Pear Tree Pen Company to Sponsor Professional Women's Cycling Team, Team Kenda

(Chicago, Illinois – December 8, 2008)–Team Kenda is entering its 10th anniversary of women’s bicycle racing with a roster possessing an impressive list of palmares. The team continues to fuse youth and experience as its formula for success, longevity, and growth of the sport.

Jakie Kurth, two-time Junior National Champion, will return to Team Kenda in her final year of junior eligibility. Espoir riders will include Denise Ramsden, the 2007 and 2008 Canadian Junior National Road Race Champion, Ashley James, who is currently racing for mountain bike powerhouse Lindsey Wilson College, and climbing specialist, Ally Stacher, from the Lees-McRae Collegiate program.

Team Captain Kristin Wentworth returns along with Kat Clark, Krystal McNutt, and 9-year team veteran and Masters National CX Champion, Catherine Walberg. They will be reinforced by capable team newcomers Silke Wunderwald and Christy Keely.

The team welcomes PearTreePens.com and Skins as new sponsors for the 2009 season.

Returning team sponsors include Kenda USA, The Allen Group, Plant Solutions, Blue Competition Bicycles, Vergesport, Rudy Project, LH Thomson, SRAM, LifeSport PT, CycleOps, Ferguson and Associates, Sigma Sport, Zipp Speed Weaponry, Timbuk2, Elete, SportCrafters, Terry Precision Cycling, Headsweats, PowerBar, Deen-Gross Eye Centers, Purple Extreme, Thule, and Moszkito.

Team Kenda will continue to have a local presence with 4 geographically-focused Regional Teams that will help to develop and promote women’s cycling while supporting the sponsors in those markets.

About Team Kenda Women’s Cycling: Team Kenda began in 1999 as Team Ameritech with nine riders who excelled at bicycle racing. Over the years, the team has steadily grown in size and now boasts NRC Elite and Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and West Regional Teams. The team competes in the United States focusing on the National Race Calendar and top Canadian events sanctioned by the Canadian Cycling Association. (http://www.teamkendatire.com)

Celebrate InktoberFest at the Pear Tree Pen Co.

The first day of October is here. That, of course, means that the liquid elixir of life will be flowing freely at fine establishments everywhere.

Stop thinking like a college freshman for a minute – I’m not talking about beer – I’m talking ink. the liquid that fuels the pens that fuel our passion for this hobby. Nearly 400 different shades of the stuff are now on sale during the first ever InktoberFest at The Pear Tree Pen Company! Now through October 15th, you will receive 25% off the purchase of 3 or more ink-related items. What's an ink-related item? Any brand of bottled ink, cartridges, ballpoint or rollerball refills, as well as converters and Write-Fill kits. And yes, some may argue that a journal or a pen is, by nature, ink-related, but they're not included in the sale. neither are our trademark ink samples. The sale is limited to in-stock merchandise only, and quantities are limited (i.e, if you want 4 bottles of Noodler's Blue Lightning, you may be out of luck; but if you want 4 Waterman Florida Blue, no problem!). Of course, feel free to select across colors or brands for the same great discount.

Also, I will be offering free domestic ground shipping for all orders over $108.00 (October ’08 - see?).

Thanks for stopping by!

Coupon Code

In conjunction with the addition of some new pens (including some discontinued Omas 360s at 1/2 off!), and the addition of the "Used, Demo & Vintage" section of the Pear Tree Pen Company store , I am pleased to offer a coupon that is valid for $10.00 off every order over $100.00. Use code BTS08 at checkout. The coupon is valid until 9/30/08, and is valid for in-stock merchandise only.

Pass it on!

New: Used & Vintage Pens at the Pear Tree Pen Company

I've been working like the proverbial one-armed paper hanger the last few days adding pens and updating the Pear Tree Pen Co. website, in addition to trying to get your orders out to you all in a timely fashion. To say it's been a challenge would be an understatement. But it's been a blast, and that's why I keep doing this.

Today, I was able to add a new section to the site I've been mulling about for some time: The "Used, Demo & Vintage" section. There, you'll find a growing selection of pre-owned pens from a variety of sources: from my personal collection, pens on consignment, or even pens I've taken on a "trade-in, trade-up" basis.

While the steps I took this afternoon are some of the first in a journey I've been contemplating for a long time, but there's a long way to go. So far, I've only added a half-dozen pens (few of which are fountain pens - most are ballpoints or rollerballs, with a Montblanc Oscar Wilde LE mechanical pencil tossed in for good measure). But the journey has just begun, and I've got at least another 50 pens to add that will go into this section. Look for additional items soon, like the classic Lamy 27, a Montblanc 220, several Parker Vacumatics, A Waterman's Ink-Vue, a millenium's worth of Waterman Hundred-Year Pens, a variety of Sheaffer Balances and, of course, the ubiquitous Parker "51." And more.

I hope that many of you who may be considering buying a new pen in the future might consider trading me some older pens you no longer want as part of my evolving "trade-in" program. Let me know what you have, and perhaps we'll be able to help each other out.

Thanks for stopping by!

James P.

Just Arrived: Think Limited Edition Fountain Pens Honoring Mickey Mantle

The Pear Tree Pen Company is proud to present the Mickey Mantle Limited Edition Fountain Pen, by Think. We just received our shipment and I was quite surprised by how attractive the pens are. If I could be excused for the bad baseball pun, I really believe that Think hit a "home run" with these pens.

The acrylic resin is awesome, and the deep navy pinstripes are as true to Yankee Blue as can be. Of course, the pens come in handsome presentation boxes, specially designed for the Mickey Mantle LE. Think's previous Limited Edition Pen honored Jimi Hendrix. Although the Hendrix pen (in my opinion) wasn't half as nice as the new Mickey Mantle writing instrument, it sold out in a matter of weeks. I would be very surprised if these Mickey Mantle pens last that long.

"After I hit a home run I had a habit of running the bases with my head down. I figured the pitcher already felt bad enough without me showing him up rounding the bases." - Mickey Mantle.

The Mickey Mantle THINK Limited Edition pen honors the most beloved ballplayer of all time. He was the most popular player in the history of baseball and was the best teammate that anyone ever had. He was bigger than life and the true idol of all baseball fans.

The Mickey Mantle pen is artisan made using custom Italian resins. The cap and blind cap are rich swirls of vintage New York Yankees navy. The barrel is made from luminescent ivory resin with navy pinstripes. A three dimensional bat adorned with Mantle's "7" comprise the clip. Mickey Mantle's signature highlights the band.

Accents are silver vermeil. Limited Edition 777 Fountain Pens (Medium nib only) and 777 Rollerballs.

Changes

The Pear Tree Pen Company began the transition from our old (slow, inefficient) website to a newer (better) website. This site is hosted on a new server, so as we go through this process, we're sure to experience a few bumps along the road. Visitors may experience a variety of issues with the site over the next couple of days. These may include slight delays, or even the inability to access the site altogether.

Our email system has also been affected by the change, so emails you've sent over the past day or so may not have reached me, or may not get returned as promptly as I'd like until get all the kinks worked out.

As an aside, you may wish to update your bookmarks to http://www.PearTreePens.com. The old "shop.peartreepens.com" sub-domain is no longer valid.

Everything should be running smoothly by Monday at the latest. In the meanwhile, I appreciate your indulgence over the next few days as we get this all worked out.

Your patience will be rewarded!

James Partridge
The Pear Tree Pen Company
www.PearTreePens.com
1-888-6789-PEN

Happy Independence Day from The Pear Tree Pen Co.

In honor of the original 13 colonies that gained their independence 232 years ago, the Pear Tree Pen Company is proud to offer a coupon valid for 13% off of your entire web order of $25.00 or more. The coupon is valid from now until Monday, July 7, 2008, and can be used for all orders totaling $25.00 or more. To earn your discount, please visit The Pear Tree Pen Company and enter coupon code Indy08 at checkout. Please note that the coupon is case-sensitive.

Also, as the Pear Tree Pen Co. gets closer to launching its new website, I'm proud to offer this "sneak peak" at the beta version. One of this new site's many advantages is its ability to accommodate international orders. So for all you customers in Canada, Australia, the UK and elsewhere, you too can get in on the Independence Day savings!

Please note: although orders may be placed through this new site (and the coupon code will work here, too), we are still in the process of adding and updating our inventory status. Consequently, not all items listed on the site are presently available or may be out of stock. Feel free to look around, shop and by all means, comment on things that can be improved. It's my goal to make this one of the most user-friendly pen stores on the net. Please don't hesitate to let me know where we fall short. Oh, compliments will also be accepted!

Regards,

James Partridge

Fresh Fruit at the Pear Tree Pen Company

Since the new Raspberry Al-Star and Lime Safari were announced several months ago, a number of you have asked me when the new colors from Lamy will be available. Unfortunately, I was unable to give a definite answer other than "5-6 weeks" because Lamy's US Distributor was kept guessing, too. Then, all of a sudden, while I was away on my bike trip (great time, by the way), The Pear Tree Pen Company received its shipment of the new Lamy Al-Star in Raspberry and the Lamy Safari in Lime.

They are pretty cool looking - the Raspberry is more red than the photos would lead one to believe, almost terracotta in some light, and would pair quite well with a Terre de Feu from J. Herbin.

The Lime, to my eye at least, looks more like a Bartlett pear than a Lime. It would look great filled with one of Noodler's highlighting inks!

Pick yours today!

I Want to Ride My Bicycle . . .

On Saturday, June 21, my eldest son and I embark on a 267 mile bike ride across the State of Michigan along with 698 of our closest friends. It's the 27th annual PALM Bike tour (Pedal Across Lower Michigan). We return on Friday, June 27. Each leg of the 6-day journey will take us across 45 miles (on average) of Michigan's scenic back roads and byways.

While our days will be spent pedaling our green Cannondale tandem (fully-equipped with a Santana Child Stoker Kit and rear rack to carry our panniers), the evenings will be spent camping on the athletic fields of various high-schools along the route. I know many of you don't see the charm in that, but until you've experienced the camaraderie enjoyed by the inhabitants of an instant tent city, you don't know what you're missing. Below is a map of our first day's route.

It's been several years (and more than a few pounds) since I've done a long distance bike tour, and I'm more than a little concerned about the decline in my fitness (and increase in my fatness), but this is a tour not a race, and I'll now have a good excuse to slow down and actually see the sights along the way.

One of the primary reasons I'm posting this, other than to share my excitement and enthusiasm for biycle touring, is to let you all know that, in my absence, the Pear Tree Pen Company will continue to process orders as normal, but emails and phone messages will, in all likelihood, not be returned until we get back to Ann Arbor. I appreciate your patience (and well-wishes) while I'm away.

And, if I can preach for just a moment: When you're driving along in your automobiles, please exercise courtesy and caution when you see cyclists on the road. The life you save may be mine.

Anticipation

Available soon at the Pear Tree Pen Company: A quality piston-filled fountain pen with an ebonite feed and a 2-tone nib for under $30. Can you guess the maker?

They're Here: Fieldnotes

My shipment of Fieldnotes arrived yesterday. I quickly ripped open the box to take a look. First impressions? A little smaller than I had anticipated. But upon reflection, the perfect size for their intended purpose.

I've been writing in it for a bit now and have to admit I'm impressed. So far, nothing more than random squiggles and phrases to get a feel for the paper, but the paper is nice and smooth and takes the ink well. More to come.

Fieldnotes. Get 'em. Use 'em. Enjoy 'em.

James

Fieldnotes: Arriving Soon

Over the past few months, several of my loyal customers, including blogger Ryan Roossinck, have hounded me about the merits of the Fieldnotes notebooks. When Fieldnotes recently announced they're finally making their stuff available to retailers, I quickly jumped on the bandwagon and ordered some. I'm pleased to say that my order is shipping out today. So, by the end of the week, Fieldnotes ought to be available at PearTreePens.com. Ten bucks gets you a pack of three notebooks, filled with high-quality fountain pen-friendly graph paper. Sounds like a pretty good deal, and Fieldnotes has been racking up the kudos all over the place. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited about the prospects of adding this new brand to the lineup.

Let's all give Fieldnotes a big "welcome to the team" from the Pear Tree Pen Company!

And Cheers to Ryan for bringing this to my attention! Read Ryan's blog, Brassing Adds Character, at Wordpress. He's actually quite interesting.

James

Color Your World

You can tell it's Spring. Trees are blossoming, flowers are blooming, and the birds have finally returned to the northland. Vibrant new colors are emerging everywhere this season, even in the world of writing instruments. In fact, so many new items have been released recently, it's been hard to keep up. First, there were the new ink colors by Diamine and J. Herbin, then 3 new shades of ink from Private Reserve debuted at the Pear Tree Pen Company: Ebony Black, Ebony Green, and Ebony Purple.

Just yesterday, Sailor got into the act, with the first delivery of the new Professional Gears to Pear Tree Pens! To my eye, these are the most attractive Professional Gears yet. I haven't had a chance to take photos yet but they should be up in the next few days.

As I announced in my last post, there is the new Ebonite edition, available in both rhodium and gold trim. Arriving sooner than expected, but most welcome nonetheless, Sailor also sent me the first Pro Gears in Colors - sunny Orange, warm Ivory, and the juicy Yellow. All have rhodium-trim and a single-tone rhodium plated 21K gold nib. I'll start posting these to the web site in the next few days, but I was so taken aback by how nice these were, that I couldn't wait to share with you all.

One of the best things about the new Sailor Colors pens? They're the same price as the standad black Professional Gear. Better still, they're available now at the Pear Tree Pen Company, so give me a shout if you'd like to learn more.

Of course, I'll have them on display at my table at this weekend's Chicago Pen Show, so stop by to take a look and say hello!

But this isn't all - soon to be released from Lamy are the new Lime Safari and Rasberry Al-Star. Here is an image of Lamy's Lime Safari tantalize you:




Here's one of the Rasberry Al-Star. Delicious!





Thanks for stopping by - See you in Chicago!

James

Another New Professional Gear from Sailor

It looks like it's going to be an exciting year for Sailor Pens. Hot on the heels of release of the new Sailor Sapporo Colors pens, Sailor has just announced another new and exciting edition of the Professional Gear Fountain Pen - this time in Ebonite! Here's an early "spy" photo.

This pen will be appearing at your favorite Sailor dealer soon (that is, if your favorite Sailor dealer is the Pear Tree Pen Company!).

This pen is slightly larger than a typical Pro Gear, and is the same size as the Pro Gear Mosaic, which Sailor also recently introduced. It is available in gold or rhodium trim and is fitted with Sailor's legendary 21K gold two-tone nib. Slightly larger than the standard Professional Gear, it is sure to be a winner. MSRP is only $775. Contact us for special pricing and to pre-order yours now. I expect to receive the first shipment at Pear Tree Pens next week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Old Friends

In the past, the Pear Tree Pen Company has focused exclusively on modern writing instruments, and brand spankin' new ones at that. However, I think the time has come to expand our horizons a little bit and find the virtual shelf space for some quality pre-owned pens and pencils.

I still intend to devote considerable attention on the current crop of fountain pens produced by the fine companies we represent, including Waterman, Sailor, Pelikan, Omas, Lamy and the like. Nonetheless, I found it hard to pass up the opportunity to help a friend liquidate his collection of fine writing instruments, most of which were acquired new beginning in 1970 so. There are only a few fountain pens, but there is a sizable cache of very fine mechanical pencils, ballpoints and rollerballs from brands not frequently found at Pear Tree Pens. For instance, I now have available a several ST Dupont, Montblanc, Cartier, Yard O Led, Caran d'Ache, Graf von Faber-Castell, to name a few. Even some very special and hard-to-find limited editions!

I'm in the process of sorting everything out and taking photos, but I thought I'd toss out just a few examples of what is going to be available to help drum up some interest and, possibly, to offer up some good deals before I have to do a bunch more work photographing, writing descriptions, and posting them to my website. In the meanwhile, here are a few photos I snapped over the weekend.

If you see something you like, don't hesitate to send me an email at James [at] PearTreePens.com to make an offer. But, don't forget this is only a sampling of what will be available.

Yard-O-Led

1. Yard-O-Led "Viceroy" Sterling Silver Mechanical Pencil in the Plain finish
2. Yard-O-Led "Perfecta" Sterling Silver Mechanical Pencil in the Victorian Finish
3. Yard-O-Led "Diplomat" Sterling Silver Ballpoint Pen in the Barley Finish

Visconti

1. Visconti Pericles Rollerball (with Itoya .7mm black refill) in Blue pearlescent acrylic resin with gold trim
2. Visconti Ragtime Mechanical pencil in green & black acrylic resin with gold trim

Cartier

1. Cartier Diablo - Rollerball - Black wtih gold trim (needs replacement refill)
2. Cartier Diablo "mini" ballpoint - black with gold trim (blue Lamy M21 ink refill)

Porsche Design

1. Porsche Design Arc 1 Fountain Pen - Titanium finish, 18K nib (unmarked, appears to write a fine line) C/C filler - takes standard international converter)

Caran d'Ache*

1. Caran d'Ache Ecridor Retro Mechanical Pencil - Gold plated
2. Caran d'Ache Hexaganol Ballpoint - Gold with Blue Chinese Lacquer inserts

* I'm not an expert on CdA writing instruments and have done my best to identify these. But I could be mistaken, so please ask questions if you have any!

All writing instruments are in good to very good condition. Some are even excellent, but all have been used (albeit well-cared for).

Thanks!

James

Incommunicado

I am heading off to warmer climes in a little while and, until March 3, the Pear Tree Pen Company will be left in the capable hands of my assistants Crystle and Mike. So don't be afraid to order anything while I'm gone, and feel free to call the store at 1-888-6789-PEN if you have any questions. The primary number (734-474-7983) will be unattended as I soak up the sun and the surf on some tropical island. I won't have cell phone or email access, so please don't be alarmed if your messages aren't returned right away.

Of course, this is the annual business meeting of the Pear Tree Pen Company, LLC, so it's all tax-deductible. Isn't it? (And if you work for the IRS, I'm only kidding, so please, no audits!)

See you when I get back. Play nice.

James

New Diamine Fountain Pen Ink Colors

Diamine's long awaited new fountain pen inks have arrived, and the Pear Tree Pen Company recently received a nice selection of them. I expect several of these inks to be very popular and, if I may say so, it's about time Diamine came out with a nice brown ink. Only they weren't content with just one - they introduced three - Saddle Brown, Burnt Sienna and Raw Sienna! If you've seen the reviews of these new inks on the Fountain Pen Network, Pentrace or elsewhere, you know how nice these new Diamine inks are. So what are you waiting for? Go here to order your bottle today!

China Blue

Washable Blue

Saddle Brown

Burnt Sienna

Raw Sienna

Vermillion

[No image yet]

Amaranth

Coral

Please Update Bookmarks/Links to the Pear Tree Pen Company

The Pear Tree Pen Company has been working on a major overhaul of its website and shopping cart. We are nearly finished, and expect to "go live" sometime during the first week of March. With that project comes a completely new web host and server. Our primary domain, www.PearTreePens.com, will continue to function, but the subdomain to which many of you link (http://shop.peartreepens.com) will cease
operation within the next few weeks. Therefore, to avoid "dead links," you may wish to update your bookmarks to reflect the proper site name. www.PearTreePens.com will continue to point to the subdomain until the switch is finally made, so there should be no interruption in your ability to access the site for all of your shopping needs!

Thanks!

James Partridge
The Pear Tree Pen Company
www.PearTreePens.com

Noodler's Baystate Blue - Should I or Shouldn't I?

Noodler's Ink has just announced the release of a brand new fountain pen ink: Baystate Blue. The ink is based upon a colonial style blue ink that was made at the end of Warld War II in Boston, Massachusetts. Similar to a cobalt blue, "Baystate Blue" is Noodler's conventional version of the classic colonial era blue. Nathan Tardiff, the creative mind behind Noodler's, based this ink upon how the original formulas behave on the page while taking into account the color intensity of the later 1940s version. At the same time, he managed to avoid the acidity of the earlier inks through the use of different/modern components.

Noodler's Baystate Blue is on its way and should arrive at the doors of the Pear Tree Pen Company in the next few days. Once it gets here, the ink sampler page of our webiste will be updated so you can try it yourself.

There's always a lot of excitement whenever a new ink hits the street, and rightfully so! In the past few months, not only has Noodler's introduced several new fountain pen inks, but Diamine recently introduced some new colors. J. Herbin has announced that it will release 4 new shades of ink in the near future. I love it when the available palate of fountain pen inks grows!! Inevitably, though, with every new release come the questions about whether any has tried the ink in their fountain pen - How fast does it dry? Does it feather? How does its color compare to that of my current favorite?

Sure, there are ink reviews on various websites, and color swatches are available on the internet; however, reviews are subjective and internet color swatches are notoriously inaccurate. I've found that there is no substitute for getting the ink myself, and writing with it in my pen and on my paper. But plunking down $10-$15 of hard-earned cash for an ink that may ultimately disappoint can be a deterrent for someone interested in discovering a new color, or exploring a never-before-tried brand.

With the launch of Noodler's new Baystate Blue, I wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone that there is an inexpensive solution: The Pear Tree Pen Company Ink Sampler. For $4.00, you can try up to 4 different inks and use them at your leisure and in real-world conditions. If you like the ink you've sampled, - great! But if not - at least you've not laid out nearly 3 times the price of the sampler for something you'll never use.

Thanks for stopping by!

Luring a Marlen

One of the things I love most about owning the Pear Tree Pen Company is being in a position to discover interesting pens from innovative companies the world over. Of course, there are so many great pens out there, both modern and vintage, I'll probably have to use a different fountain pen every day for the rest of my life before I'm able to try them all. But that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

Several of the pens I've been hoping to add to the "tried that" list are from an Italian company called Marlen. While it is dangerous to generalize, Italian fountain pens have always been a favorite of mine, largely due to the the Italian's seemingly unmatched flair for design. Marlen is no exception, and they offer a plethora of interesting designs along with a range of filling systems sure to satisfy even the most discerning fountain pen afficianado.

Yet, it hasn't been easy to obtain a Marlen here in the U.S. market. While Aurora, Omas and Visconti have a solid foothold, other Italian brands like Ancora, Tibaldi, as well as Marlen, are often conspicuously absent from your local pen store.

Luckily, one of my distributors now imports Marlen pens. I therefore seized upon this opportunity to evaluate several of Marlen's fine writing instruments. I just placed an order for the Marlen E-Com, Basilea, HTF Geneve and the Odysseus. They haven't arrived yet, but I was so thrilled have the chance to write with these pens that I couldn't wait to blog about it. And, given the praises I've heard other fountain pen enthusiasts shower upon Marlen, I have very high expectations. But you can bet that when they do arrive, I will put them through the proverbial wringer myself. If I'm satisfied with the way they behave, I'll order more so you can experience them for yourself.

Thanks for stopping by.

A Convenient Truth

Esteemed blog reader(s?),

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I am in the process of migrating all of the Pear Tree Pen Company's shopping cart functions to a new host and new software. The process is slow and tedious, but we are making progress.

One of the new features of this cart is the ability to offer a "hidden" sale price. This is very useful as several of the pen companies whose products I sell (such as Visconti and Omas) do not permit their authorized retailers to advertise discounts on their products (with certain exceptions). I've currently handled this situation by asking shoppers to send me an email asking for a better price. While that has solved the immediate problem, I certainly was not the ideal solution.

The new "hidden price" feature allows the store owner (me) to select one of two options. The first would allow the shopper to request a price quote by email (which would be realtively instantaneous). The second option , simply displays the price once the shopper has placed the item into their cart.

My question to you pen buyers is: Would you prefer to receive an email price quote, or simply to be able to see the item's price once it has been added to the cart? What is the reason for your preference?

I would greatly appreciate any help you can give me to help make your shopping experience a more enjoyable one.


Thank you!
Regards,
James Partridge

Hey, Have You Seen Sumgai Around Here?

I have recieved a couple of questions from some astute folks who have noticed there hasn't been a Sumgai Sundai these past few weeks and who wondered whether these popular sales will return. The answer is a most emphatic "Yes!" However, I'm taking a temporary break until I can resolve the website glitches that developed when my web company decided to "improve" the code in its shopping cart software.

I'm now in the process of migrating all of my cart functions to a new host and a new cart platform. Not being a computer techie, and wrestling with the demands of being a full-time attorney and father in addition to running the pen company, the transition is a slow one. With luck, I should be up and runnning again on a new system by the end of the month. The Sumgai Sundais will resume when I get everything worked out then. I'll keep you posted and, to those who wrote, thanks for noticing their absence.

James

Ahem. The Envelope Please . . .

Last month, I announced a contest for the creation of song lyrics to the tune of the "12 Days of Christmas" that incorporated references to the Pear Tree Pen Company in one way, shape or form. I received a flurry of entries and posted the 5 finalists to the Marketplace section of the Fountain Pen Network and here on my blog.

I then invited my readers and members of that illustrious forum to vote for their favorite. Today, the day after the traditional "12th Day of Christmas," I'm proud to announce the winner. But first, a word from our sponsor.

OK, just kidding.The winner of the first ever "12-Days-of-Christmas" Lyric Writing Contest goes to: Entry No. 4 and its author, the pseudonymous Blueiris!

Let's all give her our congratulations for an outstanding entry. For those who missed it, the winning entry is:

On the 12th line of my wish-list from Pear Tree Company:
- 12 Parkers Duofold-ing-
-11 Charlestons dancing....
- 10 Gatsbys THINKing....
- 9 Mega Ink Balls rolling....
- 8 Omases bling-ing....
- 7 blotters rocking....
- 6 kits for mixing....
- 5 Sailor Kings!....
- 4 Pelikan birds....
- 3 French-ruled pads.....
- 2 tortoise pens
and a cartridge from James P.!

And let's not forget to thank our contest finalists. Thanks for playing and I have some prizes for each of you waiting backstage. Seriously. So each contest finalist, please contact me with your name and contact information so I can pop something in the mail to you. I appreciate the wit and the sense of humor of each of you, and you deserve something for your effort and your creativity.

Regards,
James P.