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I really like the idea of using lettering in unconventional ways, and recently as I was strolling through our neighborhood home store, I grabbed a bunch of paint chips. I proceeded to turn them into technicolor love notes for my husband, but I can't help but think that these would be adorable place cards as well… spelling out each person's name. Or you could even use them as table cards, with different words spelled out differentiating the tables. It would certainly be a different approach!

I'm always so charmed when I walk into a wedding and am blown away by sweet little details that I haven't seen anywhere before. You could even spell out “thanks” and enclose them in your thank you cards for an unexpected touch. So many possibilities! I love it when I discover a way to turn an everyday object into a thing of beauty. It gives me such joy! How about you?

I've had a couple of you ask how I came to do calligraphy full-time, and so I wanted to just chat a little bit about it!

A couple of years ago, I had graduated college and was working full-time at a job which was mind-numbingly boring. I would lay in bed at night, dreading the thought of getting up the next day and going to work, and would say a little prayer, hoping that I could move into the direction of doing something I loved and was passionate about. Something creative. Anything other than sitting all day in an office with no windows! I really thought I would go out of my mind.

I started entertaining the idea of doing calligraphy. Now instead of lying in bed and dreading going to work, I would be so excited that I would shake my husband awake to chatter on and on about a prospective future of creating little works of scripted art all day- from the comfort of my desk at home. I knew what type of scripts I was drawn to, but I wanted to mix things up a bit- try something fresh. It took quite a bit of experimenting with countless materials, and many trips to my local art supply shop, but I finally found the medium that worked for me. Using a split, pointed metal nib dipped into ink every couple words or so, I started to get the results I was desiring. It is a super old-fashioned way of writing- akin to using a quill!- and a lot of people wouldn't have the patience for it, but I immediately loved it. Calligraphy, and the idea of creating beautiful little works of art all day long, fit me like a glove.
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Hello there! I feel so honored to have been asked to blog in this new Weddingbee space, and I'll surely do my best to bring lots of inspiration your way! Being a calligrapher is certainly an interesting and unpredictable job, and I always am working on projects that are both challenging and engaging. I'm looking forward to sharing that with you.

I live in Tucson, Arizona, with my amazing husband, Nick, and our two sweet cats. I was born and raised here, although I've also lived in Oregon and Austria (gorgeous!) for brief periods of time. I studied English at the University of Arizona, and stumbled into doing calligraphy a couple of years after I graduated.

Ever since I was a little girl, my passion has been creating beauty; doing exactly that for a career is a perfect fit! When I'm not working, I enjoy hanging out with my husband, traveling, gardening, cooking up a storm, reading voraciously, watching old movies, listening to music/going to concerts, learning the bass guitar, quilting, and basically doing anything that involves creating something with my hands. I recently started another business with my friend Shanna Murray called Hello Handmade... we are currently selling calendars and some holiday wares, but hope to move in the wedding direction, so stay tuned!

It is wonderful to meet you, and I can't wait to get to know you better in this little space!

xo,
Betsy