Alesia Zorn Calligraphy

Soiree Boutique - the good times never end!

Wednesday, May 18th another chance to have a great time at the Soiree Boutique in Sellwood!

 

Sweet Dreams Weddings & Events

I'm tickled to be mentioned on Sweet Dreams Wedding & Events blog today!  We shared a lovely bride named Tara, her wedding was just GORGEOUS!  I'm really happy to have had a small part in it with the seating cards - silver on eggplant - and the table markers, which was love in several languages.  You can see the blog post with more incredibly lovely photos here. 

Very Engaging Bridal Event this weekend!

 What a fun time this Sunday!  Portland Bride & Groom and Bridgeport Village are throwing a big bridal show and you need to be there!   I'll be in Oblation Papers & Press, writing out names and handing out a calligraphy sample.  I'll be there with the fabulous Amy Nuttman of Blush Bridal .  Amy is the brains behind the the latest spread in Portland Bride & Groom, along with the wildly talented Francoise Weeks , who will be in Miss Meers Shoe Boutique at Bridgeport on Sunday.  Here's a page from our spread. 

 

Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!

World Domination - or my "Pinky & the Brain" reenactment

 This week the world domination of Alesia Zorn Calligraphy LLC makes another move!  I'm putting up a display at the new Soiree Boutique!  I will still meet clients and have my display at The Bridal Loft, but I now have North & South display areas.  Friday, Feb. 4th is the grand opening for the boutique, it's from 4p-8p, click on the Soiree link above to get all the deets and info on how to RSVP!

The boutique is a branch of Soiree Special Event Planning.   As always, I can't rave enough about Molli Barss and her team.  Molli was one of the first consultants to hire me when I hung out my calligraphy shingle and I'm happy to say we've had a great working relationship for the past 5 years.  I'm always impressed with how organized and easy it is to work with the Soiree team.  I'm jumped on this when I was invited to participate, I'm so happy to support Soiree!

Then I got REALLY excited.  Molli is the queen of "can you write on...?"  Chalkboards?  (That gave birth to a whole new part of my business)  Apples?  Toast?  I'm really stoked to see what's coming next!  (Apple photo by another much beloved member of The Barss Corporation - David A. Barss, Photographer.)

And how does this possibly have anything with '90s cartoon classic Pinky & the Brain ?  I now have 2 display areas in the city of Portland.  I'm still meeting clients in The Bridal Loft  - Alesia Zorn Calligraphy North - and now 5 miles south at The Soiree Boutique - Alesia Zorn Calligraphy South. 

What are we going to do tonight?  Try to take over the world.  (I'm being extremely presumptive that I'm actually more The Brain than I am Pinky.  Please do not burst my bubble.)  

I know a TV star! (excuse my bragging ;-)

It's been a pleasure to work with first Christie Wilson, and now Amy Nuttman, past & present owners of Blush Bridal Consultation Group over the past few years.  I've done fun things with them like Christie's take out box escort card/entree indicator/candy buffet favor job and was quite honored when Amy hired me to do so many things for her wedding.  Amy & I have a shared client with a fabulous wedding, I can't wait to share pictures with you of the travel themed wedding & reception!

Meanwhile I'm delighted to give you this link to Amy's TV appearance on our local ABC affiliate's show "AM Northwest."  She did a great job - go Amy!  Not to seem like a sychophant (although I'm sure I do!) I truly believe everything Amy says about the reason to hire an ethical consultant.  What are you still doing here?  Go check her out!

Soiree Special Event Planning - Countryside Villa - Bravo! Wedding Affair Nov. '09

I don't even know where to begin to talk about the lovely ladies of Soiree.  They've been so supportive of me, ever since I first went into business.  More than anyone else, they'll call and say "Can you write on...?" and come up with some cool new thing.  Molli is the fairy godmother of the chalk board menus, an idea that came about when she did a TV shoot on Eco-Friendly Weddings.  The chalk boards are a wonderful idea on so many levels!

This summer was no exception - a client of theirs had a magazine photo, she wanted these quilled hearts replicated.  They were so cute!  When I talked to Molli about her Countryside Villa, I asked her if she'd like more hearts.  (When I got the paper for the first job I bought a ream of paper and had the whole thing cut - I just did the math, that means there were 7000 strips, I've probably used about 200.  You like these hearts?  Let's talk!

These make darling (IMHO) place cards.  (Mary is my new sister-in-law, hi Mary!)

Here's how they look on the table...

I enabled the pop up on this photo so you can see the all the gorgeous detail on this tablescape, put together by Soiree and Crystal Lilies.

One other thing that I did earlier this summer made an appearance in the Countryside Villa room - tags!!

The tags attached to the little pear say "Eat Drink Dance" - wiser words were never spoken!  I used these tags for the Rustic client from earlier this summer (a million thanks to Crystal Lilies for sending the bride my way, there's more to come on that wedding in the next few weeks) - and that has started a new obsession for me - TAGS!!  All sorts of tags.  I want to put tags on everything (the cats are not amused.)  Keep an eye out for more tags in the future!

Encore Events - Moonlit Beach - Bravo! Wedding Affair - Nov '09

Working with Cindy from Encore Events is always so much fun!  Each time the Bravo! Wedding Affair comes around I can't wait to hear what she's thinking about doing with her theme for that show.  This past November is was an idea she's been mulling over for awhile - Moonlit Beach.  I love what she, along with Kay of Flowers for You, came up with!

This is the ceremony site - it's not just the freezing cold Portland temps that are making me dream of the beach!   (photo courtesy of Paul Rich Studio)

This is the reception area, isn't it lush?  When I win Powerball, I want to dine at lush tablescapes like this for every meal.  Every single one.  (photo courtesy of Jessica Hill Photography)

My contributions to the room was writing* on sand dollars...

... as place cards... 
 (photo courtesy of Jessica Hill Photography)

... and then the bride & grooms initials on the teeniest sand dollars - so cute!

(photo courtesy of Paul Rich Studio)

I can hardly wait to find out what Cindy has up her sleeve for the February Bravo! Wedding Affair!!

*I'd like to think when I win Powerball I would do my own calligraphy for my lush tablescapes... we'll just have to wait and see ;-)

Fun Times with Blush Bridal & Zenith Vineyard!

Part of this week is about an event at Zenith Vineyard.  They're having a tasting this weekend, and they're showcasing tablescapes done by planners for the event.  I'm honored to have been asked to contributed a few things.

This table I'm writing about today was designed by Amy Nuttman, owner of Blush Bridal Consultation Group.  She sent myself and the florist an e-mail with a sample of these gorgeous linens and told us the theme was "Asian Autumn."  Amy knows me soooo well, because later in that e-mail she wrote:  Alesia -- I just KNOW the wheels are already spinning in your head!!! I would LOVE for you to do whatever you wish with this theme in mind! :-)  My only instructions were to do place cards (maybe something with chopsticks), a table marker and a participants sign.  Viola!

I LOVE this table! This linen, chocolate brown with golden chrysanthemums gives me the shivers (in a good way.)  I want clothing made of of this!

A closer look takes us to this stunning floral centerpiece done by Francoise Weeks.  Click on that photo, I made sure to enable the pop up so you can get a closer look - really, "stunning" keeps coming back to me time & time again.  Francoise's work frequently has woodland elements, it's very Northwest!  Please check out her website and blog - she teaches classes and has note cards featuring her gorgeous arrangements. 

I love my #8, I wish I could take all the credit for it but I think the credit belongs to my Muse.  The number is very auspicious in several Asian cultures so I knew that had to be the table marker.  "8" is a very sensuous number, it's all curvy and lovely, this one with one strong stroke, the next brushy and airy.  My friend Sue from the UK just this week asked about working "in the Zone" on her fb page.  That "8" came from that zone - I had a stack of paper standing by to do several versions but I only needed the one.  More serendipity... I walked into my favorite cheap-frames-fast boutique, Chez Dollar Store, saw those 2 and knew that was it.

When Amy said Asian theme and place cards the image of these little sleeves popped into my head.  Off I trotted to Anzen, the Asian market in my neighborhood to find pretty chopsticks - then I had an idea to find chopstick holders and that mystical Zone thing - maybe The Force - was with me.  See the 2 little yellow triangles at the top & bottom of the place card?  They're the tips of the wings of little ceramic "origami" cranes.  1000 origami cranes are symbols of long life and good luck, who doesn't need a little more of that going for them?! 

UPDATE: I get so carried away by "the pretties," I need to do a better job editing!  If this re-publishes it's because I had to make a few tweeks.

Calligraphy released in the wild

Hurray!  More professional photos!  This go-round is from David Barss.  When I first met David we had a discussion about table markers.  He usually removes them from the tables when he takes detail shots.  I was thrilled beyond the telling that not only did he leave this table marker on the table, this photo also appeared in the slideshow on his blog.  I scared the dog & cats when I saw the slideshow, I hollered out "David, you ROCK!!"  As you can now see for yourself. 

   I love the photos of all the escort cards lined up, ready to go off into the wild and have a great time!

The different colors on the escort cards are not just pretty, they serve a purpose.  This was a plated reception, the colors on the card told the servers which entree had been ordered.  On the list of nit-picky things that make me crazy, little "B"s for beef or "C"s for chicken on an escort or place card are so out of place.  There are more tasteful ways to get that idea across.

This was a very fun job, the cards are so flourishy and lovely, a big thank you goes out to Soiree Special Event Planning for sending this my way!

*That's* what I'm talking about!

In mid-June I has a post about place cards & programs I did for a wonderful client.  As often happens, the photos are done by me with my remedial digital camera and my remedial skills.  I make no bones about being the perfect advertisement for why one should hire a professional photographer for their event instead of using their uncle/cousin/best college bud/remedial-skilled laborer.  There's a reason they're called "professional."

Here are photos from the actual wedding, the photos generously shared by Paul Rich Studio.  I happily share them with you so you can contrast and compare.   Truly, hire a professional photographer - as well as a professional calligrapher, of course!!

See? and once my work is released into the wild there are lovely touches, like rose petals!

And I completely forgot about the table numbers!  (I'm becoming militant about table markers, there's a post on that building up inside me ;-)

Again, my work looks so much better after it's been released into its natural habitat (and this habitat was coordinated by A Swank Affair - and they aren't kidding when they say "events with style.")

The wedding ceremony was held at The Grotto here in Portland.  I had to share this breathtaking photo with you just 'cuz... really, how beautiful is this?!