Have you heard/read this commencement address by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg? I love it. It’s been making waves in the news and online, and getting some extra press because of her new book, Lean In (more on that here). I hope it inspires you on this Monday.
P.S. Here’s an article from today’s issue of USA Today about women being the “new” breadwinners.
super easy and fun — my handwriting made into rubber stamps!
Need a sweet little gift for new homeowners, brides-to-be, or a couple turning into a family?
Wit & Whistle recommended the online company RubberStamps.net (you may have seen photos from this blog post floating around on Pinterest) and I’ve been ordering my custom stamps from them ever since. It’s a very easy process — simply draw, write, sketch or type out what you want your stamp to look like, upload the photo to their website, select the size of the stamp, and order. In a few days, you’ll receive your rubber stamp on a weighty, beautiful wood block with the stamp art etched into the top (or a handle mounted on top for larger sizes, if you’d like. and they also have self-inking stamps).
I recently made this return address stamp for my childhood friend getting married this summer so she can add a nice, personal touch to her wedding invitations, RSVP cards and thank you notes. Bundled up in a light blue hanky along with an ink pad in a coordinating wedding color, it makes the perfect bridal shower gift! For a more deluxe gift, include some blank thank you notes, envelopes, a nice pen, postage, and washi tape to make a complete correspondence set.
Lately I’ve been finding myself staring at beautiful watercolor paintings on Pinterest (see here) so I decided to ask one of my favorite bloggers, Creature Comforts, on Twitter what sort of kit she’d recommend for a newbie watercolor artist. Her answer? The cheapy kits at craft stores! Ha!
Not sure whether that should’ve been a relief or intimidating, on a recent trip to Walmart, I picked up a Crayola kids version, which I think is very clever, because what’s the use of spending a lot of money (the artsy watercolor kit was about $20 in comparison, so still, not that bad) if you’re not even sure you’re going to like it? Exactly. So, $1.88 later plus about $5 for a watercolor pad and another few dollars for a nice pack of brushes in various sizes (which I’m sure to use again for other crafts), I had all I needed to try my not-so-skilled hand at watercolor painting. I made it a little easier on myself by looking at photos of paintings I liked to see how I might need to add brushstrokes or use color to blend shapes but all in all, knowing I’m not a painter, I was happy to just have an afternoon of creating and trying something new.
my first foray into watercolors
— an easy, striped card
If you’re looking for a clever gift idea or stocking stuffer, a cute little watercolor kit would be a fun, thoughtful gift for kids and crafters on your gift list. And, you can even get a kit for yourself to make beautiful gift tags and cards to personalize gifts this year!
Here are two inexpensive gift sets for the would-be artist on your list:
1. via Target | 2. via Consumer Crafts
1. Travel Easy Watercolor Set from Target $12.99
2. Creative Dimensions Art Set 79pc. $14.97
“I didn’t always know what I wanted to do,
but I knew the kind of person I wanted to be.”
— Diane Von Furstenburg
Stick Girl JAM 