Tuesday 1 December 2015

December 2015 Free Printable Calendar

Happiness is... December 2015 Free Printable Calendar
We're on our way out of 2015! The December calendar's got a party vibe going on. What do you think of it? Let me know in the comments below! 
The January calendar will be out in mid-late December, keep an eye out for it :)

Get your copy now and share this post with your friends!
And don't forget to get yourself the 2016 Calendar!

Happiness is... December 2015 Free Printable Calendar
Happiness is... September 2015 Free Printable Calendar and Planner
Happiness is... September 2015 Free Printable Calendar and Planner (black and white)

Get your calendars PLUS extra exclusive freebies 
by subscribing to the Happiness is... Lucky Packet!

The Happiness is... 2016 Calendar is now on sale! Available in two printed sizes or as a printable download. 
If you've been enjoying the free calendars all year, I'm sure you'll enjoy these 
(and it's also a great way to show your support! ;)
Click here to find out more and place your order!
Happiness is... 2016 Calendar

I love when people share pics of their calendars in use! Share yours via twitterfacebookinstagram or pinterest using the hashtag #happinessis_calendars. 

Have a wonderful festive season! 


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Wednesday 18 November 2015

Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers

Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers
If you follow me on Snapchat (@happinessisblog), this is the unboxing blog post I mentioned last week! Artsnacks is a really cool subscription box that I've posted about before but only signed up for earlier this year. If you're an arty type and into stationery tools and trying new things, you'll love this! I'm going to share two of the most recent boxes with you today.

So if you aren't familiar with the subscription box model, it involves you signing up to receive a monthly box of mixed goodies. Like a little surprise gift to yourself every month! I love surprises, so I really look forward to it. The subscription box has become a pretty popular model and these days you can get one for pretty much anything (specific types of food, jewellery, beauty products, etc). 

Box #1
Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers
Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers
Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers

Each box comes with a little sweet (a different one each month), an Artsnacks goodie (sticker, temporary tattoo, etc) and a varying quantity of full sized, high quality art materials from all over the world. You also get a little card with an explanation of each product, its features and its retail value. In the case of this particular box, there was even a brand new product from Winsor & Newton that isn't even in stores yet! How cool is that? So here's what was in the September box: 

• Winsor & Newton Pigment Marker and White Blender (exclusive brand new product)
• Caran d'Ache Swiss Wood 348 Pencil
• MOO Eraser by Weber Co.
You can read the detailed descriptions on the image below...

Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers
Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers
Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers
Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers
Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers
Quick review of these markers: I wasn't terribly impressed, unfortunately. It might be a great tool for people who work specifically with markers, but I found that they didn't blend very well, as you can see above, and I couldn't see how I'd use it myself. Checking out Youtube videos from other users didn't shed much light either. Still glad I got to try them out though, I get such fomo for new art materials so I know I'd be lusting after it If I hadn't had the opportunity to try them here.


Box #2
Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers
Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers
Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers

This was a Halloween themed box for October aptly dubbed "The Midnight Snack", hence the black paper and brain sweets. In this box there was:
• Higgins Black Magic Ink (right on theme, love that!)
• Caran d'Ache Black Wood Pencil
• 2 x Cretacolor Artist Studio Line Colored Pencils
• Pigma Professional Brush Pen by Sakura
• Connoisseur Bamboo Watercolor Brush
Read the detailed descriptions on the image below...

Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers
Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers
Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers
Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers

All great products in this box! The bamboo brush is very soft, very different to the brushes I usually use or have tried before, am looking forward to playing around with it more. The brush pen is great, always love experimenting with those. The pencils and ink are great, too. Yay!

Even with the exchange rate and shipping for us in SA (they're based in the US), it works out to a reasonable price if you consider the normal retail price of these materials, many of which aren't readily available in SA, or at least not in any store in Durban, so would have to be imported anyway. Quality art materials are pricey!

Another great point is that they have excellent customer service. I had an issue once or twice with shipping and it was handled so promptly and efficiently that it was no problem at all. You can also cancel whenever you want, so you're not locked into anything.

If you're an art lover, or know one, this would make a great gift for the holiday season! Visit Artsnacks and see what it's all about for yourself :)

** Please note, this is not a sponsored post, I'm just that excited about the product ;) **


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Thursday 12 November 2015

The Happiness is... 2016 Calendar

the Happiness is... 2016 Hand Lettered Botanical Calendar
The Happiness is... 2016 Calendar is here! Just in time for holiday gifting and to get prepared early for next year. It's full of hand lettered goodness and watercolour botanical illustrations, all handmade by me. Click here to find out more, sign up for product updates and place your order! :)

Order the Happiness is... 2016 Calendar

the Happiness is... 2016 Hand Lettered Botanical Calendar

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Friday 30 October 2015

November 2015 Free Printable Calendar + Brand New Planner Pack & Desktop Wallpaper

Happiness is... November 2015 Free Printable Calendar and Planner

Two more months left of 2015, peeps! Went for a looser look for the November calendar, which I quite like. What do you think of it? Let me know in the comments below! 
(Seriously, I really appreciate the feedback ;)

Get your copy now and share this post with your friends!
And check out my brand new planner pack below!

Happiness is... November 2015 Free Printable Calendar and Planner
Happiness is... September 2015 Free Printable Calendar and Planner
Happiness is... September 2015 Free Printable Calendar and Planner (black and white)

Get your calendars earlier PLUS extra exclusive freebies 
by subscribing to the Happiness is... Lucky Packet!

So many people have been letting me know how much they love and use the monthly calendars regularly. This makes me so happy, to know that so many people find it useful and have made it a part of their daily lives - last month's calendar had almost 2000 downloads!

People have also been saying that I should charge for them because they provide such great value. Don't worry though, I have no plans for that. Although I spend a lot of time and effort on them, I have always intended for them to be free as my way of offering you something of value. However, for those who would like to get even more value and show their support, I've created a complementary planner pack that I'm excited to share with you...

Happiness is... November 2015 Free Printable Calendar and Planner Pack
Happiness is... November 2015 Free Printable Calendar and Planner Pack with Desktop wallpaper
This pack contains five high quality items to go with your calendar and help keep you organised:
• a weekly planner, for more detailed planning
• 
a line-a-day journal page, great for noting anything important or memorable from each day. I like to use it as a gratitude journal.
• 
a mini calendar to stick up wherever you need to keep track of dates
• 
a habit calendar, for those of us trying to start new habits or keep up with existing ones. Fill in the circle on each day that you complete your "daily"  habit
• 
a desktop wallpaper, to mix things up each month and keep you inspired 


How does that sound? There'll be more of these with varied content, so if there's something you'd like that isn't included here let me know and you might see it in the next pack! I'll also be working on packs that are not month specific, so you can reuse them as much as you'd like.

This bundle can be purchased on my Etsy store - it's definitely for you if you've been appreciating the free calendars, love adding some pretty hand lettered goodness to your daily life and supporting handmade products and small businesses :)


I love when people share pics of their calendars in use! Share yours via twitterfacebookinstagram or pinterest using the hashtag #happinessis_calendars. 

Have a great November! 


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Tuesday 13 October 2015

A Hand Lettered Birth Announcement & Watercolour Illustrations

A Hand Lettered Birth Announcement by fathima kathrada

I realised recently that I haven't been sharing much of my work on here anymore! Not intentionally, it kind of just got buried in the busyness. So today I'm sharing a project I really enjoyed: a hand lettered birth announcement and some illustrations for little Samuel...

Marni contacted me a few months before her due date with a commission request for some illustrations for her baby's room, and a birth announcement for when he arrived. She liked this one that I had done previously and wanted something similar. She requested three woodland animal illustrations, and although animals aren't quite my forté I enjoyed creating these and Marni loved them. Here's a look at the full set and some details...
A Hand Lettered Birth Announcement by fathima kathrada
A Hand Lettered Birth Announcement by fathima kathrada
A Hand Lettered Birth Announcement by fathima kathrada


Then, a few months later, it was getting close to the due date for Marni's little one. She had given me most of the wording beforehand so I could do some planning, and the other surprise info (weight, height, time and photo) would be provided once the baby arrived. Of course with this being a birth announcement, it all needed to be done pretty quickly after his arrival, so it was rather exciting. Marni let me know when she was going into hospital so I knew when to allow time to get it done. It felt like I was part of their whole exciting experience, which I loved! Once they were all healthy and happy and home, they sent through some pics, which we'd discussed earlier, and the additional info, and I got it to her the next day to send out to her friends and family.  I'm told they all loved it! 
Here's a look at some process and details and the final piece...

A Hand Lettered Birth Announcement by fathima kathrada
A Hand Lettered Birth Announcement by fathima kathrada
A Hand Lettered Birth Announcement by fathima kathrada

How amazing to be able to have a part in such a special occasion! I love this hand lettering style and am so glad everyone was happy with the end result.
The birth announcement is a great way of creating a memorable and functional piece of art to mark the special day. It can be sent out as an informational piece, and then also printed and framed as a special memory of that day.
Drop me a mail if you'd like to commission an illustration or lettering piece ;)


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Thursday 1 October 2015

October 2015 Free Printable Calendar and Planner

Happiness is... October 2015 Free Printable Calendar and Planner - watercolour hand lettering and botanical illustration
It's all lush, green happiness for the October calendar! This one was created using watercolour hand lettering and botanical illustration. Like it? Let me know in the comments below! 
(Seriously, I really appreciate the feedback ;)

Get your copy now and share this post with your friends!

Happiness is... October 2015 Free Printable Calendar and Planner - watercolour hand lettering and botanical illustration
Happiness is... September 2015 Free Printable Calendar and Planner
Happiness is... September 2015 Free Printable Calendar and Planner (black and white)

Get your calendars earlier PLUS extra exclusive freebies 
by subscribing to the Happiness is... Lucky Packet!

I love when people share pics of their calendars in use! Share yours via twitterfacebookinstagram or pinterest using the hashtag #happinessis_calendars. 

Here's wishing you a calm 
and happy October! 


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Monday 28 September 2015

Illustration Exploration: an art treasure hunt

Happiness is... Illustration Exploration: an art treasure hunt in Durban

#IllustrationExploration is a little side project I've started just for fun, for the sake of happiness and sharing, and for a little something different. A little while ago I had an idea to create a piece of art and share it for free, through a treasure hunt of sorts - hence "Illustration Exploration". The first one happened last week and it goes a little something like this:

• I'll announce on social media (facebook, twitter, instagram, snapchat @happinessisblog*) the day before it happens
• On the day I'll post clues about the package's whereabouts on twitter and snapchat. If you look carefully the clues will generally include a landmark or road name that you can google if the area doesn't look familiar
• I'll share a pic of what it looks like where it's placed
• It will be "hidden" somewhere in plain sight, where you may not see it if you aren't looking for it, but if you are looking for it, it'll be right there
• Once someone finds it they need to let me know, so until I've posted on my social media accounts that it has been found, it'll probably still be out there waiting!
Both of these were found a day or two after they were left, so if you aren't available at the time that I'm posting clues, don't be discouraged! It's not over until I share that someone found it. Make sure to check out all the clues on the hashtag (#IllustrationExploration), and on both twitter and snapchat for maximum info as the clues will be different on both accounts.

A lovely lady called Kat Kali found the first package, and her message about it was so heartwarming, it absolutely made my week....

Happiness is... Illustration Exploration: an art treasure hunt in Durban

So they'll happen roughly twice a month, every second week. You'll have to keep an eye on social media to know exactly when it's going down, and follow along for clues. The package is generally placed around lunchtime, so you can even pop out for some lunch break exploring to find it! There've been two so far, have a look at some of the clues and the illustrated pieces that were inside...

Happiness is... Illustration Exploration: an art treasure hunt in Durban

Happiness is... Illustration Exploration: an art treasure hunt in Durban

Inside the package you'll find an original hand drawn illustration, much like what you'll find on my Instagram account, a handwritten note from me, and maybe some other mystery items, depending on how much time I have. A little package of happiness, no strings attached!

Happiness is... Illustration Exploration: an art treasure hunt in Durban
Happiness is... Illustration Exploration: an art treasure hunt in Durban

Sounds good? Join in! The next one will be next week.
Of course due to the nature of the project it is only available to people in the Durban area. If you're not from Durban and you'd like an illustration, or if you'd like a specific illustration piece instead, you're welcome to get in touch for commissions. Most pieces on my Instagram account are also or sale.

If this inspires you to start your own branch in a different city, drop me a mail! Spreading the happiness is encouraged :)



*Add me on Snapchat for this project as well as some behind the scenes on my work and some of what I get up to when I'm not working: @happinessisblog





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Friday 4 September 2015

5 Links Worth Clicking

5 Links Worth Clicking - Links that have stood out to me over the past week

I come across so many awesome articles and sites during the week and while I do often share them on twitter, I think this is a nice roundup. These are only links that have really stood out to me over the past week or two...

Burger King offered McDonald's a very creative truce for Peace Day, McDonald's declined, but others accepted. Such a great idea, but even if you don't care about the concept, the site is so beautifully done, it's really worth a look.

Blossom Type is a typeface made of real flowers. On this site you can create your own message in flowers and download it.

"It's not worth it" is an art director's take on the creative industry. Very well worth a read if you're in the creative industry, especially in advertising. His full post contains a lot that I could relate to.

This genius artist who put on a multidisciplinary exhibition pretending to be 100 different artists. It's not very long and well worth the watch, his versatility is astounding.

12 Little Habits You Don't Realise Are Messing Up Your Mood Each Day - make a positive change :)

Would love to know if any of these resonate with you, so share your thoughts in the comments :)
Have a great weekend! 


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