hello brooklyn.

 

this past saturday i took myself on a little adventure...
i drove myself into brooklyn, n.y.
this alone was a grand adventure for me because i had NEVER . EVER . driven into n.y.! EVER.

the idea really all started with a calligraphy class that i wanted to take. i have been wanting to learn the art of calligraphy for what seems like my whole life. anything ART has always appealed to me... and beautiful handwritten lettering paired with pretty paper... oh yeah!

instagram, i can not get enough of...
and this is where i find so much inspiration...
i stumbled upon laura hooper, "lh calligraphy"...
laura's artistic and elegant handwritten lettering is simply breath-taking...

i followed her on instagram and also ordered her "calligraphy starter kit" off etsy...
this was "the time" i was going to "do it", to finally try my hand at learning calligraphy! the kit came packaged up all pretty, tied with baker's twine and included all the supplies i needed to get started!
BUT, i hesitated...

i did not want to "ruin" my beautiful supplies, waste the midnight black ink or the milky white ink...
i did not want to "mess up", "do it wrong" or even unwrap the pretty package! silly i know. (maybe some of you can even understand)...

so when within a short time i learned that laura hooper would be coming to brooklyn, n.y. to a paper boutique to teach a beginner's class in calligraphy, i knew i had to sign up!

and this is when my "brooklyn journey" started...

the brooklyn bridge, brooklyn, n.y.

i was a little nervous about the drive but that was not going to stop me... 

and i am so happy & even proud that i made the journey...

dabney lee, brooklyn, n.y.

dabney lee is a pretty, paper . home . gifts boutique on a perfect little side street in brooklyn...

as you can see from the above photo, the brooklyn bridge is right there! (i kinda fell in love with the bridge & can't wait to go back and walk across it!)

paper pretties & gifts...

beautifully designed stationery

my spot...

class in session...

the "laura hooper calligraphy class" did not disappoint...

laura wasted no time getting us started... 

she spoke a little about the art of calligraphy and went over the different "definitions", supply list & "tools" of the trade... and just like that, she had us dipping our pen into the ink! gasp!

we practiced different "strokes" and i quickly had a new appreciation of  the art of calligraphy...

it is not easy! laura certainly makes it look so effortless... but she has over 20 years experience doing calligraphy...

her best advice was "practice, practice, practice"... 

we even got a pretty white pencil with gold lettering that said "practice makes perfect"... 

my "P"...

by the end of class and a few tips from laura... i was improving already! and i was certainly loving it!

 

 signage outside dabney lee botique

the three hour class seemed to end all too quickly...
which means i was enjoying this creative time immensely...

it was a beautiful spring day...
i was doing something i have always wanted to try...
enjoying my love of "all things pretty, creative & artsy"...
and took myself on a journey that was outside my comfort zone...

sunsetting over the brooklyn bridge...

brooklyn... i will be back!
xoxo...
-p