Sabrina Melzer-Aschenbrenner

Today Sabrina Melzer-Aschenbrenner, also known as @tilla_tella_s on instagram, talks to us about her passion for bullet journaling, fountain pens and vintage

Read below for a transcript of the interview:

Hello, my name is Sabrina. Some also know me as Tilla Tella from Instagram.

I'm from Germany and live near Freiburg.

I love journaling and writing with fountain pens.

I also like to combine this passion with the vintage look.

It all started in 2020 with a bullet journal and a Kaweco.

A golden Kaweco Sport AL. It was a special feeling

to hold a fountain pen in my hand after years

of writing only with ballpoint pens. It almost felt like school days.

In any case, I was very satisfied with my Kaweco and the feeling of writing,

so that I became aware of many other interesting brands via Instagram.

Of course, fountain pens are great for journaling.

Unlike ballpoint pens, a fountain pen has, in my opinion, a much higher potential

when it comes to handwriting. I am thinking primarily of the

many different nib sizes. That makes things a little more exciting.

But apart from writing, I find

that a fountain pen exudes a certain elegance. Which in turn is great for pictures.

In addition, a fountain pen is always reminiscent of the time when people still

wrote with a bird's feather. Which also brings us back to the topic of vintage.

I know a lot of brands, but I have to admit that I haven't

tried too many of them. I currently own several

Esterbrook, Conklin Pens, Monteverde USA and Kaweco pens.

So far I'm very happy with all of them. All write very soft and pleasant.

Still, Esterbrook and Conklin Pens are among my favorites.

This is my personal Every-Day-PEN. It's the Estie Honeycomb by Esterbrook.

I love the shape of the esties and the color just goes perfectly

with me and everything I own related to journaling.

It has a gold nib in size F. For me, "F" is the ideal size for everyday use.

It is currently filled with Diamine Inks brand ink

I prefer brown ink mostly.

I have some of these too. I was immediately enthusiastic about Diamine Inks

because this brand offers a wide range of different shades of brown. It's really hard to decide.

But Monterverde also offers a large selection of brown tones. I also think these are great.

The ones I really want to try in the near future

are the Ferris Wheel Press inks. That should also be a really great color experience.

My dream pen. The most important thing is the color. Of course I like all shades of brown,

gold, brass and autumn colours. I also really like wood. But what my

dream fountain pen should definitely have is a golden nib. I just like that best.

I already have my next one in mind. It will be a new Estie. The Petrified Forest.

This one has really amazing colors. And someday maybe an Aurora.

Basically, it's all about the writing. Writing and being creative at the same time.

There are days when there isn't much to write down. Except maybe

the shopping list. Then I just write down the lyrics of one of my favorite songs or

a poem. I started writing a story in one of my journals. It

's about a women's friendship in the 1950s. The story is told through

the correspondence between Mary and Alice. All purely fictional, of course. And when I

then decorate these pages with old papers and photos from that time,

they come to life. The viewer of my pictures should be able to imagine

what it might have been like at that time. And that's exactly

what makes it so beautiful for me. There are no limits to creativity.

I generally like it when there's a lot going on in the picture.

No matter how long you look at the picture - I want

you to always have the feeling that you are discovering something new.

Regarding my color scheme - as you can see,

I hardly deviate from the color brown. On the one hand because brown creates a feeling of warmth, and on the other hand

because it just goes perfectly with the vintage look. In the end it is exactly that

which develops a recognition value. But it's true that

I also add other colors seasonally. In summer, for example, you're welcome to have

something blue with you. Brown and blue can always be wonderfully combined.

And so a blue fountain pen finds its place on my pictures. Later

in the fall, things get a little more colorful with yellow, red and orange. Or for Christmas in the classic

red and green. But even there I try to keep my vintage look.

I don't know what it is, but I just feel at home there.