Crafted from Chocolate

Over the summer, I stumbled upon this warehouse in Redhook, Brooklyn.

I just love its brick exterior! Inside are high ceilings, a small courtyard, and rooms, one leading to another. 

Cacao Prieto is a distillery serving up rums and liqueur made from organic sugar cane and cocoa from the Dominican Republic. 

As a fun learning activity, there are factory tours available on weekends.

On this side of the shop is a chocolate counter.  All the chocolate is made on the premises using single origin cacao, also from the Dominican Republic.

I bought myself this bar of dark chocolate with notes of mandarin and bergamot. Of course I wanted a taste but it's fair to admit that I was seduced by the packaging. 

These are designed in-house. Doesn't it look like expensive gift wrap?

And the label! Another application of calligraphy in this modern day and age. 

Even the fine print shows how much work was put into their products.

A necessary indulgence. 

It starts with a snappy crunch, smooth as it melts in the mouth, ending with the taste of citrus tempering its mild bitterness. 

I just had to save the wrapper. I can foresee many crafting opportunities with it.

For now, I'll use it to dress up this blah bag hanger. I got it from here.

I made a circle with the help of a craft punch. But tracing a round object, like a coin, and cutting it out with a pair of scissors works just as well.

I had to trim it to fit and then applied some glue for it to stick on the bag hanger. Then I sealed the paper with some Mod Podge.

I carry this bag hanger in my purse. When dining out, I just hook it onto the table so my bag is off the floor and close to me at all times. TADA!

Delightful Daisy

Hello there! I hope you're having a productive Monday. Sometimes, I like to go to the perfume section of beauty shops and try on the newest fragrances. Lately, however, I've been blown away with packaging. Check this one out:

It's covered in daisies! It reminds me of a young lady wearing a lace dress. Or a beautiful spring day. Or crisp linen sheets. Or a morning wedding. 

It's fascinating how packaging doesn't only capture a shopper visually, but also tugs on moods and memories. 

This will be inspiration for some crafting.

I'm turning this empty bottle from blah to TADA!

I'm using crafter's clay to fashion the blooms.

These caking decorating tools are also very handy.

I take a handful of clay which I lightly knead to make it pliable. I put the rest in a resealable plastic bag so it doesn't dry out.

I roll out the clay with this nifty fondant rolling pin (you can use a regular rolling pin or a bottle, too).

The cutters make the flower shape.

I make holes in the center using the tip of a paintbrush.

Smaller flowers made from clay scraps.

Then attach the flowers onto the bottle with all purpose glue.

Allow to dry overnight.

Add some water and your favorite flower.

And here it is, a flower vase with a handmade touch. TADA!

Uppercase Magazine

After taking a class with Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls a few weeks ago, I'm still on a calligraphy high. I try to practice everyday to further improve what basic skills I have.

Then I came across the current issue of Uppercase Magazine which is "The Calligraphy and Lettering Issue". It got me all giddy. I decided to make a splurge. 

Uppercase Magazine is independently published and is made for the "creative and curious". Each issue highlights beautiful artwork, photography and writing, making it a captivating read.

 

Look, my calligraphy teacher is in this issue!

Pages and pages of graceful handwriting and the people who created them. 

There's also an article on how to make your own crest.

And many lovely essays like the joy of handwritten, air mailed letters.

This magazine has certainly been turning my days from blah to TADA!

A Calligraphy Nib Organizer

Yesterday, I shared my first lessons in calligraphy.

I took a class with Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls. She's one of the best in the industry and learning from her was an absolute thrill.

This is one of her personal pens that I got to try. She uses it to make smaller letters. I was hoping that by using this pen, a bit of Maybelle's talent would rub off on me. LOL!

Here is the beautiful calligraphy kit that we got to take home with us.

As a bonus, Maybelle also gave away vintage nibs from one of her travels (she's generous like that). The nibs I took home were tucked neatly in a glassine envelope.

As a quick project, I wanted to assign a small case that would hold my calligraphy tools. 

I bought this small plastic box with 8 compartments.

Then I proceeded by making a few labels.

I thought it was a good opportunity to practice my calligraphy, too.

A special name tag for my nib organizer.

A few more labels to put inside. 

I'll use this to store the small number of nibs that I own.

And there's more room to grow my collection.

I know taking care of my tools will reward me in many ways. Don't you think it's blah to TADA!?

A Calligraphy Class

Hello and thank you for stopping by today! Let me tell you a little secret about me.

I like to collect calligraphy paraphernalia like holders, nibs, and manuals. I got these from different trips to various thrift shops. I like to have them handy because deep in my heart, "I'll learn calligraphy someday." 

I've always been fascinated with the beauty and romance of calligraphy. I associate it with love letters, invitations, special announcements. When I was a teenager, I attempted to teach myself the art with a Speedball textbook. But I was impatient to learn how to use a dip pen.

Instead I cheated. I've been using chisel-edge pens to achieve a calligraphy look in my correspondence and packages. Eeep!

But a few weeks ago, I took a calligraphy class. Learning calligraphy was one of my goals this year.

I took the class at the Makeshift Society in Brooklyn.

Our teacher was the gracious Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls. She makes a living through calligraphy and has traveled the world to teach her craft.

She says, "I discovered calligraphy at a time when I needed to be centered. It really calmed me down".

Here is her very first attempt at calligraphy.

And these are among the projects in her portfolio.

This was how the classroom was set up.

We had to look for our names to find out where we would sit. (Maybelle wrote my name!!! Fan girl moment!)

Each work station looked like this. Absolute perfection! It had all the materials we needed: a practice book, paper (vellum and black), a lined guide sheet, a letter press alphabet exemplar, a nib and holder, a wooden pen rest with ink wells (her husband makes these), black ink, white ink, and a tote bag.

She taught us the basics like how to put the nib into the holder, how to load the ink into the pen, and how to care for tools. She then proceeded to do some demonstrations.

Then we sat down to apply what we learned using black ink on vellum (with the guide sheet underneath). This is my very first attempt doing the compound curve, the orals, the figure 8, and the alphabet.

I struggled a bit with holding the pen. The back of the pen had to be positioned towards me (I normally write with the pen facing away from me). I also had to angle the nib to let the ink flow naturally. It takes some getting used to.

Then we took a break where food and drinks were served. I love how the cheese plate's labels were in calligraphy. A very nice touch.

Then Maybelle did another demonstration, this time using white ink on black paper. This style is more freeing because we weren't dependent on the grid lines on the guide sheet. 

We went back to our seats to practice, with light music playing in the background and the sound of scratching nibs on smooth paper.

Here goes nothing.

Here's how I added beauty to a blank sheet of paper with some fancy penmanship. TADA!

I'm so happy to have learned how to write with the pen. And that it's okay to be imperfect. I just need to keep practicing until I find my own style.