April Free Printable Calendar + New Stationery Products!

I think creating these calendars makes me feel like time is moving even faster than usual - I know I say this every month but freakin whiskers, it's already APRIL!
Last month I had a request via twitter to provide the calendar in black and white (some colour elements don't always come through clearly if you just print the colour version in black and white) so this month and from now on there'll be a black and white separate version for those who can't print colour (but if you can print colour, do! It's so much better).
The word "April" was illustrated by hand with the colour dots added digitally.
Without further ado, here's your free printable calendar planner...

• Download Printable April Calendar in Colour • 

• Download Printable April Calendar in Black & White •

If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen some sneak peaks of some new stationery I've been working on, and it's finally ready! It's a set of eight watercolour illustrated ice creams, sold in a set of eight A6 (105 x 148mm) notecards. They're printed on a cream matt paper with a light speckle in it and a nice light texture that gives it a great retro kinda feel. Have a look!

They're available for sale now in my Hello Pretty store! 

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The Happiness is... Lucky Packet!

A little while ago I mentioned that I was launching a newsletter, and the first one went out last Tuesday! It was a pretty big deal for me since it's something I've been wanting to do for a long time, but I didn't want to do it until I felt I could do it well. By that I mean providing a newsletter that isn't just all about what I've been up to, that isn't just filled with stuff you may have seen on my other online channels, that is something you'll look forward to and won't want to miss. In other words, less "newsletter", more lucky packet!

In order to do that, this is what I promised:

• It's only once a month - no spamming!

• Monthly calendar printables at least a week (or more) before they're released on the blog
• Exclusive high quality free printables, vouchers, giveaways or product specials from time to time for newsletter subscribers only (that won't be made available on the blog or anywhere else)
• Useful tips from me, advice or articles of interest
• A brief roundup of popular posts from the past month
• Updates on anything new happening with Happiness is...

For this first ever newsletter, the subscribers got a first look and free printable version of one of my new stationery products that will be released soon. I was very happy with the launch and super stoked with the feedback so far - thank you to everyone who took the time to share your thoughts with me, I really appreciate it as that's what helps me tailor the content to bring you happiness :) 

Here's some of what people have been saying:

“What a great newsletter! Seriously! :):)
I can see a lot of thought has gone into it and it sure does pay off.
I have just started venturing off on my own with my freelance writing and it's proving tough but that article you shared just gave me a fresh dose of inspiration, so thank you!” - Megan Pilditch

“I just had to write here and let you know what an amazing newsletter you have written. You have raised the bar for the standard of newsletters, and inspired me to re-work my old format and create something new and fresh. Thank you for the inspiration, and from what I can clearly see, the hard work. You are one creative lady! Well done! ♥ x” - CityGirl Searching

“Your newsletter is beautiful! I've already printed out all of the goodies!” - Hello Pretty

I'm still learning more about the newsletter system, so it'll hopefully just get better from here. There's so much time and planning that goes into something like this, but I think it's going to be worth it :)

Here's a look at some behind the scenes rough work for the header:

If you haven't signed up yet, what are you waiting for? Go ahead...

Subscribe to the Happiness is... Monthly Lucky Packet!

Your Full Name

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And remember, if you'd like to share any feedback, good or bad, I'm all ears :)

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Beset Durban • Exploring Our City

If you're a Durbanite, you need to know about Beset Durban. 

“BESETdurban aims to surround (or occupy) Durban through urban intervention by working towards the proliferation of culture and community through various spatial encounters. BESETdurban wants to promote Durban’s rich urban landscape and will place specific focus on revealing this landscape through various forms.”

They've been around for a little while and I unfortunately haven't managed to attend any of their adventures, but I'm definitely joining their new Excursion series. In this series they'll be visiting Durban spots you may have visited as a child on school excursions, and first up is the Natural History Museum! I love that place!

One of the best things about Beset Durban is that it's always a walking tour. They meet at one spot and explore the chosen area completely on foot. Another great thing is that it's totally free! So flipping amped to explore and hopefully meet some new fun people. If you'd like to come along, here are the details:

Date: this Saturday, 22 March

Time: 9:30am

Where: Durban ICC South facing/city facing entrance. They will be meeting in front of the big glass facades of the ICC and walking to the City Hall from there.

Join the event on their Facebook group, find out more about them and check out their past adventures on the Beset Durban blog.

Will I see you there?

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Custom Monogram Illustration

A while ago I was commissioned to create this monogram illustration for a gift. The request was quite specific to the person it was going to be gifted to and I was given a great description of what she likes and the kind of person she is. It's always so great when you create something and manage to capture exactly what your client had in mind - she was very happy with it! Which makes me really happy :)

I used pen for the lettering and watercolour paint for the rest of it.

If you'd like to chat about commissioned illustrations or any other design or illustration work, you can drop me a mail to discuss.

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Monday Meow • 16

1 lion art print  •  2 embroidered plush cat keyring

3 cat lady badge  •  4 cat purse

Happy Monday!

It's a bit late, but it is still Monday so still legit ;)
The first Happiness is... Lucky Packet newsletter goes out tomorrow and I'm super nervous and excited about it. If you haven't signed up yet, sign up now! There's more info on what you'll be getting on the Subscribe page. Plus watch out for a fun new range of stationery in my Hello Pretty store soon.

Here's wishing you a fantastic week ahead!

Watch out for the April free calendar printable next week.

Enjoyed this post? Click here for more weird & wonderful Monday Meow posts.

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A Stationery Start

Stap man retro stapler   •   Cat letter rack   •   Happiness journal

Tape dispenser   •   Happy Hippo pen holder

Thought I'd start off the work week with some cool stationery, coz using cool stationery just makes work so much more fun doesn't it? The cat letter rack and happy hippo are my favourites! Speaking of cats, I've pushed Monday Meow out to one Monday a month. It felt like it was taking over the blog, and as awesome as cats are, I need some other stuff on here too! So if you're a Monday Meow fan you can look out for that next week, or browse past posts here.

In other news, the first edition of the all new Happiness is... Lucky Packet monthly newsletter will be going out soon, so if you haven't signed up yet, get in there now! You'll see the new subscribe button in the menu at the top of this page. Click here to find out what it's all about and to sign up!

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Hand Lettering • Calligraphy • Typography // 02

Here's the second instalment in the type inspiration series! (Here's the last one, it was quite a while ago I'm afraid). Aren't they just so beautiful? Hope you enjoy them as much as I do :)

Left to right, top to bottom: one // two // three // four 

Have you signed up for the newsletter yet? Yes, there's a newsletter! Read all about it and sign up here.

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Personalised and Hand Lettered Client Gift Cards

Today I'm sharing some client gift cards I made to send to my awesome clients earlier this year. I wanted to give out something with a bit of a concept, something interesting instead of just a pretty card. I thought this coffee idea would be great as most people love coffee, or even if they don't, everyone enjoys the smell of fresh coffee beans. I thought it also tied in well with a new year and a fresh start. 

Sending end of year gifts and cards has become a bit too much of a thing and people just get bombarded with season's greeting from all angles. No one expects to receive gifts in January unless it's their birthday, so I sent these in January as a happy surprise to start the year off on a good note. Since I have a fairly small and really lovely client base, I took the extra time and effort to individually customise them with their names, either hand painted or digitally illustrated (I tried two styles as you'll see below) to make it really special and show them that they're important to me. Here are some examples...

Here's a look at some of the rough practice work that went on beforehand...

What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts so don't forget to leave a comment :)

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