It's finally Turkey Day this week!  Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, not only for the deliciously indulgent food, but also for the uninterrupted time spent with family.  This year we'll be traveling to my in-laws in the Midwest and I'm so excited to have some time in the snowy weather with my new family and husband.  

I've created 7 printables that are perfect for decorating your holiday table.  Grab the individual pieces you need for purchase the bundle of all 7 for a special price! 

As a special thank you and because I am SO grateful for all of you, I'm also offering a FREE download of one last piece to make your Thanksgiving table complete - a menu card! 

Mother’s Day is always a fun holiday for me.  Not only do I have a wonderful mother of my own I love to celebrate, but I usually like to take the time to celebrate all the moms in my life!  From my sister who has two kids of her own, to my grandmas, and now my future mother-in-law!  This year I’ve teamed up with Fossil to bring you some amazing gift picks for Mother’s Day from their Fossil x ME to WE line.  While I’ve always loved Fossil and their gorgeous products, the ME to WE line is something I’m extra excited about.  ME to WE is a social enterprise that empowers female artisans around the world in order to end poverty in their communities -- how cool is that!?

Read my interview with Fossil below and check out my picks for all the moms in your life this year!  Plus: Use my code POPPY20 to receive 20% off your order until 5/1 - so get to shopping for your Mom!

As you know, Fossil tins are some of our favorite blank canvases to add an extra fun touch to our watches. How did you paint yours? How would you use it in your own home?

My readers know that any and every surface, I usually try to write all over it, so these Fossil tins were no exception!  While flowers and patterns are always super sweet and perfect for Mother’s Day, I tried to mix it up a bit with some wrap around lettering.  Whether it’s a simple message like “I love you” or some funny quote from my 4 year old nephew about what he loves most about my sister, it’s always fun to see it in writing.  Adding cute little succulents or plants inside make the cutest little window sill or mantle decor year round.

Tell us about a memorable DIY object that you made for (or was inspired by) your mom.

This past Christmas, I decided to DIY a gift for my mom that I actually ended up wanting to keep for myself (don’t worry - I didn’t!).  I grabbed a really pretty granite cheese board and handlettered a quote on top of it about sharing a meal with family.  I imagined us using it at family gatherings and fun events and I loved the idea of being a part of it - no matter where I was!  

What’s the last thing you created from scratch?

I did my best to make spaghetti and meatballs from scratch for my fiance’s birthday last February.  Whenever we go to an Italian restaurant for the first time, he always orders this dish because he says it’s the true test of an Italian kitchen.  I might not be earning any Michelin stars anytime soon, but I do think it came out pretty delicious!

Which piece would you like to give and receive from the Fossil Me to We collection?

To give, I love the ME to WE Bag Charm!  My mom is a flight attendant and this is the perfect gift for her.  Keeping track of her luggage is 99% of her life and something cute and unique like this bag charm would make her bag stand out among the crowds!

To receive, I love this embossed small leather wristlet with my new initials!  This is the first time I’ve gotten something with CLH instead of CLS and it was just so fun to see it and wear it proudly (even if it’s not official until September).  The size of this wristlet is perfect for a night out too.  I tend to bring a big bag with me everywhere I go, with every “just in case” item on me, so I love this option of simplifying.  

Through this campaign we are giving back to the artisan “Mamas” behind Me to We. How has your blog helped you give back to other women?

I always love working with brands that have a heart for giving back.  I think there are so many amazing women and artisans around this world that don’t necessarily get the recognition they deserve so bringing light to them brings me so much joy.  I hope that my own brand gives women inspiration to follow their own dreams and try something new.  Calligraphy and hand lettering has been such an amazing creative outlet for me and has completely changed my outlook on life.  I hope that through my projects and words, I am empowering women to find their own outlet.  To keep on pressing if they’re burning the midnight oil pursuing their dreams like I am.  To simply try and see what happens!

I'm so excited to officially launch #PjShopTalk!  As a little recap, I posted this on my Instagram last week about my heart behind this project:

"When I was first starting out with calligraphy, one of my biggest frustrations was following talented people I admired, asking them questions, and never getting an answer. And while I totally get that life can get crazy busy and it can be hard to answer everyone, I want to try my best to help you! So I'm starting #PjShopTalk! Every Friday I will answer a common question I receive. So what do you want to know!?"

After lots of comments and great questions, the first topic I have chosen to write on is...

HOW I GOT STARTED WITH MY BUSINESS

This is one of the most common questions in my classes, especially when people find out that I've only been practicing calligraphy for a little over a year.  But while I only picked up an oblique pen and ink in 2014, I have been writing and doodling for my whole life.  As someone who was always obsessed with trying out new handwriting styles and admiring talented artists, calligraphy wasn't a stretch for me.  I picked it up very naturally and the love affair was instant.  Once I knew I had a knack for it, I hit the ground running!  

For those of you wanting to start out, here's my best advice to you broken down to 5 steps:

1.  FIND YOUR STYLE

Calligraphy at it's core is a style of handwriting and everyone has their own unique penmanship.  I bet you can guess that birthday present is from your mom just by seeing your name written on the outside of the card...am I right?  Remember that when you're first starting out.  It's tempting to follow all of your favorite letterers on social media and want to duplicate what they're doing.  But the truth is, that's all it's going to look like...a duplicate of someone else's.  Find what you feel comfortable with and how you can inspire others.  Your calligraphy is going to look and feel it's best when you are letting your hand flow freely.

2. RECRUIT YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY AS CLIENTS

When I started out, It happened to be a time in my life where a ton of my close friends were getting married.  So I began offering my services for envelopes, placecards, signs...anything to get some formal practice in.  I started out simply charging supply costs and while many of my friends were generous on top of that, I used these unpaid opportunities to grow my confidence as well as my portfolio.

3. GET ON SOCIAL MEDIA

POPPYjack Shop would not be where it is without social media.  If you're serious about starting a business, get on all platforms.  Not only to save the handle you want on all channels (that's the full-time social media marketer in me) but to reach all types of audiences.  Instagram is my number one traffic source as well as a huge percentage of where my sales come from.  Post consistently and purposefully keeping in mind that your social media pages are just as (if not more) important as your website. 

4. NETWORK

Connect with people you admire and start working together!  Not everything is going to be a paid opportunity when you're first starting out.  If you have the time and resources, I encourage you to offer your services and start becoming visible to your desired audience through working with other creatives. 

5. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Just like with anything, calligraphy takes practice.  And it's probably something you will never perfect!  It's crazy to look back, even in just the short amount of time I have been officially doing this, and see how much I have improved.  If you're a perfectionist who tends to compare yourself to others who have years of experience on you (guilty), this is a great way to keep your confidence up.

Did that help?  Do you have any additional questions on this topic that I missed?  Leave them in the comments below and I will do my best to answer them.  You can also leave a comment with ideas for future #PjShopTalk topics!

xo

Courtney