Texas Bluebonnet Sierra Pen

[Curtis O. Seebeck]

Here is a Sierra I recently made. It is made with dried Texas Bluebonnets (the state flower of Texas!) cast in Alumilite clear resin with the inside of the blanks painted a taupe color. The kit is a black titanium with titanium gold trim Sierra.

This was mainly a proof of concept pen to see if my idea would work. The next one will have more flowers in it and will use a white background. Obviously the flower in the pic is a Bluebonnet. Tell me what you think, good or bad!

[Ron Raymond]

Beautiful pen, Curtis! That really opens up a whole new avenue of penturning.

[Chris Barton]

Great pen Curt! When I was a kid growning up on the AL gulf coast we considered Blue Bonnets to be weeds but, you really make them look great!

[David Little]

Gorgeous! Our bluebonnets are half covered with snow today.

[David Little]

After sending the above message I realized I should have included a bluebonnet picture I took earlier today here in Abilene.

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[David Walser]

Curtis,

Our family spent about 8 years in the Dallas area. Spring, with the bluebonnets waving in the breeze was a glorious time. We've got some great pictures of our kids surrounded by bluebonnets. You've made me homesick.

All that personal detail to put what I'm about to say in context: I love that pen. I'm sure a lot of others who are found of Texas would, too. However, I can't say that I love the pen as a pen. Had you not told me that those blue flecks were dried bluebonnets, I doubt I could have guessed what they were. I would have thought the pen interesting, but I don't know I would have wanted one. (Kind of how I feel about a rattlesnake skin pen. Nice, but not for me.) Knowing those flecks are bluebonnets, I really want that pen! You could sell a ton of these.

[Jim Becker]

So the next one will be a "snowy blue bonnett"? :D :D :D

Super work, Curtis!!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Curtis, great idea and beautiful pen! More flowers with a white background would really make the pen stand out. My wife also likes the pen but wonders how long the flowers will retain their color. I hope - being that they are incased in resin - that their color is here to stay. Nice work and looking forward to seeing your modified version!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Curtis.....Your ingenuity and craftsmanship are unbelieveable! Well done!

[Martin Shupe]

WOW! What a great idea.

I must be missing something, though. Is the plastic clear? Looks off white in the pictures. Then it says you painted the insides. So am I seeing the inside paint through the clear plastic? How did you paint the insides?

However you did it, it is fascinating.

I agree, you will sell a ton of those.

[Leo Pashea]

Curt, that is a very novel concept, and you do very nice work. I am not sure how you dried your Blue Bonnet flowers, but if you dried them in a Silica compound they market for drying flowers, they may hold their shape and color a bit better for you. Yours look pretty good though. Excellent creativity!

[Dennis Peacock]

That's gotta be one of the prettiest pens I've seen in a very long time. Very beautiful. :cool:

[Curtis O. Seebeck]

Thanks for the comments everyone! As for selling pens...I never sell any! I have a BUNCH sitting on our counter here at the house, I just do not have the time to sell them. I give a lot away. I do sell my pen blanks, though, especially the cactus blanks I came up with a while back.

Anyway, as for this pen...I agree that is is just a pen with some dried flowers in it. I am not nearly as excited with this pen as I thought I would be. The main reason I made it was so I could say I have made a pen with 3 of the Texas state plant symbols: Pecan-Texas state tree, Prickly Pear Cactus-Texas state plant, and Bluebonnet-Texas state flower!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Curtis it is beautiful. I really like it. Nice job.

[Gregg Feldstone]

You should send one of your pens to Ladybird Johnson or to her Wildflower foundation. She's the one responsible for our Bluebonnets.

[Jonathon Spafford]

That is a phenomonal pen -- I've always liked your cactus pens and this one is right up there! Amazing material! Don't see why you wouldn't be proud of it!!! Do you have a tutorial or something of how you make these blanks? That is one of the coolest pens I've seen and I hope to see more ;)

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Curtis, Beautiful Work, but then I am a bit bias. After all until these guys have seen the Hill country and other parts of the state in spring time I don't believe they can fully appreciate what you've done here. Marketed right, here in Texas, this could be a real revenue producer for you. What is the chance you could do a tutorial on your process? P_L_E_A_S_E!!!!:)