Don Julio Tequila Bottle Engraving in Houston

Don Julio 1942 Tequila has been quite popular and lately quite difficult to acquire in the Houston area. I have never had the opportunity to enjoy this Don Julio tequila however I have engraved this bottle many times and it etches very easily. I have to assume that the contents are beautiful as it has crossed my engraving table frequently and makes the perfect gift.

Interestingly, I have increasingly become more interested in the history of some of the wine and spirit bottles that I am asked to engrave. In my research, I learned that Don Julio Tequila is named after its founder, Don Julio González-Frausto Estrada, who began distilling tequila in 1942 at age 17.[5] Acknowledging the benefits of vertical integration, Gonzalez-Frausto established his own tequila distillery, La Primavera, and spent the next 40 years improving his craft. He experimented with controlling various aspects of the tequila-making process, "from the cultivation of the agave to the bottling of the final product." He named his distillery La Primavera (the Springtime) where he produced his first brand of tequila Tres Magueyes. He is said to have "spent nearly forty years perfecting the craft."[6] Don Julio's first tequilas were shared with friends only, but as word on the quality of his tequila spread, he officially founded a company to put him in business.[6] In 1983, Marco Cedano returned to Don Julio to work as an engineer, where he served as Master Distiller and Distillery Manager of Tequila.[7] In 1985 Don Julio González-Frausto celebrated his 60th Birthday, his sons commemorated the date by creating a Tequila in his name, Don Julio. Following the sheer popularity of the tequila in Guadalajara and neighboring cities they decided to launch the tequila. (Wikipedia)

If you are looking for the perfect gift to give a loved one, a custom engraved Don Julio Tequila bottle is a great idea! Here at Slinging Ink, we have engraved many different bottles, including wine, tequila, and other spirits. Contact us today for your custom engraved gift.

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Break in Case of Emergency - Whiskey Bottle Etching / Engraving Houston

As businesses are experiencing various degrees of decreased revenue, there is one business that is experiencing unprecedented revenue…wine and spirits. That certainly isn’t a surprise as people are spending more time indoors with even more time to spend with those that we love.

At the same time, all of this togetherness for some has a limit. When that limit is reached, wine and spirits can be as welcome as a soothing old friend. That was the thought in mind when this whiskey bottle was engraved …”Break in case of Emergency” when your isolation mates love you a little too much and one more Zoom call might push you over the edge. And if you are to enjoy a refreshing drink, why not have wine or spirit (whiskey, tequila, whatever your heart desires) bottle engraving to make it fun. Cheers!

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Relax Wine Bottle Engraving - Houston Engravers

The pandemic has taken a toll on everyone. Mentally, physically, financially… even for a calligraphy & engraving business. It is definitely one of those events that will be remembered by every person alive in 2020. If you view the business aspect from a stoic perspective, it is an event that cannot be avoided and is somewhat neutral. The rate limiting step then becomes how we decide to respond. From a business standpoint, there have been various shifts this year within my engraving and calligraphy business. The time of the drought, as I refer to March & April, was the time that I developed online courses on which I had previously procrastinated and began working on a retainer basis for a few clients. That turned out to be a success from various standpoints and I am grateful that I had the time and drive to make that shift. Once the wine bottle engraving business returned in May and I also decided to refocus on other artistic areas, I had an epiphany. I love my work and that brings me more joy than just about every other thing in life. Period. There is elation in that realization and statement.

The Relax wine bottle above was engraved for a client that had a similar realization in their lives amidst this pandemic. We can bemoan financial woes and acquiesce or we can pivot and redirect that energy to unrealized opportunities. And since we cannot control what is happening around us, let’s redirect, breathe and relax.

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Saxophone Engraving - Houston Engravers

Every now and then I receive an engraving request that piques my interest because it is either unusual or a first. This one was a first. I have never been asked to engrave a musical instrument. Once I got over the “cool factor”, I had the opportunity to meet with the owner and see what we were working with. This was once a saxophone that I assume was used in marching bands as there were quite a few scratches from performances amidst dance moves etc. With that said, it was brass. As I have worked with brass quite a bit, I know how to finesse it during engraving so I thought let’s do it. Some metals are easier than others and brass just requires that you take your time with a lighter hand. No problem.

I love combining 2 loves of mine…music and calligraphy.

Scratches present prior to engraving

Calligraphy in the key of B Flat Major - Calligraphy Course

As I have been writing extensively and providing videos about Spencerian script and penmanship for the online calligraphy course that I offer, it occurred to me that some may be unaware of the Platt Rogers Spencer and his script. From a high level, Spencerian Script is a script style that was used in the United States from approximately 1850 to 1925[1] and was considered the American de facto standard writing style for business correspondence prior to the widespread adoption of the typewriter.

Platt Rogers Spencer, whose name the style bears, used various existing scripts as inspiration to develop a unique oval-based penmanship style that could be written very quickly and legibly to aid in matters of business correspondence as well as elegant personal letter-writing.

Spencerian Script was developed in 1840, and began soon after to be taught in the school Spencer established specifically for that purpose. He quickly turned out graduates who left his school to start replicas of it abroad, and Spencerian Script thus began to reach the common schools. Spencer never saw the great success that his penmanship style enjoyed because he died in 1864, but his sons took it upon themselves the mission of bringing their late father's dream to fruition.[2] (Wikipedia)

Upon seeing Spencerian Script in a book years ago, I fell in love and never looked back.

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Calligraphy in the key of C Major - Houston Calligraphy Course

Have you had a desire to write calligraphy or even just improve your handwriting? Most of us don’t write very much any more with the dawn of typing & texting. Some say that it is a “lost art”. It’s not that lost though. There is a subculture of penman, calligraphers, hand engravers and hand lettering artists that are able to take advantage, in a sense, that there are times when computer type does not quite suit your needs. It certainly has its place, but it is not “one size fits all”. We make a living on that niche. Thankfully :)

With that in mind, I have developed online calligraphy courses that can be taken at whatever individual pace that works for each artist whether they prefer something for intermediate students or a calligraphy course for beginners. It is almost entirely via video such that an artist can playback, skip forward and zoom in to their hearts’ desire. Although I am based in Houston, this calligraphy course can be taken be anyone, anywhere & you have unlimited access to the calligraphy class of your choice.

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Online Spencerian Calligraphy Course

Etching Wine Bottles & Decanters in Houston

As life for everyone has shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic, so has the same happened for artists of all areas. For myself, I have been engraving more individual items as I did in the beginning with my glass engraving business along with organizing the online calligraphy course for beginners. Last week, I engraved scotch decanters by Waterford and wine bottles. Obviously for me, this is like greeting a dear old friend. Engraving wine bottles is like drinking water. I welcome it and know it well.

If you have seen me engrave at one of the onsite events for various companies, the process looks similar to what I would do for engraving wine bottles around Houston. I hope that you enjoy looking behind the curtain from start to finish. Cheers!

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Creativity during a Pandemic - Houston Calligraphy Course

As we navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic and the stay-at-home quarantine orders, let’s just say I’ve had a little bit of time on my hands. After I worked tirelessly to create and launch the online calligraphy course for beginners, I began just writing. Nothing in particular, but just writing. Then I had the idea of writing script for “if I were to write for an advertising campaign…..”. As I was tossing this idea around in my head, I looked over to my fragrance tray and noticed my “signature fragrance” if you will. The fragrance that I wear during the day is Chanel Beige. It just suits me ever so much. This fragrance is soft and elegantly understated.

So I decided to write it out and add a little festive flair for a “winter campaign”. That is one positive thing about the pandemic. Every artist that I know has had the opportunity to explore avenues creatively that they normally would not. Cheers!

Interested in learning calligraphy? Learn more about the online calligraphy course for beginners & intermediate artists below.

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Learn Calligraphy & Penmanship / Handwriting - Calligraphy Course for Beginners & Intermediate Lettering Artists

It is with immense pleasure that I am launching the Spencerian Penmanship Calligraphy Course for Ornate Capital Letters. This course was designed for beginners and intermediate lettering artists alike. Granted, intermediate hand lettering artists that have achieved a comfort level with the beginner lettering course will accelerate with ease, however, I have kept the beginner hand lettering artist in mind. One aspect that will assist all artists with these online calligraphy courses is that essentially each letter has its own individual video. Within that online video, each letter in this calligraphy art form is broken down stroke by stroke with specific frames frozen for a deeper explanation. After that, each letter is demonstrated in a fluid fashion.

Videos have also been included for the lowercase calligraphy (just in case you missed it) along with videos explaining the guide sheets, my favorite inks, and other materials. All in all, there are 3 hours of video included in the ornate capital letter calligraphy courses, and in my opinion, the best aspect is that this is completely online. With that said, you have the advantage of viewing the calligraphy course videos at your learning leisure and at your pace. You can stop, rewind and fast-forward along with having unlimited and indefinite access to your calligraphy class.

There is also the option to FaceTime or Skype with me if you would prefer individual mentorship in hand lettering and calligraphy.

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