Spanglish post: Hijole, como chinga my daughter con su "I need a new phone". I know it's 2020 and she has an iPhone 6s, as do I. Pero es que no los regalan! At $800+ each device, gotta use them till either they die or we do. Lol. PERO, my hubby has a soft spot for his little girl and already said he'd buy her one. When? I don't know, pero whenever the time comes (I'm thinking for her birthday in July), I have the PERFECT wrapping paper for it. 
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce my new printable wrapping paper design, featuring a birthday cake composed of stacked lettering that reads; "Pa' que no estés chingando". It's definitely not yo' mama's wrapping paper, and definitely not something you'll find at Target pero I'm sure que your mom would have wrapped everything, hasta los frijoles y los tamales in this if she would have had it available when you were little. Haha. And who needs Target anyway when you can print this at home on 8.5x11 sheets of paper - print as many as you need for ever and ever, for one low price...you know, pa' que no estés chingando. Haha. J/K. ?

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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. =]

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New in the shop: It's January 4th, Christmas and New Year's Even have passed and you've probably already seen swim suits out while shopping. I don't care how much the retailers want you to look into the future, the truth is, it's still way too cold outside and only a warm cup of café con leche can motivate me to get out from my under my Mexican Tiger blanket it the the mornings. You're like me, this mug's for you, my friend. Cheers! 

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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. 

New in the shop:  I dedicate this design to you, my spanglish-speaking, coffee-loving amiga! Because a girl needs to be properly fueled and motivated to do her magic. 

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. ​

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. ​

Hey there, lettering diva – Have you picked up a pen or pencil today? If not, you should. Every little chance you have to practice matters.
I have to tell you, before I was able to create the intricate pieces I now make, I started by embellishing just one letter in my alphabet. Just one. Every time I wrote something that included the letter y, I gave it a touch of fancy with a simple swirl.

​While this exercise didn't make my to do lists and notes on my calendar look much prettier, it DID help me create muscle memory. Within a few days those tails on my y's started looking much smoother and it gave me the confidence to move on to other letters and further explore this aspect of hand lettering we call flourishing – even before I knew how to style the letters of the alphabet. 

What exactly is Flourishing?
Flourishing is the art of embellishing letters with a few curvy strokes and swirls that create a feeling of motion and elegance. I love that it can be used with your regular writing (as shown in the image to the left) and it gives you the ability to dress up an envelope or gift tag in an instant with just a few pen strokes.
For those of you that have purchased my  Lettering Bootcamp online course, make sure you log on to print the updated flourishing worksheets. They guide you through the process of identifying opportunities for flourishing as well as providing numerous samples of strokes that you can trace to begin to build that precious muscle memory in your hand. Once you have muscle memory, you won't have to worry about motion as much, which will allow you to zoom your focus onto composition; you'll be loving your hand drawn curves in no time!

3 Tips for Better Flourishing

1. Don't add swirls & curves just anywhere, be intentional about where you put them. Look for opportunities to flourish, such as cross bars in the letter t; the first and last letter in a word; upper loops in letters b, d, and h; and tails in lower case letters j, g and y. 
2. Create balance by adding similar or the same type of loops and swirls throughout your design. Notice the placement of the flowers and dots in the image above that reads "Love". The balance with those elements helps frame the word making it very legible. 
3. Don’t make them too round or you’ll end up with bubbles instead of flowy elegant curves. The more elongated they are, the more of a tear drop shape that your closed loops have, the more elegant they will appear.

FLOURISHING WORKSHOP, JUNE 1 • 10AM
I will be kicking off my Coffee Shop Lettering Series this weekend with two sessions back to back on Friday, May 31 at 5:30pm (because Lettering Hour is my Happy Hour) where I will cover the basics of hand lettering followed by a Flourishing session on Saturday, June 1 at 10am. These are limited to four students max so that I can focus on your individual skills and provide a more personalized coaching experience. ​

These lettering workshops have definitely increased my enthusiasm and creative momentum. I'm really excited to share this wonderful art form with my local community here in the Coachella Valley as well as my online community.
As part of this community, I encourage you to stay in touch via email and Instagram; feel free to ask me any questions regarding lettering and design. It is through your feedback that I'll be able to improve and continue to provide you with success tools and inspiration for your creative journey. Thanks again, talk to you soon!

XO,  Dio =]

NOTE: Join the mailing list to receive workshop announcements, occasional lettering tips and inspiration directly to your mailbox. 

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

I’ve wandered a lot in my creative journey; from wedding invitation designer to social stationery templates, graphic design, e-courses, hand lettering, coloring pages and custom coffee mugs. Sooo...if I seem all over the place with my random creations and now a second IG page in Spanglish at @QuePartyTanFancy, it’s true I AM all over the place. Thing is, I‘ve never really felt lost, on the contrary, I’ve discovered that art and or passions are ever evolving and I've totally discovered my own voice as an artist in the process.

So, my friend, if you feel a little lost at the moment, do not fret and rest assured that you are just evolving. Just like the wind settles after a storm, you too are settling into your new norm, new interests, your new path, new "phase". Remember, we didn't remain babies or toddlers for life. We evolved into adulthood and will continue to evolve into our golden years. Same goes for your art and your passions. 

Who we are and what we do are ever evolving as we wander upon this earth. 

Xo, Dio