LOVE LETTERS

by Kelly Klapstein

Welcome to "Love Letters" a series of lettering articles written and illustrated by Kelly Klapstein. In each issue, Kelly will guide you through easy-to-follow tips and tricks as you learn the beautiful art of hand lettering.

Self-Care in the Summertime

The past year and a half has taught me an important life lesson: Nurturing our mental health is essential to managing the ups and downs that the pandemic has brought upon us. Self-care can help me navigate during stressful situations.

What does self-care mean? It can be crafting, art, exercise, a pedicure, a good book, a long bike ride…basically setting aside time for yourself to do whatever you want to do that helps you decompress and relax.

I decided to start a “Self-Care” journal, using a Traveler’s Notebook (TN) from Echo Park. These TNs come with one notebook insert and have elastics that can hold many more inserts. Echo Park has a wonderful assortment of inserts in various themes, lined and blank pages, and daily calendars. There is also a wrap-around elastic binding to slip around the entire notebook, plus an elastic pen holder. The pockets inside can hold pens and other items you want to use in designing your journal pages. Some people use their TN for scrapbooking, planning, organizing, etc. These versatile notebooks are also easy to slip into your handbag when you’re on the go.

I was excited to use some new Zebra pens to add happy colours and write notes in my TN and other planners. Zebra has a set of six black, waterresistant brush pens with three different tip sizes.

They write beautifully, and the pigment is a true black. I used these black brush pens to write “Self-Care” on the first page of my TN insert.

The Zebra Mildliners come in both brush pen and highlighter sets. They are double-ended, and the colours are so pretty! I like using the other side of the brush pen to draw monochromatic shadows on the letters I write. I designed simple monthly cover pages for this self-care journal, with space to write reflections and activity ideas/ goals. These pens glide effortlessly on the smooth paper in this TN insert.

I use Zebra Mildliner highlighters to ‘cross off’ things on lists and also to identify important notes, but they are also fun to use to draw lines on the blank pages in these inserts for an extra pop of colour.

Stationery shopping is another selfcare activity for me! Haha! I’m loving these Zebra pens and am motivated to write in my Traveler’s Notebook every day. Focusing on our ourselves is so challenging when we have families, work and busy lives, but the rewards are immense. I highly recommend starting a self-care journal to bring creative calm into your daily life.