Left Handed Calligrapher

Dallas Calligrapher

Holiday ornaments in the shop

Shop for Christmas Ornaments

I am so thrilled to offer these special Christmas ornaments in the shop this year. They are made out of acrylic and shatterproof (2020 just called for this extra security, no?). Each is engraved by hand and some are completely customizable. In my classic and flourished calligraphy scripts, these are sure to be treasured keepsakes for years to come.

Snowflake ornament

These snowflake ornaments are my favorite for the year. Quick order a 2020 in a smaller 3 inch size or order a customized 4 inch snowflake with your family name or other phrase.

Calligraphy ornaments

These round ornaments are classic. The special 2020 Merry Christmas ornament is a complete showstopper with flourishing galore. If that is too much, order the simple Merry Christmas option. Custom calligraphy ornaments are also available for the round shape as well as a the dog bone.

The dog bone ornament is a great way to celebrate your covid companion! We couldn’t have made it through these difficult times without them begging for walks in the fresh air and also being okay with constant cuddles when we are down.

Color fill options: gold, natural, silver

All ornaments come with an option for the fill color to be gold, silver, or natural. Each ornaments engraved by hand and filled by hand so no two will be exactly alike. each ornament also come with a silk red ribbon (white for the Memorial Ornament) to hang from your tree.

The final option in the 2020 ornament collection is The Memorial Ornament. This special cross is engraved with your loved ones name and dates. A special way to celebrate the holidays with your loved ones. I’ve done this for the past decade when we’ve lost a love one and it is such a special way to remember them with my family during the holidays.

The Memorial Ornament

Southern Tradition: Bury the Bourbon

Have you heard of the southern tradition to “Bury the Bourbon”?  As the saying goes:

“Bury a bottle of bourbon a month to the day to keep the rain away.”

You take a bottle of bourbon, and bury it at your venue a month before your wedding. Make sure to receive permission from your wedding venue first! The bottle must be buried one month to the day, full, and upside down. Then, on the day of your ceremony, you and your new partner dig up the bottle together as a part of the celebration. The freshly dug-up lucky bourbon is then incorporated into your party, either as a toast or shots with the wedding party.

So, how do you incorporate this tradition into your wedding festivities?  Here are the rules and grab a shovel!:

  1. The bottle needs to be completely full.
  2. It needs to be real Bourbon (your call on what brand).
  3. You and your partner need to bury it together.
  4. It needs to be buried upside down.
  5. It has to be buried exactly one month before the wedding– and preferably on a day of good weather.

A special treat is to hire out an engraver to personalize the bottle with your wedding date and names!  Then you can enjoy the bottle for many celebrations to come if it isn’t finished off on the day of your wedding.

engraved bourbon

 

Cursive Addressing Corona Special

Weddings have changed. The guest list has changed, maybe the location. Probably the budget. Definitely the dance floor and tables. You still deserve beautiful writing for your wedding even in these times.

For a limited time, I am offering a special on envelope addressing to help with all the changes. You can get outer envelope addressing in my cursive script using black ink (marker) and the stagger layout for the low low price of $3 each. That is a $1.50 savings off my normal rates.

It is still the gorgeous calligraphy you know me for, with the same attention to detail and customer service. This offer just has limited options to help manage the cost and time involvement. View an example below.

Still looking for a flourished script, custom ink color matching and address centering? It’s still an option – just reach out!

I do not know how long this offer will last right now. Maybe through December 2020, maybe into 2021? Perhaps until my work load demands a reevaluation based on schedule. If you are interested, book now and be sure to mention the Cursive Special!

Waiver of Rush fees thru July 31

Dear Readers,

I know what difficult times we are experiencing in the world of weddings. Because of the uncertainty of your events regarding timing and capacity, I’ve decided to waive my rush fees for requests with less than 5 days to complete. The overnight/ 24 hr rush fee will stay in effect because that is quite a strain. I do hope this will relive some stress of planning and sending invitations during this time.

I’ve also added a digital invitation option in my shop for those who do not have adequate time for a change of date or change of venue to allow for formal printing methods. It’s a simple all calligraphy invitation with a quick 72 hour turnaround. Enjoy!

Creating a Wedding Guest List

Design by Southern Fried Paper

Calligraphy envelope addressing is one of my very favorite activities. There is something special about sitting down to a stack of envelopes and carefully writing the names of the most important people in a couple’s life.

Creating a Guest List

Something I hear from couples after their invitation is designed and going to print, is that gathering the guest list is the most difficult part of getting married. I’m with you. How to narrow down who you invite based on venue space, budgets, or travel can be so difficult. I do have a few helpful tricks though.

First, Start Early! You are going to need a quantity count to order invitations, pick a venue, plan table arrangements and florals, ceremony seating and catering numbers. Pretty much everything you plan for a wedding will be based on your guest count numbers. So, my recommendation is to start putting your must have invitees into a list right away when you are excited for the planning process.

Second, Get Organized! A well thought out spreadsheet will make your life easier as you go through the wedding planning process. I have a free template on my website. My preference is to use the advanced tab so that the guest list can be organized by last name… and sorted anyway you please depending on the information needed. Always, have separate columns for the street address, city, state and zip codes. This will allow more flexibility for information processing. Also, your calligrapher will be thankful so they can layout your list as they like.

Next, Pester your friends and family. Gathering addresses from your friends and family can be a challenge. If you start early and get organized you will have enough time to have a completed list by the time you need to send out invitations. When you see them for dinner, double check their address (including zip code!). Text or call those you don’t see as often. A great time to do this is when you are talking about your engagement with them.

Finally, Send Save the Dates. I promise, I’m not trying to get you to spend your whole wedding budget on paper goods! Save the dates serve many functions. First, they communicate your wedding is happening and your guest should should check their calendars. It also communicates they are invited! The mailing also serves as a test run for the wedding invitations which are usually more expensive to mail. Here is where you find out if someone has moved, had a relationship change, the address is wrong. All the things that happen when dealing with a guest list. Then you have time to make corrections before sending out the actual wedding invitations that are a bit more time sensitive.

I do hope this advice helps you make a guest list with a little bit of ease. Next time, I will discuss a bit more regarding the etiquette of sending a formal invitation and how to address your guests.