To make a family activity advent calendar of your own, just grab the printable files below and print your preferred version (with or without text) on any light color cardstock paper. After printing, I used my paper trimmer to cut the edges off the paper, then used this one inch square punch to make the individual advent calendar insert cards. You could also totally cut them by hand. There are very light squares around each illustration to help serve as guides for scissors or paper trimmers. Then sort the individual cards into your own reusable advent calendar – you can also save and reuse the insert cards every year!

I know some of you will have already started your Christmas decorating and activities over the Thanksgiving weekend, and I’m sure some of you will have your own family traditions to add. I made a version of the printable advent calendar with just the illustrations so you can add your own traditions and activities. Or if you prefer, you can use the version with text and pick your favorite activities and traditions to incorporate – there are 30 cards, so you should have at least five extra if you choose to use the version with text!

Grab the printable files below:

Printable Family Activity Advent Calendar (WITH text)

Printable Family Activity Advent Calendar (NO text)

Illustrations © 2018 Riley Sheehey Printable advent calendar created exclusively for Oh So Beautiful Paper. All artwork is made available for personal use only. By downloading the advent calendar you agree to the terms of use.

Photos by Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Image via Wildfield Paper Co.

Hi friends. How are you all holding up? Hopefully everyone is safe and quarantining at home, and during these uncertain times I know some of us are looking to the arts to help us de-stress and pass the time at home. So for those of you looking for online art classes we can all do at home – primarily calligraphy, painting, illustration, and printmaking classes – I thought I’d share a few of my faves for you!

Image via Written Word Calligraphy

CALLIGRAPHY

• Calligraphy is so meditative and therapeutic – and there’s so much you can do with it once you master the skill! After teaching more than a thousand students through sold-out in person workshops, Karla Lim from Written Word Calligraphy just launched her first online workshop! Karla worked really hard to make her in-person workshops completely virtual, with printable worksheets, notes for troubleshooting, group live sessions, private Facebook groups, and feedback from Karla to help students get where they want to be. Enrollment is only open until April 14 – sign up right here!

• Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls is another one of my favorite calligraphers and has a couple of calligraphy classes over on Creativebug! Her calligraphy on unconventional surfaces class covers techniques for writing with calligraphy on unconventional surfaces, like wood and chalkboard, using acrylic paint, gouache and chalk.

• For those of you looking for a full introduction into all things calligraphy, I highly recommend the Modern Calligraphy Summit! There are two installments so far – Modern Calligraphy Summit 1.0 and Modern Calligraphy Summit 2.0 –and the classes including brush lettering, invitation design, envelope layouts, basic copperplate, writing on non-traditional surfaces, digitizing watercolor illustrations, and so much more! And as much as an in-person workshop would be totally amazing, itâ€s just as incredible to be able to learn from so many talented calligraphers from the comfort of your own home. The Modern Calligraphy Summit also includes handy templates and handouts, a private Facebook community to support you as you learn, and lifetime access to all the amazing content so you can go back and watch the videos as many times as you need to practice and get the hang of things. Enroll right here!

Image via Carolyn Gavin

PAINTING + ILLUSTRATION

• For those of you who enjoy watercolor painting, the Watercolor Summit is right up your alley. Learn how to mix custom colors, paint landscapes and skies, florals of every variety, and even animals with layers and depth with over sixteen hours of instruction from teachers like Jenna Rainey and Annie Mertlich of Wildfield Paper Co. The Watercolor Summit includes a list of recommended supplies, a private Facebook community, and lifetime access to all the course materials. There’s also a bonus pack just focused on Annie’s botanical paintings and a full second installment of the Watercolor Summit focused on gouache painting coming on May 11! Enroll right here!

• If you already have all your supplies and want to learn how to paint specific kinds of flowers, a few of my favorite watercolor artists offer more detailed classes on their own channels. Watercolor artist Yao Cheng has several classes on Creativebug, while Jenna Rainey also has a ton of video tutorials on her YouTube channel, covering everything from anemones to peonies to leaves!

• If acrylics are more your speed, I’m intrigued by this Loose Floral Acrylic Painting class with Australian-based artist Claire Bremner. The colors are so fun, and the loose painting style is super accessible for beginners. She also has this Expressive Floral Artwork class!

• Speaking of bold, bright colors, I was absolutely delighted to discover this gouache and watercolor painting class from one of my favorite artists, Carolyn Gavin. It’s geared more towards intermediate level artists, with a focus on flowers, fruit, and natural objects. The class includes 31 days of video instruction and painting prompts – enough to keep you busy for a while! And for beginners, this gouache painting class from Heather Ross looks like fun!

• And since many of us are staying indoors these days, landscape painting could be a great way to remember our favorite places – or the places we plan to visit when it’s safe to travel! I’ve always been drawn to loose Impressionist-style landscapes. This landscape painting class uses oil paints, but you can totally follow along in acrylics or watercolor depending on your preference.

• If you’re looking to develop your line drawing skills, Lisa Congdon has a whole range of classes over on Creativebug, including a month-long daily drawing challenge and a4-part basic line drawing class.

Image via Katharine Watson

PRINTMAKING

• I took a printmaking class back in college and absolutely loved it – I’ve been wanting to get back into it ever since, and I would love to teach my girls when they’re a bit older! I’m definitely signing up for this linoleum block printing class from one of my favorite printmaking artists, Katharine Watson and this monoprinting class from Courtney Cerutti.

• I took a Suminagashi paper marbling class a couple years ago and it was SO fun – and incredibly meditative. My 6 year old took the class with me and also loved it, so it’s kid friendly for those of you with artistically-inclined kids! I was thrilled to find this online version that anyone can take at home. 

Happy learning everyone!

Alright friends, now that primary season is officially upon us, letâ€s talk about presidential candidates (positive and constructive comments only, please). My friends and I talk a lot about this in person, but politics shouldnâ€t be something talked about in hushed circles since the policies of our elected officials affect ALL of us.

As you may know, I spent nearly ten years working for the federal government here in DC. My degrees are in economics and international diplomacy, and politics is part of my soul. Iâ€ve been following each candidate closely and evaluating them based on their policies and vision for the future, and Iâ€m all in for Elizabeth Warren! 

Hereâ€s why: Sheâ€s empathetic and compassionate, and she truly understands how much people are struggling right now. She has big plans for fixing our broken economy and our democracy – including investing in public education, creating universal child care, expanding access to healthcare, pursuing anti-corruption reforms, and transitioning our economy to clean and renewable energy. She knows her stuff, knows HOW to get it done, and has a plan to pay for everything, including making the top 1% of the 1% put some of their resources back into the system. Sheâ€s the only candidate currently running that actually makes me feel HOPEFUL about the future when I listen to her talk. Gabby from Design Mom wrote a post with a whole list of reasons why she’s supporting Elizabeth Warren, and I agree with all of them!

Did you watch the democratic primary debate last night? I thought Elizabeth Warren’s performance was masterful. I’ve seen critiques that Warren was too angry, but to me she was prepared, effective, and assertive. I would honestly LOVE to have a president who is angry on our behalf at the way middle class families are getting squeezed by billionaires and huge corporations. And she’s been saying the same things for years – here’s a video from 10 years ago with Warren talking to voters about some of these exact same issues.

So what about you? Are you liking any candidates in particular? And yes, don’t worry, I’m planning to vote for whichever candidate gets the Democratic nomination. I like plenty of things about the other candidates, minus Bloomberg. Super Tuesday is coming up on March 3, and most state primaries will take place between now and April (text VOTER to 26797 to check your registration and get local election info!). Itâ€s definitely time to start doing research and choosing your preferred candidates – from presidential candidates all the way down to state and local government candidates. You can find your local ballot over at Ballotpedia!

Punch Recipes

Okay, let’s start with the punches – the large batch cocktails that will keep everyone happy throughout the night. Our Spiced Winter Punch is one of our favorite recipes and can be made with vodka, rum, gin, or whiskey, you can go traditional with a Hot Rum Punch, or mix things up with a tequila-based (!!) Yuletide Punch. If you’re feeling extra theatrical, you can light the Charles Dickens Punch on fire before drinking (please be extra careful). Fish House punch is just a rather strange name for a Caribbean rum punch, while Allspice Punch is warm and spicy.

Spiced Winter Punch

Allspice Punch // Charles Dickens Punch

Traditional Hot Rum Punch

Fish House Punch // Yuletide Punch

Wine Cocktails

If you’re not super into spirits, try a mulled wine for the holidays! We love a good Swedish Glögg, which is basically a bottle of wine thrown together with whatever spirits and spices you might already have on hand. We made ours with brandy and white port, but you could easily go with rum, whiskey, or just about anything else. Same goes for the Mulled Winter Sangria, which can be served warm or over ice!

Traditional Swedish Glögg

Mulled Winter Sangria

Warm Coffee Cocktails

Warm cocktails are perfect for cold winter nights, and couldn’t we all use the extra energy from a bit of black coffee?? Our Spiced Irish Coffee and Scotch Coffee recipes are basically just variations on a theme, but we added cardamom and rosewater to the Irish coffee while the vanilla bean Scotch coffee has a smokey warmth that I really love this time of year. 

Spiced Irish Coffee

Vanilla Bean Scotch Coffee

Smashes

If you’re looking for crowd-pleasing small batch cocktail recipes to make over the holidays, these two vanilla-bean smashes – the Pear Vanilla Bean Bourbon Smash and Orange Vanilla Bean Scotch Smash – are my absolute favorites. Even if you don’t think you like Scotch or Bourbon, you’ll love these drinks. Promise!

Pear Vanilla Bean Bourbon Smash

Orange Vanilla Bean Scotch Smash

Happy holidays everyone!

From Kristin: I wanted to create stationery inspiration that was dark and whimsical but still had romantic tones to it. Almost gothic in style. The styling of this suite was very important to give it those mysterious moody vibes. I used black linen fabric for the background but chose an off white cheese cloth to add texture and help the black paper pieces stand out more.

The cotton rag paper is handmade by Fringe and Rose. I chose this particular paper because of its loose uneven edges and textured surface. The wax seals are messier than you might normally see, with drops and dribbles. I just let the wax burn right off the stick and drip directly onto the paper and ribbon, creating those black flecks you see in the gold.

If you look close enough youâ€ll see the script text on the cotton paper pieces is a quote from “The Tell-Tale Heart” By Edgar Allan Poe – because, details!