Original Los Angeles Flower Market

Last weekend, Angela and I woke up early and went to Original Los Angeles Flower Market, which is arguably the absolute best way to spend a Saturday morning in LA. We made a stop for lattes at the beautiful Verve Coffee (succulent walls, gold & white accents, extra dreamy) and then proceeded to spend a slightly excessive amount of money on huge bunches of greenery and flowers wrapped in big slices of newspaper. The next morning, with a big pot of coffee, I laid them all out and slowly arranged them into vases and bottles. It was beautifully therapeutic and may have to be a monthly errand from now on.

PS Lettering Shop

Rachel Johnson of PS Lettering Shop is a full-time 4th grade teacher, newlywed, start up calligrapher and my second cousin, if I'm doing that math right. She just started her hand lettering shop and we had a lot of fun collaborating and shooting a few of her custom and holiday pieces this week! I was curious about her motivations behind hand lettering, as I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to sit still long enough to learn, so she answered a few questions about her process to share along with some photos I captured of her work below. Read on for more from Rachel, along with a special code to get 20% off anything in her shop through January!

What drew you to calligraphy and hand lettering?

Creating things is something I really enjoy. I was initially drawn to hand lettering and calligraphy because It is so incredibly beautiful. I thought “I have decent handwriting, maybe I could practice and get it to look like that.” I really was under the impression that calligraphy was just extremely gorgeous and elaborate handwriting, so that is where I started.  Interestingly enough when I started researching and reading blogs like a crazy person about how to get my handwriting to be beautiful...I quickly realized that calligraphy isn’t handwriting at all. It really is more of an art form that I had originally thought. It involved many more strokes, and picking up my pen a whole lot more than you would if I just wrote in cursive.As strange as it sounds part of the enjoyment of teaching myself, was realizing how much I had to learn.

There is a lot of content out there on the subject of calligraphy, but most of my inspiration started with Lindsey Bugabee’s The Postman’s Knock and her incredible talent with a dip pen and ink. Perhaps the most inspiring part was her story of how she got into what she does now for a living--teach people how to make stunning creations! The whole process started close to a year ago, and I just opened my Etsy shop psletteringshop three weeks ago. There is still so much for me to learn though! Calligraphy is such a fascinating craft and it’s completely captured my interest.

How does an idea move into a created piece?

Because of my rather focused and type A personality, when I create things it tends to be all at once. I get inspired and I sort of channel all my energy into the idea that I got. Most of the Christmas pieces in my shop were all designed and created within a couple of days. Currently I have at least 4 lists in my phone of things I thought of while out and about that I want to try with calligraphy. Not all of them actually make it into my etsy shop, but some of them do! On a day when I’m feeling more patient, I start by practicing letter forms to keep my skills up, and then using my Rhodia grid paper to letter what I’ve been dreaming up. Then, it gets transferred onto higher quality paper. I’ve just recently been experimenting with new inks and variations of my dip pen. Most of the time, the pieces I’m most proud of come completely unexpectedly-- whims that end up on paper.

What is your favorite thing to put on a print?

My favorite thing to put on a piece is quickly becoming anything custom.  I have received quite a few customs since I’ve opened and each one of them has been different and unique. The most fulfilling part for me, is hearing the stories that go with them. Of their own accord, most customers have asked for particular custom pieces, and then told me why they want it, or what the phrase or word means to them. If it’s a name, they’ve included whose name it is, and the reason they want it on a print. I had one order recently from a teacher in Georgia, who wanted to remind her students that each day is new, free of mistakes and unkindness--so she had me design her a piece that said “Begin Again” to put up in her classroom. Creating with those things in mind makes putting my heart into a print almost effortless because it feels like I get to connect with the person receiving it.

How do you stay motivated to be creative when life gets busy?

This IS the question of life in general. Sometimes I wonder… if life will ever NOT be busy?!? Teaching has been an incredible growing experience, in which I have learned that time management and balance are the keys to being a sane person who actually has a life. I think this really applies to most things… being creative included! I give myself time to do it, even when things are busy. When things are particularly chaotic, I try and get innovative with how this happens.

What do you do when you’re not creating?

I enjoy being outside and getting active. Also, food. Seattle and it’s surrounding area is an incredible place to discover new food and just eat good things. I’ve been getting into cooking; I’m an amateur and fairweather runner.  It’s not really that I don’t have the skill (I have run one full marathon and countless small races), but I’m honestly just a wimpy runner that doesn’t like to be cold and wet.

Check out my Instagram to enter to win a custom 5x7 of your choice & a set of custom gift tags, and visit Ps Lettering Shop and use the code LETTERS to get 20% off your order!

living //room//

It's always, always a work in progress, but I am so happy to have a home that I love just sitting in. Every piece is either found, or thrifted, or made, or sought after...everything has a story behind it and within it. I'll never forget this little duplex. 

the day after the party

I've always kind of loved waking up and walking around the house the day after a party. Besides the dishes covered in remnants of chocolate cake and the occasional stray beer bottle or wine glass, the house is tidy from your hurried sweep before guests arrive. The decorations are still up, the colors still on the table, the chairs still pulled away from the wall and left haphazardly around the room. It's quiet except for the coffee pot purring and bubbling, and the thoughts of friends and food and celebration still linger in the kitchen and around the living room. It's a warm, easy feeling.

(And sometimes, there are enough leftovers to make breakfast tacos for two. This is even better). 

illuminated

I really love our new little home. I'll show a tour once it's a bit more complete, but one of my favorite things is having my desk facing out a window. The afternoon light hits my little trinkets and plants just so and brings it all a bit to life, I think. 

gold-dipped stools DIY

Now that we have a whole home to put together, and as I'm currently job-searching and am home a lot, the DIY-ing and thrifting are in full swing. And you know I like to dip everything in a little gold. 

Evan got these stools for free from someone moving. They were partly painted--a little blue here, a few white brush strokes there--so I started by putting on a few coats of white paint to make them even, letting them dry overnight in between each coat. Then I simply taped off where I wanted the gold to start, measuring from the ground up on each leg to make sure they were level, and used two coats of gold metallic spray paint, again giving them time to dry between each coat. I love the way they contrast with the wood floors and bring together the gold accents throughout the room. These similar stools at Target were $70 each, but since I already had the stools and white paint, these cost me only $3.98 (the cost of a can of gold spray paint at Home Depot). 

ps: Evan put this table together using an old wooden tabletop and the legs & screws off an Ikea desk, both of which we found for free on Craigslist. Putting together a home on the cheap is proving to be a fun challenge! 

i n s p i r e : southwestern indoors

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White walls, dark woods, rich prints, indulgent textures, an excessive amount of greenery...you know that emoji with the hearts for eyes? That's me right now. So looking forward to a new look! This southwestern style is not only on-point and on-trend, but it lends itself easily to the thrifters and collectors of vintage of today. Nothing has to quite match, and you can always add to it. C'est parfait!