I also wanted to show my other lovely design for Bella Figura this year – Aquinnah.

This one is a combination of Mitty and capitals.  The feeling is so different from the last with printing in navy and powder blue.  It is perfect for a destination wedding – whether it is a fancy chateau outside of Paris or a simply lovely beach front wedding.  It really is a universal design and has a feeling of being written by hand – like a love letter to your guests.

Did you know each Bella Figura design can be customized?  You can change the fonts to include all mitty or more capitals.  So many options!

photos by Bella Figura

Wedding season is in full swing!  And I have 2 new invitation designs with the lovely & wonderful Bella Figura.

The first is…. awesome.  I used the mitty font in classic black and jazzed it up by placing all the lettering on an angle and adding touches of copper (yes, real copper!) for an accent.  Let me tell you – in person this suite (Gracieux) really shines.

Place your order now.  And for those of you who say – how long does a calligraphy invitation take? My rule of thumb is: allow 3 weeks for designing with Bella Figura, 2 weeks for printing and 2 weeks for calligraphy addressing.    It is better to be early because rush fees can add up!

Photos provided by the wonderful Bella Figura.

I love being a Bella Figura calligrapher.  They are wonderful to work with, their bamboo papers are heaven to write on and the designs have such a great range of aesthetics.  Also, because of them – I get to work with the coolest clients.

This summer, I was asked to address these envelopes for an Austin, Texas bride and groom.  The patterns and colors are wonderful and made me want to run away to the beach.

Matching ink color & Mitty lettering.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of designing a wedding invitation for a Bella Figura client who is from Norway.  It was super fun to write in a foreign language and this invitation suite turned out lovely.  Check out more on the Bella Figura blog here and thanks to them for sharing!

For all of you Pinterest fans out there – this contest is for you!

More important details from Bella Figura: (all of the details can be found on their blog here)

Our lead designer Jessica Tierney will be judging the contest and creating an invitation suite based on the winning board. Judging will begin on July 23, and the winner will be announced on July 27. The new Pinterest-inspired design will be released with the new collection in January 2013.

Entry deadline: The contest runs from July 16, 2012 through 12pm EST on July 23, 2012. To enter, follow the instructions above and submit the URL of your Pinterest board to the comments section below.

The grand prize: The person with the winning board will receive 100 free letterpress party invitations printed on our A6 sized cards in two inks on our 1-ply cotton paper with 1-color letterpress printed envelopes. Choose from any of our 300+ invitation designs and create the perfect piece for your next event! Be sure to take a look at our Social Album for  inspiration.
*The fine print: additional invitations, custom design fees, additional ink colors, double-sided printing, added embellishments or rush orders will incur charges.

Need an invitation to join Pinterest? Email hello@bellafigura.com and we’ll send you one right away! We can’t wait to see your entries — good luck!

Two Fridays I was thrilled to be featured on Style Me Pretty with Event Styling by Shawna Marie and photography by Katie Cassidy Photography!

The colors were a great combo of green and white with a soft pink and gold accent to really pull it all together for a formal occasion.

Photography: Katie Cassidy Photography Venue: McKinney Flour Mill in McKinney, Texas / Design + Styling: Event Styling by Shawna Marie / Floral Design: Bows + Arrows / Rentals + Decor: Period Charm Rentals / Wedding Invitations: Bella Figura via The Left Handed Calligrapher / Paper Goods + Calligraphy: The Left Handed Calligrapher / Wedding Cake: Sweet Art Bakery / Linens + Chargers: BBJ Linen in Dallas / Wedding Dress: Martina Liana via Patsy’s Bridal Boutique / Shoes: Angela Nurnan via Patsy’s Bridal Boutique / Garter + Sash: Emily Riggs Bridal / Bridal Jewelry: Nadri via Nordstrom / Model Bride: Leigh Vest / Model Bridesmaids: Mandy Carrasco + Leslie Shepard / Model Flower Girl: Kolbie Cassidy / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: JCPenney + Lauren by Ralph Lauren via Macy’s / Bridesmaids Jewelry: Mixit by JCPenney + Kendra Scott / Flower Girl’s Dress: Old Navy / Flower Girl’s Ribbon Wand + Hair Piece: Mayhar Design / Guest Book: Blue Sky Papers / Favor Bag: Event Styling by Shawna Marie / Ring Pillow: Mayhar Design / Striped Straws: Lollipops & Pussycats

Hi Guys!  Hope spring is treating everyone well.  I wanted to share this great giveaway by Bella Figura!

If you loved our Pinterest contest last month, wait til you see what we’ve got in store for March! We want to see what good means to you: is it volunteering at an animal shelter? Planting trees? Donating to your local food pantry? Building homes for the less fortunate? Whatever it is, we want you to tell us about it and show us how you’re making a difference — and we’ll give you 25 free invitation sets* just for doing your good deed! It gets better: for the grand prize, we’ll give an entire set of free invitations to the person who submits the ultimate good deed. No purchase is necessary to participate, and the contest is open to everybody worldwide!

*25 free invitation sets when you order 50 or more.

Deadline: Your good deed must be done during the month of March 2012. Good deed submissions should be made by March 31 at midnight.

Judging: The team at Bella Figura will choose the top 5 do-gooders and will post them to a finalists board on Pinterest by Wednesday, April 4. Everyone is encouraged to read about the five finalists on the Bella Figura blog from April 4 through April 11, and should “like” their favorite on Pinterest in order to cast a vote. The do-gooder with the most likes on Thursday, April 12 will win the set of 100 free invitations. You must have a Pinterest account in order to “like” one of the finalists, so if you need an invitation, email dogood@bellafigura.com and we’ll send you an invite right away.

Enjoy being good during March friends! – Nicole

Today I am finally allowed to announce something that has been in the making since….April!  You are now looking at one of the newest calligraphers and designers for Bella Figura.  Two of my original designs for the new year are up and can be found here and here.

If you are not familiar with Bella Figura, they are a luxury letterpress and stationery company based out of Syracuse, New York who has a love for letterpress and a nice deep impression with punches of color and pushing the limits in options and combinations to their clients.

Without further delay I am proud to announce:

Mitty

Julian

and a collaboration with Kyle Laatsch – Modern World

Each is customizable in ink color, edge painting, liner color and pattern, corner rounding and paper color.  Bella Figura is also launching their new foil offering… I would love to see someone do my lettering with foil! (check out my fav – glamourous blooms!)

And thank you to Style Me Pretty for a lovely announcement on the launch of the new collection!

Today is the last day of the Bella Figura Sample Sale.  Get them while you can.

All samples $1.00, free shipping and 100% of sample sales go to Earthworks (protecting communities & the environment).

Lindsay came to me for addressing and I was greeted with the most lovely hand lettered invitations by Debi from the Blooming Quill and printed by Bella Figura.

To keep a little continuity, I mimicked the general lettering style and used a gorgeous walnut ink that glided over Bella’s heavenly bamboo envelopes. Everything turned out lovely and congratulations to the newlyweds!