Find: Make (Most) Anything Into a Pen

As the memory keeper for the family, most of us have hung on to objects for sentimental reasons even though there is no hope of them ever having a practical use for us again. Here’s a novel way to retain an item in a tangible form without cluttering up a hope chest or drawer.  It’s from  MikCon Creations, an exhibitor at the Bluff Park Art Show.

The blue pens at left are actually made of denim from a pair of old blue jeans. Could you recycle the jeans that represent your carefree, pre-kid years into a pen for a new phase of life? Maybe you could talk your husband into getting rid of his old holey pair and getting a grown-up pen for his desk in the bargain.

The dark red pen near the bottom left of the photo is made from rose petals. Who says romance isn’t practical? I wonder how many women still have some brittle bouquet/corsage petals rotting away somewhere. Here’s one way to preserve the memory of a special occasion. 

The wooden pen is an example of an instrument made out of wood from an old homestead. The final look is always determined by the qualities of the original wood, but the artist has made pens from all sorts of pieces, from old gymnasium floors to trees from a beloved farm.

The bottom pen is made from an antler and the shell casing from a boy’s first successful deer hunt. A pen has got to be faster and cheaper than taxidermy, and maybe his mom decided she was not having another deer head on her wall at home.

It appears that almost any of your raw material can be comined with artistry, resin, and mechanical parts to render a writing implement. You can choose from ball point, fountain, gel ink, and sketching leads, and all use conventional refills (most by Parker).

Prices start at only $35 and go up depending on the time required. These are reasonable prices considering what most keepsake pens cost these days. If you’ve given Waterman and Parker pens as graduation and professional gifts, you know they are not inexpensive, even from discounters like TJ Maxx. A handmade pen can be a beautiful work of art, and nobody has to know you’re holding a throwback to your days as a size 4.