Welcome

Hello and welcome to December's "Nice Things" newsletter. I'm trying a new format - what do you think? In my first newsletter I mentioned that I wanted to keep things simple and focus on content. This is still the case, however, I realised I was missing out on the opportunity to showcase some stunning images. One of the newsletter's themes, after all, is creativity. The other issue I became aware of was the fact that I was including a number of links in the body of an email and this could potentially cause the newsletter to get stuck in the internet ether! So for the "cost" of one extra click - you get this pretty newsletter. Please let me know what you think. If this does not work for you, I will change it to something that does.

Back to the business of nice things - thank you for subscribing. If this is your first newsletter you can find last month's in the newsletter archive. Just click the button below.

So December arrived - how did that happen? It seems to have come around very quickly. That being said, I love December. It's a wonderful opportunity for reflection and also planning for a brand new year. As such, this month's "nice things" are focussed on personal development, as well as well as the usual dose of nice creative stuff.

Now, the "Nice Things"...

Brush Pen Calligraphy

For months now I have been trying to learn calligraphy. I started with a pointed pen but it just wasn't for me, then I moved to a brush pen but still struggled. Thanks to the amazing Pieces Calligraphy I persevered with the brush pen and am now getting results! Sharisse, the lovely lady behind Pieces Calligraphy, is currently running a series of blog posts about the basic strokes required for brush pen calligraphy. This was exactly what I needed - I was trying to dive in to creating letters and words straight away. Actually all letters are made out of these basic strokes, therefore is makes sense to learn these first. Sharisse also features short videos about the basic strokes on Instagram. Did I mention that all of this amazing content is free? Click the button below to find Sharisse's website and Instagram page.

Better Handwriting

Following on from my recent calligraphic exploits, along a similar theme, I have also been trying to improve my handwriting. I seem to use technology for everything now - even my shopping list (check out the free app "Bring", available for iPhone and Android.) Whilst this is great most of the time, my handwriting has suffered simply because I don't write often. I have always wanted beautiful handwriting. I found a great workbook from NALA (National Adult Literacy Agency) that takes you back to basics with handwriting

Beautiful Free Photos

If you were wondering where the lovely photos in this month's newsletter came from, you might want to check out a website called Unsplash. They feature free "do whatever you want" high resolution photos, and as you can see, they are stunning.

Your Next Read?

One of my favoured personal development methods is reading (or technically, listening, as I am an audiobook girl). I have just started "I am Malala" written by Malala Yousafzai. I'm only a few chapters in and I'm quite overwhelmed (in a good way) and inspired. It's historically and culturally fascinating and it really puts a few things in perspective for me. As someone who works in education it's really got me thinking.

Tidying Up

"Decluttering" is something that always ends up on my new year's resolution list. Next year's list, however, will be slightly different as I have already started the process using the Konmari method. You can listen to me chatting about this approach in episode 84 of the iMake podcast (click the button below to go straight to the episode). I've also provided you with a link to a wonderfully visual explanation of the method to get you started.

Body Image

"Diet" is another regular on the new year's resolution list, but perhaps not this year. I think this year I am going to focus on health (a totally different thing entirely for me) and positive body image. I have been inspired by a TEDX talk by Lillian Bustle (link below).

Your Freebie

Your exclusive freebie this month is a screensaver (is that still a thing?!) for your smartphone, designed by me. You can also use it as wallpaper on your phone, however, it works best as your screensaver. The image is for personal use only and should only be used as a smartphone screensaver or wallpaper. Thank you :-)

TTFN

That's all from me for this month. I really hope you enjoyed the new look newsletter. Feel free to email me with your feedback on martine@martineellis.com. Best wishes for the coming holiday period and here's to a wonderful 2016! I'll see you in 2016.