I wanted to please everyone with these free printable Christmas gift tags and hopefully you’ll find them easy to use wether you prefer wrapping paper or gift bags!!

I wanted to create a really special free printable for my loyal readers and followers as a way for me to help make this season a bit easier and enjoyable for you! So I created theses…

Free Printable Christmas Gift Tags

With many hectic days of keeping up with business, two busy teens, university tours, hubby traveling etc., minutes are precious and face-time even more so. My goal for 2019 is to consciously slow down the pace. I was going to end that sentence with “when possible” but that’s not intention enough. My goal for 2019 is to consciously slow down the pace. Period.

I know. You’re thinking to yourself, “Nicki. You’re crazy. You can’t slow the passing of time.”. But I have. I did and I’m figuring out ways to do it more as I go.

There is a difference between hand lettering and calligraphy. Some would argue that there’s a big difference. I personally feel that any form of lettering, is simply letters that are “drawn” vs. “written”. In both cases, we draw strokes that are very purposeful and consistent. The difference between hand lettering and calligraphy is that the elements of those strokes vary. I recorded this video to help with explaining the difference between hand lettering and calligraphy in the hopes of helping to show how the elements of each art form vary.

Click play to watch the video.

I have spent most of my free time recently on painting abstract shapes and playing around with color. I have designs in mind that I am creating for my Society6 shop, that will go on things like pillows, laptop covers and even coffee mugs. Although my personal style in everything from clothing to home decor, is black and white, a small part of me is trying to embrace color {a limited color palette…} and try my hand at designing using some color! Sooooo, I thought I’d make this lovely wallpaper inspired by the falling snow and my current pattern designing mode, in the hopes of creating a lovely wallpaper to inspire you through the rest of November!

Learning calligraphy is like learning any new skill, the more you practice, the better you become. You can take classes, read blog posts, watch videos and hear about all the important tools to use or paper to practice on, but the only thing that will help you improve, grow confidence and want to continue to fine tune your calligraphy style is by practice! This free calligraphy worksheet to practice more give you an option to use a dip pen and ink or a small brush pen to help you trace words and grow your calligraphy skills.

I believe in taking online courses so much so, that I have taken time away from my art and creative practice, to create courses to help others achieve their personal goals. I’m excited to share everything that I’ve learned over the years in the hopes of inspiring, empowering and saving you time and money! No matter what your goal is. [More about life i design online in another post]

Here are the reasons why I think taking online courses is the way to go! Read to the bottom to see my top online class resources.

I’m a professional hand letterer and calligrapher and I’m really bad at flourish calligraphy!! It doesn’t mean that I don’t practice! Here’s a great practice flourish alphabet for you to use and trace along with me as we build muscle memory and learn calligraphy together!

I shared on my instagram, seating cards that I was making for my Modern Calligraphy dip pen workshop. Some of you wanted more information about how to make them so I went live on Instagram and showed how I letter the seating cards using a dip pen and a simple painting brush.

The end result is really beautiful and the steps are actually super simple! I thought I’d demystify the process of making seating cards so that you can try your hand at making them for your next gathering, special event or meeting!

Looking for self care ideas or routine?! I outline 5 easy ways to incorporate more self care into your every day. Read more about how to create self care routines on www.lifeidesign.com

Working from home has meant the world to me and my family, but I spend A LOT of time at home, and my creativity feeds off of new surroundings and inspiration.  So when the opportunity to spend 30 hours in NYC came up last minute last week, I packed an overnight bag and my nexus pass, filled the fridge with pizza and easy to make foods for the kids and off we went. 

There are many ways to learn calligraphy.  You can learn calligraphy online, in-person, using tracing sheets or referring to tutorials! Whatever method you choose, the biggest secret is to…

If you've joined me on my last blog post, you'll know that I had a BIG goal to create my very first online class on the Skillshare platform.  Well, I managed to hit "publish" almost a week before my scheduled deadline!!!

I am not a perfectionist by any means, but I do dwell on details a little too much some times.  I have learned over the last few years, that done is better than perfect.  Agonizing over the details of a plan is necessary sometimes, for instance, when building a structure, or planning a Will, however,  agonizing over the details of an online class... not so much!

When I started life i design just over 5 years ago, I had an idea about what I wanted to do for a new career/business, I just had no idea what I was doing? 

I knew I wanted to make art, sell art, and live a life that suited my personality and passions.  I just didn't know who I was as an artist, how to start a website, how to open an online shop or how to create graphics and take photos to help sell my art.

I am a huge fan of black on white.  I find simple black and white designs very relaxing, my eye has places to rest and it always looks clean and crisp.  Bold black designs on white feel more timeless to me.  I wear a lot of black or white (add jeans and that's my daily uniform) but I am slowly embracing color.  Maybe not so much in my wardrobe, but in my surroundings at home.  

This easy and beautiful Modern Calligraphy project will motivate you to learn calligraphy and to practice more! It's simple, easy to gather the tools and fun to do with someone! I have hired my talented and creative daughter Sabrina to work with me over the summer as I create more online inspiration and how-to's for my readers and followers.  One of our goals this summer is to share more creative ideas on the blog.  Here is our first Modern Calligraphy Project to motivate you to learn calligraphy and to practice too!

It feels like this past year has been all about teaching in-person, Modern Calligraphy and Lettering workshops! I have had a blast teaching my most favorite calligraphy style for lettering and observing how other learn, what tweaks I can offer to create more success for my students and just how inspired I am by others!  I often thought about how I could extend my teaching and offer the opportunity to those who are not in may local area to learn my personal method of modern Calligraphy. 

Want to learn how to letter using Modern Calligraphy and don't know where to start?! Follow along with this 5 Day Modern Calligraphy Challenge and subscribe to receive your prompts, worksheets and videos as you explore the very basics to this super popular lettering style!

#the100dayproject.  A global art project to help you be more creative & productive.  Choose a goal and spend 100 days exploring it! It begins April 3rd.  Read the full post to learn more and be inspired to join the project.

Whatever your goal is, I believe that being creative helps with problem solving, self expression and personal growth.  I am going to share with you my top 5 tips to help you be more creative.  The problem is, our modern day lives which are filled with technology, means we spend most of our free time watching, liking and scrolling rather than doing, exploring and creating.

How to use a waterbrush for calligraphy in a modern and fun style.  An easy and quick video showing you how to letter using a watercolor palette and waterbrush.