100 Day Challenge—Hand-lettering
“When things are meant to be, EVERYTHING truly arranges itself for it to come to pass… put it out there, keep on working, smartly and in alignment, and let it be so.”
When I made that declaration, I was getting ready to attend the Modern Calligraphy Summit! Here is a short back-story on how my hand-lettering adventure began.
In trying to find the BEST calligrapher to work with for my invitation client's projects I came upon the beautiful world of hand-lettering!! There's an abundance of talented people who dedicate their lives to this and, WOW, you can definitely see how really putting in the time to achieve perfection pays off.
I'll admit, in frustration of not finding the exact look I was going for, in my area, and who would meet my deadline, I thought of doing it myself. Heh, how hard could it be, right?!
WRONG!! Believe me, I watched video after video for beginners, and, although I consider myself to have good penmanship, my hand-lettering attempts were faaaar off from the beauty the professionals create.
During that time of searching and frustration, I came upon the Modern Calligraphy Summit and the beginning of another round of the 100 Day Challenge. All this pretty-ness inspired me to put my new Moleskine to good use and give hand-lettering a try. I chose the theme of daily inspiring quotes and went at it with my newly acquired calligraphy and brush lettering knowledge.
Throughout the—over—100 days, I enjoyed the process of creating each hand-lettered art, but most of all I enjoyed the quotes that I used to inject a little inspiration into my daily ritual.
From day one to day 101, I could see the difference persistence and consistency made in my creations. While there were a few pieces I cringed at, others truly felt satisfying.
It was a feat, but more than hand-lettering, I learned that step-by-step you get closer to your goal.
Cookie Fortunes—Life's Happy Oracles
My favorite part of eating Chinese takeout? The fortune cookies. I've collected quite a few that have really resonated with my life situation in the instance I read it. So, I thought I'd share a few favorites from my collection, hand-lettered and water-colored, of course.
While most of these miniature messages have echoed true to me, I've also come across some that, either don't seem like 'fortunes'—'You are a pleasant person.'—or are like my recent one below!
Really?! I SHOULD be able to undertake anything … Thanks for cheering me on, cookie!! Maybe something like 'You ARE able to undertake & complete anything' would be better, yes?
Now THESE ARE fortunes that bring me joy!
As creatives/artists/designers/independent 'anything', we can admit that the certainty of where our next paycheck will come is always top of mind. It has been a process for me to let go of past mindsets about money, for sure, but little hints like this help keep me at peace.
Knowing that the important thing is to focus on the PURPOSE, CURIOSITY, PASSION—whatever brings us joy—everything else, including money, will come inevitably.
How's that for a fortune duo?!
The last pair of my #LizzyBCookieFortunes series. Probably the ones that resonate with me the most.
Over the recent years, I have let myself be open and guided by any and all signs that feel instinctively true.
From a young age I've always felt a connection, a knowing of more than what we can purely see with our eyes. When I came upon these fortunes—at different times—it was as if I was being told 'Yes, you've always known'.
““Enjoy the lighter things in life and deeper joys will follow.””
Looking forward to continuing my fortune cookie collection. Above, a recent one I received—in perfect timing, of course.
Paris on the Brain—Watercolor Vistas of My Favorite City
I’ve had a fascination with Paris since I was a little girl. Where that love of the city stems from, I don’t know, but in following my current curiosity of watercolors, I wanted to take a moment to paint a few of my favorite Paris vistas.
With a life-long curiosity for painting, I decided this year was the time to start learning. I started with a water-coloring course via Skillshare which resulted in me losing the fear of mixing the paint wells—a GOOD thing!
Not considering myself a good illustrator or painter, this more free-flowing illustrative method let me just put my beginner skills to use while splattering the paint as if using crayons. Those kindergarten days of staying strictly inside the lines came to good use.
It’s always fun to create different palettes and imagine such recognizable structures in varying colors. A purple Metro sign? A green Eiffel Tower? A blue Sacré-Cœur? Of course!
I’m letting myself explore this new-found interest with painting, so letting go of set notions is a must.
“It’s all about doing something new and playing with the shapes and colors.”
More water-color explorations to come. I’ve been working on some San Miguel de Allende vistas that I’m excited to complete and share!
Balboa Park Palm Trees—A Place to Just Be
I’ve been on a journey to focus my attention on moments that bring me joy. The best way I know to get into a space of contentment is by visiting one of my favorite places: Balboa Park.
Balboa Park has a vast assortment of plants, trees, flowers and anything nature spread out in various gardens over its 1,200 acres. My husband and I recently spent a beautiful, blue-skied Saturday morning learning the difference between the over 50 varieties of palm trees at the park—my favorite tree.
My favorite palm overall? These: Mexican Fan Palms & California Palms.
I love their long, slender ‘legs’—as I call them—and they remind me of tropical destinations I’ll one day visit. Places that bring me peace and relaxation.
Here are a few more varieties that caught my eye because of their different fronds, shapes, colors, and textures.
The thick, silver trunk of this one complemented by its shimmery-green frond roots make it another of my favorites.
It’s interesting to think that the rough, textured rings around its trunk are actually scars left behind as the tree grew. I’ll stop here. I can really go deep into a life analogy on this one!
My ‘long legs’, the Mexican Fan Palms and California Palms, differentiated by the slight variance in the shape of their ‘head’. Both with feather fronds, the Mexican Palm has a more oval/wide shape, while the California Palm has a more elongated shape with a slight taper toward the bottom.
These majestic palms also caught my eye because of their light blue-hued, fan fronds.
And here is an assortment of four more varieties with a mixture of feather-frond and fan-fronds. Some not even noticeable as ‘palm trees’ being that they grow so low and close to the ground.
I definitely recommend taking Balboa Park’s Palm Tree tour on the second Saturday of the month. Visit the website for other interesting tours of the park and its architecture, gardens, and cultural centers.