My dear friends Jen and Goldie (really, Adam Goldstein, but everyone just calls him Goldie!) got married last October at Casa Encantada, a drop-dead-gorgeous, rustic property in Malibu with a private home who’s owners recently started hosting weddings.  I was so happy that she asked me to participate in some of the day of signage, and so lucky to get to experience this magical wedding in person.  The photos, by the lovely and ridiculously talented Paige Jones (who herself got married at Casa Encantada), really capture how awesome and fun this couple is, and how cute, quirky, and full of detail the wedding was.  It was casual and relaxed, tons of fun, and looked unbelievable.  And did I say magical?  Magical!

The cocktail hour and the ceremony were on the bottom level of the property, then you walked up to the next level to find this beautiful table that ran the entire length of the property.  With twinkly lights, gingham tablecloths, and butcher paper for everyone to draw on with their colored pencil escort cards while eating barbecue from Max City BBQ.

I painted this wooden arrow signage to direct everyone to the appropriate locale, and the “Let’s Do This” sign for the adorable flower girls to carry down the aisle.

How cute are these little raccoons she found to hold the tiny table number signs that I wrote!?!

Such a fun night celebrating these two.  So glad I could be a part of it.

(There was also a write up about the wedding on glamour.com with a ton more photos.  You can find that here.)

If you have been following my work lately, you know that I have been delving into color in a major way.  Coincidentally, a few months ago I was asked to be a part of this gorgeous styled shoot for Carolina Bride Magazine.  I didn’t know it at the time, but the concept was “It’s a Colorful Life” – how perfect!  Melissa from Atheneum Creative definitely made my spot calligraphy colorful with her invitation suite, menu, program, and all the fun vinyl decals she designed for the shoot.  Lauren Rosenau photographed everything beautifully.  When I first saw the photos, I was so excited.  Unfortunately, a lot of the pieces didn’t wind up in the magazine, but you can see some more of them here and I’m so happy to be able to share even more of them in this post.

I love these clear acrylic chairs with the decals for “Bride” and “Groom.” Such a unique and fun way to add some color and personalization while still keeping a contemporary and clean look. The escort cards were also made of a clear acrylic with my decals of my calligraphy – a cool way to incorporate more of the same material and do something a little different for the escort card display.  My favorite part of the shoot were the decals on the floor creating an aisle runner, which served as a map of their relationship from their first meeting to the wedding.  It’s so fun to see what some black calligraphy on paper, scanned into a computer, can actually turn into.  I’m so lucky to work with such creative people!  They really make my work shine.

A couple weeks ago I hosted a calligraphy workshop weekend, and I’m happy to say it was a huge success! We had two sold out 5 hour days – Saturday was for learning the basics of pointed pen calligraphy, and Sunday was an intermediate class where students learned how to find their own style, mix colors, use white ink and practice brush lettering. It was designed so someone could take the beginner class on Saturday and then jump right into the intermediate class on Sunday. I was so impressed with all the talent I saw from students in each class.

On both days we had lunch catered by Tender Greens – their salads are perfect for a summer afternoon and it is so exciting that they are catering events now.  And Simply Brigadeiro was so kind to send over their delicious, unique sweet treats.  They are so pretty, too!  And of course I made some yummy summer cocktails.  I really wanted this to feel like a party, or like a relaxing day spent with girlfriends.  Plus, they always say that a glass of wine (or maybe a mimosa with fresh peach juice?) is good to loosen you up for better calligraphy!

I made a little goodie bag for everyone who took the class. In it I had the basic calligraphy supplies (ink, paper, nibs), as well as a white foil pressed print I designed especially for the class that reads “Never stop learning.”  But the real hits were the neon laser cut nametags Amber from Pitbulls and Posies made for everyone. Now I want everything in my house to be labeled with neon laser cut tags.

Angel from Love and Splendor took the beginner class on Saturday and wrote this sweet blog post about her experience. You can read it here.

I really love teaching these workshops.  My work is normally solitary so this is such a fun change of pace. I can’t wait to start hosting more workshops regularly. I’d like to do one every few months, so if that’s something you’re interested in, you can sign up for the mailing list here.

A few months ago Rachel Hollis from The Chic Site asked me to create a watercolor print to go along with her bright orange inspired shoot for Traditional Home Magazine. When she sent over what she wanted and I saw it was a Frank Sinatra quote, I was super excited!  And I was really happy with the way it came out.  I’m having a lot of fun with watercolor these days and I love the way the orange gradient transitions throughout the piece.

When the Spring issue of Traditional Home Magazine came out last week, I was thrilled with the final images.  And it reminded me how much I loved that little print.  So now I am offering the print for sale!  I had them done as 8x8s, digitally printed on 110# cotton paper and I couldn’t be happier with them.

Click here to order a print! $20 plus $5 for Priority Shipping.

1. Navy and Gold Envelopes for a Bash Please Wedding

2. Leather Pouch collaboration with Pitbulls & Posies for Jose Villa Workshops

3. Fun Table Numbers and Escort Cards painted on rocks for a Lauren Wells Wedding

4. Splattered Bliss and Bone Envelopes

5. Leather Escort Cards for Bash Please

6. Signs for The Cream Event

7. Brush Pen Calligraphy

8. Beautiful Invitation Suite collaboration with Atheneum Creative

9. Laser Cut Calligraphy from Pitbulls and Posies for a Flowerwild workshop

10. Neon Calligraphy on boxes for Bliss and Bone

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been 8 months since my last “Lately on Instagram” post.  So not exactly “Lately,” more like “The Past 8 Months on Instagram!”  I’ve been so busy with projects that I haven’t had the time to update my blog regularly. With so many different social media platforms it’s hard to stay on top of all of them. I do post quite often to my Instagram just because it’s so quick and simple (instant gratification!), so if you haven’t yet, you can follow me there.

It’s been an exciting 8 months, as I’ve had the opportunity to work on so many different projects with so many different mediums. From leather to rocks and lots of paper in between, I’ve really enjoyed experimenting with my calligraphy and pushing myself to see what I can come up with.

I am so excited to announce that I will be offering two calligraphy workshops in Los Angeles!

I am teaching a Beginner Workshop on Saturday, June 21st and an Intermediate Workshop on Sunday, June 22nd in Mar Vista.

These are set up a little differently than most other workshops being offered now.  I’ve found that in a 3 hour class we barely scratch the surface, so I wanted to offer this longer and more comprehensive format.  Both workshops will be fun-filled, full days, and will include lunch provided by Tender Greens Catering, (did you know that Tender Greens has an event and wedding catering division?!?) and delicious desserts from Simply Brigadeiro.  Plus, it wouldn’t be a party without a few summery cocktails – just what we need to loosen up our writing hands!

In the Beginner Workshop we will delve deeply into the basics of pointed pen calligraphy, and in the Intermediate Workshop we will explore flourishes, color, gouache, and some brush-work.  They are actually designed to work together, so even if you have never picked up a calligraphy pen before, you could take the beginner class on Saturday and get comfortable with using a pointed pen, and then take the intermediate class on Sunday to play with all the fun stuff.

Either workshop would be such a awesome day for a birthday get-together, a bachelorette party activity, a girl’s day out, or just a unique thing to do!

Beginner Workshop
Saturday, June 21, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
$225
You’ll receive a package of beginner materials including nibs, nib holders, paper, and ink.
Lunch and cocktails included
Location: Mar Vista, Los Angeles
Sign up: SOLD OUT

Intermediate Workshop
Sunday, June 22, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
$250
You’ll receive a package of intermediate materials including nibs, nib holders, a brush, paper, gouache and ink wells, and colored ink.
Lunch and cocktails included
Location: Mar Vista, Los Angeles
Sign up: SOLD OUT

OR, sign up for both workshops for $400: SOLD OUT

***To sign up for a wait list, or if you want to be notified of future workshops, send me a note through my contact form.

How is it already Mother’s Day?!?  This year is flying by so quickly.  And now it’s May.  Yikes.

If you don’t have a gift yet for your mom, or the mom in your life, this is a perfect little print that says it all, right?  The lyrics are from an Elvis Presley song called “Mama,” which is what my son calls me, so I couldn’t resist.  8 x 10, offset printed in a pop-y neon pink on thick 110# bright white cotton paper.

Click here to order by Wednesday, May 7 at 11 AM to insure delivery by Mother’s Day.  $20, plus $5 for priority shipping.

*After a proof from my printer, the reddish-pink color changed to neon pink because it was just so much better.  So this is really what the print looks like.  THIS mama LOVES neon!

A couple of months ago, a client contacted me wanting a very special holiday card that would send holiday wishes to her family and friends, and also announce the birth of their third child.  She had some ideas about what she wanted, and sent me a Pinterest board with different ideas that she had collected.  She loved a watercolor sketch of the Elton John lyrics “How wonderful life is now you’re in the world,” and also pinned a paint splattered envelope, so I took those ideas and ran with them.  She also wanted a custom stamp that I designed to match the card and envelope.

We decided on 110# cotton lettra for the card and envelope (now that’s a thick envelope!) and digital printing with rose gold foil pressed accents.  The envelope was printed with watercolor splotches both inside and out.  These were so fun to create and I LOVE the way they came out.

I’m hoping to do a lot more design work in 2014.  From the looks of things so far (ie. three design jobs already on the books for January) it looks like my wish will probably come true.  Stay tuned!  And Happy New Year!

Whoa – it has been a long time since I’ve blogged about anything.  The past few months have kicked my butt!  I’ve spent so much time working on some pretty awesome stuff that I didn’t have any time to tell anyone about it.  But I do have a long list of “TO DO” blog posts, and eventually, they will (magically?) appear.  Promise.

For now, just wanted to show a few photos of the holiday gifts that I just sent out.  I have always sent food gifts to my partners but this year, (maybe because I’m trying to cut down on the sweets a bit more myself), I decided to do something a little different.  I designed an 11 x 14 print and had it foil pressed on 90# cotton lettra.  I’m pretty thrilled with the way they turned out, and I thought the way we packaged them up looked pretty nice, too.

Happy Holidays everyone.  I hope it means a little more rest and some family time for us all!

Cathy and John got married this summer in a gorgeous ceremony at Stauffer Chapel at Pepperdine University, and had their reception at the Viceroy in Santa Monica.  They were such a pleasure to work with, and kept me very busy writing out each of the pieces of every invitation suite by hand.  (Luckily, there weren’t hundreds of guests – I think the guest count wound up to be somewhere around 50.)

Cathy loved the combo of my Rina style with a simple block lettering and wanted to use it throughout the wedding for everything she could.  I love how the simple black on white complements the rest of the elegant wedding.  Sometimes, simpler really is better.

They’re such a fun couple.  Congrats Cathy and John!

All photos by Erin J Saldana Photography