This Online Class Will Transform You Into a Calligraphy Pro

Samantha Tagher
Jul 14, 2015

We get it. Calligraphy can look a little intimidating. You might be thinking it’s a little too complicated for you. But we’re here to remind you that even a professional calligrapher has to start somewhere.

Today, Lauren makes a living as a professional calligrapher. Her work has been featured on blogs like Style Me Pretty and The Knot. Her stationery has been sold nationwide at Anthropologie stores. Essentially, a hobby that started back in 2009 has turned into a full-blown business for Lauren. But in her own words, she wouldn’t have been able to get to where she is today with practice, practice, practice. Her best advice: Just start!

What we love about Lauren is that she’s dedicated to sharing her passion for calligraphy with others. That’s we teamed up with her to create a beginner-friendly calligraphy class. In Calligraphy 101, you’ll learn the basics just like Lauren did back in 2009. She’ll show you how to hold a pointed pen, write numbers and letters, and complete a calligraphy alphabet.

BY THE END OF THIS CLASS, STUDENTS WILL KNOW HOW TO:

  • Hold and dip your nib and pointed pen the right way.
  • Write basic script for numbers, uppercase, and lowercase letters.
  • Connect letters together to write out names, phrases or your favorite quote.

Your final project will be your own hand-lettered greeting cards. Snail mail FTW!

Calligraphy 101 students also get access to a course workbook that includes a list of Lauren’s favorite calligraphy supplies, practice guides, alphabet templates and more!

GET YOUR CLASS SUPPLIES:

If you’ve been wanted to learn calligraphy for awhile, make sure that you enroll in Lauren’s follow-up class, Calligraphy 201, as well. You’ll learn a bit more advanced calligraphy skills in that class. She’ll also show you how you can digitize your calligraphy. A technique that Lauren herself uses to create custom stationery, wedding invitations, quotes and more!

It’s time to take your skills from amateur to pro. Killer calligraphy skills are just an online class away. Enroll in Calligraphy 101 with Lauren Essl today!

Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

18 Must-Have 2024 Calendars to Keep You On Track In Style

When it comes to New Year rituals, the naysayers might scoff, but we know there's something utterly transformational about kickstarting the year with a fresh calendar in hand. Admittedly, it might end up buried in your tote by March, or you'll find it snuggled among the books you've been planning to read. So, why not switch things up this time? Skip the planner that may play hide-and-seek and go for a wall or desk calendar instead. The best part? These stationary stunners are immune to getting lost during transit or making you feel guilty for missing that daily itinerary. We've rounded up a flock of unique options that'll keep your ducks in a row, no matter what life throws at you.

Wall Calendars

Opalhouse 2024 Wall Calendar

Add a touch of boho chic to your decor with this visually stunning wall calendar from Opalhouse. It's not just a calendar; it's a piece of decor for your space.

The Everygirl x Day Designer 2024 Wall Calendar

Collaborating with The Everygirl, Day Designer brings you an elegant wall calendar that marries functionality and style. Stay organized in the most fashionable way possible.

Houseplants Foil Poster 2024 Wall Calendar

Embrace the plant mom life with this foil poster wall calendar. Each month showcases a unique houseplant, making it an excellent choice for green thumbs and wannabe plant parents.

Rifle Paper Co. 2024 Greetings from Around the World Wall Calendar

Transport yourself to far-off places with this Around the World Wall Calendar by Rifle Paper Co. Each month features greetings from a different country, perfect for travel enthusiasts.

Blue Sky Meadows 2024 Wall Calendar (Kelly Ventura For Blue Sky)

Let this navy blue and floral design help you tackle your important projects in style.

Phoebe and June Shops & Markets 2024 Wall Calendar

This adorable wall calendar makes us want to live our best soft girl lives.

Wild House Paper Intentional Calendar 2024

Wild House Paper's Intentional Calendar is all about setting goals and crushing them. Stay motivated and track your progress with this inspirational gem.

Papier The Month Of Calendar

Papier's Month Of Calendar is a wonderful way to celebrate life's little moments. Customize it with your favorite photos and memories to make each day special.

Aesthetic Minimalistic 2024 Wall Calendar

Keep it simple and stylish with an Aesthetic Minimalistic Wall Calendar. It's a great choice for those who appreciate clean lines and a clutter-free look.

Live Oak Print Mountain 2024 Wall Calendar

Want to spend more time in nature next year? Let this 2024 calendar help you map out your vacation days.

SofestoreShop 2024 Groovy Pink Calendar

2024 calendars should be fun and aesthetically pleasing, so add this groovy pink design to your cart today!

Papier Multi Photo Personalized 2024 Wall Calendar

Bring a slice of home to your office with this personalized wall calendar.

Desk Calendars

Day Designer Wild Blooms 2024 Desk Pad Calendar

For those who prefer their planning right in front of them, the Wild Blooms desk pad calendar from Day Designer is an absolute must-have. It's like having a stylish bouquet on your desk every day.

2024 Good Boys Easel Calendar

Prepare for your heart to melt with this adorable dog-themed easel calendar. Every month features different good boys to keep you smiling all year long.

Rifle Paper Co. Blossom Appointment Calendar

Rifle Paper Co. is back with their signature whimsical style in the Blossom Appointment Calendar. Plan your days with a touch of floral elegance.

Hadley Designs Doodle Large 2024-2025 Desk Calendar

This desk calendar is for the girlies who finds themselves doodling during their zoom meetings — we see you.

Pen+pillar For Cambridge 2024 Desk Calendar

We can't get enough of floral 2024 calendars.

Trends International Inc. Harry Potter 2024 Desk Calendar

Immortalize scenes from the Harry Potter franchise on your desk — at least for 12 months.

For more organization inspiration, be sure to sign up for our email newsletter!

Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

This post has been updated with additional reporting by Jasmine Williams.

Header image via Anthropologie

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17 Celebrity Cameos On ‘Gossip Girl’ You Probably Forgot About

New York City is a home and a hub for celebrities across all industries, and the glitzy appeal of Gossip Girl’s NYC is made all the more glamorous by its numerous celebrity cameos. Given that Blair and Serena run in the upper echelon of the city’s It girls, it actually makes total sense for them to be rubbing shoulders with Alexa Chung and Lady Gaga. You never know who you’re going to run into on the Upper East Side — and in Gossip Girl’s case, you may not even remember half the celebs you meet.

Over the course of six wonderfully melodramatic seasons, Gossip Girl racked up quite a stacked cast list on IMDB. From stars with recurring roles to those who pop in to play themselves for one scene, here are 17 celebrities who appeared on Gossip Girl that you probably forgot about.

Scroll down to see all the celebrity Gossip Girlcameos we're totally obsessed with!

1. William Baldwin

Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Serena van der Woodsen’s got some serious daddy issues. One of Gossip Girl’s longest subplots is Serena’s search for her father, who essentially walked out on her when she was a kid. He finally appears for the first time in Season 3 Episode 19 (“Dr. Estrangeloved), where he’s played by a member of one of NYC’s royal families, William Baldwin. (In case you’re wondering, he’s Hailey Bieber’s uncle.)

2. Lady Gaga

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You probably blocked out the time Blair and Dan put on a jukebox version of Snow White at NYU given that the whole ordeal was painfully cringe. That means you probably also blocked out the fact that real-life NYU alum Lady Gaga gives a dead-eyed performance of “Bad Romance” at the end of the episode (Season 3 Episode 10, “The Last Days of Discostick”).

3. Hilary Duff

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Also included in the Season 3 NYU timeline is Hilary Duff as Olivia Burke. Olivia’s a famous actress who balances attending NYU, starring in the vampire romance franchise Endless Knights, and dating Dan. She’s basically the Gossip Girl universe’s hybrid of Kristen Stewart and Emma Watson.

4. Sebastian Stan

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Okay, there’s absolutely no way you forgot this one. Before Sebastian Stan was the MCU’s BB, he was Gossip Girl’s lesser-known CB — Carter Baizen. Stan played St. Jude’s sleaziest graduate and one of Serena’s most questionable exes from Seasons 1 through 3.

5. Karlie Kloss

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Karlie Kloss will always attend a NYFW party — even if that party only exists within Gossip Girl’s Season 4 premiere (“Belles du Jour”).

6. Armie Hammer

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Serena’s dating history includes one man whose bite may be worse than his bark. In Season 2, she starts dating a con man named Gabriel Edwards, played by Armie Hammer.

7. Cyndi Lauper

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Girls just wanna have Cyndi Lauper do a surprise performance at their eighteenth birthday party — at least, Blair Waldorf does. Lauper makes a cameo in Season 2 Episode 10 (“Bonfire of the Vanity”).

8. Tyra Banks

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Tyra Banks plays Ursula, a famous actress who Serena keeps from crashing out at a movie premiere, in Season 3 Episode 4 (“Dan de Fleurette”).

9. Clémence Poésy

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When Chuck goes to France in Season 4 and attempts to restart his life as Henry Prince, he takes Fleur Delacour — err, I mean, Clémence Poésy — along for the ride.

10. Mädchen Amick

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Sorry, Archiekins — Alice Cooper’s got her eye on a different Archibald. Riverdale star Mädchen Amick appears in Season 2 as Nate’s first foray into MILF territory.

11. Elizabeth Hurley

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Mädchen Amick walked so Elizabeth Hurley could run … Nate’s life into the ground. Hurley plays shady media mogul Diana Payne throughout Season 5.

12. Aaron Tveit

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This guest star lives rent-free in Broadway fans’ minds. Aaron Tveit, the patron saint of tenors, appears in Seasons 2 through 5 as Nate’s cousin, politician Tripp van der Bilt.

13. Alexa Chung

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In Season 6 Episode 3 (“Dirty Rotten Scandals”), Alexa Chung, the minimalist darling of the 2010s fashion blogging scene, refuses to walk the runway at Blair Waldorf’s debut fashion show.

14. Rachel Bilson & Kristen Bell

Jason Kempin/Getty Images for SCAD & Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Rachel Bilson and Kristen Bell show up in the series finale as two actresses auditioning for a role in Inside Out, the movie adaptation of Dan’s bestselling book, Inside. Bell’s voice should ring a bell — she’s the voice ofGossip Girl.

15. Tim Gunn

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Project Runway’s iconic mentor, Tim Gunn gives Jenny a little mentorship in Season 4 Episode 6 (“Easy J”).

16. Rachel Zoe

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Rachel Zoe: celebrity stylist, fashion designer, and extremely good sport. In her GG cameo in Season 4 Episode 7 (“War at the Roses”), Zoe takes a tumble and spills chocolate sauce all over her head before delivering her iconic catchphrase, “I die.” We die, too.

17. Florence Welch

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Welch’s performance of “Cosmic Love” in Season 4 Episode 14 (“Panic Roommate”) was reportedly due to her real-life friendship with Blake Lively. The actress suggested to the producers that they should use Florence’s music in the show. The producers went one step further, and we’re all the better for it.

Wonder what other celebs have appeared in your favorite TV shows? Check out these 24 Sex and the City cameos and 11 Gilmore Girls cameos you may have missed!

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Stay Creative With Access To Our Free Online Art Classes!

In March 2020, we opened up our creative library to the world and over 150,000 of you joined to stay creative during the pandemic.

Well, things have changed for sure, but it's still a bit crazy out there. Many of us are still balancing working from home by night with watching our toddlers by day. Some of us can't work and are catching a serious case of cabin fever this winter... and ALL of us want to stay inspired, creative, and take care of ourselves.

So starting February 1, 2023, we're offering 10 free courses for the next 3 months and you can always access all 120+ online classes for just $10/month or test drive them all with a 30-Day Free Trial after you create a free B+C account. Interested in learning some new recipes or baking techniques? Check out 45+ expert-led classes in our B+C Baking and Cooking Bundle.

You've all shared some beautiful and creative things over the past few years, so we wanted to figure out how to make it easier for all of you to keep learning, making and creating. This is just the first phase of some new things coming to B+C Classes, and we're excited to give members exclusive access to even more great creative stuff in the near future.

Stay creative, friends!

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Blake Lively's 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' Co-Stars Slam Justin Baldoni For "Forceful Retaliation"

This weekend, news dropped that Blake Lively filed a bombshell lawsuit against It Ends With Usco-star Justin Baldoni, and everyone is rushing to her support — including her Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsco-stars!

One day we need to have a conversation about how easy it is to assign the 'mean girl' role to women like Anne Hathaway, Hailey Bieber, Meghan Markle, and now, Blake Lively. Since that's a separate article, let's focus on the situation at hand. According to Deadline, Lively's suing Baldoni for "sexually harassing her and subsequently enacting 'a coordinated effort to destroy her reputation.'" After the news dropped, The New York Times subsequently published article that details the winding allegations against Baldoni, producer Jamie Heath, and more players in the supposed targeted attack against her.

While a lot of public opinion turned against Lively during the It Ends With Us rollout, it's clear those closest to her showed unyielding support. Now, fellow celebrities are showing up in droves to stand with Lively amid the allegations. One bold show of support that we're totally here for? Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, and Amber Tamblyn taking their "sisterhood" to new heights. Here's what they — and everyone else — has said in support of Blake Lively so far.

Scroll down to see everyone who's supported Blake Lively amid the Justin Baldoni lawsuit so far!

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Blake Lively's The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Co-Stars

Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn, and America Ferrera made it clear that they're firmly in support of their friend Blake Lively. They released a message on Instagram that left no room for assumption about their beliefs following Blake's lawsuit against Baldoni.
The statement reads:
As Blake's friends and sisters for over twenty years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation. Throughout the filming of It Ends With Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice.

Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors' stories to silence a woman who asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astounding.

We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated, and resourced as our friend Blake, she can still face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe work environment. We are inspired by our sister's courage to stand up for herself and others.

For anyone seeking more information or engaging in this important conversation online, please read the full legal complaint in the investigative reporting by Megan Twohey, Mike McIntire, and Julie Tate for the New York Times.

We love the lasting, strong friendship between these four!

Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Colleen Hoover, Author of It Ends With Us

According to Entertainment Weekly, Colleen Hoover also spoke up in light of the damage Baldoni inflicted. She tagged Blake via Instagram Stories and wrote, "You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt." A picture of the author and star hugging followed Hoover's words, adding to the depth of the moment.

Paul Feig, Director of A Simple Favor

Director Paul Feig also shared his thoughts about what it's like to work with Blake on X. He said, "I’ve now made two movies with Blake and all I can say is she’s one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people I’ve ever worked with. She truly did not deserve any of this smear campaign against her. I think it’s awful she was put through this."

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Michael Kors

Robyn Lively, Blake Lively's Sister

The sisterly energy is real and we're so glad Blake is surrounded by it. Robyn, Blake's big sister, shared her full thoughts in a lengthy Instagram caption just 10 hours!

While encouraging people to do research for themselves by reading The New York Times article that details the devious plot to publicly destroy Blake, she had other things to say. "We live in an age where we have access to people’s personal lives like never before — especially actors. It makes us feel like we know them. We see them on social media, watch clips of them, and make snap decisions about their character," she wrote. This reminds me of the parasocial relationships author Amanda Montell detailed in The Age of Magical Overthinking — definitely something for us all to keep in mind.

She also called out how easy it is for the media to warp the public's perception of the truth. "The 'truth' in the tabloids is hardly ever what you think," she added before eventually expressing how "proud" she is that her sister "didn't allow herself to be silenced in the face of adversity and lies."

Bart Johnson, Blake Lively's Brother-in-law

According to Page Six, Blake's brother-in-law Bart Johnson didn't hesitate to share his thoughts about the behavior of Baldoni and his team. He reportedly wrote, "Her complaints were filed during the filming. On record. Long before the public conflict. The cast unfollowed him [Baldoni] for a reason." in the comment section of the NYT Instagram post about the lengthy deep dive into what happened.

He continued by writing, "His PR team was stellar. Gross and disgusting but highly effective. Read the article, their text message exchanges and his PR campaign strategy to bury her by any means necessary. No one is with out [sic] faults. But the public got played."

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Nicole Kidman Spills On Spending "A Lot Of Time In Bed" With Harris Dickinson During 'Babygirl' — Exclusive

The most important detail about any romantic movie is chemistry between its leads. Even the worst movie can be rescued by two characters you believe actually love each other. But that's not a problem for A24's Babygirl (in theaters December 25) because Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson have chemistry in spades. The new A24 movie follows CEO Romy (Kidman), who begins a torrid affair with a young intern named Samuel (Dickinson). And AMC queen Nicole says she knew Harris was different the moment he walked in the room.

Here's what Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson had to say about their chemistry in our exclusive Babygirl featurette.

Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson connected the moment they met.

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"As soon as he walked in, I was like, 'Oh good, here's somebody who's gonna play with me," Nicole Kidman says in our exclusive Babygirl featurette. "We spent a lot of time in bed. Hours would go by, and it was like you would step out of there and you would say, 'What just happened?'"

"From the moment [Samuel] sees her, he's attracted to her. He realizes there's someone at the height of their power," Harris says. "There was an element of mystique that needed to be there for the exploration of the relationship."

Harris continues that "perhaps there's something unfulfilled going on," perhaps referencing Romy's fizzled-out marriage with Jacob, while Nicole adds that "she's searching for something else" as the movie examines "desires, wants, [and] needs."

"Drink it in and be transported," she says.

​And their chemistry in 'Babygirl' was so intense, Nicole Kidman had to take breaks from filming.

In addition to spending "hours" in bed (which, honestly sounds like a pretty good work day to me), Nicole told The Sun in October that filming those scenes with Harris Dickinson became so intense, she would need breaks. “There were times when we were shooting where I was like, ‘I don’t want to orgasm any more,'” she said. “Don’t come near me. I hate doing this. I don’t care if I am never touched again in my life!”

But having a woman at the helm of the film (writer-director-producer Halina Reijn) both made Nicole feel more comfortable, and empowered her to tell this story. "Doing this subject matter in the hands of the woman that wrote the script, that's directing it and is a really great actress herself — we became one in a weird way, which I'd never had with a director before," she says in a statement. "When you're working with a woman on this subject matter, you can share everything with each other.”

"I really decided in the beginning, I want to make a sexual film, just as sexual as all these films that I've always admired so much," Halina says, "but now I'm going to do it completely through female eyes. What does that mean and what does that look like?” See Babygirl in theaters December 25 to find out.

Here are the 10 New December Movies You Need To Add To Your Calendar ASAP.

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