I use multiple sketchbooks and journals on a daily basis.
Moleskin has a large variety of sizes of
watercolor sketchbooks that hold up very well to all wet media.  I like that they do not have spiral binding, though I know many artists that prefer spiral bound sketchbooks.
Strathmore carries a lot of highly recommended sketchbooks as well.
I’ve had my eye on this
Very Big Sketchbook because it just looks like a fun new size to explore.
Moleskin makes my favorite journals as well. Â I don’t mind the thin pages in the
blank journal. I have used
watercolor on the pages and they held up pretty well. Â The pages do crinkle a bit, but I actually really like that. Â I like having no lines to restrict my journaling. Â I do also use a
lined version for my scripture journal and its’ pages are thicker, if that’s a concern for your artist.
COLORED PENCILS AND PENS
I have this Koi Brush pen set and it is perfect for my sketchbook, for coloring and for brush pen lettering. It has plenty of colors, but I dream of one day owning this giant set.
I love these
Staedtler pens. They have a fine line and vibrant colors and I use them all the time in my journals.
MAKERS:
I’ve been documenting our family story through
Project Life for years. Â I’ve tried all of the methods available: physical product (where you have actual paper and actual printed out photos and slip them into photo sleeves in an album) digital Project Life (on the computer), and the
Project Life App. Â My personal favorite is the Project Life App. I can easily create stunning scrapbook pages in minutes without any mess or fuss. Â This allows me to keep up to date in small moments while waiting in the pick-up lane or nursing my baby or on the airplane on the way home from our adventures. Â I had the photos from our Alaska trip completely scrap booked before our airplane even landed.
At only 99 cents, this app is pretty incredible, and absolutely life-changing for busy Mamas who want to remember the extraordinary days they’re in the middle of, without having to spend a lot of time documenting.
The perfect way to wind down after a busy day or to watch a movie while crafting away. (Or both, which is what I usually do).
If you’ve never heard of
VidAngel, you’re missing out. Â We love this service! Â You can stream countless movies, both new and old, and filter the content to exclude things you are uncomfortable with. (You can even filter out Jar Jar Binks!) Â We love sitting down to enjoy our traditional weekly pizza and a movie night (something we’ve enjoyed together religiously as a family for the past decade) and not worrying about whether our kids will hear or see something inappropriate.
You set the very specific filters yourself.
VidAngel will let you know if a scene is important to the plot line or not before you filter it.
Perfect for the young creative person in your life. Â We just signed my son up for a year subscription to Tinker Crate. Â He received his first kit this week and has loved it. It was a perfect project for a little one-on-one time with his Engineer Daddy. At one point the day after they put the kit together I heard Ethan playing around with it. Â He was off in his own little pretend world and I heard him say, “Copper tape emergency! Copper tape emergency! Alert!” Totally made my day.
What gift ideas would you add to this list?
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