Did you know that paper is the traditional first anniversary gift? It’s supposed to symbolise modest beginnings, newness and simplicity which is what the first year of marriage is like (or so I hear). I like the idea of a paper gift; some of my favourite gifts have been things like heartfelt, handwritten letters, tickets to a show and books.
Despite its simplicity, paper can be magical, as these beautiful quilled earrings show.
I have a thing for mood boards. If I could I would line the walls of my office with cork so that I could decorate to my heart’s content. What about you? Are you a fan of mood boards too? 
I’ve always been captivated by paperweights. I love how their vivid colours and shapes are suspended in a perfect moment. I guess they are becoming obsolete now, what with the push for the paperless office, but function isn’t everything. They will always be lovely to look at.
#1 – JA Glassworks
#2 – Toe River Studio Glass
#3 – Mystery of Venice
#4 – JA Glassworks
#5 – Hansen Art Glass
#6 – Glass is Greener |
Svabhu Kohli is a visual artist from India who creates amazingly detailed naturescapes. His multi-layered images use different textures to unify elements and it’s this ability that makes his art all the more mesmerising.
Make sure you follow Svabhu on Instagram.
(Image credit: Svabhu Kohli)
I’ve just added new stickers to my Etsy store Happy Mail Day! I designed these a few days ago to use on my personal mail. They are a close match in colour to the stock standard air mail sticker. I just added a cute icon and an updated font. I hope you like them.
I’m a sucker for rose gold. I’ve been buying up notebooks and pens and office suppliers adorned with it so you can imagine my excitement when I saw kikki.K’s latest online exclusive planner. It’s so pretty!
Now if only kikki.K could find it in their hearts to release one-day-to-a-page inserts, my life would truly be complete!
Quick notes about the planner:
– Large size planner (240mm L x 200mm W x 40mm H (Maximum height of paper that can be inserted) / 9.85″ x 7.87″ x 1.57″)
– Customisable tabs with inspiring rose gold quotes
– Made from textured Saffiano leather
– Has a two stamp rose gold foil finish
– Stud closure
– Rose gold foil detail on each tab
I’ve just added some new stickers to my Etsy store – Happy Mail Day – and they were made with teachers in mind. I’m lucky enough to have quite a few teachers in my life and they are all so passionate about what they do – they sure are an inspiring bunch. Oh and a lot of them share my love for stickers too so I feel a special kinship!
If you’re a teacher, or if you know one, make sure you sign up for my weekly newsletter. I’ll be sharing a few discount codes later in the month so make sure you don’t miss out!
Sometimes you come across an Instagram feed and you wonder how on earth you’ve managed to live without seeing it before. That feed, my friends, belongs to Renee Melia (or whistleburg) – an Etsy Design Awards 2016 finalist who hails from my very own hometown Perth! Make a cup of tea, get comfortable and start scrolling!
At the start of the year I made the declaration that 2017 would be the year I’d finally try hand lettering. When I was a kid I’d drag out the old Letraset book and I would practice tracing the different fonts. The second job I had after leaving school was at a sign shop. As a sign designer I worked with hundreds of fonts and I learned a bunch about formatting and white space and how different fonts communicate messages differently. It was at this job that I developed a huge crush on old vintage signs. I so wanted to be able to do freehand work but I just didn’t have the confidence to try. Until now.
Thankfully we are blessed with an internet full of helpful tutorials and practice sheets to help novice hand letterers like me. I’ve also found inspiration in a couple of books about hand lettering. Want to know my favourites?
1. The Ultimate Brush Lettering Guide: A Complete Step-by-Step Creative Workbook to Jump Start Modern Calligraphy Skills – Peggy Dean
2. In Progress: See Inside a Lettering Artist’s Sketchbook and Process, from Pencil to Vector – Jessica Hische
3. Creative Lettering and Beyond: Inspiring tips, techniques, and ideas for hand lettering your way to beautiful works of art – Gabri Joy Kirkendall, Laura Lavender, Julie Manwaring, Shauna Lynn Panczyszyn
4. Hand Lettering 101: An Introduction to the Art of Creative Lettering – Chalkfulloflove
5. Hand-Lettering (An Interactive Guide to the Art of Drawing Letters) – Megan Wells
6. Hand-Lettering for Everyone: A Creative Workbook – Cristina Vanko
7. Little Book of Hand Lettering – Emily Gregory
8. The Joy of Lettering: A creative exploration of contemporary hand lettering, typography & illustrated typeface – Gabri Joy Kirkendall, Jaclyn Escalera
9. Adventures in Lettering – Dawn Nicole Warnaar
10. Hand Lettering: Creative Alphabets for Any Occasion – Thy Doan
11. Scripts: Elegant Lettering from Design’s Golden Age – Steven Heller, Louise Fili
12. Hand-Lettering Ledger: A Practical Guide to Creating Serif, Script, Illustrated, Ornate, and Other Totally Original Hand-Drawn Styles – Mary Kate McDevitt
