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My birthday came and went earlier this month. It was a sweet, simple birthday (as my birthdays tend to be these days. I love that.) My husband and I went out to dinner (gluten free pasta. It's funny how much more the restaurants charge for a gluten free pasta dish, but it's completely worth it. Also, why don't they offer some gluten free rolls along with it? I've got to write that email...)
This year, I couldn't come up with any gift ideas in time for my husband, so I went online and found a calligraphy book I wanted. (Husband calls it my "ink book." "Did your "ink book" come yet?)
And, if you all are curious, the book I got for my birthday is called Modern Calligraphy by Molly Suber Thorpe, all about modern pointed pen calligraphy. I love that it will appeal to beginners, but it also has great tips and projects for the more experienced. Good advice about supplies needed to get started with the pointed pen too. I especially appreciate all of the variations shown for different letters. I love the book. My new favorite "ink book."
A couple of new nibs, some red ink, and I'm a happy birthday girl, ready to start some calligraphy projects.
Which brings me to my next random thought, in my series of random thoughts today. I want to say that I'm so glad calligraphy has loosened up. As in, when I first started learning calligraphy years ago, there was so much emphasis on doing it "correctly." A sort of highbrow exclusion of any letter forms that didn't follow the rules. That could be intimidating at first, because, after all, calligraphy is supposed to be a form of creative expression. So I'm really happy to see "modern calligraphy" that allows tweaking the letterforms to suit your own vision.
My daughter's birthday was just a couple of weeks before mine. She's twenty-one. Twenty-one. That is a surreal feeling, and it's hasn't quite sunk in just yet. I like her so much better than I liked myself at twenty-one.
Final random thought (question)--Do your dogs go a little crazy in the snow? Our Sunny runs back and forth, in a tail wagging, bottom wiggling, crazed running sort of way. We had our first significant snow a few days ago, and Sunny is loving it. Of course, her favorite spot is on a "softie." She's "not spoiled, just loved."
May we all appreciate the comfort of a warm softie on a cold day as much as Sunny does!
I like for my birthdays to be a big deal...because when I was a kid, they weren't. We grew up poor, and my brother's birthday was 6 days before mine. For some reason, the family decided that we couldn't celebrate his birthday late - mine always had to be early - so our combined birthday parties always fell on his day. There was an awkward moment in my early 20s when my mom struggled to remember when my birthday was - all those years, we'd celebrated it on my brother's day - she really couldn't remember. In reality, my birthday is often a bit anticlimatic. Two years ago, we had to replace the AC unit in the house. This past year, we had to replace our dryer. So birthdays were subdued, which made the husband feel bad because he knows that it's important to me. He does good at making it up to me. ;)
ReplyDeleteI played with calligraphy a little bit when we were getting married. I have decent handwriting, so I addressed all of our invitations, etc. Calligraphy is one of the things I want to add to my repertoire...some day when I have some time LOL!
Thank you for joining us again this week! I appreciate your participation!
My sister's birthday is one day before mine. When we were little, sometimes we would have a party together. My son's birthday is one day before my husband's, so husband's birthday has often been overshadowed by son's through the years! Thank you for hosting the linkup!
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ReplyDeleteHow fun to get into calligraphy!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had a nice birthday - I'm gluten free too!
Thank you!
DeleteHave you been able to adjust to a gluten free diet pretty easily?
Happy Birthday! And to your daughter too. Sheesh, I feel like I turned 21 yesterday but it was 13 years ago!
ReplyDeleteYes, my dog goes crazy in the snow. She jumps all around and it's adorable.
Thank you! Yes, time goes by way too fast and, so often, when I am not even paying attention to it, if that makes sense. I'm trying to enjoy the little moments more these days!
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DeleteHappy birthday. I'm so glad you got that as your gift. I just recently got my Calligraphy set from FamilyChristian.com. I use to do calligraphy when I was a little girl, and I'm like a kid in a candy shop ready to play with my various pen and inks. I'm so glad you stopped by my blog today.
ReplyDeleteI am having a hard time accepting the fact that I have an 11-year-old. I can't imagine having to do it with a 21-year-old. She looks amazing. I'm glad to hear that she is doing well with her life.
Thank you,Crystal. I rediscovered calligraphy after many years also. I'm so glad you are enjoying it too!
DeleteMy dad knew how to do calligraphy when we were kids and always wanted to try back then. Maybe someday when I have some extra time, when my kids are bit older may still and definitely reminded me of that today. And Happy Birthday! Sounds like you had a great day to celebrate :)
ReplyDeleteYes, give calligraphy a try. It's so fun and relaxing, and it's fun to see yourself progress as you practice. Thank you for the birthday wishes--I did have a good birthday!
DeleteWhat a great Tutorial! I'll be practicing! Thanks Pam!
ReplyDeleteJeannee@ShepherdsandChardonnay