Finally an update

Wow, has it really been since March since I last blogged something. Well, I guess it has. Sorry about that. When I've gotten short breaks between work, I've spent some quality time with my family. These included a spring break trip to Gatlinburg, TN, a Memorial Day camping trip, family visiting and going to Kings Island, pool parties, a couple of holidays and so on.

Biggest news is that my 3.5 year old is now potty trained! No more diapers! Woo hooo! Mommy got a raise.

Calligraphically....

Biggest compliment: A local client grilled the stationary shop owner that my writing was so perfect she thought the shop had printed them and charged them for the hand lettering. I loved hearing that, as I'm my own worst critic and always see "boo boos" in my lettering.

Farthest distance client: I addressed the invitations for a client in Austrailia. It was very interesting working internationally. I had to ask the bride about postal regulations and abbreviations for Austrailia. You can see a sample of the lettering above. I printed the return address and RSVP envelopes and did the addressing so everything matched.

New learning: I was asked to copy 2 new fonts this spring/summer. One call Saffron Too for my Austrailian client, and one called Chopin. The second one I really like and want to expand on as I think it is one that could easily be flourished beyond just the letters.

New referrals: I'm working with another local calligrapher to do wedding work that she no longer does. I've also expanded my network by contacting local wedding planners, graphic designers and printers to tell them about my services to try to get more referrals. Hoping to build my business. Here is a look at my new marketing packet, above and at right. It's really a pocket fold invitation folder and I love the laser cut front. Inside is my brochure and samples.

If you have any ideas how I could generate more calligraphy business, let me know.

Best rescue: Suddenly my favorite gold ink wasn't flowing as it should and I was desperate as I just started a lovely wedding that called for gold ink. After sending a call out to my calligraphic community, the conclusion was to order Dr. Martin's copperplate gold ink from Paper and Ink Arts and pay extra for 3 day delivery. Oh. My. Goodness. That was a miracle life saver. I felt like I was actually writing with liquid gold. Recently, I had to order the silver too, for another job on black envelopes. The wonderful lady at Paper and Ink went out of her way to go and unpack a box that had just arrived back from the international calligraphy conference, Calligraphy Northwest, Portland, Oregon, because she knew there was one bottle of the silver ink in it. Both jobs turned out beautifully.

Well, that's enough of an update for now. I hope to get back here soon to show you more work.

Jen