a birth announcement

Finally, here it is!

I'll soon be offering this custom work at my Etsy shop.

Now on to finish up the wedding invitations that I'm working on. Happy Friday everyone!

watercolor details

Lately I've been seeing watercolors on invites, everywhere!  Ombre washes, calligraphy in watercolor...  There's a stunning example here from oh my deer.

I haven't picked up my watercolors in years, but I've decided to experiment lately:

I have the watercolor bug again and so many ideas are coming together!

vintage speedball set

A lovely gift from a close friend.  Love the packaging!  The best part...most of the nibs are unused.

emily dickinson

I've been seeing this quote around the interwebs as of late and it got me remembering...

Emily Dickinson has been a source of inspiration for me for most of my life.  As a teen, I was a prolific writer and I constantly read her poetry.  Seriously.  Her poetry shaped my thinking.

A few years ago during a business trip to the Boston area, I was able to break away for a few hours to visit her home, which is now the Emily Dickinson Museum.  I've always wanted to visit Amherst and I finally got the chance.

Emily was never married and was a recluse later in life.  Only a dozen or so of her heavily edited poems were published in her lifetime and she was virtually unknown until her unedited works were published in the 1950's. 

Someone at the museum told me that the owners of the Dickinson homestead at that time didn't know who she was until people started showing up on their doorstep to have a look inside the house.  Sadly, only one photo of her survives and I hear that her desk is currently at Harvard.  Emily's sister Lavinia discovered all of her writing on scraps of paper stuffed away in her desk after she died.  Those scraps of paper, her desk and that photo are the only tangible things from her life that survive today.

Taking photos at the homestead was not easy.  For some reason, there just wasn't a good angle:

The home below, which is right next door, belonged to her brother.  It is by far the creepiest place I have ever been.  Hands down. 

This home is in the exact state that it was when it was built.  Literally.  The ancient wallpaper sits peeling away from the walls.  The furniture, china, paintings on the wall, everything.  It was amazing.  I don't believe photos were allowed inside and if photos were allowed, I was so stunned that I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Even if you're not a fan of Emily, this place is worth a visit.

Her gravesite is a short ride from the homestead.  You can see the seashells and rocks people have left for her.  I left her a thank you as well:

My favorite photo by far:

I've been thinking about the Boston area off and on since I was there.  I really hope to visit again soon...

calligrapher love - a modern calligraphy course

I hope everyone enjoyed their Father's Day weekend as much as my family did!  It's back to Monday and well, Monday is almost over...

There are so many wonderful calligraphers out there these days.  Melissa Esplin of ISLY is one of my faves.  She offers a modern calligraphy course for those of you that are looking to learn how or to polish your skills.  It's based off Copperplate and is freshly modern, unlike many other courses offered out there. 

I personally took the online course and I can honestly recommend it.  It's full of great tips and information.  She even offers a private gallery and gives feedback on your progress which for me, was extremely valuable.  It also helps that she's great to work with. 

I'm looking forward to any upcoming courses that she's offering.  The preview and sign up process is here.

etsy updates, blog updates!

I'm working on some changes to my blog design as well as a major update to my Etsy shop. Busy is always good!  

Here's a lovely WWI-era print that's going to be listed soon. Amazingly, the colors are still vibrant after all these years...

happy father's day!

Father's Day is this weekend and I'm lucky to have two great dads in my life - my dad and of the father of my children, my husband.  I don't know who I would be without either of them.  

Take time to connect with the dads in your life or in the very least, have a wonderful weekend!