Amy Tangerine's Blog, page 34

Creative Lettering For Kids

Ever since I can remember, I have been obsessed with hand writing. Though I never thought mine was all that great growing up, I loved practicing and trying different ways to improve my lettering style. One of my fondest memories includes passing colorful notes and notebooks to my friends in grade school and junior high. Arts & crafts have played a key role in my early years and it is a dream come true to be able to work in an industry that values creativity. All the colorful markers and pen options out there still get me excited to this day. When I was asked by Jenny Doh to be a contributor to Creative Lettering for Kids, I gladly said yes! It is really cool to be a part of such a talented group - I don't feel worthy! 

This piece didn't make it into the book, but I'm excited for you to see the ones that did. Creative Lettering for Kids is, in my opinion, great for all ages. Let's face it, we are really all kids at heart, right?! As I continue to strive to limit my time in front of digital devices, I feel even more inspired to try my hand at these awesome ideas. I have a feeling you will like them too!

Bullet Journal

Biting the bullet and I am going to try bullet journaling this year! My mom was in Florida and went to one of our favorite stores, Whim So Doodle, where it's basically stationery heaven. If you are ever in St. Pete, you must go to this store! She got the exact journals in the two colors I was deciding between when I toyed with the idea of starting a bullet journal last year. I decided to start with the yellow one for the first half of the year and move onto the pink one this summer. She also got me this awesome ban.do pencil pouch which matches perfectly.

I spent a little too much time yesterday perusing YouTube and Pinterest and then decided to just jump right in to start setting up my bullet journal. I spread out on my dining room table so that I could still hang out with my guys. You can get both inspired and overwhelmed at the same time if you look under #bujo on Instagram or even Twitter. Thanks to these awesome communities though, I am excited to approach this with my own twist. The system has to work for me and my needs. And I know it's only the 3rd day of the year, but I am feeling really good about it. I tend to have strong starts and inevitably life gets in the way, but my love for analog and dedication to sustaining a system that helps me live my best creative life is what will hopefully assist in following through for all of 2017. I used to use a very similar system since the planner I loved stopped being made. I will go through those and share them on my YouTube channel soon. The notebooks are a fun look at the evolution of journaling and memory keeping, and what continues to work for me. I was hesitant at first, as there are plenty of things I journal about but don't share those pages or spreads in public. In fact they are for my eyes only. After seeing some blurry screens and hands over pages, I am going to try my best to write and be authentic in my goal setting, tasks, and life stuff, while also being mindful of the personal things that should only be well, personal. I'm sure you understand!

Someone tweeted me this article about The 8 Stages of Bullet Journal Addiction and I laughed out loud as it is all too relatable. So what do you think about bullet journaling - do you do it and do you have any tips or tricks? And what stage are you in? :)

[image error]

New collection: On A Whim!

Kicking off 2017 with my newest collection with American Crafts, On A Whim! It was definitely inspired by the optimistic and confident girls and women out their doing fun things and seeking bright and bold adventures. I can't wait to see how you document your life with this mix of color and whimsy.

Capture spontaneity and fun times with On a Whim. Bold graphics and cool patterns complement fun phrases in a host of bright colors. Pineapple yellow, flamingo pink and ocean blue coordinate with accents of gold, green, and red. Document your favorite adventures with the cute icons of On a Whim!

Let us know what your favorites are in the comments! I'll be at Creativation (formerly CHA) in a couple weeks in Phoenix, AZ and I'll be sure to capture and share it with you here and on my YouTube channel.

Happy New Year!!

Wishing you a wonderful 2017 full of abundance, love and light! 

Quote + Gift Guide!

It's true. The world needs a lot more happiness and the spreading of joy. You have the gift!

I've been thinking a lot about my one little word for next year. This year it was "together" and I love how it's played a role in what has proven to be quite an interesting 2016. Still thinking about what my word should be next year. I am thinking "focus", but still not completely convinced of it just yet. But maybe. I get easily distracted and though I know my core values, sometimes it's hard for me to focus on just one thing. I tend to have a lot going on. I wrapped up a gift guide video and there's a look at my book (which will be launching VERY SOON!) along with a fun giveaway!

Would love if you joined brush lettering online workshop! It's self-paced and a lot of fun! There are so many great projects popping up in the #ATbrushlettering on Instagram. 

Also if you have any favorite quotes - please share them in the comments below. I'm using this watercolor set from Michaels and a waterbrush that I love by Tim Holtz/Ranger and the back of this American Crafts white cardstock.

Easy Holiday Cards + DISCOUNT CODE!

Earlier this year, my friends at Mixbook asked me to design some holiday cards. I thought it would be fun to share a little behind the scenes about the process with you all. When projects first get kickstarted, I usually get really excited and dive right in. Sometimes the creative groove happens smoothly and you find your flow really quickly. This was one of those times where I got so excited about the project, that I couldn't resist sharing a bit on social media. You may remember this Instagram post:

I sketched out some flowers in pencil and I was really hesitant to go in with the paint, but I did it anyway. I used my favorite waterbrush and watercolors and filled it in carefully using small strokes. Taking my time, I made sure to keep the sketchiness of the pencil. Rough combined with refined was what I was going for. It turned out to be one of my favorite sketches I think I have ever made. Once it was done and completely dry, we scanned it and made some edits. An important lesson I learned a while back was to not be too hasty as I ended up smudging and ruining the painting and also got the scanner glass all dirty!

We decided to make it available in both white and gold! Love how Ann-Marie used it for her holiday cards in contrast with the black and white photo.

For the brush lettering designs, I repeated the same process, only I don't sketch it out in pencil first. I just go for it and trust that all my Motivational Monday practicing has helped make it so I don't have to write Merry Christmas more than 20 times. I set up a couple options using this cute photo of Harper and Rachel taken by Katee Grace.

It was a bit tough deciding what to do for our cards since we haven't really had family photos taken since this summer by Christian and Reinna. I decided to just go with them since we live in Southern California and because I love the photos.

I ordered our cards and they came super fast, so if you're still looking for cards to send out, here is the entire holiday series that I created. And through December 20, you can use the discount code TAN50 for 50% off all cards! HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 

Free Festive Phone Wallpapers!

I created a series of holiday mobile wallpapers in collaboration with Dunkin Donuts that are free and will make your phone happy. You may recognize the ever-so-popular "donut worry be happy" updated with a festive twist. Download them on the Dunkin Donuts blog - bit.ly/joywallpapers

Simple Scrapbooking for the New Mom

Often I hear stories from moms who have saved all their childrens' baby mementos with the intention of making a scrapbook, but then inevitably feeling overwhelmed and having no idea where to begin. Admittedly, I don't even have Jack's baby book done, as most of the photos and stories are recorded in a combination of 12x12 pages and pocket pages, but I still have not written down his birth story in the album. Even though we make elaborate scrapbooks for clients, this isn't something that is accessible for everyone. I was really intrigued when Creative Memories reached out to see if I would take a look at their brand new gift boxes and share my thoughts with you! I love that it's now easy to share the love of scrapbooking with a family member or a friend! It was perfect timing as my sister-in-law is pregnant with their first child and is due on December 30! He/she will be Jack's first cousin! They are not finding out the gender, which makes it a bit tricky for gift giving, but fun for the surprise. I think it's a little girl, but we shall find out soon enough. One of these will be perfect for Jenny (who is a school teacher), and soon to be mama!

Each gift box includes everything a new scrapbooker needs to keep things simple when it comes to documenting their child's first year. Both the baby boy and baby girl kits provide an approachable (and non-overwhelming) way to get the precious photos and memories down on paper. Each box includes a Creative Memories Fast2Fab™ Album (including Predesigned Refill Pages and Protectors), Embellishments, Tape Runner and Photo Safe Pen. It's such a refreshing and unintimidating way to get started. The cloth albums have cute graphics and details that coordinate with the embellishments. Since the most popular photo size is 4x6", it's nice that the pre-printed pages prompt the new mom with placement for the photos.

As a professional scrapbooker, I truly appreciate anything that gets more people documenting their memories in a tangible way. I love that these gift boxes are all inclusive kits, which takes the guess work out of overthinking the process. New moms have a lot to think about (not to mention mama brain, which causes all kinds of confusion - at least it did with me!)

Because the pages are pre-printed, it makes it easy to create a scrapbook without the intimidation of the blank page. This would make a great gift for Christmas or a baby shower, or anytime during the first 12 months when you want to encourage the new mama to remember all the special moments and photos for the first year. Remember, keeping it simple is key, and that done is better than perfect. It goes by quickly, so what a better gift than to have a special place to keep all of those precious memories!

This post is in collaboration with Creative Memories. As always, all opinions and words are my own. Visit Creative Memories on Instagram and Facebook.

Hawaii Travel Diary

In October I had the pleasure of taking Jack on his fourth trip to Hawaii! He has no idea how lucky he is considering the first time I went I was in my twenties. His dad too. I had to be there for work (rough, I know) but because it's a 5-6 hour flight from LA and we love it there so much, I added a few days on for rest, relaxation, and fun. Not sure how much actual R&R you can get done traveling with a toddler, but I certainly did my best. And Jack is a wonderful travel buddy. JC was in Europe so he couldn't come along on either of our Hawaii trips this year. My mom actually ended up coming a night early, which you can see all of this unfold in the video on my YouTube channel and at the end of this post.

Jack did amazing on his 47th flight. Upon arrival in Honolulu, we checked into the Royal Hawaiian. It was our first time staying there, as we usually like to stay at The Sheraton next door. Both are Starwood properties, so it worked out fine and we actually got an upgrade to a suite thanks to our Platinum status. 

We enjoyed a little bit of time and then walked over to the Moana Surfrider where we were treated to a lovely keiki afternoon tea on the Veranda. You can't tell in the photo, but I had a view of the ocean.

Jack definitely takes after me and doesn't really have a sweet tooth. He preferred the "salty sandwiches" and enjoyed taking tiny bites out of the little cookies. The selection was great, and the service was wonderful as usual. The last time we were all here together we ended up having an incredible dinner and there was live music on the Veranda.

We then headed to the beach where Jack played with a water bottle and a plastic cup. Amazing what kids enjoy! Because of the time difference, we were pretty tired, so it was a room service night and it was perfect. A little indulgent but because we have traveled so much, we allow ourselves this treat as Jack would much rather have dinner in his jammies. And if you haven't been to Honolulu before, many of the restaurants are really quite crowded. We enjoyed our evening in. 

I woke up early the next day and worked on a big project in my robe in bed. When Jack woke up, we headed down to Surf Lanai for a breakfast buffet. He loves his lox! We had an awesome view and great breakfast. Then we hung out in a little cabana by the pool at the Sheraton.

At 11am they have a koi feeding, it's something Jack always looks forward to. We had lunch by the pool, and it was so windy, our fish and chips blew over when we were only halfway done with them. We met up with our friends from Australia and the kids enjoyed some ice cream. Easy going evening, where we had dinner at the lounge.

On Friday, we got picked up at the hotel and headed to lunch at Ward Warehouse. This ramen from was delicious! And then we did some shopping at Eden in Love and Red Pineapple.

Saturday was full of fun at the workshops hosted by Sakura Lala. Seriously everyone seems so happy in Hawaii. I LOVE the good vibes and wonderful ladies every time. Of course someone has to show me the what she made with the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the Procreate app and I was obsessed. I HAD to get one!!

Sunday we had a relaxing day and went to Giovanni's Shrimp Truck on the North Shore. Their garlic shrimp is THE BEST. 

Peace out Hawaii, mahalo for another wonderful trip! You can see more fun details in the video: