by Linda | Nov 29, 2016 | my creative journal
Every so often, a bit of freelance work turns out to be the seed to an amazing tree of possibility.
A few months back, I was contacted by Tanja from Osswald Design to create an illustration for one of her crochet patterns. Actually, I already mentioned on the blog here – so it’s actually been a long time! She was curious to see if a different kind of pattern image might attract more customers, not to mention she just wanted to give me work as a lovely friend of mine! *so loved*
I really enjoyed working with Tanja as she had great ideas and gave me constructive feedback. Her thought was to create an illustration character that would be wearing her finished crochet piece. I was excited to work on the art commission and create something different, but still my style. Now that I think about it, this type of artwork is actually quite trendy right now – a mix of illustration with real world photography/imagery. I’m so happy to have been paid to create this!
Here’s a snippet of the final image created, one of my classic digital drawings of a girl wearing Tanja’s beautiful crocheted shawl design called Snow Falling on Shadows (pattern on Ravelry).
After completing the illustration, I thought it was just a done job – much like other freelance work. However, Tanja said she was using the image for her pattern, but I could use the creation for my own art shop and products as well. She gave me permission to do so and after period of testing and hesitation on my part… I’ve finally got products in my Etsy shop, including this lovely illustration!
My little crocheted shawl lady is on a greeting card and pocket notebook. I’ve also included credit to Tanja and a link to her shawl pattern on the back of the prints as shown.
I’m so happy that a commission actually turned into a collaboration of sorts for me. I really love the black and white illustration and how it really makes the shawl pop out of the image. Now I am thinking it would be so cool to do more illustrations in this particular style. That is, using photography with black and white illustration. Perhaps a whole product line will come out of this? What do you think?!
If you would like to hear more of my artistic thoughts, I elaborated in an update on my Patreon post here.
by Linda | Nov 22, 2016 | DIY printables
When Thanksgiving rolls around each year, I’m always reminded to give thanks for all that I have. I know we should be grateful every single day of our lives, but life gets busy and it’s easy to overlook as we go through the hustle and bustle of daily life. That’s why I believe a gratitude practice is so important! However, I used to just list a few things as my gratitude journaling for the day or week. Over time this was really repetitive and didn’t seem to sink in very much.
For my list lovers out there, I realize it’s fun to make lists and easier to do so, but I have realized that the true value of practicing gratitude lies in the details – the “journaling” part of things.
I decided to design a gratitude stationery paper to help us all write a bit more detail when it comes to journaling our gratitude. The idea is to not only write “what” you are grateful for… but also the “whys.” I learned this from Marie Forleo’s video here and I think it’s a powerful way to really sink into the idea of gratitude.
Download Gratitude Paper LETTER PDF | Download Gratitude Paper A4 PDF
When I decided to design a printable for Thanksgiving, I started with an autumn color themed printable, but I realized that it was a bit too classic and available already. Instead, this black and white printable is printer-friendly and great for gratitude journaling as well as letterwriting in general. It’s a win-win!
Let me know if you enjoy this printable design and what you think about gratitude journaling that is not just about listmaking. Sign-up for my weekly newsletter if you would like to be updated on my new posts, designs and shop releases.
by Linda | Nov 7, 2016 | my creative journal
I recently learned about travelling mail and had to share with all of you! Basically, travelling mail is snail mail that eventually is sent back to you who started it all. The idea is to send something to someone, who then sends it to another, and then to another… until finally the last person sends it back to you. Each recipient would have added something to the mail that is being passed around.
It really reminds me of a slam book or smash book or sort of journal-along type of idea, but with snail mail. I really loved the idea and I wanted to take part immediately! I learned about travelling mail from MyGreenCow and joined her Travelling Mail Facebook group to get started. From there, it was easy to find enthusiastic recipients!
I decided to create a bunch of travelling notebooks, to collect inspiration and stories from others that would eventually make their way back to me. Of course, I handbound the journals using an envelope as the cover and regular white paper inside, to keep it as light as possible for mailing. But the point of using an envelope was because I wanted the pocket at the back to slip in goodies to share (guess that counters the whole light for shipping thing, LOL!)
I think it turned out pretty cute in the end and I also left the cover minimal, so each recipient could add to it. I have sent off the notebooks today and so excited to think about who will get them over time and when they might arrive back to me! They will certainly be filled with creative inspiration!
I think it’s a great way to connect with others, play creatively and snail mail around the world. I hope you might try travelling mail as well. I will definitely report back when these notebooks arrive back to me, one at a time. Let me know if you have tried it and how it turns out. Happy snail mailing!
by Linda | Oct 25, 2016 | DIY printables
No matter how much planning I do, there are times when everything seems to converge and explode chaos into my life. Maybe this happens more often than I want to admit… but I know that a brain dump really helps to alleviate the stress. With a million things I must do for the kids, for work, for business, for myself dare I say – my brain just goes to overload. The act of writing all the things in my head, down on paper is always the first step to clarity for me.
So I decided to create a stationery printable that makes the process a bit more fun and definitely prettier than plain white copy paper. It’s all about getting more productive with clear head. Once I get it all out, then I can prioritize, organize and file properly. But first – brain dump! Download the get productive stationery paper printable PDF in your preferred paper size below.
get-productive-stationery-paper-letter | get-productive-stationery-paper-a4
I used my classic to-do girl illustration for this lined stationery paper. The lines are wide-ruled, because I like having room to write things out and not have it squished all together. If you need more lines, just print more paper. That’s the beauty of printables! This design also doubles as pretty stationery paper as well, so you can also send some snail mail to friend. I can always use some pretty stationery paper!
Let me know if you enjoy this printable design. Sign-up for my weekly newsletter if you would like to be updated on my new posts and designs.
by Linda | Oct 18, 2016 | DIY printables
I know there are lot of calendar printables available on the web, but I’ve always struggled to find something clean, simple and customizable for my needs. So I decided to make my own monthly calendar printable and offer it as a free printable for download. At first it looks like any other calendar printable, but don’t be fooled!
The PDF calendar I have created has editable form fields! So when you open it up, it has November 2016 as I’ve put in for now, but you can edit every single one of the text fields in each box. It will be easy to update for each month that you need and make your own calendar printable.
It’s like having a blank calendar template, only you can type in the month, weekdays and numbers – instead of handwriting it.
I like being able to have a clean calendar when planning schedules and making notes regarding my kids’ schedules. Not only did I want a simple layout for my monthly calendar view, I’m also a monday start kind of calendar girl. In addition, I don’t like it when the end of the month has day 30 or 31 overlapping with the week before, hence the six rows of boxes. I would rather have the extra row and more space… so even if the calendar year doesn’t need it, I can use the extra boxes for other notes and future events. The blank left column also allows for notes of the month. Finally, there’s no watermark in this printable, because let’s face it – when it comes to calendars it’s already chock full of information, the cleaner and neater it can be, the better. And if you don’t want extra white space, you can always decorate it up!
Download the customizable, editable PDF in your preferred paper size below:
customizable-monthly-calendar-letter
customizable-monthly-calendar-a4
Would love to know if you find this printable helpful. Enjoy and happy planning!
Sign-up for my weekly newsletter if you would like more printables and don’t hesitate to comment with your design requests below. I’m always looking for more ideas to create printable stationery goodies for everyone.
by Linda | Oct 15, 2016 | DIY printables
Here’s a set of printable letterwriting stationery I designed in honor of The Letter Exchange. I was delighted to learn that there is a magazine just for letter writers and pen pal enthusiasts! I’m happy to be mentioned in the latest issue of The Letter Exchange magazine and a BIG welcome if you are a subscriber visiting my blog for the first time.
I decided to create printable stationery using the envelope motif, so you can use the stationery for all occasions. There’s also a rainbow of colors to choose from, so just download the color and paper format you prefer. Or download them all to keep in your digital stationery library! The PDF includes an envelope template and coordinating stationery in both lined and blank versions.
the-letter-exchange-stationery-set-black-letter | the-letter-exchange-stationery-set-black-a4
the-letter-exchange-stationery-set-sun-letter | the-letter-exchange-stationery-set-sun-a4
the-letter-exchange-stationery-set-sky-letter | the-letter-exchange-stationery-set-sky-a4
the-letter-exchange-stationery-set-sepia-letter | the-letter-exchange-stationery-set-sepia-a4
the-letter-exchange-stationery-set-rose-letter | the-letter-exchange-stationery-set-rose-a4
the-letter-exchange-stationery-set-lime-letter | the-letter-exchange-stationery-set-lime-a4
the-letter-exchange-stationery-set-lavender-letter | the-letter-exchange-stationery-set-lavender-a4
the-letter-exchange-stationery-set-coral-letter | the-letter-exchange-stationery-set-coral-a4
I hope you will find this printable stationery set useful for your letterwriting and everyday correspondence. Please feel free to share a link to this post with your snail mail friends! Remember also that my free downloads are for personal use only. Please do not re-distribute or sell without written consent!
Sign-up for my weekly newsletter if you would like more printables and don’t hesitate to comment with your design requests below. I’m always looking for more ideas to create printable stationery goodies for everyone.
by Linda | Oct 11, 2016 | DIY printables
I never thought that I would need to record a history of the snail mail cards and letters I send to family and friends. I mean, wouldn’t I surely remember the heartfelt words I have written and the times I’ve dropped off the post or stood in line at the post office? How complicated can it be, right?
Umm, enter life. Parenting, school, work, laundry, groceries, dinner, errands… it all gets mashed up from day to day and suddenly I found myself not really remembering my postal activity. It’s not that I go to the post office every day, but even weekly trips are often enough to warrant confusion in my brain. Did I send out that birthday card already or did I dream about sending it? Did I reply to that letter already or was I just thinking out my response in my head. Everything turns into a blur. Maybe I’m getting old? Uh oh. It’s embarrassing to resend greetings, but even worse to forget or skip on sending something out.
I know there are plenty of people who send out WAY more snail mail than me, so they must have a system to keep track of things. Then I learned it’s as simple as an outgoing mail log.
Keeping track of snail mail activity will ensure that you send your greetings and reply promptly to incoming mail. No more mix-ups or trying to remember… not to mention the anxiety of wondering if you actually sent something or dreamt it up. It really only takes a few minutes, either before you head to the post office or immediately after so you don’t forget.
I decided to create myself a snail mail printable log to record my outgoing mail – a simple record of my mailing activity. This snail mail log is a printable PDF but also editable electronically. Either way works and of course, you decide if you want to include all the detailed information or shorten things up a bit.
snail-mail-log-letter-log-form | snail-mail-log-a4-log-form
While I was at it, I decided to also make the design as printable blank pages or lined pages, so you can use it as stationery as well – double uses! You can also customize your own mail log if you prefer other fields, rather than what I use specifically. The PDF files have no watermark btw!
snail-mail-log-letter-blank | snail-mail-log-a4-blank
snail-mail-log-letter-lined | snail-mail-log-a4-lined
For my personal use, I just put in the recipient name, quick description and date I actually send it. For now that’s all the information I’m looking for, but you certainly can also log more information or even include a snapshot of the mail itself, if you like to scrapbook or journal your snail mailing hobby. There are those who also log incoming mail, postmark dates, etc. It’s up to you!
BTW, if you like this design you can also download the FREE coordinating snail mail printable stationery set here.
I hope you find this snail mail log useful and please share how you log your own snail mail activity. Would love to know!
by Linda | Oct 6, 2016 | DIY printables
This month on the Petit a Petit Family blog I contributed a quick post with a clean graphic art printable – kiddo and wanted to let you know! It was inspired by Celina’s kiddo in my room pinterest board and Toya’s room decoration.
The cool part is that the text is customizable. It’s a PDF with editable form field, so you can type in whatever you would like before printing it out. Or even just delete the text and print it out without words. I’m definitely wanting to experiment more with including customizable printable PDFs!
What will you create with the printables? Download the kiddo art printable here and tag photos of your creations with #pinandcreate on social media. Enjoy!
by Linda | Oct 4, 2016 | DIY printables
I’m not sure what it is, but everyone seems to love the look and feel of vintage maps. I’m definitely no exception and one day would love to have a variety of vintage maps framed in my house. Besides the fun of learning a bit of geography when we look at maps, it’s also fun to discover what has changed since the map had been created. There are so many party games that can come out of having a few maps on your wall too! Anyway, I thought it would be cool to use a vintage world map as part of an airmail design that you can print and fold to become a postcard. I found this cool map that has different routes drawn out – like you are sending your postcard across the world.
I realize that a postcard needs to be of a certain thickness, so make sure you print this on thick cardstock that can be sent by post. Otherwise, you can even wrap this around an existing postcard to be sure it is sendable. Just download the file below in the paper format your prefer.
vintage-map-airmail-postcard-letter | vintage-map-airmail-postcard-a4
I would love to know what you think about printable postcard designs. Is it feasible for actual snail mail? Or will you use the design inside other packages? To decorate your planners, pocket letters and other correspondence? As always, would love to hear any design requests you might have as well.
If you don’t want to miss out on any of my printables then sign up for my weekly newsletter here.
by Linda | Sep 21, 2016 | DIY printables
Nothing like a manly woodgrain patterned stationery set for your next round of correspondence! I thought it was about time I shared a free printable again and decided to go with an everyday design that anyone can use.
I recently made a trip to the post office and realized that international postage has increased here in Italy. It was a bummer, but then I realized that the cost enables me to send a letter across the globe. Many miles of transportation, so of course there is a cost! When my recipient gets my handwritten snail mail, I know they will appreciate it, so it’s totally worth it. Even an everyday message of hello can really brighten up someone’s day. Letters create connection that no email, text message or even video message can do. It’s just not the same.
So please enjoy the set of woodgrain stationery below, provided in both LETTER and A4 paper sizes. The PDF contains the envelope template, a page of lined stationery and a page of blank stationery. You can download and use whichever combination is to your liking and even share with friends. What if you created a gift set of stationery for your pen pal?
woodgrain-stationery-set-letter
woodgrain-stationery-set-a4
I hope you enjoy this printable woodgrain stationery set and please remember it’s for personal use only. You can certainly share with friends and direct them here to download as well. Enjoy!
Sign-up for my weekly newsletter if you would like more printables and don’t hesitate to comment with your design requests below. I’m always looking for ideas more stationery goodies for everyone!
