Wall Art on a Budget: Travel Postcards
I’ve talked about how I like to collect illustrated postcards as a souvenir when I travel. I collect these with the intent of using them as wall decor around my house. I’m a sucker for gallery walls, but getting enough variety of photos and art in the frames is no easy feat. Hence the postcards.
I pick out a frame that holds a 4×6 photo. If I’m lucky, the postcard will fit without having to trim it. If I’m not so lucky, then I’ll have to trim to fit. I usually just pencil in the line I need and cut with scissors. (Serious crafters may have a cutting mat, a metal ruler, or an x-acto knife).
When you’re all trimmed to size, just stick it in the frame (more gently than I’m implying with my language). Display as desired.
What unique ways do you display those postcards?
Presents for You: Brush Lettered Einstein Quote
I love quotes. And I love to letter them out. And I’m happy to be able to share with you!
Use for Project Life, scrapbook, art journals, or just print it out and hang on your walls. Just click the links below to download the version you desire.
Click on photos for JPG
8×10 inch Jade PDF
8×10 inch Charcoal PDF
Transparent PNG
I’d love to see what you’re doing with my lettering and you can share your great ideas with others too! Tag me on instagram @randomolive and use the hashtag #randomoliveletters.
Personal use only. (Because these words are neither yours or mine to sell.)
Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to see lettered? Suggest it in the comments!
Five Podcasts to Inspire You
Do you ever wonder what to do during your boring commute to work? I have a 40 minute drive to work each way, and I always wondered what I could do to fill the time more productively. (While still being an alert and aware driver… don’t text and drive, guys) I recently began filling my time by listening to podcasts. My car has a handy auxillary input port, and I bought myself a cable
1. Elise Gets Crafty
This was my gateway podcast. I had never even opened the podcast app on my phone (and I’ve had an iDevice since 2009) until Elise Blaha Cripe launched her podcast in March 2014. She’s willing to be open about her experiences as a maker and how she’s grown over the years.
My Favorite Episodes:
small-business discussion: let’s talk money | featuring Ann-Marie Espinoza
keeping it real | featuring Cathy Zielske
saying NO to say YES | featuring Tiffany Han
2. Seanwes
Business advice galore from Sean McCabe. Seriously, listening to his marketing strategy and his conviction to his values is so awesome. What started off as a way to share the process behind being a hand-lettering artist has evolved into business advice that is applicable to any business.
My Favorite Episodes:
Spouse Episode: The No-Debt Mentality
How Learn Lettering Made $80,000 in 24 hours
You Have One Life. Set Bigger Goals
3. Explore Your Enthusiasm with Tara Swiger
Tara is another person who provides valuable insights for makers, especially those who want to market their business.
My Favorite Episodes:
Be yourself
An Introvert’s Guide to Travel
How to Pick Your Goal
4. Verbal to Visual
This one is relataively new. Doug Neill shares about developing sketch noting skills. Half the episodes are about skill building and the other half are interviews with people who embrace visual thinking.
My Favorite Episodes:
The Research-Based Benefits of Writing by Hand
Curt Neill: How a Tumblr Blog Became a Published Book
Sacha Chua: Adventures in Sketchnoting and Semi-Retirement
5. The Lively Show
Jess Lively interviews guests who aim to live their lives with intention. The guests skew more towards bloggers, but it’s interesting to hear about people’s stuggles to become the kind of the persons they want to be.
My Favorite Episodes:
Embracing Minimalism with Dana Shultz (The Minimalist Baker)
Intentions, Values, and Meaning with Noah Kagan
Wardrobe Remixing and Closing a Business with Kendi Skeen (Kendi Everyday)
What Podcasts have you been listening to lately? Any other awesome ones I should try? Leave a comment below to share!
Presents for You: Brush Lettered Emerson Quote
Free quote Friday! Use for Project Life, scrapbook, art journals, or just print it out and hang on your walls. Just click the links below to download the version you desire.
Click on photos for JPG
8×10 inch Coral PDF
8×10 inch Charcoal PDF
Transparent PNG
I’d love to see what you’re doing with my lettering and you can share your great ideas with others too! Tag me on instagram @randomolive and use the hashtag #randomoliveletters.
Personal use only. (Because these words are neither yours or mine to sell.)
Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to see lettered? Suggest it in the comments!
Resources for Learning Pointed Pen Calligraphy
I’d been thinking of learning calligraphy for awhile, especially after following some awesome calligraphers on Instagram. But I kept chickening out on paying for any courses; what if I buy all these supplies and courses and I hate it? (I tend to pick up and drop hobbies all the time… it must be the hoarding learner in me)
I noticed that one of the calligraphers I followed on Instagram was offering in-person local workshops! Well, that sounds perfect for me as a beginner!
I signed up for a class for beginners with Jenna M. Rainey of Mon Voir Calligraphy.
Why would an in-person course appeal to me?
– Comes with supplies, so I don’t have to fend for myself at the supply shop.
– The instructor covers the basics on how to hold the pen and the proper technique.
– As I’m practicing in the workshop, I can ask questions and the instructor can see and correct my technique.
I figured that I could try out the class, go home and practice a bit, and see if I still liked it enough to seek out other resources. (Spoiler Alert: It’s been 4 months since that first class and I’m still into it)
After that, it got the ball rolling for a ton of other resources that I use to practice.
Presents for You: Brush Lettered Teddy Roosevelt Quote
More quotes! Use for Project Life, scrapbook, art journals, or just print it out and hang on your walls. Just click the links below to download the version you desire.
Click on photos for JPG
8×10 inch Blue PDF
8×10 inch Charcoal PDF
Transparent PNG
I’d love to see what you’re doing with my lettering and you can share your great ideas with others too! Tag me on instagram @randomolive and use the hashtag #randomoliveletters.
Personal use only. (Because these words are neither yours or mine to sell.)
Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to see lettered? Suggest it in the comments!
What To Do with that Sad and Brown Banana
I don’t know about your house, but at my house, bananas are on the weekly grocery list. It’s a staple here. However, some weeks, we just don’t get around to eating them all before they get overripe. So what should we do with them? We can make banana bread, but we might not have the time for all that. Instead, I just mash them up and store them in the freezer for a later day.
Presents for You: Brush Lettered Matisse Quote
More free brush lettering for you guys! Use for Project Life, scrapbook, art journals, or just print it out and hang on your walls. Just click the links below to download the version you desire.
Click on photos for JPG
8×10 inch Seafoam PDF
8×10 inch Charcoal PDF
Transparent PNG
I’d love to see what you’re doing with my lettering and you can share your great ideas with others too! Tag me on instagram @randomolive and use the hashtag #randomoliveletters.
Personal use only. (Because these words are neither yours or mine to sell.)
Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to see lettered? Suggest it in the comments!
Travel Souvenir Idea: Find Illustrated Postcards
So, postcards are not a new concept. You’ve seen them everywhere: gift shops, airports, bookstores. But I find that most of the postcards on the rack are some generic stock photo of the location and then the name of the town across the top or bottom (usually in some outdated font choice).
Sometimes though, you find a gem. And I’ve been on the hunt for well-illustrated postcards everywhere I go. The key is that they’re illustrated and not photographed. These sort of cards appeal the most to my artistic aesthetic and upgrade the cards into something I feel good about putting on my walls.
They’re definitely tougher to find than the usual photographed cards (in one airport, I went to about 5 different gift shops to hunt one down), but they’re totally worth it.
Have you found any awesome postcards?
Post a pic on Instagram and tag me @randomolive.
Presents for You: Brush Lettered Bruce Lee Quote
I recently posted a rough version of this brush lettered quote on Instagram. I also recently acquired a scanner
Use for Project Life, scrapbook, art journals, or just print it out and hang on your walls. Just click the links below to download the version you desire.
Click on photos for JPG
8×10 inch Blue PDF
8×10 inch Charcoal PDF
Transparent PNG
I’d love to see what you’re doing with my lettering and you can share your great ideas with others too! Tag me on instagram @randomolive and use the hashtag #randomoliveletters.
Personal use only. (Because these words are neither yours or mine to sell.)
Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to see lettered? Suggest it in the comments!
