Tag: handcrafted pens

You know those moments when you step back from your workbench and think, “Holy shit, I actually did that?” That happened to me twice this week, and I’m still a little stunned by it.

I just put a whole case of pens online, with five more special ones waiting for fresh photos. But buried in that first fall case are what I honestly believe are the two best resin blanks I have ever created. Not perfect—nothing I make ever is—but they remind me exactly why I fell in love with putting florals in resin in the first place.

The Blue Garden Story (Or: When Failure Becomes Magic)

Let me tell you about the Blue Garden Slimline with its Gun Metal kit. This beauty has a story that started with spectacular failure and ended with me staring at scrap pieces for three whole years.

It began as an attempt at a bowl blank that went very, very wrong. Rex cut it down for me, and we salvaged maybe 6-10 blanks from the disaster, plus a pile of scrap pieces that I couldn’t bear to throw away. Those scraps sat in my studio, taunting me, for three years. Three years of me walking past them thinking, “Someday I’ll figure out what you’re supposed to become.”

Finally, inspiration struck. I took those forgotten scraps, nestled them into pen molds, and added a swirl of Carolina Blue. Here’s where the magic happened—with black tubes painted inside, you can’t really see where the original scrap ends and the blue begins. Instead of looking pieced together, it gives the blanks this incredible dimension and style that I never could have planned.

I only got six blanks out of this batch, and I’ve already used one or two. The Gun Metal Blue Garden Slimline is live on the site now, and honestly? I was shocked by how the light blank transformed when paired with that dark tube. It completely changed the mood in the best possible way.

The Purple Perfection That Almost Wasn’t

Now, about that One Of a Kind Lilac & Lavender Slimline with the Purple Titanium kit—this one nearly drove me to the brink, but the result was so worth it.

We get our pen kits from Woodturningz, this amazing family-owned business in Noblesville, Indiana. (Side note: Ryan, the owner, has a gorgeous macaw, and since Rex used to raise birds, we’re determined to visit their warehouse someday!) They started carrying Gold Titanium kits a while back, but now they’ve added Purple and Arctic Blue Titanium options. Not only do you get these incredible colors, but you also get the durability of titanium.

When I pulled this pen out to photograph it for the website, I was literally stopped in my tracks. The way the lilac mica sparkles around the flowers and leaves—I just stood there staring at it. But getting there was an adventure.

I didn’t have a proper light purple acrylic paint for the tubes, so I decided to make my own using the pigment I normally use for coloring resin. Let me tell you—this was NOT an easy process. My first batch had way too much pigment and just wouldn’t dry. Here at Sarkanys Rising, “try, try again” isn’t just a saying, it’s a way of life. The second attempt got the mix right, and once it dried, I glued it into the blanks I’d already painted inside.

That custom color made all the difference. If brass had been peeking through anywhere, it would have killed the whole vibe. Instead, the pen truly pops in a way that makes me want to keep staring at it.

The Rex Factor (Or: Why I’m the Elf and He’s the Dwarf)

I can never say I work alone on these beauties, because I always turn them over to Rex to actually turn on the lathe. He doesn’t always see a piece the way I envision it, but he always turns it beautifully. We’ve got more than a little geek in us, so we describe our artistic partnership this way: Rex is a dwarf (he’s all about Art Deco clean lines), and I’m an elf (total Art Nouveau fan with all the organic curves).

We have “discussions”—and yes, that’s in quotes for a reason—about how things should look. But those creative tensions give us this amazing distribution of styles that keeps our work interesting. Sometimes his vision wins, sometimes mine does, and sometimes we create something neither of us saw coming.

What This Means for What’s Coming

My favorite color is blue, and trust me, we have some incredible blues coming up that I can’t wait to share. But today felt like the perfect time to celebrate purple—a color that’s a lot of people’s favorite and one that really pushed my skills to a new level.

These two blanks represent something important for me. They’re proof that failure can become magic if you’re patient enough, and that sometimes the best results come from the most challenging processes. They remind me why I love this craft: every blank is an adventure, every pen tells a story, and every once in a while, you create something that surprises even you.

The Blue Garden blanks that remain are ready for custom orders, and that Purple Titanium beauty is waiting for someone who appreciates the story behind it. But honestly? Part of me wants to keep staring at them just a little longer, still kind of amazed that I actually made these things.

As always, we’re here if you have questions or just want to chat about wood, resin, or the beautiful chaos of creating something from nothing. Thanks for being part of our story—moments like these are so much sweeter when we get to share them with you.