Last year I was in one of those funks we moms get in where we wonder if there really is life beyond changing diapers and feeding demanding little people. So, when some friends at MOPS mentioned attending a hand-lettering class, I said yes. I probably would have said yes to a yodeling class at that point. I’m glad they didn’t ask me to one of those!
It was incredibly nice to have an evening out with good friends and adult conversation. I did take my newborn, but he didn’t talk much and everyone at the class was happy to ooh and ahh over him. I learned more in a couple hours than I had from months of pinning articles on how to hand letter!
Our awesome teacher sent us home with a pen and a composition notebook to practice. It was such a fun thing, I started pulling it out to practice while my kids did their schoolwork. There is something very relaxing about tracing or writing the same letters over and over.
When Christmas rolled around, instead of sticking my hurriedly printed labels on envelopes I put my new skills to the test. I used that original pen until the ink was gone, and then I borrowed some of my son’s markers and experimented with different colors.
To wrap gifts, I went simplistic and used plain brown paper with big names hand-lettered across them. Even though I have given up on handmade gifts during this season of life, I got to lovingly create each person’s name.
I send handwritten thank yous to all of our farm customers, so those envelopes started getting the special treatment, too. It adds an extra personal touch and a little class.
I am no professional artist, that’s for sure. But it has been fun to have a new skill to practice. I’ve already seen a lot of improvement. Our teacher shared some of her early work with us and it was inspiring to see where she started and how her unique style developed over time.
Now, my children have started asking to learn my “fancy letters” so it’s something I can teach them.
I never would have dreamed that I would stick with something like this, and I certainly didn’t expect it to bring so much joy to our lives. I love hearing a friend say how she enjoyed seeing her name written that way, it’s like a little gift in itself.
All that to say, if you’re thinking about taking a hand-lettering class… do it! I think you’ll be glad you did!
If you experiment with hand-lettering I’d love to see your work. Share it on social media and tag me or the blog!
