A very short update before Lent begins...

1. I am closing my Publishing Heretics Discord server. As I mentioned in the server, this is primarily about consolidating my online presence. Besides this blog, you can also follow me on Tumblr, and eventually, I'll have a group on Euravox. 2. Starting this week, I'll

A New Year and Much To Come

Even though the days are still short and weather is still cold and wet, there's a lot of things happening in the first few weeks of this year. The little wins and new beginnings in my life are what's keeping me sane amidst everything that'

Diamine Inkvent Calendar -- Day 25

Myrrh the Merrier – Shimmer and Sheen (30 ml Bottle) The Key to Survival is to find Joy wherever you can find it to say, "Come in! The more, the merrier!" When love of any Kind knocks on your door. Cultivate the things that bring light and happiness to

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 24

Antler – Pigment I walked down the dark road on Christmas Eve only a sliver of moonlight and house lights to guide me. When I heard hooves behind me, I turned to see a sleigh on wheels led by reindeer, the tips of their antlers sparkling like stars. Stopping and moving

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 23

Let It Snow – Chameleon We sat quiet together and I thought Let it snow- Let the world stay quiet and have this one moment of silent peace as we sit in gentle communion Ink Notes: One thing that my iPhone camera doesn't do well is capture the chameleon

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 22

Pineapple Spritz – Pigment Chameleon "What's a pineapple spritz?" I asked. "I don't know. some sort of cocktail?" I nodded, then went to Google it. Ink Notes: This is a really bright yellow with very bright gold glitter. When you write with it,

Diamine Inkvent 2025

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 21

Chaos – Extreme Sheen The chaos of the holidays settle into The time between Christmas and New Year's which occupy a liminal space Where time seems to slow down and we seem to take the time to breathe Ink Notes: The picture shows the sheen really well, but not

Diamine Inkvent 2025

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 20

Ambience – Chameleon The ambience was cozy the candlelight falling on her face just so Her smile Her laugh each a romantic spell That I am lucky to call my Wife Ink Notes: The picture makes this look like a much darker color than it is, and doesn't really

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 19

Overcast – Standard While the skies may be overcast and the days may be short there is still life in the darkness of Winter People to greet and stories to tell The whisper of things yet to come. Ink Notes: This is a very dry ink in the pen. I tended

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 18

Laurel – Extreme Sheen I haven't rested on my laurels There is always too much work to be done But soon it will be time to rest and honoe the year before. Ink Notes: So, I was a little impatient and took the picture before the ink swatch was

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 17

Gala – Standard The Christmas Gala was awash with sparkles and color A magical respite from the everyday world.

And now it's December...

The Winter rains are fully upon us here in Ireland, and this morning there was frost and ice everywhere. We don't get much snow here, but around the Winter Solstice, it will get cold enough to flurry a bit. It's enough to be beautiful and bring

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 16

Ruby Taffeta – Chameleon She spun in circles in her ruby taffeta dress. Joyful as only a child could be in her first Christmas dress with a poofy skirt. Many of the adults smiled and clapped, envious of her unbridled happiness. Ink Notes: The shimmer part of this is a chameleon

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 15

Frostbite – Shimmer "We're going to get frostbite if we stay out here much longer," he said. I laughed. "You've spent too much time in Florida, my friend. It's not even freezing!" Ink Notes: I think this ink has a dark

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 14

Mittens – Pigment Ink She blew on her mittens dislodging the snow that had accumulated on them readying herself for the tiny children's army that were about to pelt her with snowballs Ink Notes: First, the brown spots on the left side of the swatch aren't part

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 13

Molten Basalt – Standard The coals of the fire had burned down until they looked like Molten Basalt when I was awakened by a jingle of bells and hearty laugh The cookies and milk were consumed and I was filled with awe that a man as big as Santa had the

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 12

Bubbly – Shimmer The Bubbly got passed around-- Both sparkling wine and sparkling juice-- and we raised our glasses to the new year ahead Even though Hope was very thin on the ground Ink Notes: Ok, the shine you see isn't because the ink is wet, it's

Diamine Inkvent 2025

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 11

Brrr! – Pigment Shimmer "Brrr!" she said entering my purchases in the till. "It's so cold!" I shrugged. "Oh, I don't mind. I like the cold and rain." "Then this is the best place for you, then!" I smiled.

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 10

Nostalgia – Chameleon There is a certain Nostalgia for things past and while some traditions are worth saving it should not come at the cost of a person's autonomy and human rights Ink Notes: The photo doesn't really capture the color of this ink well, to be

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 9

Bittersweet – Standard Holiday memories are always Bittersweet now that I am older There are memories of feasts and celebrations with people who are long gone There is still Joy, though and the remembrance of love.

Diamine Inkvent 2025

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 8

Dream Catcher – Extreme Sheen Does a dream catcher really catch your dreams? Or is it there to remind you that you have dream to catch?

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 7

Blush – Standard She blushed at the suggestion and the color that rose to her cheeks reminded me of why I always found her so Beautiful Ink Note: This ink kind of faked me out at first, since I thought I still hade ink from the previous day in my pen,

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 6

Fir & Fog – Chameleon The fir trees look like tall soldiers springing out of the Winter fog to protect the early morning travelers from veering off the road. A sacred vigil of a hundred years.

Diamine Inkvent 2025

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 5

Marie Rose – Standard "Marie Rose-- what are you doing?" "I'm making cookies for Santa, Mama!" Mother laughed. "That's sweet of you, dear, but I think Santa might like sugar cookies better than mud cookies. I can show you how!" "

Diamine Inkvent 2025

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 4

Smokey Tobacco – Scented Santa sat in his large chair the tobacco smoke rising in a curl around his face. "You asked me why," he said, "Well, I do it for the Joy. There's too little of it these days. But if I can bring at