Your Handwriting Matters

Today is National Pencil Day, did you know? (There's a holiday for everything...) In honor of such a prestigious event, today was the day to finish up this post about loving and styling your handwriting- because it always starts with a pencil :).

I've been honored to lead a couple of workshops recently about lettering and handwriting.  Gathering my thoughts for the why of those events before I planned the how reminded me of just how important handwriting is to me.  I wrote about it a couple of years ago in this post, and revisited those ideas for the little book I put together for the workshop.

You can click over to read all the details, but here is the gist:
Your handwriting matters:
1. Not because it is perfect
2. Because it reveals your personality and emotions
3. Because it is Incarnational in an often impersonal world
4. Because it is sentimental
5. Because it connects us with the history of the past and creates history for the future
6. Because it is a witness and testimony to what you believe and think
7. Because it is a connection that binds our words to our actions

In the workshops I gave, we talked about things we like or don't like about our handwriting, tips for improving your everyday handwriting, styling lettering for something special, etc.  We had lots of practice paper to doodle on and try new things and then did a few make-and-takes as well.

Most of what I know and can do has come from years (I mean like starting back in junior high...) of doodling, trying new styles, imitating someone else's letter formation, etc. until I could create many styles on my own.  I am always trying new things and looking for new lettering inspiration.

Common questions included what some of my favorite supplies are.  I have.so.many.pens but always love experimenting with new tools.  The supplies that I use all the time for everyday writing as well as for special things like my #SundayReadingsScriptureDoodles are nothing super fancy.  Really the trick is trying out different pens and markers and finding what you like.  You can make art with anything.  Try out new supplies until you find what you are most comfortable with.

Here are some of the supplies that I use all the time: (affiliate links)
-Ticonderoga Pencils (the ONLY pencil with using in my opinion)
-Regular Sharpies (seriously great for practicing, cheap, last through lots of projects)
-Pentel White Erasers (a good eraser is a necessity- these are cheap and work really really well)
-Sakura Micron Pigma Pens (various sizes) (these are my absolute favorite for outlining and are the final tool for how I create most of the printables on this site.)
-Stabilo Pens (.88 Multicolor pack) (a little bit more of an investment, but they are high quality and so fun.  I use mine all the time and have had them for almost two years)
-Sakura Brush Tip Pens (I'm still working on this technique, but if you want to give brush tip pens a try I would recommend these pens)
-Papermate Ink Joy (these are my favorite everyday-grading-note-writing teacher pens.  They are so cheap, come in packs of 8 different colors, and write boldly and smoothly)

Do you have any favorites that you would recommend?  Let me know in the comments!

So if you're interested in why your handwriting matters, why you should use it more often, how you can style it, and more, you might like my short little ebook.
It contains:
-The seven reasons why I think handwriting is so important
-General tips for styling and loving your handwriting
-Sample manuscript and cursive fonts/styles
-Steps for creating the popular "fake" calligraphy that anyone can create
-Ideas for a couple simple banners/borders

Click here to get your copy of the Your Handwriting Matters ebook:

What do you love about your handwriting?  And what would you like to change?

Katie Makes [2]- Ideas, a tutorial, and a giveaway!

Another Katie Makes post to let you know what I have been up to when it comes to creativity and crafting.  See Katie Makes [1] if you like.

~1~

This post was inspired by a special giveaway I was asked to be a part of!  Right now on Instagram through Friday at 4 p.m. Central Time, you have the chance to win all of these awesome handmade goodies:

I contributed these cute things:
-a 8x10" Scripture print of "Put into the deep" (Luke 5:4) stamped onto a vintage Bible page and matted, ready to frame
-three 5 1/2 x 4 1/4" note cards with "Be who you were meant to be and you will set the world on fire" quote by St. Catherine of Siena decorated with a globe made from repurposed maps
-and a 3" metal gift tag stamped that says "Be Blessed"

You can win those, as well as items from these lovely ladies:

Kent Heartstrings

Lily and Mama

Frameworthy Designs

Be A Heart Design

Whole Parenting Goods

Soul Scripts

Brick House in the City

All of them are small business owners with beautiful hand-made things- I encourage you to go visit their shops (and maybe start some early Christmas shopping!)

~2~

Not one to have idle hands, I needed a portable craft project to take with me on our family vacation to Colorado a few weeks ago.  I packed a couple of atlases and a dictionary.  Factor in a couple of Sharpies and many hours of family Netflix watching, and the result was a stack of fifty-some hand lettered frameables. They were pretty popular at the craft sale we had a couple of weekends ago. :)

 It was very relaxing and the perfect traveling project- it did feel a little weird to be tearing up an atlas while driving around a thousand miles from home.

 

~3~

Next project on the docket was a pretty banner for a friend's sister's Bridal Shower.  She is getting married later this fall and her colors are orange and purple.  I had to dig through my stash for those colors (neither usually my favorite) but I really like how the color combination turned out!

  ~4~

 I mentioned in my last post that this metal stamping thing is getting easier.  I found a bunch of these metal tags in silver and copper for a great deal (an awesome deal compared to most metal stamping stuff), and have been stamping some messages on them.  They are about three inches long, so too big for jewelry, but would make cute bookmarks, gift labels, ornaments, basket tags, etc.  However, I am experiencing some writer's block with what to put on them...maybe because stamping in metal is so permanent?  What would you want them to say?  And what would you use them for? (And don't forget you can win one in the Instagram giveaway!)

~5~

 A set of pretty cards including these made up a birthday gift for a friend.  Sitting down with a blank pallet and pretty paper to make cards remains one of my favorite things to do. :)

~6~

 I had a extra canvas from some project a bit ago (so many "extra" craft supplies...) a decided to do a little painting one night.  I love this color combination! I wonder, would it look weird to have a painting hung on a door?  Maybe it would be better in an entryway.

~7~ 

And finally, this sweet little pillow.  At a garage sale a couple of weeks ago, my friend was selling some clothes that she didn't want any more, and among them was this super cute mustard-colored-satin-pleated-skit.  I loved it, but it would have been both too small and too short.  When it was still there at the end of the sale, I bought it off of her with the intentions of making a pillow.  I did it, but it was a little more difficult than I imagined, so I thought I'd share how I made it work in case you want to go thrift store shopping and try one yourself!

I was most excited that the new pillow matched the gold/yellow in the vintage fabric pillows I made last summer!

a. So we start with a skirt.  I had a 16"x16" pillow form that I wanted to use.  The skirt was just the right size horizontally, and was about 18" vertically.

 b. I first cut out the lining so that it wouldn't get in the way.

c. I then cut off the cute tie and set it aside to maybe work in later.  Next I decided how to cover up the side zipper without having to deconstruct the skirt.  I knew I could sew over the teeth of the zipper, but was concerned about the bulky pull and case.  I removed the pull with wire cutters and pliers, left the case about 3/4" from the top, and then covered it all neatly using part of one of the ties.  It was going to work just fine, until I realized that the length of the skirt would allow me to cut the entire waistband off, making the pull and case of the zipper obsolete.  Oh well- just a little wasted time, right?

 d. Next I needed to secure the pleats before sewing the sides of the pillow together.  First I did the easy side with the waistband.  I sewed with the pleats, making sure that the spacing was completely straight and the pleats were parallel to each other.

 Here was the result. I then cut off the waistband.

 e. I then did the same on the hem.  This was a little bit more time consuming because I had to sew slow enough to fold the pleats back.  I worked to keep them straight and parallel, just like on the other side.

f. Here is what the skirt looked like at this point.  And here is where I am going to tell you the mistake I made and how you can avoid it. :) The pillow was currently 16" wide (the original width of the skirt) and would be 16" long after I sewed the two seams.  I did so and put it on the pillow form...and the width was way too big.  I knew that the pleats would cause it to be looser in the middle, but I thought the seams would pull it together, and I was wrong.  The pleats added a lot of volume to the width. So I turned it inside out and cut about 1 1/2" off of each side (parallel with the pleats).

I also decided to reuse the ties that were on the skirt to kind of pull the whole thing together.  I pinned them in the side seems perpendicular to the pleats about 6" from the top.

 g. Cue sewing the "new" side seams and finishing the old ones. Because there was no extra fabric to make this more of a pillow case with a flap in the back to keep it removable, I had to just leave an opening to stuff in the pillow.

 h. To provide for the least amount of hand sewing as possible, I only left about a 6" opening, and also made sure to sew about 2" at the corner to help make closing the seam and having a sharp corner possible.

i.  With such a small opening, I got the pillow in by rolling it tight, forcing it through the opening, and then stretching it out once it was inside.  It took a little longer, but saved many minutes of handsewing.

 j.  The original basting that kept the pleats together and the beginning of the seam at the corner made it easy to fold and pin where I needed to close the seam.  I used a blind stitch to pull it all together.

 k.  And finally, I made a pretty knot with the ties and plopped it in my favorite chair.  It is so cute, and I love that it came from a repurposed skirt!  Upcycling adventures are always fun challenges :)

So, what have you been making lately?  I'd love to hear about it.  And don't forget to head over to Instagram for the giveway!

Seven Quick Takes: Katie Makes

Hello All! It's been quite a while since I've done a 7 Quick Takes, and when sitting down to write this week, the thought that kept coming to mind was- crafting.  Making things is like therapy for me.  I've always enjoyed crafting stuff with friends, creating things to use as gifts, etc., but I am realizing more and more that making something is one of the absolute best ways for me to relax.  After a stressful day, even just a half an hour doing something creative helps my mind rest.  Needless to say, with my free time this summer, I have been making lots of things.  I thought I'd share seven of them with you, along with a few stories!

~1~

This cute cross body bag (and three like it) was the result of a group sewing day with friends.  It is made completely from vintage/repurposed fabric and coming up with a way to make that work was a fun challenge.  Fortunately, they quickly sold though our little craft sale hobby, so I wasn't tempted any longer to keep it!

~2~

These silhouettes made with pages from Jane Austen's Emma and quotes from Emma & Mr. Knightley are still around...and I just love them.  Any other Emma fans out there?

~3~

My sister commissioned this cool idea for her husband's first Father's Day.  The metal circles are about the size of a quarter, and there is also a third one with their names on it.  I attached all of them in layers on a brass key chain.  This metal stamping thing which alluded me for a few years seems to be getting easier. :)

~4~

This chalkboard rests on the desk in my craft room/office, and I try to change it to reflect the liturgical seasons.  This Scripture verse seemed to go with this part of Ordinary Time and the beginning of summer.  The chalkboard has some fun history.  It is actually just chalkboard paint on the back of a sign that used to hang in one of the barns on the local county fairgrounds.  It had outlived its purpose and ended up being given to me.  I imagine that the sign is happy in its new life- my apartment certainly smells better than its old home.

~5~

This cute fake chalkboard sign (paint on foamboard) was part of an ongoing gift for Bonnie.  I'm working on building up a set of signs that she can use year round in her living room.  This one I love.  She picked the lyrics and then the design just came easily one night.  Actually, while sketching it out, I was working in the wee hours of the morning.  I am a total night owl, and summer sometimes allows me to work on what feels like a more natural schedule to me.  The night I was working on Bonnie's sign, I was wide awake and accomplished a great number of tasks from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.  I thought I was on fire- my thought process went a little like this: "This is awesome! If only I could harness this productivity every night!  But I am usually shackled with having to wake up at a normal hour in the morning.  What a shame because apparently this is when I do my best work..."

But then, in a large dose of humility, I looked down at the letters that I had been mindlessly tracing, and decided that maybe 3 a.m. is not my best time.

(I fixed it, though!  Can you find the mistake in the first picture? :) )

~6~

Prayer sometime also comes easier to me when creativity can be a part of it.  After being asked to meditate on Psalm 139 by my priest, I came back to it again the next day and was struck by this verse.  Using some fancy new colored pencils (from Germany!) I enjoyed meditating on verse five while doing some Scripture doodling.  Trust me, they don't always turn out this cute, but that action does help me reflect and memorize Scripture.

~7~

And yesterday, to celebrate both of our birthdays, a friend wanted to come over and have a craft day. She picked the project, and we both made wreaths out of old book pages.  She used more of a rolled paper cone technique, and her lovely wreaths ended up looking like big sunbursts.  I decided to try this paper leaf look, and I love how it turned out.  Now, if I could just get over my continued horror of actually ripping apart books, maybe I'll make some more!

So, that's what Katie has been making lately.  What have you been making?  Do you find crafting therapeutic like me, or is it a source of stress? Got any good craft-fail stories?  I'd love to hear all about it!

Go visit Kelly for lots more (probably not craft related) Seven Quick Takes!