maker’s dozen . Tools [printable calendar]

Welcome, September… and whatever teasing of Fall and cooler weather fun you might bring! I’m kicking off the month with a Maker’s Dozen saluting our family’s most eventful transition of the last few weeks — the start of school. Plus, as you scroll down, you’ll find a monthly printable calendar with some new artwork.

As you may be experiencing in your neck of the woods, the 2020-2021 school year has a unique set of challenges as we all navigate the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are adjusting to a new schedule with my daughter in full-time virtual learning and my sons in a hybrid plan with in-person school two days each week and virtual learning for the other days. While, I’m so happy to have them with me for extra time, it’s quite a juggling feat with client projects, kid activities, and assignments and more school assignments. Still, we’re thankful for the creativity and commitment of our excellent teachers, and we haven’t let this weird year dampen our excitement for… school supplies!

School tools! We love them. We all have our favorites, embedded with memories and the excitement of organizing a new school year. The Field Guide’s Maker’s Dozen collages offer 13 curated curiosities and bits of nostalgia and ephemera unearthed in the studio, and this one also includes a few favorite tools I use every day!

1. Go Greenies Go – A remnant from my childhood. As the daughter of a high school principal, I’ve had no shortage of football spirit paraphernalia appear in my back to school collections!
2. Alvin Glass Dux Pencil Sharpener – Simply my favorite for any pencil and so pretty in blue.
3. Berol 2B – Perfect softness.
4. Blackwing Palamino – My favorite pencil of all time. You can’t go wrong with the standard black with soft eraser, but a year or so ago, I splurged on these pink and blue versions.
5. Grease Pencil – Ahh, the fun of peeling off the paper to reveal more wax, or whatever a grease pencil is made of?
6. Koh-I-Noor Kneaded Eraser – Not quite like Silly Putty, but ideal for when your graphite was a little too generous.
7. Classic Staedtler White – For mistakes, big and small.
8. Green and White Whale Eraser – Do you really need a reason?
9. Pink and Turquoise Bulldog Clip – No reason holding things shouldn’t make you smile.
10. Extra Jumbo Paper Clip – For holding big things.
11. Lightbulb Shaped Paper Clip – For holding good ideas.
12. Crayola Crayons – My trusty 48-pack.
13. Winsor & Newton Travel Palette – I’ve used this one since college, and it’s my watercolor security blanket. Filled countless times with pans or tube paint, it’s recorded my thoughts on many a trip!

We all need the hope that comes from new beginnings, and so often that’s what a new school year represents. I love this quote from Harvey Milk about the voice hope gives us – even in troubled or uncertain times – and I decided to paint something for it yesterday. It was the first time I had picked up my paints in several weeks. Adjusting to our new school routines, a full load of client projects and planning for family celebrations have stretched me a bit. Painting is often a key component in keeping my center during jumbled times AND in keeping my hope muscle active. It did my heart good to get back to this routine and remember the comfort it provides my spirit. I hope you enjoy the free printable download and the 5×7 cut-away mini print.