This week has been a long time coming, but I had no idea that it would come together so beautifully; not only would I be able to feature Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls but to be able to pair it with Elizabeth Messina’s beautiful photographs as well?  Pinch me!  Maybelle has been one of my most requested interviews from you, I get dozens of emails each day of, “When are you going to interview Maybelle?”  I happen to adore Maybelle both professionally and personally, I consider her my dear friend and as many of you know she is a busy bee, traveling around the globe teaching workshops, working on commercial projects and even helping friends like Elizabeth Messina create such beautiful vignettes as the one above.

I can’t wait to share her story with you, reveal some of her favorite nibs, books and inspiration, so I hope you will join me this week for Maybelle’s grand interview!

P.S.  Go ahead and pin that image, I know you want to…

The absolute best thing about having started my blog is the people I have met through the years. I feel so fortunate because in my ‘real’ life prior to blogging I was always working and 99% of that work was from home so I didn’t  really get a chance to meet like minded people, the blog changed all that nonsense and I have met some pretty spectacular individuals that I think the world of.  One of those people is the wildly creative Suzonne of  Urban Comfort. Last Spring I was fortunate enough to visit Suzonne in New Orleans and met her son Hudson, (a perfect Southern gentlemen in the making). I received a parcel in the mail the day before Christmas which took me over a month to open because I was a little out of it (understatement).  When I finally did open one of the beautifully wrapped gifts it had the above enclosed note, my favorite part reads, “I’m happy you had a baby.”  I loved it so much I put the note on the refrigerator and smile every time I read it.  Hudson happens to have wonderful taste in books, some of his favorites include mine (I too am a Green Eggs & Ham fan), but he introduced me to a new favorite The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers.

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I know it seems a bit dramatic of me to say a product has saved my life, but I am pretty sure it has or the very least my sanity.  I know it’s been radio silence her and for that I apologize, I have been thinking about my blog and all of you everyday, I have, but I seem to be a little inept at this whole mom, blogger and business woman thing.  How the heck do all these other women make it look so darn easy?  I have been extremely baffled, but had a light bulb moment when I realized that all the other mommy’s that are actually getting things done have newborns that sleep, because that’s what newborns are supposed to do just sleep a whole lot.  Well, not my baby, nope, my baby spends a lot of time delighting me with her huge gummy smile, coo’s and Shirley Temple dimple that I can’t stop kissing, but that doesn’t make for a productive day at the ‘office’.  I need my baby to sleep not just so I can get work done, oh, no, I need her to sleep so she can do things like grow and flourish.

I am writing this as almost a public service announcement for those mommy’s that are struggling with either a baby that won’t sleep, insists on being held and cries bloody murder if you even attempt to put them down, or needs their hands to do things like brush their teethe or whatever it is they use to use their arms and hands for prior to holding baby for 24 hours straight. There are a lot of wraps, carriers, slings and such on the market (and I will discuss a sling I have been using in another post) but the Solly Wrap is Elle’s favorite and that’s key (coincidentally the inventor of the Solly wrap is also named Elle). This is the only place my baby will take a nap!  I have tried everything —a swing, a co-sleeper in the crib, the crib with a vibrating paddle under it, putting the crib mattress on a incline, swaddling, unswadddling, white noise, black out everything, car seat, stroller you name it but she stays wide awake, her doe eyes wide as saucers, but the minute I put her in the Solly wrap it’s a matter of seconds before she falls asleep. So why have I been fighting it if I know this is where she will sleep?  I was worried that she wasn’t getting a deep enough sleep or long enough sleep and finally I just had to concede that as long as she was getting some kind of sleep it was better than no sleep. This is how I was finally able to write this here post and try to reinsert myself into the world at large. Baby steps.  You might ask why the Solly wrap over the Moby  wrap?  For one it is easier to figure out how to tie (for me anyway) and it is lighter, much lighter. I seem to be running hot ever since Elle came to town so wearing a hot wrap for an extended period of time is not going to work for me (a lot of people love this wrap though). Less fabric also means less bulk and trust me after 9 months of being bulky you want to avoid that.  How long does she sleep in the wrap?  Not long, but I can get a good 30 minutes in, sometimes 45 but it’s better than zero minutes. It doesn’t give me a ton of time to get things done, but I work as much as I can within those windows, I have been able to keep up with my shop, but my beloved blog has been sorely neglected. Socializing? Nope, haven’t done that yet, but I hope to soon (I have serious cabin fever), working out?  I have done a bit of walking but nothing that is going to get me six pack abs (I plan on it), I have a gift certificate for a mani + pedi that I got for Christmas that I am dying to use (let’s not even discuss the state of my paws) but I have not worked up the courage to leave my baby with anyone and I absolutely would not baby wear her into the nail salon.

So this my friends is where I am at singing the praises of a baby wrap, spending inordinate amounts of time trying to get my daughter to sleep and then trying to find time to work, neglecting a lot of things (my poor husband has been living with a zombie) and hoping that I will soon find a way to navigate these choppy waters of new motherhood and find a balance. Oh, yes I also spend a lot of time mooning over my babe, she is just the best little non-sleeping being I have ever met.

P.S.  For those that left kind comments about the photo it’s from the Solly Wrap site, it’s not me and my bub, although I wish I looked this good, I look like a zombie, a happy zombie, but  a zombie.

If you only knew how long it took me to create this post. I had to do it in 1 minute increments over two days with one hand (the non-dominant one) and a baby attached to my chest. Phew, not an easy task to complete, but I am here now.  I need to find my mommy/wife/friend/blogging/working rhythm, right now I am just a bit chaotic, deliriously happy but chaotic.

I actually have wanted to write about The Flourish Forum since I was introduced to it, they recently launched  (helmed by calligrapher Erica Mcphee) with a promise to be a calligraphy/lettering resource and the word on the street is they are delivering on their promise. I am so excited that there is a new wave of resources and renewed interests in the lettering arts, ever since I learned that cursive was being discontinued from schools in the U.S. I have been on a mission to keep the art of the written word alive and thriving.  I am happy to say that I do believe from my little perch on the interwebs I have made a bit of an impact. I have seen renewed interest and have joyfully welcomed the sharing of resources and knowledge, we have seen a plethora of classes pop up all over the globe and many new lettering artists open up shop to offer their services.  I know it feels like a trend right now, but my hope is that it is not and that we have turned a curve and will be keeping the written word around for generations to come.  If you are looking for a place to ask questions to an experienced calligrapher and meet like-minded lettering enthusiasts than stop by The Flourish Forum, it’s free and I am sure you will learn a lot there!

If you know of a resource that I haven’t mentioned or there’s a calligrapher/lettering artist you want to suggest me interview (even if it’s you), please feel free to email me at hello [at] besottedbrand [dot] com.

P.S. If you are looking for prior lettering posts, here’s a link to our Calligrapher Interviews (learn so much from the experts!) and more Lettering Love posts.