A Mystery Sample Pack Revealed

I recently did a survey on Instagram about what kind of blog posts people liked, and a lovely number of you said you liked ink reviews. I have a tendency to focus on what’s new to the shop, and so I thought I would start a new series, which is cracking open a mystery sample pack every once in a while.

We sell ink samples of almost all the inks we carry. This is truly a labour of love, but it’s a great way to try a bunch of different inks, especially if you’re looking just that right blue-black and need a few. It’s also great if you only need a little bit for a few Christmas cards or a special occasion. A 2mL ink sample will give you enough to fill a Safari converter 2-3 times.

The Mystery Sample Packs are five random samples, and are very popular in the shop. We try and mix it up a bit so you’re not getting five black inks, but there it is pretty randomized so you (and we) never know what you’re going to get.

Shockingly, I am not normally someone who embraces this excitement, the thrill of five mystery ink samples. I have a very specific set of ink colours that I primarily enjoy (browns, dark blues) and a few favourite inks that I return to over and over again.

And so this series, opening a mystery sample pack and seeing I have to ink up, is a great way for me to break out of my shell a little bit. And share with you all.

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These days I’ve been cleaning out the Studio Shop a bit. Most of the inventory has been trucked over the main shop, early on in the pandemic when we wanted everything to be accounted for and available online. So I’m looking at what’s been left over, dusting and sweeping, organizing drawers that have been neglected for months now. The battery for the keyboard died, but now it’s working again. I put away our sad (and empty) little candy bowl where people used to help themselves on their way out. I actually discovered this sample pack in the studio shop.

It’s both slightly demoralizing to see the shop so empty, but also nice to start sprucing things up again and start thinking about what’s coming down the line. Nice to start getting things ready.

The kids run inside and outside, and occasionally complete tasks assigned to them, like “bring this toy upstairs,” instead of leaving it outside. They mostly just eat dripping popsicles and spray each other with the hose in the backyard. School is starting soon enough, and I have no idea how we’re all going to fit back into the old routines again.