Jo Malone Fragrance - Houston Engraver

Calligraphy for me, interestingly, began as a hobby after a layoff from my medical device research career. I wanted to send correspondence to friends and family, but I wanted it to be beautiful. One of my mottos is :do it beautifully or not at all.” Calligraphy & engraving became an accidental career after a second layoff. Needless to say, the second layoff was welcomed :) After that, my business took off and became my livelihood.

It is always interesting to me to hear how others describe engraving. I recently read this description:

Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing images on paper as prints or illustrations; these images are also called "engravings". Engraving is one of the oldest and most important techniques in printmaking.

Tiffany and Co

Tiffany & Co is another company for which I have had the pleasure engraving for nearly a decade. This particular bottle was of the Rose Gold eau de parfum. Needless to say, it is a beautiful bottle. In looking at the design of the bottle, it appears to be reminiscent of a diamond. Makes sense…it’s Tiffany. Engraving this fragrance bottle is beyond easy. The glass used for this bottle is of good quality and nearly engraves like crystal. It’s pretty smooth.

With that said, this particular bottle was an exercise in engraving the lettering tighter than I normally would. The client at this event wanted the lettering to read straight from left to right and the spelling of the name was slightly different from the borough in NYC. And, she wanted a flourish if I could fit it in. With that said, I just had to make the lettering a little tighter and think “don’t run over, don’t run over.” HAHAHA! I made it. Admittedly, my lettering could have been more precise, but the calligraphy police were not giving out tickets that day, Cheers!

Jo Malone Perfume Bottle Engraver - Houston

After engraving fragrance bottles for Jo Malone London for Valentine’s Day in Houston, I was curious about the history of Valentine’s Day. I found a brief description below from Wikipedia:

Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine, and through later folk traditions it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.[3][4]

There are a number of martyrdom stories associated with various Saint Valentines connected to February 14, including an account of the imprisonment of Saint Valentine of Rome for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire in the third century. According to an early tradition, Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his jailer. Numerous later additions to the legend have better related it to the theme of love: tradition maintains that Saint Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers who were forbidden to marry by the Roman emperor; an 18th-century embellishment to the legend claims he wrote the jailer's daughter a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell before his execution.

Engraving during the holidays in Houston

Every year, November and December become chaotic for glass engravers. Houston is no different from any other place in that respect. As a lettering artist, it is a blessing as it is wonderful to provide a service that is desired by companies as well as individuals. Some of my favorite events for which to engrave are for fragrance companies. The environment is usually welcoming and sometimes even luxurious. Who wouldn’t love that?

The bottles above were engraved at the Jo Malone boutique in River Oaks. Every time that I engrave at this boutique, it is always a wonderful time as the team is wonderful and the clients are amazing. Cheers!

Tory Burch Fragrance Bottle Engraving Houston

I had the pleasure of engraving for Tory Burch fragrances again at Nordstrom at the Houston Galleria a month or so ago. I do become quite weak for fragrances I must admit. From an engraving standpoint, this bottle was pretty simple. As I often remark, glass is glass. Whether I use a fresh or not so fresh bur, it was no problem to engrave this glass.

The Tory Burch website has this description of this new fragrance:

Electric Sky captures the essence of freedom. Vibrant and rapturous, like the energy after a storm, it is an unexpected mix of refreshing cactus flower, lavender and wood. Saltwater lends a mineral quality to the fragrance, blended with blue sage and a Palo Santo accord for warmth and positivity. Electric Sky is one of five scents in the Essence of Dreams collection, celebrating the power of dreams.

The lavender used in this scent comes from sources that re-invest in the local community. Our packaging uses Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified paper and compostable cellophane.

Top notes: blue sage and violet Heart notes: cactus flower and responsibly-sourced lavender Base notes: Palo Santo accord and vetiver

Burberry Fragrance Bottle Engraving - Houston Calligraphy Engraver

Once again, I had the opportunity to engrave fragrance bottles for Burberry (Her). This particular bottle was to be given to a mother for Mother’s Day. The client wanted to engrave something that exuded his mother, however was not the typical “Happy Mother’s Day”. We settled on “gorgeous”.

During the event, things were quite busy as it was a day where I engraved around 50-60 bottles. With that said, I didn't have an opportunity to “stop and smell the roses” or the fragrance. I did however find a little information about this scent.

Her Eau de Parfum is the first gourmand fragrance with a British twist by Burberry. A burst of red and dark berry notes lightened by a luminous, white woody accord.

I love a gorgeous scent…

Cartier Fragrance Bottle Engraver - Houston Engraving

When someone offers Cartier, the answer is always yes. Fragrance bottle engraving and etching Houston

Cartier Pasha Fragrance Bottle Engraving - Houston Engraver

There are companies for which I engrave that are just always a pleasure. Cartier always proves to be an exquisite pleasure. All of your senses are piqued upon entering the boutique. The scents, soft music, the detail to positioning every item….

The bottle: Pasha

Pasha: the first fragrance from Cartier that stunned the olfactory world with its elegant fougère accord, fusing the incomparable freshness of an oriental fragrance with the green note of galbanum.

Engraving the fragrance bottles for Cartier is simply a pleasing experience. The glass alone engraves smoothly with minimal resistance. I have often said that “glass is glass” when it comes to engraving however it is true that some glass is smoother than others. The glass used for these perfume bottles is genuinely a delight to etch. Cheers!

Cartier Fragrance Bottle Engraving - Houston Engraver

During the Father’s Day holiday and the weeks leading up to it, I engraved wine and fragrance bottles for a number of various brands. One of them was Cartier, a company for whom I have engraved for years. This particular bottle was engraved for a client that was unsure of specifically what to have engraved and decided on the simple “Happy Father’s Day & Love you”. I hope that his Dad enjoyed it.

Cheers!

Yves Saint Laurent YSL Mon Paris Fragrance Bottle Engraving - Houston Calligrapher

It was such a pleasure engraving through the holiday season for various companies. This beauty of a Yves Saint Laurent bottle was engraved at a Dillard’s event in December. This particular fragrance is one that was a personal favorite of mine for some time. Interestingly, I have not engraved my particular bottle…typical, no? :)

While engraving this bottle, I noticed that the glass, as with many fragrance bottles, did not present any surprises. This glass bottle was faceted at the edges which minimized the flat surface area on the front. However, I just went the facets and here we are. Cheers!

If you are looking for calligraphy or engraving around the Houston area, Slinging Ink is here to help! Not only can I handle engraving on YSL perfume, but I can also help you with engraving on almost any type of bottle you desire. Give me a call today to discuss what you want to be done.

Bulgari Fragrance Bottle Engraving - Houston Engraver

The Bulgari Rose Goldea fragrance is described as a “jewel of seduction, symbolizing the passionate and impassioned loves”. This description resonates with me as I I love love and believe that seduction is present in the most subtle ways that are often overlooked everyday. A seduction by way of our sense of smell is one of the easiest to tap into. We are seduced by scents all of the time. This scent was remarkably unique and enticing.

I suppose that the sense that an engraver or calligrapher seduces through is sight. We hope that our passions provided via the written word evoke a feeling…an impression. Hopefully, a pleasant one. I hope that whoever receives this bottle is enveloped in joy and is seduced by the scent along with my lettering and enjoys a Merry Christmas.

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Cartier Fragrance Bottle Engraving - Houston Engraver

When I hear the name Cartier, the first image that comes to mind is Marilyn Monroe dancing on red stairs, covered in diamonds and a pink dress & gloves singing “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend”. I love that movie… So when I was contacted by Cartier to engrave for a fragrance event in the boutique in the River Oaks District, I thought “of course…when?”

This is one of the first bottles that I have engraved for the boutique. I have a feeling that this will be a fun event and its right in time for the holidays. It’s certain that many clients will be purchasing more diamonds than fragrances, but multiple senses should be finessed, don’t you think? Cheers!

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Narciso Rodriguez Fragrance Bottle Engraving - Houston Engraver

According to Wikipedia, engraving is the “practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved.” It is interesting how everyday we move through certain motions and think nothing of what we are doing as they have become banal. However, I suppose that if i give it thought, using a drill that spins at an rpm of 300,000 and then use that drill as a pen for calligraphy to engrave in glass and metal is not a garden variety occurrence.

As I was engraving this Narciso Rodriguez fragrance bottle at a Macy’s, clients stopped to watch and inquire. Granted, there are those that have seen it so many times that it is as interesting as watching someone cross the street. Meh… My favorite is when children that appear to be between the ages of 4-9. These little minds are curious enough to ask great questions about the process, honest enough to express their genuine thoughts and observant & have a fresh enough perspective to find wonder. From that standpoint, kids are the best. They notice everything and have yet to become jaded. They find amazement in everything. I do too. Cheers!

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Dolce & Gabbana Fragrance Bottle Engraving - Houston Engraver

Can you believe that 2019 is almost over? I am already engraving personalized messages such as “Merry Christmas” & “Happy Holidays” on fragrance and wine bottles. My father once told me that before 40 it seems as if time crawls by. After 40, each year seems to fly. Being over 40 myself, I agree. However, it isn’t that the quantity of time changes, it is that our perception changes. Our minds no longer have to process as much information with every interaction because we have fewer situations, sights, etc that are new. Hence your brain requires and subsequently utilizes less time to process….time seems to pass quickly.

My perception of this year felt swift because I did not engage in many interactions that were completely new. I engraved glass and metal at a number of onsite events for fragrance and wine companies, functioned as my daughter’s personal assistant, calligraphed for clients in my studio……same thing, different day.

I have read that if you desire to “expand” your perception of time, then you can do that through slowing down and/or engaging in new or different activities. In that spirit, I have decided to take my business to a new chapter in the realm of calligraphy, handwriting, cursive, etc. Stay tuned. Have a lovely day!

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Dolce & Gabbana Fragrances

If you’ve been looking for someone who is experienced and has engraved many perfume bottles, Slinging Ink is who you need to go to. Having a personalized, engraved perfume bottle or wine bottle is a great gift. Contact us today!

Narciso Rodriguez Fragrance Bottle Engraving - Houston Calligrapher

This past weekend I had the pleasure of engraving for Narciso Rodriguez fragrances at Macy’s. There were many clients that desired fragrance bottles engraved for gifts or simply for themselves. This beautiful glass bottle of perfume was engraved with a simple “Happy Birthday”. I was able to engrave this bottle with a bur that was probably slightly larger than I would normally use to engrave a fragrance bottle. It was likely just what was in my drill at the time…. Nevertheless, i believe that the result was nice and allowed for a small flourish on the “Birthday”.

I recall that the glass on this bottle is relatively smooth. It is interesting that the glass on fragrance bottles is typically smoother than wine or spirit bottles. With that, I will often use a smaller bur due to the need for smaller messages engraved in the fragrance bottles. Smaller burs however have their disadvantages for me as they tend to lack the durability of the larger burs. However as with anything, everything has its place. Cheers!

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Houston Calligraphy - Fragrance / Perfume Bottle Hand Engraving

Engraving fragrance bottles has become one of the aspects of my business that I enjoy the most. Generally, the events that I am involved with occur in Houston at various boutiques and department stores such as Macy’s & Neiman Marcus. The smoothness of the glass varies from bottle &/or brand, but on the whole, most fragrance bottles engrave pretty smoothly.

I recall this bottle above from this summer as it was a bottle that engraved very nicely. The alignment of the metal bars on the bottle allowed for a vertical layout of the calligraphy engraving. This glass bottle was simple as the message was short and simply a name.

Hugo Boss is always such a joy to work with as their team is knowledgable and exude all that is involved in customer service and has a genuine desire to understand the desires of their clients. As always, it was a pleasure.

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