On Black - Been There - Done That

size: 4.5"h x 7"w
On Black paper (not sure what brand) created the words that popped into my head... in basic monoline using a white Unibal gel pen. Colored with Black Edition colored pencils.
words: Been There Done That

Calligraphy Artwork 2025 Bound

size: 11"h x 8.5"w x 15"thk each
Using Value Pack Neutrals cardstock for the pages, adhered to an accordion bound spine made from 1" folds. Approx 22 sheets per book with artwork on both sides of the pages.
Covers made with dark brown matboard (front, spine and back). Using  bookbinding tape to adhere it together. Added one of my gelli print papers to camouflage the tape and as a decorative element. Wrote the titles on the neutral cardstock trimmed down, punched the corners with a decorative corner punch. Added the vol # to the spines. 

 

 

 

 

 

Doodled Florals - Be Bold Be Bold

On Canson Mixed Media paper created the design with a ZIG Writer.
Lettering done with the Zig Writer and a black Staedtler Calligraphy Duo pen.
words: Be Bold Be Bold and everywhere be bold. Herbert Spencer

Star Fun Card - Happy Birthday

size: 5"h x 7"w
I came across this structure on Facebook by The Serene Stamper (Tina Zinck)

I used my geli printed paper: 6 pieces (5"h x 4"w) - score and fold 4 pieces (.5", 1.5", 2.5"& 3.5")
score and fold the other 2 pcs (1", 2" & 3"
Glue the 1/2" sections to the card base starting at the left edge and snugging the 2nd 1/2" section of the 1st piece to butt against the 1st glued piece. Glue the 2nd piece butted against the 1st piece. Repeat on back side of card base.
The other 2 pieces - one gets glued  between the 1st 2 sections on the front. Glue the ends to either side of the already glued down sections. Repeat on other side of card base.
These pieces will fold flat to become a 5 x 7" card.
Add words or whatever to the remaining card.

Art Of The Fold - Spinner Card -My Wish To You

size closed: 5.5"sq

The challenge for our next Art Of The Fold Group (Jan 2026) has us making a spinner card. I like the idea of it but not so much the construction. Will have to mull it over for a while... And on my theme of trying to use things up it was made completely from scraps except the base which is basic white cardstock. 

I raided my geli print scraps, mainly cut of ends from other projects... and glued them to the white cardbase. I like the results...
Die cut circles the appropriate size. Folded the mechanism and glued to the inside, then glued the circles onto it.
Link Spinner Card base Instr HERE
Raided my florals/leaves and BFly stash and adhered them making sure everything rotated properly without sticking... Added rhinestone gems to flower centers.
Used Shadow lettering style for the words.

 

 

Funky Floral - Fantastica - Shadow Letters

size: 4.5"h x 6"w
On Canson Mixed Media paper drew my funky floral... painted with w/c and Kuretake gold paints. Added the shadowed lettering in 2 sizes to fit the design.
words: Fantastica

Shadow Letters - Leafy Branch - Love You More

size: 4.5"w x 6"h
On Canson Mixed Media paper drew my leafy branch with pencil, then creating the lettering and erasing the negative part of the letters. Colored with Prisma colored pencils.
words: Love you more than words can say.

Shadows - Floral - Cosmos

size: 4.5"w x 6"h
On Canson Mixed Media paper created the shadowed screen type circle, added the florals (Cosmos my favorite flower) colored with Prisma colored pencils adding the leafy strokes with a ZIG Writer.
I made shadow letters a looong time ago but am having fun resurrecting them...
words: Cosmos

Circles - Spirals - A Positive Perspective

size: 4.5"sq
On Canson Mixed Media paper created the circles, adding the design in the center, then the gold border, the lettering, gold border and outside circle using Prisma colored pencils, Juice Up pen for the lettering and Kuretake gold paint.
words: Stress is a downward spiral, and you can only overcome it with a positive perspective. Jen Lilley

Funky - You Are Not A Nobody

size: 6"w x 4.5"h
On Canson Mixed Media paper created the design with a ZIG Writer. Used a Noblot pencil on the left edge and brushed with water, when dry doodled with Uniball Signo colored pens. Added a grey shadow around the letters.
words: You are not a NOBODY.

Abstract Floral - Life BeginsAt The End

size: 6"h x 4.5"w
On Canson Mixed Media paper created the design with a ZIG Writer and shadowed with Caran d'Ache Grafwood B pencil and paper stump/
Lettering done with a black Staedtler Calligraphy Duo pen and a ZIG Writer
words: Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Neale Donald Walsch

Scribbled Lives 2025 - Bound

Scribbled Lives bound... 32 pages including covers. Not sure what this binding is called or if it's just something I made up... 4 ply brown waxed linen thread.

I've had a good 5 years with Scribbled Lives, but like with everything else, things come to a close and I've decided not to continue in 2026.

Black White Design - Stand Firm

size: 6"h x 4.5"w
On Canson Mixed Media paper created the design with a ZIG Writer and shadowed with Caran d'Ache Grafwood B pencil and paper stump/
Lettering done with a black Staedtler Calligraphy Duo pen and a ZIG Writer
words: Stand firm as the tower that never shakes its top whatever wind may blow. Dante Alighieri

Linear Bkgrd - Relax Play Enjoy

size: 6"h x 4.5"w
On Canson Mixed Media paper created the bkgr'd with every color of ZIG Clean Color Real Brush pens I have. Then created the black lines to make the colors stand out more.
Words done with a black Staedtler Calligraphy Duo pen in my style of lettering adding a white highlight with white paint.
words: Relax Play Enjoy

Black White Floral - Be Bold Be Brave

size: 6"h x 4.5"w
On Canson Mixed Media paper created the design with a ZIG Writer and shadowed with Caran d'Ache Grafwood B pencil and paper stump/
Lettering done with a black Staedtler Calligraphy Duo pen and a ZIG Writer
words: Be Bold, Be Brave enough to be yourself. Queen Latifa

BVCG Env Exc 2025 - Diana Carwithen

 Diana Carwithen (Dec 2025)
Env created on Canson Mixed Media paper (I think). Drew out the elongated letters of her name and colored with every color of my ZIG Calligraphy marker set...

The card was from my stash... I'm trying to use them up.

Gingerbread Letters - ECS - Sally Towers-Sybllis

I took a fun class with The Edmonton Calligraphy Society recently where Sally Towers-Sybllis taught us a funky lettering style - Gingerbread letters.

I did the exemplar in my Canson Mixed Media book using various medias - ZIG Writer for outlines and shadow, w/c to paint each letter in various shades of ochre/browns etc, then detailed with various gel and metallic pens, finally adding the blue colored shaded area with a Prisma Colored pencil. Love this style of lettering with all the doodling etc... right up my alley.

Then I created the card on Staples white 110#cardstock. trimmed down and punched the corners, adhered to the blue cardstock and then onto a brown card base.

words: Thinking of you

Art Of The Fold - Pop Up Card - From Me To You

The challenge for our next Art Of The Fold Group (Dec 2025) had us making this kind of structure. A bit challenging... I would make my tabs a little shorter.
 

size closed: 6"w x 7.5"h
The card base was made from a slightly textured 12 x 12 paper and the rest made with various brands of cardstock, the butterflies from gelli prints made on Columbia Mills LBS End paper.

Lettering on the front was done with DecoColor Premium gold pen and then shadow outlined with a ZIG Writer.

Ovals and butterflies punched out. and the inside lettering hand cut from another geli print paper..

On Black - Ribbon - Lucy Locket

size: 6"w x 7"h
On black textured cardstock created the ribbon using Uniball white gel pen and Prisma colored pencil. Then looked at the finished artwork and said it need a quote...
Text written with a green metallic Gelly Roll pen in my funky style.
words: Lucy Locket lost her pocket, Kitty Fisher found it; There was not a penny in it, but a ribbon round it.
Mother Goose - Kate Greenaway

Hanukkah Cards 2025

size: 6"h x 4.5"w
On Staples 110 cardstock created the Hanukkah cards using Calligraphy marker pens for the blue card & Kuretake metallic paint for the copper/gold card
words: Happy Hanukkah

Scribbled Lives wk 50 - One Word - Imagine

Size: 6.5"w x 4.5"h
On St Armand cold press w/c paper drew out the letters to spell IMAGINE, adding a 3D effect. Colored with various brands of w/c, the background with my favorite blue (Holbien Peacock Blue), when dry doodled in the letters.

PS this will be my last Scribbled Lives post. I've decided not to join for 2026. I've had a good 5 years...

Do Kind Things - 4 Ways

size: each 4" sq
On Genoa Bond calligraphy paper created the 1st design in black and white in funky lettering using a Staedtler 3.5 calligraphy pen. Liked it and asked myself what it would look like colored... so traced the original design with a ZIG Writerand colored with Prisma colored pencils and a Lyra blender pencil.
Then I asked myself what would it look like doodled, so created one with outline letters and then one with solid black letters and doodle them (uniball white gel pen)
I like all 4 of them...
words: Do kind things You'll feel better.

Yellow Flowers - Enjoy The Sunshine

size: 6"h x 4.5"w
On Canson Mixed Media paper created the floral artwork, painted with various brands of watercolor and linear work with a Juice Up pen.
Words done with the Juice Up pen in my serif style lettering...
words: If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you'll never enjoy the sunshine. Morris West

Gifts - Love Without Giving

size: 6"h x 4.5"w
On Canson Mixed Media paper created the gift boxes artwork, painted with various brands of watercolor including white gold Kuretake w/c.
Words done with a pointed nib in my script writing style with Sumi ink. Then added the hearts with a red ZIG writer.
words: you can give without loving but you cannot love without giving. Amy Carmichael

Funky S - Sing I Tell You

size: 6"h x 4.5"w
On Canson Mixed Media paper created the funky "S" doodle with butterfly... (Didn't realize what I was doing until the end when I looked at it... and said that looks like an "S") painted with various brands of watercolor. added some doodling and gel pen accents.
Words with some gold Kuretake w/c and the rest in serif style lettering with a ZIG Writer.
words: Sing, I tell you... and all the angels will sing with you. Suzy Kassem

WC - Plums - Plum Blossom

size: 6"h x 4.5"w
On Canson Mixed Media paper painted the plum design with various brands of w/c. Wrote out the haiku text with a Staedtler 3002 pen size 2.0

words: moon, plum blossoms, this that, and the day goes. Kobayashi Issa

Noblot Ink - Each Of Us

size: 8"w x 9"h
On Arches Text Wove paper, drew out the text in a Fusion Lettering style learnt in Christine Ahmad's calligraphy class recently. I used a Noblot Ink Pencil and then activating the pencil with a White Taklon Series 970 size 000 brush, giving this beautiful colored text...
Thanks to Kerri Forster for the nudge to play with this pencil

Scribbled Lives - wk49 - Giving - Don't Just Think Do

 

wk 49 - Giving - Don't Just Think Do
Size: 4" x 6.5" (not incl pens)
On misc Black cardstock wrote out the words using the gold pen (DecoColor Premium) in my funky style the shadowed with a white gel pen (Uniball)
words: Don't Just think do...

Abstract Floral - Free Therapy

size: 6"h x 4.5"w
On Canson Mixed Media paper created the floral design using various colors and brands of gel pens, adding the doodle flowers with a blue Juice Up pen.
Text done with a Staedtler 3002 pen size 2.0

words: Smile, it's free therapy

Alpha A - O - More Than Letters

size:  6"w x 4.5"h
On Canson Mixed Media paper  wrote out the alphabet from A to O in a monoline style and then bordered each letter to create the white spaces. Painted each section with various brands of w/c both solidly and water blended. When dry added my text.
words: More than letters mingle souls. John Donne

Pencil Doodle - Photography Is

size: 5"sq
On Genoa Bond Calligraphy paper drew a bunch of wavy lines crossing each other using a Blackwing 223 pencil... then started to doodle in them and adding shading. Text with a ZIG Writer
words: Photography is an immediate reaction, drawing is a meditation.
Henry Cartien Bresson