Lettergirl

Red + elephants.

I love when a customer I've worked with through the years comes to me and says, "I need some notecards.  I like red and elephants."  Creating small sets of custom notecards is soooo much easier than it was when I started designing.  Once upon a time, everything had to be printed offset, which meant making a plate and producing a large enough quantity to make it worthwhile.  Now I can easily print off a batch of 20 in black on my printer (still adding color by hand to each and every card) and everybody's happy.

Open Studio Hours Today!

Open Studio Hours are the last Tuesday of every month, from 11-2, at my St. Paul studio, 2500 University Avenue West. Bring your lunch and we can have a nice long chat!

Help: new class ideas?

Two years ago I introduced my Love Your Letters Workshop; last year I revised the materials & format; this year...I'm ready for something new!  I have a few ideas I'm playing with for new class topics, but wondered if you have anything on your wishlist?

Trunk show sneak peek.

A sneak peek of projects in my fall trunk show:

Giveaway winner.

What creative suggestions for teacher gifts!  And especially the ideas that included a thoughtful note from the child.  The random winner of the name stamp is:

Allison

At Christmas, we usually give travel mugs with our homemade cocoa mix and biscotti.  At the end of the year, bookmarks (made by my kids) and gift cards to a bookstore.

Allison, please email me at lettergirl66 {at} gmail {dot} com; let me know the name for your stamp, if you'd like self-inking or red rubber, and which lettering style to use.  You can see the options here. 

Come back and visit in June, when I'll be hosting a whole week of giveaways in honor of my 21st business anniversary (which was actually last week, but I'm hoping to host the giveaway week on my brand new blog!).  Be sure to sign up for my newsletter so you'll know just when the giveaways start!

A giveaway!

All week I am featuring teacher gift ideas, but today I invite you to share your favorite gift ideas for a chance to win a lettergirl stamp.  You can give it to a treasured teacher or keep it for yourself.  (I won't tell, promise.)

This giveaway is for one handwritten name stamp, in your choice of convenient self-inking or traditional red rubber.  Use the stamp to make your own notecards, gift tags, or labels.  You'll get your choice of any of my handwritten lettering      styles too.

To enter, leave a comment on this post by midnight on Sunday, May 19th.  Let me know your best gift idea for teachers -- whether it's your child's 3rd grade teacher or a mentor who's helped you as an adult.  I'll draw a winner bright & early on Monday.  Good luck!

 

Teacher gift week, part three: wall decals.

Repositionable wall decals from Spoonflower are eco-friendly and come in three designs (Dreams, Happiness, and Good Thoughts) and three sizes (5", 15", and 30").  I've moved this one around my studio three times and it's still sticking like brand new.  Prices start at just $5 for a small decal. 

Teacher gift week, part two.

I know what it's like to have a lot of teachers I want to thank and not a lot of funds in the budget.  Enter these notecards:  only $12 for a sweet set of 10. 

Written and illustrated by hand, the motif on each set varies: stars, leaves, an apple, a pencil -- whatever looks best with the individual name (or whatever you have your heart set on).  Sale ends Sunday.

Teacher gift week - 20% off this week only!

Each day this week I'll feature a different teacher gift idea.  Teacher gifts from my etsy shop are 20% off this week -- no coupon needed.

I love making bookplate stamps for teacher gifts!  These stamps are available in convenient self-inking or traditional red rubber and will last for years. 

And coming Thursday:  a teacher gift week giveaway....

Fabric + starch = instant wall decor.

Recently I revisited a technique I used in college to decorate my dorm room walls:  letters cut out of fabric and adhered to the wall with liquid fabric starch.  Want to freshen up your wall?  You can peel these letters off, wash the wall, and start over with a new quotation:  no need to repaint...easy peasy!

First you cut out your letters.  I like to use batik fabrics because the weave is nice and tight.  I also cut my letters freehand; I don't mind the imperfections.  If you're not up to that, you could stencil letters to the shiny side of freezer paper using a nice dark pen (like a Sharpie). Iron the shiny side onto the back of your fabric, cut out the letters (the pen should show through enough for cutting), then peel off the freezer paper.  The freezer paper also keeps the fabric stiff for cutting, but watch when you're peeling so you don't get too many frayed ends.

Dip your letters in a shallow bowl of liquid starch.  I did this entire quotation with less than a half cup of starch.

You don't want too much extra starch on your fabric or it will drip onto the wall.

Press your letter against your (clean) wall.  I like to do one word at a time, stand back & make sure it looks straight/even, and peel the letters off if necessary.  You can reapply them without adding more starch if you do it quickly. 

Once I'm sure I like the placement, I blot the letters with a paper towel to catch any extra starch that could drip on the wall.

Ta da!  Now why did it take me 25 years to remember this idea?