From cardboard to condo

I have not long since begun dipping my proverbial nib into the world of fountain pens, and as such my small collection of inky ephemera has remained easily contained.

A pretty Wedgewood box that once housed a pretty Wedgewood teaset has provided sturdy and convenient accommodation for my ink bottles, samples, dip pens, and tools for several months now without complaint. The lid, inverted, performs double duty as a placemat for the inky activities, and is thick enough that should a spill occur - so far, so good! - it should contain the liquid long enough for me to rush it to the sink before it sinks into the table. My inks are amassing slowly enough that it is not near running out of space, and whilst I am absolutely one for pretty containers and over-organisation in general (just wait until I share my office shots), I have remained very happy with this arrangement.

Yesterday however, whilst watching me transfer some ink or other into some pen or other, my human suggested that I house my precious pigments in the pretty wooden box in my study. The box in question, originally bought over eBay some years ago, is possibly of Indonesian origin and the type of thing you'd see in a Loot store - brass over warm-toned wood, with a warm-toned wooden smell to match, and a wonkily-seated catch. I bought it to use as a tea chest for assorted bags of loose teas, but too bulky to sit around in a kitchen, it instead became a repository for receipts, tags, and warranties.

I made the transfer this afternoon and it all looks rather splendid. Being around the same size as the Wedgewood box it has afforded only slightly more space, but significantly more style, and is handsome (and heavy!) enough to reside out here on the dining table rather than requiring transfer in and out of my study as before. I might see about pinning some simple cotton tape to the inside of the lid to hold my dip pens and paint brushes, affording greater organisation and making use of that deep lid.

The new home in its new home.

Of roughly the same volume, I think.

The trial vials were a pay-it-forward donation from a kind FPAu friend, and have provided a ton of learning and fun. There were a few more baggies of samples and things were getting very tight in here before I paid those onwards to other FPAu'ers myself.

Ta-da! Though that lid space is begging for conversion into an attic for brushes and dippers.

A relic of the box's receipt-receptacle days has found a new home; the patina of this 23yo Louis Vuitton bronze lock is a perfect match for the clasp of this box. 

Hobbes-approved. I foresee double-duty for this box as Cat Observation Point Two.
[COP1 is at the opposite corner of this table.]

Once the Australian dollar regains a modicum of dignity and value I'd love to join the monthly Ink Drop program of Goulet Pens. I've really enjoyed playing with these samples and love pottering around with my dip pens and these inks. I want to begin using dip and fountain pens for sketching, using fountain pen inks for both lines and, diluted, to wash watercolour through my illustrations. 

Once I do build my own collection of samples those can then live back in the Wedgewood, I think. It and the totally technical lid-tray technique are perfect for trial vial fun, and this will preserve space in the wooden box for ink bottles and such. It would not do for it to become so overcrowded as to provide an uneven observation platform for the Devonosaurus rex..