Because if it’s anything I know, I know how to squeeze it all in...

Anymore, I find myself attempting to find ways to fit more lettering into my day. It’s a must-do to find the time during the day right now since by the time I leave work, I’m exhausted. I think that’s a combination of the job , the pandemic, the mommying, and the aging.

Fortunately, where there’s a will, there’s a way! I find some time every day to letter on some thing or another. Here, I share some of my tips for sneaking lettering into the workday.

Bullet Journaling & Planning

On Mondays, I set up my planner…usually during Morning Meeting. That’s where we get the lay of the land for the week and I can easily enter any work-related items. But, funner than that (😂), I use the time to practice some lettering. These are done fairly quickly with a combination of a Tombow brush marker, a Tombow Fude, a Pentel Touch Fude, and a Pigma Micron. I don’t get to use these tools as often as I would like to, so the practice is welcome.

See this entry in my planner for the week? I meant every word of it. Whichever day of the week, create something.

Creating is life! 🙌🏾

Make Something Useful

If there isn’t something that I need to make some lettering for, I’ll just make up a reason. 🤷🏾‍♀️

But, of course, there are other ways lettering is needed, like sanity and self-care…

Case in point, I have a feeling this school year will be a lonnnnng one…Why? Well, the shortage across so many fields in schools alone, from teaching to bus driving, has been challenging to deal with for parents and those who are still working in schools. I can only imagine the overall toll it has on students.

As for me, amongst those still working and having my own special sauce of issues as a parent, I didn’t get much time to doll up my classroom this year. My desk was just the beginning. So this week, I added a place card holder on my desk too. That way, I can keep practicing using these tiny compositions, add a little something to my classroom and give my students a little pick me up, a gentle reminder, or some word of encouragement at the same time. Words are powerful and we could all use a little cheer some time.

I’d rather have a wooden holder, so I’m on the lookout for that. But for now, this will do.

Holiday & Seasonal Greetings

The next thing I decided my room needed was something to recognize the season. I found some $5 paper pumpkins at the new Target nearby and started adding some letters to them using a water-soluble Sharpie marker.

Cute, right?

I worked on these in Morning Meeting as well as during my morning duty in the cafeteria this week.

Today, during our meeting, I didn’t get to sit in my usual seat and wound up sitting in front of the Principal and Head of School where I couldn’t discreetly letter during their presentation. Now, I letter all the time in every meeting. Everyone that sits near me or even speaking knows this. It helps me wake up, not be so mad that I’m up so early and to even pay attention better. I don’t necessarily hide it. But I’m still usually off to the side when I’m doing it.

Well, not today!

Today, I was front and center when all of a sudden, to my surprise, the Head of School grabbed the pumpkin that I was working on and playfully told me to, “Let go.” It had caught me off-guard and I was clutching it. 😬 Then, she used it as a segway into speaking about our annual classroom pumpkin decorating competition (which uses actual, donated pumpkins). One of the perks of working at this arts integration school is the Head of School used to be an art teacher herself! At any rate, that gave me more encouragement to get it done because folks may start looking to see the final project.

So, while I think there’s likely a more picturesque place in our school to put these other than above the radiators, for now, they reside in the art room.

Observe Letters Around You

Of course, any time I’m out and about, I’m looking around to find interesting letter styles for my lettering morgue like this script sign above. This can be difficult to do given how fast-paced life can be. But, remembering to check out the signage around you can be rewarding. This was a great find this week! Oddly enough, I must’ve driven by it a million times until I saw it this past week while driving to the Target.

Note to self: Pay better attention.

Gear Up (Review of the Roll Up Mini Pencil Case by Peg and Awl)

Last, but not least, taking the right gear can help you get down to business quickly no matter where you are. This week I updated my EDC to include this Roll Up Mini Pencil Case by Peg and Awl.

Now, I’d have to say this choice was to lighten my load this school year because my back has been bothering me. But, since I now know the materials I use most as well as the odd items I’d have to have, just in case, I feel like I can trim my load down to suit this mini Sendak just fine.

By the way, if you’re in the market for a new pencil roll, this one may be a good fit if…

You enjoy handmade/hand-crafted items.
You tend to be a minimalist.
You tend to gravitate toward items that show their history easily.

The material is waxed canvas with a leather strap and steel buckle. It feels very durable and rugged, though only time and use will tell. It is about as long as my adult-sized hand, and depending on how it is packed, can be held like a small clutch. The company works with abandoned materials and this case shows the markings of a long, lost thing with a few subtle additions to give it renewed purpose.

There are other color combinations to choose from, each with their own charm like almond, moss, spice, etc. Of course, I chose slate. Though the others are beautiful, it’s a choice I can’t tire of easily.

There are eight slots for pencils, pens and brushes with a side zippered pouch for small accessories like sharpeners, extra erasers, and paper stumps, etc. There are two pockets behind the slots that can hold slightly larger items like scissors, rulers, even small palettes and pads of paper. There are also two pockets on the back of the roll that can hold things like small notebooks (think handmade, or small Fabriano EcoQua notebooks or Field Notes brand notebooks), folded maps, etc. In fact, one of the creatives behind Peg and Awl binds books by hand, something I used to enjoy doing myself. I may make one for this pencil case too. We’ll see.

In the meantime, I like that it saves my back and keeps just the necessities that I use most on hand.

I enjoyed my buying experience with this shop which consisted of a shipping time so fast, it could’ve made my head spin. But I do wish the company exhibited some authentic diversity. That was my only hesitancy in purchasing the case. Other than that, it’s just what I wanted…and what my back needed!