\\ INSPIRATION SERIES - TYPE \\

When I started Actually, I Do I wanted to come up with a mantra that explained my inspirations behind it... my obsession with typography, geometric shapes, design details and things handmade, which I hope you'll see in the pieces I'll be sharing here in the future.

\\ Spreading the word of typography through handmade crafts \\

The little phrase I came up with focuses mainly on the typography part, the starting point for my idea of creating fun, decorative wall art based on lettering, monograms and symbols.What do you think? It's still a work in progress, and as a great believer of progress I'm open to the idea of this mantra changing and developing as my project does. With a huge and borderline obsessive love of typography fuelling my creative process, I wanted to share a few thoughts about why I love type and lettering so much.

Letters and words are important, they make up our language, give us a voice and a means to express ourselves. Written down, type and lettering also means those who can't communicate through speaking also have a voice. When you combine these letters and words with the concept of design something magical happens...

\\ Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language readable and beautiful. \\

A quick Pinterest search for "quotes" or "words" brings up about 5000000 hours worth of typographic art and inspiration, so it's easy to see that this form of expression is becoming more and more popular and meaningful in our culture. For me personally, I love the details of type and lettering, how there are so many different versions, shapes, interpretations. I love how a simple letter from our alphabet can speak volumes or represent something dear to us... a name, someone close to us, a memory. From a design perspective there are just so many possibilities with what type can create or how it can exist, and that's exciting right???

Hopefully you can see why I love using type as the core inspiration in my makes. I'll be popping back regularly to share these with you, but for now I'll leave you with a few snaps of typography inspiration from around my home...

Would love to hear what you think!

Images: 1 - type inspiration abounds on the noticeboards above my desk, 2 - this little fella making friends with my favourite letter of the alphabet, 3 - my K Is For... screenprinted cushion from a workshop with the lovely Super+Super, 4 - fun things in the kitchen, 5 - that wonderfuk 'k' again on my fireplace, 6 - aren't ampersands just BEAUTIFUL?!, 7 - my first ever attempt at a type hoop which sowed the seeds for Actually, I Do, 8 - my most recent type-inspired purchases... 'Wander For A Bit' print by LolaHoadDesign and 'hello' lasercut necklace by Rockcakes,

x

\\ 2015 RESOLUTIONS \\

Inspirational print by yellowbuttonstudio on Etsy

I've been stocking up on inspiration reading my favourites bloggers' resolutions posts... As lots of them have said, 5 is quite a nice number for resolutions, not too big as to not be achievable by the end of the year but challenging enough to get your teeth stuck into.

Here are mine...

1. BLOGGING! 

I mentioned in my Getting Organised post that regular and considered blogging is one of my big focuses this year. I'm aiming for 1-2 posts per week at first, then who knows where motivation will (hopefully) take me! Plus I'll also be working on the design of my blog and growing my audience. I'm looking to do some kind of online workshop/course thingy like Blog Life from one of my fave blogging duos A Beautiful Mess to really get in the swing of things, but will also be glued to The Well and their expert tips.

2. ETSY SHOP

Silly me actually opened my shop 4 years ago now but have never worked on getting it properly sorted and stocked with lots of lovely makes! Last year I took part in the Brighton Etsy Team Mentor Month and was sooooo lucky to have the ACE designosaur as my mentors! I shall be revisiting all their crazy-good advice and continued encouragement to finally get my shop up and running once and for all! A big part of my Etsy goals this year will also be getting more involved as a Seller in the team and hopefully doing my first market!

3. BUY LOCAL

I like to think I'm already quite good at shopping locally for gifts (and lovely things for me too of course!) but I want to make 2015 the year that I consciously make the effort to shop local and independent as much as possible. I added a new button to my blog this week for the Just A Card campaign, in support of local businesses. When I'm not making my gifts this year, I'll be attempting to source them from local businesses in Brighton and Hove, or their online shops, as well as from the Brighton Etsy Team's 700+ members. For more info on how you can support the Just A Card campaign check out this post.

4. READ MORE... OF EVERYTHING!

It's no secret that I flippin' LOVE books. And pretty much anything you can read... I've got three magazine subscriptions alone! This year I'd like to read 20 books (some big, some small), catch up on actually reading more of the magazines taking over my flat, rather than just looking at the pretty pictures, get out all the lovely coffee table, craft and design books I have, and keep up with my bloglovin' list. I also want to squeeze in more commenting on my favourite blog posts and networking with bloggers/fellow crafty types!

5. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST... GET OUT AND ABOUT.

You'll often find me waffling on about how lucky I am to live in Brighton, it's genuinely one of my most favourite places in the world. So for a happier me and tons of inspiration I'll also be aiming to get out and about in the city and surrounding areas as much as possible this year. I'm a little bit embarrassed to admit that even after living here for almost 3 years, I've never ventured the short distance to Shoreham, or Worthing and I've been meaning to go to Brighton's Booth Museum FOREVER. I'm setting a goal for at least one new adventure per month.

The good news for #1 on this list is that all of my resolutions will provide me with lots of ace opportunities, ideas and inspiration for blog posts, wooooo!

I'd love to hear your resolutions for 2015 in the comments below. WE CAN DO THIS GUYSSSSS!

\\ GETTING ORGANISED \\

Happy 2015!!! Here's hoping everyone had a splendid New Year celebration.

This year I am super determined to get organised with all things Actually, I Do! I'm also pretty sure that I've been making that same resolution for some time but it's never quite happened. Something feels different to me this year however... it might be because 2015 looks set to be quite a big year for me (turning 30 just one of the things on my agenda!) Whatever the 'feeling' I have turns out to be I'm getting it out there that I'll be putting lots of effort into truly getting my little crafty endeavour off the ground. The first two things I'll be concentrating on is getting stock in my Etsy shop and regular posts on the blog!

It is my firm belief that the key to achieving my goals for this year is getting organised and what's more fun than doing that by shopping for new stationery! NOPE I'm NOT procrastinating already. I am NOT. This is just a simple and fun way of brightening up my desk space so I'm constantly inspired and motivated!

So here's my wishlist, which obviously includes a few typography-inspired goodies. Plus inspirational prints for my wall, plenty of notebooks and a bit of storage...

Clockwise from top left: Wire Basket, ferm LIVING / VÄLBEKANT Paper Clips, IKEA / VÄLBEKANT Clipboard, IKEA / SÄRSKILD Notes, IKEA / Coral Weekly Planner, M&S / Be Bold Print, Howkapow / Classic Brass Paper Clips, Present & Correct / Set of 3 Mini Notebooks, M&S / Be So Good They Can't Ignore You Print, LolaHoadDesign on Etsy / Alphabet Pencil Case, M&S / Pencil Notebook, M&S

For more typography prints to keep you motivated, check out my T Is For... Typography and W Is For... Words boards on Pinterest!