Modern calligraphy is such a common thing in Blogland. Everywhere you look, everywhere you go… there’s calligraphy. I’ve gone into shops looking for calligraphy kits before, but most of them taught the old school western style. Over the weekend, however, I had the chance to try out an amazing Calligraphy Starter Kit by Diva Pyari from Uncommon Goods.

Uncommon Goods is a privately owned company based in Brooklyn, New York that specializes in providing creative and handcrafted gifts for all types of people. What I love most about them is that they are very socially and environmentally aware. Most products are made in the United States and about half are made by hand. Uncommon Goods partners with four non-profits and even reaches out to the community, hosting product design and art challenges. And I could go on… I’m loving everything I’ve learned about them so far! Finding out about retailers that care for the earth and humanity gives me so much hope.

So, about this Calligraphy Starter Kit. I was really nervous that I would try it out and fail and not be able to blog about it. But it wasn’t so bad! I mean, it was really bad at first but I slowly started to get the hang of it. It turned out to be really addicting! I am already planning to go out and buy some different supplies (colorful ink perhaps!).

In the spirit of keeping it real, here is my first attempt at writing some letters. Yikes.

I experimented with different ways of holding the pen before I was comfortable with it. The instructions advised to hold the nib over a flame for a few seconds and that made a huge difference in the inkflow. This next picture is still a little rough but better right? Pretty sure modern calligraphy is allowed to be messy. :)

If you’re looking for gifts for friends, family, or yourself (treat yo’self!), Uncommon Goods has a plethora of unique choices. Here is the calligraphy kit if you’re interested. You can also check out the gifts for women here and gifts for men here. Oh and there are tons of cute gifts for little ones here! I’m a true fan. I’ll be back next week with another review of their products because I couldn’t stop with just one.

Have you done any calligraphy? Any suggestions on fancy ink or nib brands?