12/13/2017

Calligraphy Inspiration: Sarah Ann Design

Hello friends! Today feels like a good day to cozy in for a peek at a really beautiful collection of calligraphy. The work you see here is by Sarah Erickson of Sarah Ann Design. She’s sharing some favorite lettering projects and a bit about her work, too. Alrighty, let’s take a look! – Jen

Photo Credits: Leah Golter Photography

Sarah is both a designer and calligrapher and shares that she’s had a “long-term love affair” with calligraphy. “Few things speak to my soul like a gorgeous ink flourish, but antique churches certainly come close,” says Sarah. “I love spaces and objects that hold stories.”

Sarah’s calligraphy design mixes organic detail with a loose lettering style. “I often incorporate delicate botanical illustrations and hand-drawn venue sketches for a custom touch, ensuring an invitation suite is unique to you alone.”

p.s. The hand-drawn locations in her wedding examples are my favorite!

Photo Credits: Le Vie Photography

A typical day in the life for this calligrapher? Sarah shares: “On most days, you can find me nestled in my home office…surrounded by my plants, holding a calligraphy pen, a hot cup of tea forever within reach.”

“I am forever inspired by the idea of an heirloom..your wedding invitations become a tangible legacy of your distinctive love story â€” an heirloom to be treasured,” says Sarah.

Photo Credits: Gray Door Photography

The first element of design is knowing who you’re designing for. Sarah notes: “I design for the romantic couple who doesn’t want to forget a single aspect of their special day â€” the couple who will treasure every keepsake from their wedding for years to come.”

Why is it more than just lettering work on paper? Sarah says of wedding calligraphy: “Ultimately, I believe wedding invitations can become cherished keepsakes from your most treasured celebration â€” reminders of true romance, a lifelong commitment, and vows for eternity.”

A beautiful sentiment â€” and why I think so many of us are drawn to finding calligraphy that speaks to us, especially for a big event like your wedding. Many thanks to Sarah for sharing a look inside her work! And she’s on Instagram if you want to follow!

All images via Sarah Ann Design except where noted

11/16/2017

Calligraphy Inspiration: Pink + Peach

Hey everyone! My 6-year-old daughter isn’t the only fan of pink in our house â€” I love pink. My fall coat is a coral pink hue, in fact. And when I stumbled on the work of Natalie Garrigan of Pink + Peach, I was tickled pink. I think you will be, too. Here’s a sweet dose of calligraphy inspiration. Enjoy! – Jen

Photo Credit: Tetiana Photography

Yes to everything in this photo. The modern organic style of the calligraphy, the choice of berries and blooms for the place cards, and of course, the pink sofa.

Photo Credit: Sue Blue Events

Natalie is a self-taught calligrapher based out of Seattle. She just picked up calligraphy about 2 years ago (wow!). She went full-time with Pink + Peach about a year ago.

How do you get this good at calligraphy in such a short time? Practice, of course. Natalie shares: “My lettering style is ever evolving, as I feel I am still trying to perfect my style. That’s my favorite aspect about my job â€” I’m always learning!”

Natalie finds inspiration from fonts and she focuses on letter flow. She explains: “If I don’t like how my ‘h’ flows into an ‘r’ or ‘k’ into an ‘s’, I’ll rework the letters until I’ve found an aesthetic flow. In my mind, flow is queen.”

Photo Credits: Dawn Photography

Here’s a peek at table settings just perfect for fall. The calligraphy place cards add the special finishing touch. The place cards above feature Natalie’s lettering work on broken ceramic tiles.

These pretty place cards show off her calligraphy on vellum with edges burned by hand.

Black calligraphy on white envelopes is a timeless classic â€“ but Natalie’s calligraphy style and use of vellum envelopes makes everything feel modern.

Natalie loves to work her calligraphy magic on non-paper materials. Her favorites are leather and marble. Of leather, she shares: “It responds to ink beautifully and can be manipulated into whatever your vision is. Tiles are a close second because of their elegance.”

Photo Credit: Jason Lucas Photography

And with that cozy fall imagery, I’ll leave you. Thanks so much to Natalie of Pink + Peach for sharing a peek into her work and process!

10/13/2017

Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! And a Friday the 13th at that! It’s finally starting to feel like fall here in DC, which… well, I was really starting to wonder if we’d be having 80-degree days into November! We’re in full Halloween costume planning mode over here, since Sophie has asked to be a “Winter Fairy” this year. I’m not really sure where she got the idea, but we’re planning to DIY an icicle crown and experiment with some white and glittery make up. I’ve been spending lots of time on Pinterest looking for inspiration, and I think this is going to be lots of fun! But in the meantime…

Watercolor illustration by Bright Room Studio

…a few links for your weekend!

Did you see Jenny’s tutorial for painting your fridge? I went with white for our studio fridge, but maybe I’ll try painting it a pretty mint green!

Yay for sweater season! This slouchy cardigan looks cozy.

Definitely feeling the natural wood trend in the kitchen!

I’m loving all the planters at CB2 these days. This one might be my fave, or maybe this one?

DC area folks! Pub Dread is offering timed entry tickets to benefit disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico. You should go!

Sigh. How our current president thinks the U.S. government works.

I’ve been meaning to get a legit first aid box for my little family â€“ how cute is this one?

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

Romantic wedding invitations with a vellum overlay

Halloween cards, part boo! (aka 2)

Behind the Stationery with Yao Cheng Design â€“ I love her beautiful watercolor florals!

Such pretty gray calligraphy wedding invitations with deckled edges

Beautiful calligraphy inspiration from Angelique Ink

That’s it for me this week. To everyone in northern California, please stay safe out there, friends. I’ll see you all back here next week. xoxo

10/12/2017

Calligraphy Inspiration: Angelique Ink

Hey everyone! I’m super excited to shine a spotlight on today’s calligrapher, because I’m a fan not just of her paper projects â€“ but also her non-paper lettering work (hint: ink for the body!). Meet Angi Phillips of Angelique Ink. She’s a calligrapher, artist, designer, and teacher (she teaches calligraphy workshops!). Let’s take a look at her mix of work, including some designs that have me re-thinking whether I should get a tattoo… â€“ Jen

Angi likes a blend of traditional and modern style in calligraphy, as you can see in these wedding invitation collections. “I love it when a client asks me to do something a little different, and I can be creative with the styling,” says Angi.

Every artist gets inspired in different ways. I loved hearing what most inspires Angi as a calligrapher. “Much of the inspiration behind my style comes in the form of poetry, which may sound odd since it’s not really a visual form of inspiration. I find depth in words, particularly poetic verse, gives my style a sense of mystery and longing, desire, romance and introspection.”

And here’s a cool mural showing off her lettering work! “I like that calligraphy is an art that gives words a second meaning, an extra layer of depth and emotion,” shares Angi. Large scale murals are one of her favorite non-traditional surfaces for calligraphy. “Bringing the words from pen to paper and then bringing them to life in a larger than life setting makes for a fun day’s work and it’s extra satisfying to take it in once it’s finished,” says Angi.

Another cool example of calligraphy in a non-traditional place â€” tattoos! Angi shares, “I’ve been doing quite a few wedding date roman numeral designs for couples tattoos lately.”

And a peek of traditional calligraphy on paper seems like a pretty place to pause. Big thanks to Angi for sharing her work!

Photos via Angelique Ink

09/14/2017

Calligraphy Inspiration: Nikki Ornopia

Hello everyone! September feels even more like a happy beginning and a new rhythm now that I’m a mama to school-age kiddos. So I thought I’d start here with this pretty print by a favorite calligrapher who’s new to the scene â€” and full of fresh inspiration. Here’s a peek into the work of Los Angeles-based calligrapher Nikki Ornopia. – Jen

Nikki is a self-taught calligrapher and she’s also ambidextrous! So all the work she’s shared here was done with her right hand, yet she’s a true lefty. How amazing is that! Nikki said, “I found in the beginning how difficult it was to letter with my left hand. I wanted to control the brush. I then thought, hey Iâ€™ve written with my right hand before letâ€™s try that! The rest was history. Using my right hand for lettering allowed me the freedom of being more relaxed when I letter, and I noticed the letters were coming out SO much better.”

I love how Nikki incorporates watercolor into her calligraphy! Those watercolor garlands above are so sweet and these place cards have such a dreamy vibe to them. Nikki shares that her lettering style mixes simple and modern bouncy cursive and handwritten letters.

Look at how adorable these baby milestone cards are that Nikki created! So fun and unique.

Here’s a peek at Nikki’s favorite project that she’s worked on so far â€” a first day of school sign! This canvas piece was done for a kiddo who had just begun kindergarten. Nikki shares, “It took about 3 hours to finish with waiting for the watercolor to dry in between, but it was just an overall amazing project.” What a sweet keepsake!

Nikki works on traditional wedding calligraphy projects, too. (Of course!) I’m always a fan of the white lettering on brown paper look.

What are her favorite calligraphy tools? Nikki shares: “My main tools that I use are fine tip brushes. I also love using fine tip brushes for painting leaves. I love the precision details I can create with those types of brushes.”

Many thanks to Nikki for sharing her work with us! I hope your September is off to a happy start!

Photo Credits: Nikki Ornopia

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Calligraphy Inspiration: Sarah Ann Design

Calligraphy Inspiration: Pink + Peach

Happy Weekend!

Calligraphy Inspiration: Angelique Ink

Calligraphy Inspiration: Nikki Ornopia