I joined Nicely Noted last month and I am finally using my first letterpress card!  It is being sent to a very kind, generous person who gave me a lot of insight today.

This is a little note set I am giving to a friend as a thank you.  One of my sweet co-workers lent me one of her DSLR's for two weeks so I could see if I want one.  Verdict: I'm dying for a DSLR.  

Last week, Jen said something to me that stuck.  She said that it's so important [and I'm adding therapeutic] to give to people.  So I'm excited to give away these tiny gifts, gifts that I'm also sending into the universe.  

Hope you are all having a great week!

-SM  

This weekend, our family restarted a long standing tradition of a pig roast and family reunion.  After our grandfather died three years ago, we skipped three years, and it was nice to see cousins that I haven't seen in a few years.  It's truly crazy how fast time passes.   

Jen and I also got the chance to get together, catch up, and Jen even taught me how to sew a pretty Peter Pan collared shirt! Pictures to come. 

We hope you had a great MDW weekend!

-SM

This weekend, I spent some time [read a lot of time] on my quaint Etsy shop, Sara Regina, fueled by my new obsession with The Borgias.  I will be uploading pictures this weekend so it will be live soon.

I also did unfun things like researching credit unions and other types of research, and fun things like playing with my friend's DSLR camera, going to the farmers market, and taking a surprisingly difficult community class at Lululemon.  

Overall, it was just the weekend I needed.

Tell us: what rejuvenates you?

-SM

 

The wise Mr. Frost once said, "....No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader." 

While the last few days have been busy, I've still had time to think about what surprises are "inside" my creative mind. 

Jen suggested I watch this Ted talk, and since I am taking a Skillshare class with Andie Powers, who is behind GoMighty, I have also been thinking about why I want to create a small business, and what my unique perspective is.  

Not easy stuff to define, for sure.  

Happy Weekend!

Tell us: How do you answer the tough, often abstract, questions? 

-SM

I'm still workin' on my calligraphy.  This is my progress on "jumping" words.

All of the sudden, life got crazy.  I am in the process of a big transition and got bogged down with work and stress.  But I've found that returning to my art is the best thing.  Calligraphy is so therapeutic for me.  

Tell us: What is therapetuic for you?

-SM

Some more calligraphy progress.  Tonight, I plan to practice writing out all of the state names.  I'm also learning a new, more relaxed style and I've been focusing on working on my thick and thin lines.  

Tell us: How do you improve on your craft?

-SM

This weekend, I carved stamps for the first time.  I am happy with how well they turned out, and I plan to make more of them.

I used this tutorial, which was helpful and easy to follow.

Tell us: What tutorials do you use online?

-SM

This past week, I made this birthday card for a friend.  I am excited about the progress I've made with calligraphy in the last month, and I notice small improvements each time I practice.  

It was satisfying to make this card because I never think that Hallmark or Papyrus, as beautiful as some of the cards are, mean as much as handmade. 

Tell us: Do you think handmade is better?

-SM

Lately, the beach has been an endless source of inspiration.  If you follow me on Instragram (@smoult), then you know this as almost all of my recent pictures have been of water.  Walking, also inspirational, to the nearby park is basically every other Instagram picture.  

Since staring MYB, I've been more conscious of working out and how often I do (and how little I actually used to).  It seems that I used to spend a ton of time thinking about exercise, but far less time actually doing it.  Am I the only one?

Regardless, I have felt much more inspired, recently, and I think it has to do both with clearning my head and staring at so much water.  

Tell us: What's been inspiring you recently?

-SM