Calligrapher for Team USA - 2016 Rio Olympics
Houston calligrapher and wine bottle engraver
Yes, another order of table numbers with calligraphy on Marble tile is going out the door. These white marble tiles as place cards and escort cards are such a treat for me to create with calligraphy as they are memorable, durable and let's not forget ever so chic. Love, love, love these! Cheers!
I absolutely love engraving simple, but classic metal pieces....
Photo Credit: Ralph Smith www.smithphoto.com
This custom wood calligraphy sign was created for an event where my client wanted to honor a loved one that is no longer here for an upcoming event. I thought that this was a beautiful sentiment. This wood plank was roughly 11" x 14". I had it stained and then I calligraphed it. Staining and such isn't really my department. Trust me, you want it that way :).
Ever feel like "this is missing something". That's how I felt after I finished with the calligraphy. I walked away from it to work on another job. Then I came back and decided to add a little illustration for a little "something more". My client loved it as she was only expecting calligraphy, but she was quite pleased with result which in turn made me pleased as well. Cheers!
These white marble tiles were calligraphed with gold ink with a play on an ornate hand that I like to execute. And these beauties are out of the door! I really do love how these look with gold calligraphy. Cheers & congratulations to the Chicago Cubs as the 108 year drought is OVER!
This style came about because in art (not life) I LOVE mixing a little bit of chaos with beauty. The result is often so so cool & groovy. On these I placed a rose gold/copper under the Bella Grafia calligraphy script that of course I calligraphed by hand. (Anything else would be uncivilized :))
I've done something similar to this before, but with modern calligraphy and a bold "relaxed" title name. "Modern calligraphy" is not my go-to...I'm a bit of a purist, but once you understand traditional calligraphy, "modern calligraphy" is a cake-walk. I digress.... Here's the result! Have a groovy day!
I don't address envelopes too much anymore, but these were for my favorite client, Lola :). Obviously, certain numerals have been omitted for privacy.
#IPimpMyPen
Yes, I am obsessed with calligraphy on anything that is not paper. So since I've used mirrors for calligraphy for seating charts, signs etc, I thought that it made sense to offer something that would compliment that perfectly. Mirror place/escort cards. Just click on the 1st picture and follow the link to purchase these beauties for your next event. Cheers!
So I've created these laser cut names for place cards ---people's names, but as always my clients are the best resource that I have for new ideas. This client said that it would be really great if she had names for the ice cream bar at my wedding. Seriously?! A) Super cool that you are having an ice cream bar at your wedding. B) Let's take this sign idea to the next level....Let's laser cut it!....BOOM! Love it!
I've been using agate stones with calligraphy for place cards, but I had a client ask about table names. My clients are the best inspiration. These can match the same small agate stones that you order from me, but larger. This Houston calligrapher is just pleased to be able to offer these to you. Cheers!
So the secret's out...I'm making a departure from wedding calligraphy in the way that I have been running my business for the last 3 years. Still creating those cool reception pieces - agate stone calligraphy, mirror seating chart calligraphy, ceramic & marble tile calligraphy, laser cut placecard calligraphy (of course engraving too 😉) and I'll add something else to the list if it's groovy & different. However, I am departing from wedding invitation design & envelope addressing with the exception of my commercial accounts.
With that said, I participated on a commercial shoot last week for Slinging Ink (commercial hand lettering side of my business) and here is the result. We went for chaos & beauty for a food account. We loved it and hope that you do too! Cheers!
What do you do when a client wants gold ink, but the paper choice would make it difficult to see that ink on the chosen paper? (See USPS, I keep you in mind when I work :) Just change the canvas, of course. We decided to go with white ink on the envelopes except for the envelope for the guest of honor. On hers, I decided to add a little watercolor and lighten the canvas such that the gold ink would be more pronounced. Cheers!
This year has really been my "anything but paper" year with my work. These laser cut wood names were created for a client out of St. Louis for an event. I think that these came out nicely as she will be using them as placecards. Cheers!
#houstoncalligrapher #houstoncalligraphy #weddings
So this project was for a Houston bride that wanted something a little toned down from my norm. I can do toned down.... We went with copperplate in gold ink on eggplant paper. Copperplate is definitely that hand that separates the wheat from the chaff. You can't really hide behind fancy capitals and flourishes when a client wants copperplate without many flourishes. Similar with wine, I have had an evolution with calligraphy. With regard to pointed pen, I started out with traditional copperplate, became enticed by Spencerian with all of its sexy flourishes and semi-angular serifs and then looked back at copperplate as if it was the "old boyfriend that was so 5 years ago". However, I now know that copperplate should be respected for what it is. My first dynamic calligraphy teacher referred to it as "the mother". And that is exactly what it is. It is beautiful in its simplicity and you can't hide with it. If you are good, copperplate will show that. If you are not, copperplate will show that. In all honesty, when I have a day where I jump between 4-5 hands because I'm working on 4-5 jobs at the same time that require different hands, copperplate is the one that demands respect and I must acknowledge that in my warm-up. Always the constant student :). Cheers!
Addresses have been obscured for privacy.
It is always a pleasure to engrave. Metals have become my favorite this year. I mostly stick to glass as I have a soft spot for wine & spirits, but earlier this year I was reminded of how amazing engraving metals can be and decided to revisit them. Stainless steel engraves like butter. These bottle openers were for Public Services Bar in downtown Houston. I hand lettered their sign at their entrance last year before they opened and was tickled pink when they contacted me for the bottle openers. I really like how these came out and was OVERJOYED that they let me choose the hand to use. Cheers!
Quick thank you note (that is incredibly late) to an extremely talented letterpress stationer in Dallas. Sending this along with a few requested samples. Cheers!
Cotton Paperie www.cottonpaperie.com
I must admit that I do LOVE commercial hand lettering (my Slinging Ink side of business). The avenues for creativity are endless. Here is something that I'm working on for a client that sells.....you guessed it: DRESSES! Cheers! #HoustonHandLettering
I have been very fortunate to maintain a full calendar with jobs. As anyone will tell you, that is a blessing but every blue moon it is a curse. When your calendar is booked you usually don't have wiggle room for 'unforeseen circumstances'....such as power outages. Today, my electricity went out due to the storms that we have been experiencing here in Houston. At the same time, I was working on a job that needed to be completed today as there are jobs booked directly behind it on the calendar. That meant that I needed to work in the dark. Thank goodness for my trusty battery operated laser.
I am happy to say that I did finish today and it also made for a cool picture on my phone. #MakeItWork. Cheers!
So I'm always up for writing on anything that is not paper. Agate stones are so great as they calligraph like butter, are gorgeous and are available in so many colors. Love this. We did this project in a modern hand as it seemed to just fit. These will be available on the website and the Etsy shop. Cheers!
Sometimes when I am asked to calligraph something, I'll write it out, return it to my client and months will pass & I've almost forgotten about it as there are many projects in between. However, yesterday on my restful Sunday I received a cool email from one of my wonderfully, memorable clients. She requested that I write out a saying in a connected hand with shading for a tattoo back in January. After a few options, this was her choice. This Sunday she had it inked. Very cool!
When we got married, we decided to do a "destination wedding". I love them as they tend to be much less stress and it's even better if the locale is gorgeous. This New Orleans couple is getting married in Paris and requested my services for their envelope addressing, which I completed last week. The first pic is in white ink (one of my favs), but the project was actually in black ink (the following pictures). We did this in the Business Casual style as they wanted something simple and cool. I love it! #neworleanscalligraphy #neworleanscalligrapher
It's been a while since I've posted a project. It's been a little crazy around here to say the least, but I love what I do so there are no complaints here. I had a client that is getting married in NY request samples of what I could do with birds. Yes, birds. This is one of the samples that I provided. I just finished her project and I will say that it was pretty cool. Yay for something new! Yet another example of a client asking for something that pushes me outside of my box and I'm glad that she did. These are now available as a style option for wedding calligraphy. Cheers!
