Hi friend, como estás? Honestly, I've been on a roller coaster of emotions lately...ratitos beaming with gratitude and joy and other times laying wide awake at night pondering ALL the things...que ya estoy engordando, que people are crazy, que the elections, que I want to quit my job - but what kind of loca would actually leave their job during a pandemic? 

Real life stuff, my friend. Luckily I have YOU and my Que Lettering Tan Fancy, Digital Subscribers to give me hope and keep me inspired. Knowing my artwork resonates with many, knowing that it makes you smile - even laugh sometimes, AND knowing people will use these designs to to make products that will help support their families, brings me so much joy and fulfillment. Much more than I've ever gotten working for my employer, tha's for sure!

THANK YOU for going on this creative journey with me and thank you for making a difference in my life. 

Okay, now back to the August digital bundle, available as of 7/27/20: 

1. Cafecito, Teach, Repeat
   I created this design in honor of all the amazing teachers out there as well as all the parents who will be homeschooling or assisting their children while distant learning in this season. The start of this this school year will be different than all others and Cafecito will be right there, supporting teachers and parents. =]
   
   
2. Japi Berdei Tu Yu!
   Are you a "Sapo Verde" or "Japi Berdei" kind of family? Or "Feliz Cumple"? Ahhh, so many variations, which is great actually, because eventually I will letter them all. In the meantime, you can use this design to make home made cards, decorate gift bags, or...I don't know. You tell me what else this design inspires you. Better yet, make sure to tag me on Instagram at @QuePartyTanFancy to share your creations with me. 
   
   
3. This Señorita Needs a Margarita or Two...or Three...
   A tub of ice cream would also do the trick; and that's how we cope with 2020, my friend. Ha! 

Not a Que Lettering Tan Fancy subscriber yet? 
​Come to the fun side of the Spanglish/Creative life, my friend. You'll love it! 

Introducing: "Que Lettering Tan Fancy"
A Spanglish Digital File Subscription for Your Crafting/Printing Needs

I'm sooo excited to publicly announce the unveiling of my Spanglish digital file subscription. I listed it in my Etsy shop a few weeks back to see if it would be of interest and to test the mechanics of managing a subscription program. After gaining the attention of a handful of Cricut crafters and small business owners, I decided to move forward with this service. Needless to say, I've been quite a busy bee creating lots of new designs for release in the coming months. 

As a Digital File Subscriber, you will:

• Receive 3 Latinx-inspired designs for 3 consecutive months
• Gain early access: Receive new designs in your mailbox 3-5 days before they become available to the general public
• Be able to sell merchandise with these designs at no additional cost, being that the subscription includes a Personal and Limited Commercial Use License Agreement
• Enjoy a low introductory rate when you enroll today through July 31, 2020
  Price goes up Aug 1, 2020

Join the mailing list! Email subscribers receive exclusive discounts and are automatically entered to a monthly drawing for a chance to win a FREE item from my Etsy shop. 

My "Que Lettering Tan Fancy" Digital File Subscribers just received this month's cutting file bundle, which consists of: 

​

1. La Vida is Better in Chanclas
   Whether you have access to a beach, a swimming pool, a river, a lake, or just sprinklers in the park, the feeling of walking around in chanclas with your feet in the water and connecting with mother nature is one of the most grounding and relaxing experiences a human being can ever have. This design honors that feeling and invites you tap into that carefree and rejuvenating energy.
   
   
2. No Ando Cohete, But I'm About to Get Lit!
   Growing up, I'd often hear my parents say "ya anda medio cohete" referring to someone who was already tipsy. Sooo, this design is a 4th of July pun stating "I'm not drunk" (in Spanish), "but I'm about to get lit!" in which case "lit" could mean any of the following: slightly buzzed, fun, pumped up, exciting, totally drunk. 
   Which of these could it be? Guess we'll have to find out. Heehee. 
   
   
3. Me Siento Muy Excited
   I mean, who doesn't love a Selena Quintanilla quote, right? 
   Trust me, once you start using this design in your craft projects, people will acknowledge your corazon latino and good taste in music. 
   
   
4. Bonus design: Rise & Shine
   Something about summer just makes me so happy. The sun, the birds, weekend getaways, beautiful sunsets and no holiday stress so of course I had to include a little illustration that honors this beautiful time of year. 
   
   

This set is available at a lower rate until July 28th, 2020 when you purchase a 3 Month SVG digital File Subscription. download the files. To purchase the individual files, please click the button below.

Join the mailing list! Email subscribers receive exclusive discounts and are automatically entered to a monthly drawing for a chance to win a FREE item from my Etsy shop. ​

Spanglish Post: I used to be the type that would roll out of bed, shower and go. No makeup, no breakfast, just rush to the office, pour me a cup of coffee as soon as I arrive,  put on my lipstick while my computer starts up and dig into my stash of snacks that I keep in the office fridge and in my desk drawer, then eat/drink while I check my email and settle in for the day. 

After turning 40 though, I realized I couldn't do that anymore...my complexion is more pale than it used to be, the dark circles are very noticeable now and in order to feel a little more confident at the office and look a bit more "healthy" (with color on my cheeks) I was going to have to put a little more effort in the morning and at least wear some blush and curl my hair - I just knew I had to do something to look more put together and not so tired.  

Girl, I have to tell you, I am sooo lucky to work in a place where I can arrive any time before 9:30am and not be considered late, porque now that a little bit of glam is required in order for me to look half-way decent, casi nunca llego antes de las 9am. 

So, this design is for you, makeup lover! And for ladies like me who woke up one day and realized that maybe a little bit of makeup does help after all. =]

Join the mailing list! Email subscribers receive exclusive discounts and are automatically entered to a monthly drawing for a chance to win a FREE item from my Etsy shop. ​

A friend of mine recently alerted me to this new device called the Foil Quill*, a heat pen that allows you do draw freehand over foil as it transfers your designs onto paper. That is a like a dream come true for a paper lover like myself, so of course I had to have it! 

The pen comes packaged with a roll of foil and a USB cord that you can plug onto the wall with an adaptor. It's not a very long cord, but I'm sure you can also plug it into your computer. Once I plugged it in, I gave it a few minutes to warm up while I secured a piece of foil onto a sheet of card stock with washi tape and warmed up my hand doing a few lettering and doodle exercises on an extra sheet of paper. After 5 minutes or so, the pen was ready and I began to draw directly on the foil.

I drew slowly to ensure each stroke had enough heat to transfer. Once I was done, I used a variety of paper punches to cut out my individual designs which I will be using to make  gift tags and gift enclosures. 

As you can see, the edges turn out a little rough. It doesn't have the precision that a laser would have, but it's not quite as noticeable from farther away. Besides, I think the rough lines give it a little more of that hand made touch. 

If you'd like to give this pen a try, I've included my affiliate link below for your convenience. It's a pretty fun tool to add to your collection; it definitely gives you the opportunity to expand your creativity and add a special touch to your paper projects. 

Note: this is NOT a sponsored post. Just a paper lover sharing her latest finds. 

I draw on scrap paper (used copy paper from the office) more than I do on sketchbooks. It’s less stressful because you don’t have to worry about “ruining the pages”. In fact, the opposite is true. When you draw/letter on scrap paper you’re embellishing something that was considered waste and oftentimes it is saved instead of being tossed out.
So get your lettering practice on and pretty up some paper, no matter how tiny the piece might be. 
Note: This is one of my favorite pens. I bought mine at Michael's but you it's also available on Amazon. Here's my affiliate link, for your convenience:  Kuretake ZIG Writer

Just a little lettering inspiration for those who have purchased my calendar templates. Don’t forget to tag me @PaisleyInParis on Instagram so I can see the pretty lettering artwork your calendar!

If you’re in need of a calendar you can customize to your needs, click on the button below. Buy these templates once, print as many as you need and stay organized for years to come.

Flourishing are the fancy swirls that you add to letters to glam them up. While mastering this technique takes LOTS of practice, we can break the process into different steps to help you become a pro one step at a time.

LETTERING TIP
The best way to achieve smooth flourishing lines is to draw them quickly. The slower you draw the more “jumpy” your curves will look.

And don’t forget that it takes a few minutes to warp up your hand and lots of hours of practice under your belt for this art form to feel natural to you.

Do not feel discouraged if you don’t like what you see at first. It gets better, I promise!

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and mention me in your caption so I can see your work. I still have a lot to learn, so let’s share our work and encourage one another.

You can also sign up for my newsletter to receive occasional lettering tips and product updates directly to your email inbox.

​If you follow me on Instagram, you know that colorful digital lettering is my jam. What you might not realize is that I’m actually a pen hoarder too and once in a while I like to dig into my stash and reach for my favorite pens to break the routine, create something some fun and horrible. Yes, I said horrible. It’s like when you exercise regularly by running miles and miles a day. It’s not easy to go into the gym and lift some heavy weights all of a sudden. Your body is not used to it. Same with lettering. Once you start creating great artwork with the tools you’ve mastered (in my case, the iPad Pro), it’s almost like starting all over again when you try new pens.
 
As you can see in this video, when it comes to real brush lettering, I totally suck at it – ha! In this video, I used the Pentel Brush Pen which allows me to create these raw, crazy-looking strokes. I love it! And boy do I see room for improvement, but that’s where the fun comes in. The fun doesn’t come from mastery, it comes from the journey to mastery.

I purchased my pen on Amazon so I’ve included my affiliate link for your convenience. However, I have also found similar pens at Michael’s so you can always check there if you’re out and about. ​

Now tell me in the comments below, what are some of your favorite lettering tools?

Just sharing a few lettering tips to help you get started with my new 2019 Calendar Template & Planner Set. The printable set includes three PDF files with:

• An 8.5x11, 12 month calendar
• A blank monthly template page with space for notes and doodles (of course)
• Daily/Weekly planner page that you can adapt to your routine by lettering different headers on them.

You can print as many as you need all year round and for years to come!