I am a bit of a Type A personality. I once remarked that I was not a perfectionist because I could never get anything perfect which made the room of girls that heard my sentiment erupt in laughter; I guess I didn’t understand the meaning of the word and they all knew me too well. I always learn the hard way.  One of the things I have been struggling with in my lettering practice is being able to identify a nib once it is in its holder. Even though I feel like I thoroughly clean my nibs after each use there’s always ink that hides the nib identification and the nib holder hides the other part. I don’t know about you, but I have the hardest time removing my nibs from the holder. I have even tried the suggested jewelery pliers and only succeeded in breaking my nib in the holder thus rendering it useless and almost losing an eye.  In these novice stages of my lettering adventure it’s important to me to know which nibs I am enjoying so I can reference back to them for the future, if I can’t read what they are (and trust me it is hard enough without ink on them and being hidden in the holder) then I am working blindly. I decided to start from ground zero and replace nibs + holders and use a label ( a sheet of label paper cut to size). I am so happy with this system! Eventually I plan to create a chart so I can reference the different effects I can achieve with each nib. This may seem like a lot of extra work that you aren’t up for and you may wonder why I have so many different nibs. In this nascent stage I want to find the nibs that work best with how I create my letterforms. I am very heavy handed and a flexible, ‘bouncy’ nib creates a completely different look than a stiffer nib for me.  I haven’t been doing this very long, but I feel like I have already outgrown some of my earlier nib favorites in favor of nibs that respond to my heavy-handedness.  My main goal for the identification system is to be able to have a quick reference so I can re-create a look.  I also want to reiterate that what I am doing is not traditional calligraphy (although I admire that very much), although I do reference traditional calligraphy techniques like using guidelines and referencing calligraphy specimens. My goal is create my own hand(s) and thus the need/desire to experiment with multiple tools (nibs).

Since I get this email about 20 times a day I thought I would make sure I included my current favorite nibs, these most likely will change in the coming months but these are the ones I have been gravitating towards and why:

Hiro Leonardt No. 41-I would not suggest this for a beginner, it is very flexible and delicate. This is my favorite nib to create loopy girly letters, it makes loop forms like a champ.

Blue Pumpkin– This seems to be a favorite of  modern lettering artists/calligraphers (for good reason) such as Meredith Bullock of Hazel Wonderland. Both Poppy Pedals and Holly Hollon love it for cotton envelopes which have a lot of pulp. It is similar to the the above nib, a little stiffer. Again, this may not be the best nib to try if you are just starting out. I feel like I can control this nib well when I want to create very thin hairline strokes and a balanced down stroke. Sample lettering.

Gillot 1068A-I honestly don’t remember why I bought this, a mistake? Perhaps. It has turned out to be a happy accident. It’s very stiff and I would recommend for an advanced beginner. It works best on smooth surfaces so if you have any texture it will catch. You can get very nice angular/sharp letter-forms with this nib. Sample lettering.

Zebra G-I can’t recommend this nib enough. If you are starting out buy this nib, please.  It’s a little more flexible than the Nikko G (these two are very similar). It’s a nice stiff + smooth nib. When you are starting out with your lettering/calligraphy practice you have so many new things to worry about (angle, pressure, inking, substrates, etc.) just make it easy on yourself and get a nib that won’t be too wonky in your newbie hands and that won’t get caught on your paper and cause messy disasters. You can create nice fine hairlines (which seems to be what calligraphers around the globe covet). As long as I am lettering this nib will be in my lettering rotation.

Brause Rose-I have mentioned this nib before, I LOVE it! This nib is very flexible and the nib I go to when I want to re-create an almost brush like stroke, the upside is that it can also create very thin hairlines. Again, not a beginner nib (stick with stiff nibs), but it is a nib that you may want to add to your nib arsenal if you love the look of brush lettering but can’t get the hang of using a paint brush to letter. Sample lettering.

Nikko G-This nib is so similar to the Zebra G and the reason I mention them both is in the off chance you can’t find one or the other you have options. Stiffer than the Zebra G, again a great nib for beginners. I really love Japanese nibs they are precision cut, the Nikko G by hand! So smooth–like butter.  This is another nib that is in regular rotation. Advanced letterers will love this nib as well.

What I have learned in this lettering quest is that anyone can learn calligraphy, it’s about practice + practice (and then more practice), dedication and a passion for the art. I absolutely want to learn traditional calligraphy in the near future, but I have been so happy with where this project has taken me both personally and (recently) professionally. Let me know if you have specific questions I am interviewing an amazingly talented calligrapher for an upcoming feature and would be happy to pose some of your questions to her.

P.S. I have linked to the nibs in this feature (companies I trust like Amazon + Dick Blick), but you can always reference The Directory and look under Calligraphy Supplies for vendors I recommend. If you have a reputable Calligraphy supply company overseas that you like please let me know and I will add.  I want everyone to be able to find calligraphy supplies at a great price without worrying about outrageous shipping fees or long delivery times.

Wow. I can’t tell you how inspired I was after I read your answers to the question, ‘What would you do if you knew you wouldn’t fail?’ I felt a little embarrassed (and greedy) because I think I would try to do pretty much everything everyone wrote (and then some)-Write a book, fly, open a store, stop world hunger, travel the world, start a new business, go back to school, sing in front of a live audience, gosh the list goes on and on. I am now trying to figure out how I can help you turn those wishes into a reality, give me time, I am a great problem solver and it seems like all these goals are pretty attainable. I have some ideas. Check back with me and I will let you know if I have gotten any closer to figuring this out for us.

For today’s Bestowal I am giving away the Parcel Twine trio, I have had several emails that asked me to do so (and I am happy to oblige). It’s one of the items that sells out a lot in the shop and since I have it shipped in from Europe it takes like forever to replenish. I won’t be getting in anymore inventory until after our move. Move? Don’t worry, I will go into that in another post. So excited for another adventure! It’s also one of my favorite items in the shop, I can’t tell you how much I use this twine, maybe it’s my fault that there’s never any in stock? It’s beautiful, eco-friendly, dyed by hand with plant based colorants, it’s just good stuff. I thought I would steal a question I read recently for you to answer-‘What’s the best thing that happened today’ the author wrote, “It actually forces a certain kind of cheerful retrospection”. So, if you would like to enter to win, just leave your answer in the comments below, you will have an entire week to do so! Also, since I am in blog organizing mode I have added a new page so you can check each Monday and see if you are a winner, just click here. Good luck!

P.S. I know that the downloads aren’t working because I have exceeded my bandwith, which is both amazing and sad. Amazing because I know that you are able to easily access them now (finally) and sad because I am out of bandwith. I may have to start a bandwith fund, because I do like the ease of the provider (no weird ads and one click downloading).

The internet has changed my life, indeed it has and it continues to do so on a daily basis. I am so happy to be alive during this exciting time in the world.  I have been around since before they had touch tone phones, remote controls (you would have to actually get up off the sofa and turn a dial), before color television sets and even before mobile phones. Computers when I was a kid were so huge they took up an entire room!  Every time I use my Iphone I feel like I have become part of the future I only dreamed of when I was a kid. Although, as a kid I was hoping that I could take a pill that would be a meal instead of having to sit down for dinner. Food was not of interest to me back then and only impeded my ‘me’ time, a dinner ‘pill’ seemed like it would be something they should have in the future. I digress. What I am trying to get across is the many opportunities that are now available to both you and myself and the latest one is Skillshare.  You may know about this wonderful place already, or heard of it and have neglected to check it out or like me just recently came upon it. It’s a brilliant concept wherein people share their knowledge either via on-line courses or live ones. The classes are all very reasonably priced (think in the $10-$35 range) and some are even miraculously free! I haven’t taken one yet, but as part of my 2013 goals I want to learn more (of everything), I will be signing up for some. I plan to take some web design courses as I hate to feel so out of the loop on web design and I am sure my web coder could use a few less annoying S.O.S. emails from moi. There’s a cool video class that’s coming up that looks right up my alley, I have high hopes to get better at video this year and add that element to the blog via tutorials, interviews and the like.  I missed the flower arranging course, but I have always wanted to learn that skill. I love the variety of courses that are available, the community looks nice and active and the price is right.  Have any of you ever taken or taught a Skillshare course?  I would love to hear about your experience! Or any on-line classes that you may know about that I can add to the directory would be great!

 I learned how to make flourishes in Melissa Esplin’s course, she said it felt like making the letter ‘S’, since I am not as skilled as Miss Melissa I just make cursive ‘L’s’ linked together (try it, it’s a lot of fun). I made this flourish with the idea that it would be stamped off-set on an item, no matter which way you stamp it you will get a nice flourish-y result. You would be amazed how many items you can find to add a flourish to. I had just made this for myself with no intention of putting it in the shop until I got better at flourishing, but I took a snap of it and uploaded to Instagram and emails kept coming in asking when it was going to be available.  ‘Uhm, never’, didn’t seem like a really good answer, nor explaining that I was waiting to become a world class flourisher (which may or may not ever happen). So, I did a few custom orders and when the last email came in again requesting it, I figured maybe I should get over my flourish insecurity and just put it out there. Thus, it is in the shop.  Since it is Monday I feel like it would be a good item to give away!  This looks great printed in metallic colors, I have the ink stack that has both copper and silver inks in it, both of those inks are so beautiful.  I probably would have never tried the copper ink if it didn’t come in the stack, it’s perfect + shiny like a new penny. This stamp is also great for creating your own custom pattern, which would be beautiful for envelope lining. I have always said from the launch of Besotted Brand that I feel like hand stamps are like owning miniature printing presses. You can have beautiful, professional & handcrafted results, it takes practice but the learning curve is much shorter and perhaps easier than any other printing techniques. To enter to win this stamp + a set of inks I am going to ask you to answer the following question in the comments below- What would you do if you knew you would not/could not fail?  I know it’s a heavy question, but a good one, right?

I want you to know I LOVED reading all your comments last week about what you are grateful for and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your concern! I chose NewsDiva, she was in a car accident and is lucky to be alive, it’s amazing how something that seems so awful could change your life for the better, it’s how I feel right now that now that I am healthier (I am still coughing and weak) that I can take on the world (and I plan to).  Congrats to NewsDiva, please email me with your address and good luck to everyone this week, I will announce the winner next Monday, 2.18.13. 

P.S. I am going to admit that I am a bit starstruck,you? I met Bruce Springsteen once and just about fainted. Over the weekend one of my most revered blog reads ‘Design Mom’ (who doesn’t want to live vicariously through a woman that is raising her family in the French countryside?) mentioned this little blog!  Yes, I know, I am about as surprised as you are!  I just needed to share as my husband (one of the only people I ever get to socialize with out here in the country) just didn’t get as excited as I wish he would have and I know you would!

Author / Miss Tristan B

I have been wanting to start a series here for awhile about some of the tools I use as a designer + crafter. I am very hands on with my work and although I adore the convenience of working with digital tools (like the Adobe suite and my beloved Mac) what I really relish is being able to work with my hands. That is one of the reasons I launched with rubber stamps in my business, it’s so gratifying to be able to create something with ‘professional’ results with something so humble.  One of my favorite finds is the Xyron machine which turns just about anything into a sticker/label by adding adhesive to the back. It comes in multiple sizes, I own both the small one below and the full-size one, where you can run a full 9″ wide sheet through.

The Xyron offers multiple adhesive option cartridges, from permanent to semi-permanent (so you can easily reposition) and even has a laminate + magnet cartridge available. They aren’t the most aesthetically beautiful machines.  I so wish I could have my own craft tool line, I would design tools that were simple + clean so you could leave them out. These purple monstrosities are hidden deep in my craft closet. Purple? Le sigh. The newer versions are a tad easier on the eye. Even though I cringe when I see them, they do perform their task extremely well.  You can even run ribbon + fabric through the machine which opens up so many creative possibilities.  If you are planning to DIY your wedding or special event this machine would make a great investment, you could create seals for your envelopes, envelope liners, labels for favors, the options are endless! If you are trying to build a creative craft arsenal I highly recommend adding a Xyron to the mix.

Have you ever tried one of these before?  If so, what did you make with them?

P.S. I finished Miss Peregine’s Home for Peculiar Children it was not creepy at all, it was quite delightful + original and I am chomping at the bit to see the movie and read the upcoming sequel! Now I need to find another book for February so I can complete my 12 books in 12 months!