All that Glitters

I am lagging behind on getting my "Ticket to  Venice" journal made for the online class I'm in.  I still have some left-over Christmas visiting, traveling and playing to do.  Then, and only then, will I be able to take all the papers I'm gathering and figure out what I want my journal to be.  It will definitely be focused on writing. 

Along with the class videos from Venice, it seems I can't get enough of random online videos of other peoples' trips to Venice, plus a hunger to read about all the various parts of the city and all there is to do there.  Initially, I didn't think that I'd be interested in the Murano glass factory.  Not that I don't admire the work they do, but it would not be top on my list because of all the other things to do.  But... then I saw a random video with glass pens made of Murano glass.  I am familiar with glass pens - I have a few myself.  I don't really like them for writing, because most of the ones I've had have a glass point at the end, and I never got the hang of using them.  Plus, I mostly bought them (especially the tiny one I have) because they came in a box with tiny bottles of ink. Those go well with my tiny cabinet of tiny bottles and tiny books.

But seeing a random person's video of container after container of glass pens--well, they were all so beautiful, and they had Metal Nibs, not glass points. 

After some searching, I found a company here in the states that sells Murano glass pens with the metal nib.  And they were on sale.  I texted Santa, and he said he could help me out.  On Christmas Eve, my package arrived.

 None of these pictures do it justice, but trust me, it's a beautiful pen.

 The best part?  Look - the design on the metal matches actual architecture in Venice! 

I get giddy everytime I pick up this pen.  If you do not get excited about stuff like this, my apologies.  You must think I have gone off the deep end!

I'm still gathering papers and ephemera from my stash.  Can't wait to get started on the journal.

Ticket to Venice Class Info Here.
Place where I bought my pen is here.