Archive for the ‘design’ Category

Give Thanks this Christmas

November 29th, 2016
11 Comments

As promised the 2016 “Thank You” printable is here. It just had to stay under wraps until after Thanksgiving. This year I teamed up with Mormon.org to create a printable in-line with their #LIGHTtheWORLD campaign. Scroll to the bottom if you want to just download the freebie. I’m about to talk religion for a hot second.

I’m a Mormon. I keep it incognito most of the time, but I am a practicing member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We’re Christians, and this time of year I feel so much kinship with other Christian religions as we celebrate the core of our faith: Jesus Christ. This is one of the seasons of year where I readjust my focus and try to be just a little bit better. A little bit kinder. A little more Christ-like. Because, baby steps. right?

melissaesplin-mormon-give-thanks-printable-1

I’m passionate about gratitude. I love writing out Thank You cards to friends and family. I love sending out snail mail!! It’s a favorite of mine. So I’ve created a printable Thank You suite for the whole family.

melissaesplin-mormon-give-thanks-printable-3

The first (from left, see above) is a fold-over card for grown ups and longer sentiments. The middle is a guided card for younger writers, giving them only a little bit of space to write something. Even a couple of words. The third (which could be use for a short Thank You) is designed for emerging writers, encouraging a child to just make a mark. A picture or a scribble allows him/her to take ownership of the sentiment.

melissaesplin-mormon-give-thanks-printable-5

Included in the Thank You set is a printable envelope. Print, cut and tape together. It’s pretty quick. If I have time, I’ll send the Silhouette Studio file here so you can cut it with your Silhouette machine.

melissaesplin-mormon-give-thanks-printable-6
melissaesplin-mormon-give-thanks-printable-8

Last, but not least, I painted and lettered a phrase from D+C 59:7 (some of our modern scripture). I hope that if you’re not of my same faith, you might find this reminder encouraging to get on your knees and give thanks to Him.

melissaesplin-mormon-give-thanks-printable-9

I hope you use this printable!! It’s a real pleasure to make these designs and publish them out to the world. I love seeing them in real-life situations, too. If you use it, tag me (@melissapher) so I can see how you’ve incorporated it into your Christmas.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Want more Thank You’s to print and download? See this list:

Artwork is free for personal use. Distribution and alteration of files without written consent is prohibited. Contact me if you have any questions of the terms of use.

pinterest-melissaesplin-mormon-lighttheworld-printable1

Free Printable Christmas Tags

November 24th, 2016
3 Comments

Oh gosh, it’s that time of year again! I’m loving how it pushes me creatively to come up with new designs and freebies. It’s such a great time to explore my art.

Interesting note: My grandparents for years and years held a Thanksgiving tradition of painting and a sleepover after our Thanksgiving feast. My grandpa carefully set out a canvas, brushes and a palette for each of us. He had a painting for us to work off of, but we could always do our own thing. I love how my family fostered art together.

melissaesplin-free-printable-gift-tag-4

Instead of the annual Thank You card, I have a gift tag/place card printable. The Thank You is coming soon. You’ll see it in a few days. And don’t worry (not that any of you do), the candy box is also on its way.

Use this printable as a last-minute place card or punch a hole and use it as a tag for a last-minute hostess gift tag. It comes 4 to a page, so you can use them for all sorts of fancy things! Speaking of gift tags, I’m teaching a gift tag brush lettering class next week on DECEMBER 1st in LEHI, UT! It’ll be at Paper Crush in Lehi. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

brush-class-register

melissaesplin-free-printable-gift-tag-2

I painted and lettered the graphics. Of course, I couldn’t have done what I did without taking a class from Natalie Malan! A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to go to one of her workshops (a couple of spots opened up and I snatched up it right away). I feel like I really upped my watercolor game after her class. Loved every minute of it.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

melissaesplin-free-printable-gift-tag-3

I hope you enjoy and have a wonderful holiday! This printable is free for personal use only. Any alteration or distribution of the artwork without written consent is prohibited.

All Kids Are Artists with the Silhouette Mint

October 26th, 2016
3 Comments

A couple of months ago, I did a video interview for Silhouette for their Mint. It’s now up on my YouTube channel. Check it out here or the embedded video below.

melissaesplin-allkidsareartists-silhouette-mint

In the video I mention that anyone can be an artist with the Silhouette Mint. It’s so true! I volunteer as a youth leader for 8-12 year old girls in our congregation. We meet twice a month to talk about spiritual doctrine, learn new skills, socialize and do fun activities. As a learning activity, I taught them about the design process and had them come up with their own stamp designs. I was so impressed with the skill and focus of each of these girls! A few of them had me help them with their word art. I was a little reluctant to do that because I wanted them to have full ownership, so I made them trace and add their own personal touches to do that.

This was perhaps one of my favorite activities as their leader. Seeing them thoughtfully come up with a design, draft and draw it out was so satisfying. For best results when making your own stamps:

  • Use the brightest paper you can find. Premium laser paper is smooth and solid white.
  • Use a black, black marker. I love Pigma Professional markers for this.
  • Draw graphic at a larger scale.
  • Scan your work at 300 DPI or snap a photo under natural light.
  • Adjust your image to make your blacks blacker and your whites whiter. I adjust in my photos setting, or use your favorite image editor.
  • Open into Silhouette Mint software & make!

If you’d like to get your own Mint, now is definitely the time!! Right now they’re only $49.99 (down from $129.99)!!! That’s a steal. With Christmas around the corner, I think it’s a no-brainer.

Calligraphy.org + Skillshare AND Creativity Printable

August 1st, 2016
2 Comments

INTRODUCING…

melissaesplin-calligraphyorg-skillshare-pointed-romans

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

So Calligraphy.org + Skillshare have teamed up. Yes! Exciting news!! I’ve published a mini workshop on Skillshare. It’s a simple video step-by-step class on how to make pointed capitals based on Traditional Roman shading and proportions. The entire series of videos is under 22 minutes, so you can learn this quick tutorial in less than an afternoon. It’s geared towards calligraphers with prior pointed-pen experience. The workshop includes printable guides that you can easily slip under your practice paper, an envelope guide and resources for more information; should you decide to continue your practice. No feedback is included in this mini class.

As always, the Calligraphy.org classes are still available. We’re offering Modern Calligraphy, Brush Lettering and Chalk Lettering (with Skyler Chubak) with two more classes set to launch soon! The Calligraphy.org classes include videos, images, text and one-on-one personal coaching with each assignment upload.

melissaesplin-calligraphyorg-skillshare-honor-creativity-romans-printable-quote

To celebrate, I’m including this free printable postcard. Click the link below to download and print. :)

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

*By downloading the above material, you agree to terms of use: This tutorial/freebie is free for personal use and should not be distributed/republished without my consent. Altering any files is NOT ALLOWED. If you would like to use this freebie for commercial purposes, please email me. Thanks!

PRINTABLE: Parent Motivator Post Cards

June 27th, 2016
2 Comments

lilyjade

This post is in partnership with Lily Jade. Their bags are insanely awesome for motherhood and adventuring.

I’ve fallen head-over-heels for the MEGGAN bag, it doubles as a backpack and has like a zillion pockets with a removable insert that can be easily washed. Connect with Lily Jade on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

post-separator

Parenting can be rough. I’ve found a few things have helped my journey, among them are: my Lily Jade bag (I can hide ALL the food, diapers and calligraphy supplies in those 27 pockets and still have room for more) and the encouragement of random strangers. Some of the most impactful moments as a mother have been when someone was there to lift, give comforting advice, share a laugh and saying that it’s all going to be okay.

melissaesplin-calligraphy-parenting-cards-6

 

melissaesplin-calligraphy-parenting-cards-3
When I first became a mother, I found myself the center of a lot of scrutiny. It seemed to drown out any encouragement I got. As time went on, I listened to the encouragement more and more. It has helped those wounds heal. So I’d like to pay all of that kindness forward in a small way.

melissaesplin-calligraphy-parenting-cards-4

Last month when I flew to Charlotte with the kids, there was a child on the plane that had a terribly hard time with the flight. My heart just ached for his parents, who were likely stressed out by the situation. I heard snide comments about that child by the passengers near me. UGH! I understand that no one wants to hear a screaming kid on a plan, but good grief, I don’t think anyone on that plane was more tortured than the child’s parents. A little bit of understanding goes a long way, in my opinion.

melissaesplin-calligraphy-parenting-cards-1

Oh how I wish I had had a card with an encouraging word to pass along to that family. So I’ve made these so I’m not so unprepared the next time I see a parent who needs a laugh or a bit of encouragement. I thought I would make these available to you as well. You can print them double-sided as postcards for easy mailing or keep the backs blank for a flat notecard or a simple pass-along card.

melissaesplin-ed-asner-parenting-quote-calligraphy

(more…)

mobile site