon. Moondust.

One of the few modern inkwells I like is by Caran d'Ache. I'm a little biased towards the brand because I had a set of its color pencils when I was in primary school. They've just released a new line of inkwells called "Colors of the Earth." Two favorite shades are Blue Sky ("Classic and restrained Blue Sky lets the imagination run free") and Blue Night ("Deep and mysterious Blue night colors with fragments of dreams."). There's something about the heavens, the firmament, that I find very alluring. Many things come to mind when I think of the sky - peace, calm, mystery, dreams, the flight of birds, the destinations of airplanes, storms, sunsets, clouds, the galaxies that lie beyond the Milky Way, dying stars, new stars, lost planets, Roman gods, Greek gods, angels, God. Even a small picture of the sky on an inkwell will inspire all this.

~ Photos of Caran d'Ache inkwells from Art Brown and Visconti inkwell from Joon.

Posted by Monoceros at September 14, 2006 5:57 PM