Sunday, January 22, 2023

T Stands for Tuesday & More On Botanical Inks

 Happy T everyone, find link to our hostess in my sidebar, and share a drink related photo to join in the fun.

  I almost didn't post as I don't have too much to share this week. I did allot of reading about botanical inks both online and in the book Make Ink. There are several different but similar ways to "brew" up the inks-so I think you just have to have fun with it and see what happens.

 Along the way I found out about botanical watercolor paints made from flower petals here This was so interesting I will need to try it.  I wanted to make turmeric ink but sounds like it could be a real mess as it stains. I have found recipes for alcohol or water based but I think I will pass on this one.  I have read that dyer's coreopsis flower petals will make a pretty orange ink, and dandelions, marigolds, and daffodils will make yellow ink-I will try those this spring-article found here about how to make these. I was surprised how many blog posts are out there online sharing how to's for making these botanical inks. I also ran into artists making their own botanical paints.

  I mailed out a few slow mail letters Friday and Saturday with my blackberry ink. Fun to write with for sure-It wrote as a light pink but as it dried it changed colors to a soft purple. Fun!

 Sigh-- I am not happy with my newest glass dip pen I picked up on amazon. The nib is not as fine as the one that broke. It does take the black walnut ink and India ink pretty well but not the blackberry ink. 

     I took the name off the box of the glass ink pen that broke and for the heck of it did a search at Amazon-and found it! Several different colors to choose from and half the price-$9.00. At check out said they were on sale for $4.00-wow that makes me happy-this one has a finer nib that is nicer to write with. I should go back and buy another one for that price lol.

  I have lots of small canning jars but none of them are quite right for ink bottles. So I broke down and found 4 ounce narrow bottles that I think will work much better for the inks with screw on lids. 

  I haven't been feeling well since mid December, I can't seem to get warm, my b/p is a bit high for me too, and my chest is still tight and congested and my temperature is running around 95.6. My normal temperature is 97.6 so don't know if that lower number is a concern or not.   I can't get in at all to our family doctor-sigh so last Friday I remembered there is a brand new health-dental clinic that opened up last year near us-so I thought I would call them. They can get me in but the doctor was going on vacation for a week so I will need to wait another week.  I do feel better at being able to get an appointment at least-never in my life have I ever had a problem getting in to see a doctor when I needed one.

My drink share the week is hot cocoa-I still have cocoa mix I made last year and mini marshmallows-so perfect to warm me up I kinda got it too hot in the microwave so it spilled over, made a bit of a mess too on the sides of my cup.


The smaller birds are really loving the new bird feeder-so far the squirrels have not bothered it during the day-I do bring it in every night as we have raccoons here too who would destroy it on me. The downy woodpeckers love this small seed too



and a little practice with blackberry ink and Winsor Newton watercolor inks This was playing around from the book I have been using again-the purples are the blackberry ink


Happy T  and have a good new week

49 comments:

  1. When Ingo was sick and in hospital far away he wrote me letters with different inks (chemicals), pink, green, red, blue...
    I still must have those letters somewhere!
    Sorry you´re not well, but yay for getting a doctor!
    Friday I could not see well (still the flu?) - had called the eye-specialist in December already and have an appointment for March 23rd.
    It´s crazy with doctors! They retire and no new ones are there to take over. The job is so badly payed and working hours too long it´s no wonder.

    Cute birds, mine .... "mine" do not touch the food. No idea why (it´s cold here).
    The ink came out great, happy T-Day! (for me tomorrow).

    Blogger again throws up here...

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    1. yes it is bad about the doctors-this has never happened here in America where we have lived over the years. seniors are on medicare so the doctors and hospitals do not get paid back from insurance as much as they should-not sure why that is.
      cool about the different colors of ink Ingo used. the small birds are really loving this new bird feeder-fun to watch them especially early in the morning when I put the food out. Happy T and hope you feel better soon too hugs

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  2. I hope yoy can find out why you are not feeling well

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  3. I love that bird feeder! A hot cocoa is what I NEED right now though LOL

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    1. thanks this was such a nice christmas gift from our newest friends. the cocoa was soooo good-I made another cup of it last night

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    2. I am so sorry you are not happy with your new pen. I am very sorry you have net been feeling better. My husband has had a cough going on week 3 he has been to the Dr twice and it is going around he said he feels better just cannot shake the awful cough. We are wearing masks around the house.
      Cathy

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    3. Hoping your husband feels better soon-hugs I was bumbed with the pen but I had gotten a refund for the one that broke and that one cost the same-these all have different size nibs and write different. I am excited to have found the brand of the pen that broke on amazon-on sale for 4.00 that was a great find for sure the average price is around 20.00 for one

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  4. Hi Kathy-so sorry you haven't been feeling well. It is really concerning about not being able to see a doctor as soon as you need to. I do hope you will feel back to normal soon. Have you read about the longevity of the inks you're making? I wonder if they will change color after aging for a while. It does sound like lots of fun. And it's very pretty too.

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    1. Hi Debra, it is very concerning, and living rural not allot of close choices. I don't want to drive an hour to the emergency room of a hospital if I don't need that-but not sure either-sigh I have read much about longevity for the inks-some say to keep in the frig others say do not do that. some have say they have had their inks for a long time. the next ink I make I am going to add the binder most suggest-and I do add a whole clove and drops of wintergreen oil for a preservative It is a fun project-anxious to try it this summer with flower petals

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    2. ooops-I have Not read much about longevity

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    3. oh and the biggest think is to keep the botanical inks out of the sunlight-I keep mine in covered box

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  5. Good deal on the pen! My body temp runs in the same range as you (97.4 avg.) and lately been in the high 95s. My doc didn't seem too worried. Well, it IS cold here!

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    1. It's been cold here too, i will see what the doctor thinks next week, feeling a bit better late today-finally

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  6. I'm sorry that you haven't felt well for quite some time now and it is highly annoying that you can't get an apoointment when you need one. That is not the way it should be. But great that you were able to find the glass ink pen for half the price - I probably would have bought more than one at that price. Happy T day!

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    1. I was very annoyed not being able to get into our primary doctor, usually doctors keep time open in their days for such appts. If I like this new doctor next week we will be changing over to that clinic and it is a closer drive too. I did go back and buy two more glass pens at $4.00 each that is quite a sale as these sell for around $20.00 usually-the $9.00 was a bargain

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  7. My body temperature runs colder also. But I have hypothyroidism so I always thought it had to do with that. Maybe (as my husband likes to tease it’s because I have snake venom in my blood vessels). Coco seems to be a popular drink this week and last. And you can’t go wrong with it in January. I hope you have with your ink and glass pens Kathy. Hugs Erika

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    1. I have thyroid disease too and I always forget which one I have. A couple years ago mine totally stopped working. I do also have the hoshimoto thyroid disease. I don't drink hot cocoa very often but it has tasted really good lately. I am excited about being able to get these lovely glass pens at this big sale price I went back and bought two more.

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  8. I am SO sorry to read you are not well. I am also sorry you have to wait to see a doctor, but since I've never had a doctor in Wichita, Sally thinks I will have a difficult time finding one who will take new patients.

    Kathy, you can NOT do this to me. You sent me down a rabbit hole when you gave that link on flower petals. I have been on that site for well over an hour. Thanks for the link, but NOT on a day when I seem to be running behind.

    Your hot chocolate looks good. Maybe one of these days you could share your mix again because there are several new T participants. Thanks for the ink information. I am delighted you are getting a lovely new pen for your ink.

    Thanks for sharing the info about the dyeing, your new pen, and your hot chocolate with us for T this week.

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    1. They were hesitant to give me an appointment since I wasn't already a patient but she did give me one in the end. if I like her I will be switching to this new clinic.
      Ha Ha I am so glad you enjoyed that link with the flower petals-I did allot of reading there too a great site. anxious to try that this spring and summer. I am so excited to find these glass pens at this discount price-was so excited about that.
      Happy T

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  9. It sounds like a great experience to make ink with flower petals. Hope to see your experience making such botanical inks. The colour and painting with blackberry ink is beautiful. The birdfeeder is attractive, and I like to have a hot cocoa too...
    Happy T Day!

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  10. Hi Kathy, glad ou got the ight pen this time, and thr prie is right, too! Have fun writing! Hope you soon feel better! Happy T Day, Valerie Hugs!

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    1. Hi Valerie, I couldn't believe the price of $4.00 usually around $20.00 thank you-hugs

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  11. Ooh that purple ink is beautiful. And I'm so glad you found a replacement for th glass pen at such a good price.
    It must be such fun to watch the little birds feeding right outside your house.
    Good that you could get hold of a doctor. It seems to be a problem in many countries. Just bad luck that the doctor was going on holiday. I hope you feel better soon.
    Happy T-Day,
    Hugs,
    Lisca

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    1. Yes I was quite excited to find that glass pen again and at such a lower price too. we have always enjoyed bird watching very much-now they are close on the deck so we can watch them.
      I agree I wish I would have thought about this new clinic earlier in the week they probably would have gotten me in. thanks Lisca

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  12. Hi Kathy,
    I enjoyed reading your post about the inks. I am going to bookmark those sources you mentioned. What was the company that made your pen on Amazon? I might purchase one. The painting you did shows the blackberry ink beautifully!
    So sorry to hear that you are under the weather and that your DR. won't see you. Congestion and chest tightness are certainly not normal symptoms. There are so many viruses floating around now. I hope that you are able to get some answers at the new clinic. I will be praying for you. Feel better soon!
    Happy Tea Day,
    Kate

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    1. H Kate, I sent you an email with the name of the glass pens. Great I learned allot from those links.
      thanks-I agree this has been going on since mid december so need to get checked out. wish it was this week before the temps drastically fall next week-ugh Happy T

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  13. I'm enjoying following along with your ink making. I have been trying to dye paper with botanicals so there is a bit of overlap of information. I might have to buy some blackberries from the produce market and see what dye I can create. Meanwhile, I hope your experience at the new health clinic is a good one and you start to feel better.

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    1. I have done allot of hand dyeing with botanicals in the past so the information does overlap a bit. I think my black walnut ink would dye pretty papers-I ended up with around 6 quarts of that and is my favorite ink so far.
      thanks so much about the new clinic hoping it is better than the one we are using now-when we moved to the lake I chose that one since it was pretty close but have never been happy there

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  14. Congrats on finding the glass dip pen that works for you. Hoorah! I'm sorry you've felt ill and hope the doctor has help for you when you go in for your appointment. The bird feeder does look popular. I think hot chocolate sounds like a nice idea :) Happy T Tuesday

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    1. Hi finding that pen again and at such a bargain too made me happy haha

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  15. Well for not having much to talk about i think you had alot to say! i received your lovely letter with blackberry ink in the mail yesterday Kathy! Did you know the blackberry ink dries a little raised? i didn't notice that on the walnut ink.. Loved running my fingers across it.. :) When i make hot chocolate i have to just put the water in the microwave and when its hot i put the hot chocolate mix in.. otherwise it overflows on my everytime!! I'm putting the finishing touches on my entries to the stock show.. after that i plan on exploring the watercolors and inks i bought not too long ago.. Big Hugs! i hope you feel better soon... The VA has been a little crazy getting hubby appointments too.. but not too bad.. 'knock on wood'.. Hugs! deb

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    1. I noticed when I was painting with the blackberry it was raised a bit-kinda fun but I think probably needed strained once more. I will make that up a bit different next time I do it-I just bought the gum arabic which is a binder for these inks too.
      great tip about the hot cocoa I will do that next time thanks. good luck with your entries-I think you will enjoy the watercolor inks-I really like using mine allot. hugs

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  16. Cocoa is great this time of year. - Anne (Cornucopia)

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  17. Have fun with the inks. The blackberry is a pretty color. Sorry you're not feeling well. It's amazing how long it takes to get an appointment to see a doctor. Glad you were able to get one. Feel better soon and Happy T Day

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    1. thank you, these inks are fun to make and see what the results will be. I know have never had a problem before getting in to see a doctor-sad

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  18. Fabulous ink and watercolour makes, it looks like you're having fun researching them too - thanks for sharing the links 😊. So glad you found the ink pen and I would definitely buy another so you have a spare. How lovely to see the birds on your feeders too. Happy T Day wishes! Hugs Jo x

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    1. thank you Jo, yes it has been fun to research the botanical inks. the birds really love this feeder-hugs

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    2. Kathy, I love the blackberry ink. That is great that you were able to find the pen you prefer, and cheap, too. The downy woodpeckers are too cute. How nice they show up for you to see. I hope you get to feeling better soon. Happy T day.

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    3. Hi thank you Sharon, I was excited to find the glass pen again that I like and a super price too. the downy woodpeckers are so sweet and fun to watch.

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  19. Your sketchbook if filling up with some wonderful drawings. I really loved the blackberry ink - perfect for using when writing a letter to a friend! Hilltop Post

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  20. I'm loving reading about botanical inks. I don't think that it's something I would try but look forward to seeing the results. Sorry you haven't been well. I thought it was only the UK that was having problems getting to see GPs. Glad you now have an appointment. Lovely to see the woodpeckers. A very belated Happy T Day, Chrisx

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    1. Hi Chris, so glad you could stop by-hugs this is something new for me not being able to get an appt with my family doctor, I am feeling better finally but keeping my appt this coming monday to get checked out and see if I like them to switch to this new clinic. these botanical inks are very fun for me-the colors can be a surprise

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  21. So sorry, RL got in the way, and I am terribly late - again! Sorry you aren't feeling good, it's so hard to see a doctor now. I hope you can get into see someone soon and get help. Glad you are enjoying your experimenting and found cheaper glass pens on amazon. Happy T Day! Elle/EOTC xx

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    1. Happy T Elle, thank you for the visit I am loving the new pens

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