Good Morning friends!
I'm so excited to sit down with you today for our weekly meet-up.
I mean who doesn't love a little coffee, cocoa and conversation...right?

I think you are going to love today's "Let's Talk Tuesday" (LTT) questions I've picked to answer so let's get right to it...

QUESTION #1

Where do you get all the fonts for your art prints? Thanks! Monika W.

As a designer and someone who loves to do hand-lettering and doodling, I use a combination of my own hand-lettered fonts as well as fonts I've purchased. Anytime a person uses a font to create something for resale, a "Commercial Use" or "Extended License" for each font must be purchased. (which is why I try to use my own lettering a lot of the time - fonts can get expensive).

Although a lot of my fonts have been purchased from www.myfonts.com, you guys are going to go nuts over the new place I've been using for the last six months or so...Creative Market!!

They have a wonderful selection of modern calligraphy fonts and LOTS of other fun stuff over there!!   I LOVE it over there and I know you will too. It's easy to become addicted.

My most recent font purchase was Ink Bandits. I used it to help create this NEW "Our Story is My Favorite Love Story Art Print in the shoppe!

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QUESTION #2

Q: Hi Jessica! Have you ever or would you consider "mentoring" someone who wanted to start a blog? Or maybe a LTT question with a shorter answer would be: Do you have a list of 5 tips for someone to get them started? I have wanted to for probably 5 years and just haven't done it for whatever reason and just need that little push. Thank you, Andrea B.

A: Wow! This question totally made me blush. First, I've never thought about mentoring someone who wanted to start a blog because honestly, I've never been asked...so I'm completely flattered by your interest. That's not to say I haven't been asked a variety of questions through the years by friends, family and others who are curious about blogging and how it all works exactly. I'm certainly no expert but with seven years of blogging under my belt, I'm happy to share what I've learned and what has worked best for me.

So...here are my SIMPLE blogging tips for starting a blog:

BE TRUE TO YOU
First answer this question: "Why do you want to start a blog?"
Your answer will help guide you on your blog journey.
Next, figure out what YOU love. What makes YOU happy? What warms YOUR heart? These are the things you should write about. These are the things your blog should be built on. These are the things that will fuel your passion as you begin your blog and these are the also the things that will continue to keep you motivated on your blogging journey.

LESS IS MORE
Keep your blog and the process of starting one simple - especially in the beginning. I've been using the Blogger platform forever. It's simple and it's FREE. Try out a free blogging platform to make sure you love it before committing to a monthly or annual fee. Here's a roundup of "The 10 Best FREE Blogging Platforms"

INSPIRATION 
Take some time to really look at the blogs you follow and read to figure out the things about each one you love. Is it the layout, simple design, color palette, content, photography? More than likely, you'll notice a pattern of elements you are drawn to that will help you define your own style. Use the inspiration to guide you as you design your own blog.

PRETTY PHOTOS
Imagery is what draws people in; Your words and content are what keeps them there.
Posting photos is a BIG part of blogging. You do NOT have to be a professional photographer or hire a professional photographer or have a fancy professional camera. For awhile there, I was posting photos from my iPhone because I got lazy and the process was a lot more simple compared to using my old DSLR. Just know that large, high quality, photos are essential.

If your photography skills leave you feeling intimidated or discouraged, you may want to try:

PHOTO EDITING APPS to help enhance your pictures before loading them onto your blog.
My favorite is Pic Tap Go because it's SO super easy and I've just recently played around with A Color Story.

PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS for inspiration and learning the basics.
Here are a couple of suggestions:
1. A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book - I have this one and it's great for visual inspiration.
2. Picture Perfect Social Media: A Handbook for Styling Perfect Photos for Posting, Blogging and Sharing - I don't have this one but it sounds super helpful.

Check out these Photography tips and tools from Melissa over at Design, Eat, Repeat.  (again, the phone cameras these days provide great quality photos for posting on the web so don't get hung up on the equipment). I just thought you might find it interesting.

Last but not least, my final "simple" tip for starting a blog is...

JUMP
If you've been thinking about starting a blog for a long time, it's time to stop "thinking" about it.
Jump in and try it! Whether you love it or leave it, at least you will actually know either way because you took a chance. Don't overthink it. Just do it. Jump!!

And that's it for today my friends!
I hope you are inspired and feel like you've just sat down with your best girlfriend for some quick trade secrets. *wink*

Keep sending in your questions...I'll keep on answering them!!

DIFFERENT WAYS TO SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS
1. Email me directly: pnpflowersinc AT gmail DOT com
2. Leave a question on my Instagram feed anytime.
3. Leave it as a comment here on the blog.

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Battling a headcold over here people. My left ear is completely clogged. Ugh!
BUT...our master bedroom got painted this weekend - thanks to J's help.
Want a tiny peek? Check out my Instagram Feed!
Here is the BEFORE  and a teeny tiny peek at the AFTER.

FONT CRUSH | Cantoni by Debi Sementelli

Hi…my name is Jessica and I am addicted to using Cantoni - my current favorite font crush! *wink*

Ok…so you already knew that. It's no secret around here that I've been using this fabulous font in almost every design or project or Instagram post lately. I love that it can be simultaneously fancy, fun, casual and whimsical. I really cannot get enough. LOVE it!!

So as you might imagine…when Debi Sementelli, the artist behind the creation of this beautiful font, reached out to me about wanting to do a blog post about some of the ways I've been using it, I. was. beyond. flattered.

Check out her post right here...

Coincidentally, through conversations with Debi I was happy to discover my favorite app by Rhonna Designs has commissioned Debi for the use of the Cantoni font in a new soon-to-be-released update. I'm SO excited about that and thought it was so amazing to think two of my favorite things will be merging together! Can you say match-made-in-heaven!?

I really enjoyed conversing with Debi through emails and learned that for her, the process of designing a font takes about 6 months. Wow! I had no idea!! That's a lot of love, time and effort put into creating a beautiful font like Cantoni and it makes me adore it all the more!!

I also learned how devastating it can be to a professional lettering artist like Debi for people to illegally share her fonts. One of Debi's fonts has been shared illegally over 2500 times. Yikes!!

I share all  of this because I think it's important to remember that there's a face behind your favorite font.
There's a person, just like you and me, who's working hard to get their art/work seen by the world…and to be justly compensated for it.

I'm so happy to have been able to connect with Debi directly! She's a font celebrity in my little world of graphic design and I'm truly flattered to have my projects featured on her blog! Thanks again for the feature Debi!!

If you want to purchase the Cantoni font too...GO HERE!
Or check out the NEW Belluccia Bold font by Debi Sementelli…released just last week!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Super Bowl last night….right? "Woo. Hoo." (said with sarcastic enthusiasm).
I'd love to be able to say I'm a huge football fan like the rest of the world seems to be…
but I'm just NOT. I'm annoyed by it much of the time I think mostly because I live with someone who's a complete diehard fan and allows it to dictate much of his schedule/activites/time with family during football season. (and apparently the rest of the world is pretty much the same way). SEE UPDATE BELOW!

I, however, am one of those people who's more about the food, commercials and the half-time show. With that said, I do have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the performance from Bruno Mars last night. He is a true entertainer and the collaboration with the Red Hot Chili Peppers was AMAZING! I wasn't expecting to have my socks blown off. Did you all feel the same?

UPDATE:
J had his feelings hurt when he read over the part of the post where I'm annoyed by his addiction to football. So…to be fair…let me just tell you a few of the wonderful things I love about him:
- He actually reads my blog posts. *wink*
- He's 100% dedicated to being the best dad ever…and I have to say…he's pretty dang awesome. I wouldn't describe him as the cuddly teddy bear type but as abrasive as he can sometimes be he has won over Ella's heart. He has somehow managed to find the perfect balance between effective parenting and nurturing. I personally am still working on this as I tend to be a "softy".
- J does the grocery shopping for our household. He insists on it. (mainly because he wants to control the finances plus he says the bill always goes up when I go). Regardless of the motivation behind WHY he goes…the fact is…he goes. Every. Single. Saturday. He knows the grocery store personnel on a first-name basis and he takes Ella WITH him. They've been tag-team shopping ever since she was old enough to sit on her own in the cart. In fact, to be completely honest, the grocery store people know Ella by name and on the off-chance that I go with J and Ella I receive two different looks/reactions from most of the grocery store clerks:

1. Surprised to know Ella really has a mom and not just a dad.
2. Disgusted that I never do the shopping myself…how dare I pass along that task to J.

iNSPiRE | FREE Chalkboard Fonts + Holiday Art Prints

Four days until Christmas arrives...
My heart is full of gratitude for so many things.

Today, I'm especially grateful for each of you!
I'd love to leave you with a small gift as we head into the weekend...

Holiday Chalkboard Art Prints

Download the FREE 8x10 "Baby It's Cold Outside" .pdf file HERE

Click the "READ MORE" button for the rest of the details...

fonts & music

i have lots of different things to share today...heading into the weekend and thought these things should keep you busy with something to do - just in case you have zero plans. 

anyone who knows me, knows that i am a "fontaholic". i love finding cool fonts and when designing something, i used to use a font only one time and vow to never use it again. (to keep things fresh and new??).  with that said, here's something fun you can do...go visit jessica sprague's website to create your own font....  yes, you heard me correctly. just go to the link and there's a plethora of information regarding different sites you can use - some cost money and some are FREE!  and it takes just minutes to do it. i just adore jessica sprague because she shares so much information - to anyone who wants it. i'm always learning something new from her. she's completely talented & creative.  (and who wouldn't love a girl with that fabulous first name....laughing)

next, let's talk music. (something i'm completely passionate about).  j came home the other day mentioning a song he'd heard on the radio - a remix of a george michael song.  (of course he couldn't remember the name of the band or the name of the song...so i went searching and found it). i LOVE the new version of "careless whisper" by seether.  first, let me say i am not a fan of crazy hard rock - and i've never been a fan of seether. but give it a listen anyway - i added it to my playlist. it's a bit "strong" in the beginning but once the lyrics kick in it's waaay cool. and i love to hear old songs given new life.

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more music i'd like to mention are just some "folk" artists i've come across over the years. (i tend to love the acoustic guitar.)  this was prompted by a conversation i just had with my sweet friend, ila). we were talking about whether or not i had heard of ingrid michaelson - which, in fact, i had stumbled across a couple of years ago. 

if you go check out her video i believe you'll recognize this particular song because it's "mainstream" now. however, here's a song that actually made me a fan of hers, originally.

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so then, you must check out the weepies:

 i love THIS song.  and this one.  they have a very distinct sound - which i adore.

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moving onto other artists: rosie thomas - 

check out "since you've been around" and "it don't matter to the sun".   this is the cover to one of her albums i don't yet have:

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and how about jeremy enigk - (listen to "canons" and "been here before"). 

 and here's a video someone created to go along with jeremy's song "world waits". 

 
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guess i need to just create a side bar of links to music i enjoy, (in addition to my playlist), and just add to it.

quick "real world" update:

> clara and ema are officially on spring break and they will be in port charlotte for an entire week with their dad....*sigh*  oh how i will miss tucking them in every night. 

> got my haircut yesterday. (almost forgot i even had an appointment until they called the evening before - nice surprise). my hair looks soooo much better. thanks robie! love you to pieces.

> ella has been on a very interesting schedule. starts stirring around 1 a.m. - i sneak up beside her crib, give her back her pacifier and she usually falls back to sleep. (i do this about twice a night now). she's been "waking" up for feedings at 4a.m. - this morning @ 5:15.  the night before, she conveniently woke up for a feeding 10 minutes after j and i went to bed - nice timing. i have been completely exhausted. by the end of the day i just want to shut "everything" off. wouldn't it be cool if you could do that? just like i put the imac on "sleep" mode in the evenings, i could push some magical button for the entire household to go on "sleep mode" - no one awakes until i decide to hit the resume button for "all systems go".  what a brilliant idea!  ahhhh....wishful thinking. 

that's it for now...still have the "not yo momma's banana pudding" to tell you about. but this post is way too long today. enjoy your friday...have a rockin' weekend, (now that i've supplied you with this amazing post full of artist/song suggestions), and i'll see you on monday!