Alesia Zorn Calligraphy

Adventure to Paperland!

I'm just getting back from a trip to New England where we spent not-enough time visiting family & friends.  One of my adventures was to the Crane Museum of Papermaking with my sister & my husband (who must love me a lot because papermaking - not so much with the excitement for the civilians ;-) It was great for me and I appreciate their putting up with me!

Crane & Co. makes beautiful invitations and stationery and I frequently work with their products.  It was nice to go to the source. Sorry, other calligraphers, they don't make Letra envelopes on site so there wasn't anyone on which I could take out our collective frustrations.

Crane also has wonderful etiquette information on their website.  Their Blue Book is a must!

What not everyone knows is that all Americans work with their products every day as Crane is the exclusive supplier of the paper the U.S. Treasury uses to print money (dammit! no free samples!)

I managed to carry on.

This is the building that houses the musuem.  It used to be the rag building, where rags were broken down into pulp for paper.  Hence, the paper reference "rag content."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love this plaque, the lettering is darling!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's Zenas Crane himself.  Doesn't he look like a New England 19th century party boy?

Of course not, I don't think they existed back then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's one of the cutey-patootey figurines that shows the process of paper making.  The entire display was made by Dard Hunter, a prominent paper maker and printer in the 20th century.  I have crazy friends who love to make paper and I direct them to The Friends of Dard Hunter to find more crazies like them. I have made handmade paper and it's as back-breaking as this model illustrates.  I will happily buy handmade paper and not even blink at the cost.

Oh! If you're a Portlander reading this, the word is "coucher" pronounced "coocher" like our crazy street.  It's really a word, that's why I took this particular photo.

And now the word "Vatman" has entered my head and I have the "Batman" tv show theme going through my head. 

And now so do you.  Mwahahahahahaha.

 

Floral Seating Cards

Oh-so-pretty!  Earlier this year I did seating cards for one of Marilyn of Portland Wedding Planner's brides.   The cards came from The Wedding Cottage - as did the invitations which had the same cherry blossom floral element.  Such a pretty graphic element to tie everything together.  The names are in different colors to let the servers know what entree to serve each guest.  Big thanks to Artistique Photographie for the beautiful photos!

ROAD TRIP!! Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club Bridal Show Saturday, January 29th

 
I'm really looking forward to hitting the road this Saturday with fellow Bridal Lofties August Veils, Paul Rich Studio and Event Cosmetics for The Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club Bridal Show.  I'm suddenly thinking there's a script for a buddy comedy in this little adventure.

We'll be there from noon to three.  I'll be demo'ing calligraphy on these sweet die cuts from Paper Zone on SE Grand Ave in Portland.  Coming from a die cutter, they can be on almost any paper!  We were using them for nametags and food signs at last weekend's event, they'd make sweet seating or place cards.  They were a big hit.  My wheels are spinning with all sorts of things for these cuties.  As always, much love to the PZ crew for sharing!

Come visit us and the gorgeous Pumpkin Ridge!

 

Big thanks to Continuum Photography for the photo from last weekend's event!

 

 

Something "New & Blue" - thank you!

Big thanks to New & Blue in The Pearl for their blog post about me!  I've been very fortunate to have been working with Tatum and her excellent staff for a few years now.  I've always had a great experience with them & their clients - and somehow always seem to come home with "something new!" 

Not in Portland?  Check out their website, it's H-U-G-E!

It's going to be a fun reception!

I was very fortunate this year to work with a great bride who is a fellow Massachusettsite.  We've had a great time talking about things Back East, such as her fiance & his "married into it - Red Sox fan for life" tee.  And we had a wonderful time putting together things for her reception.

Amy's getting married in Vegas and my thoughts turn once again to becoming a wedding crasher.  Her colors are rich jewel tones, focusing primarily on red & purple.  How lush! 

 

Her blank escort cards were provided by the hotel - the writing space was a bit teeny but totally doable.  These are the unfolded fronts, the table assignment is on the other side.  I alternated names by the tables between red & purple, when they're all set up the color pattern will be random. 

Here are the wicked* fun table numbers - I had so much fun doing them, first the number spelled out in red watercolor, then the numeral on top also in watercolor.  The watercolor paper was then mounted onto a fabulous metallic purple cardstock.  I want to use this cardstock for wallpaper - and I'm not even a big fan of purple.

Amy also asked me to make a sign for their guest book.  Of course I had to use metallic purple ink - it's Las Vegas, baby!  The phrase is in quotes because they're providing their guests with a photo guide book to Las Vegas (see! more fun!  I want to go.)  She provided the really lovely frame & mat, it'll be great for a wedding photo later.  (I took this photo at The Bridal Loft before Amy came to pick up.  If you look in the reflection you can see some of Bead Alex's gorgeous jewelry.)

 Last but not least, Amy wanted me to write out quotes that she would post around the room at the reception.  They ranged from the sweet A.A. Milne quote "If you live to be one hundred, I want to live to be one hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you" to the more pragmatic Groucho Marx - "I was married by a judge.  I should have asked for a jury."  Ah, the sentimentality of my homeland.  The writing is in red metallic ink, mounted to purple cardstock with little gold corners.

I had a wonderful time with Amy and I think she did with me, one of her last e-mails to me said:

"Can you do calligraphy for just random things in my life, grocery lists etc, I don't want this to be over!"

Have I ever calligraphed a grocery list?  No.  Will I?  Of course!!

*It was also fun to speak my native tongue - like using "wicked" instead of "very."  I'm sure I also dropped an "r" here and there and words cannot tell you how lovely it was not to be picked on for saying "AWrange" instead of "ORange."

I Am Over The Moon

I'm taking some time to go through all my photos and files from 2009 now that all my receipts for the year have been entered in the computer (go me!)  I came across this from last summer and got excited all over again.  Yes, just like a pre-schooler who forgot about a favorite toy and then finds it again.

Last summer I received an e-mail from Crystal Lilies, a wonderful Portland-based florist.  They wanted to know if I was available to do escort cards and table numbers for one of their brides.  You bet, I love their work! 

I posted my do-it-yourself photos in August with the title "Rustic" but I'm reblogging and I'm sure you'll understand why.  First, a photo of the escort cards in use:

The table top is branches of wood bound together to make a large round table.  I got to see one up close & personal, it was gorgeous! The tags are tied to lavender wands, can't you almost smell them?  This photo is from Amelia Ann Photo.  I love perusing her website and hope we share another client soon!

The photo really sent my heart pitter-patter but what sent me over the moon was the note from the bride

The.

Vogue.

Magazine. 

Sylvana is the Director of Special Events for Vogue.  She thought my work was gorgeous.  I can't think of anything else to say except (for the third time)I'm over the moon!

I had all sorts of wonderful brides in 2009 - and not a bridezilla in the lot!  I've met with several brides for 2010 and I think this year is shaping up to be another one for the record books!

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!

I almost feel like a fairy godmother!

I have a bride getting married on Saturday who I've worked with for months now, first on her wedding invitations and now on her escort cards, table markers and signage for The Big Day.  The following was part of an e-mail from last week:  Thank you for helping our wedding day feel like we are part of our own fairy tale! :) I'm looking for my wand right now.

The e-mail was about the table markers and working vine work into the lettering so it looks like vines on a wall.  I did some pencil sketches with vines throughout all the lettering and it was cool, but very hard to read which defeats the purpose of the table marker - instead I kept the vines to the leaves...

If you look closely, the leaves on the vines are heart-shaped, I wanted to keep it romantic and fairy-tale-ish without being "twee" (that's a word I learned from an Aussie friend and I love it!)  The table names are the names of places in the Oregon area, aren't we lucky to have falls and a town named "Bridal Veil?"

The pieces below are little escort envelopes, inside are the seating assignments.  These would be for the bride and groom who are appropriately sitting at the Bridal Veil Falls table.

It'll be bittersweet to send this job out the door - it was fun and Evelini's been a delight to work with.

*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?!

How Sweet!

I love the materials in this job - the feel, the colors, so lovely!  I addressed the save-the-date, wedding invitation and rehearsal dinner invitation envelopes so I know this bride has impeccable taste but she still wowed me when she showed up with the materials for her wedding reception needs.

When the guests arrive at the reception they will pick up their escort cards.  For anyone who's confused, escort cards can be handled a number of ways but their function is to direct guests to the right table.  If there is assigned seating at each talbe then they will find a place card at their place setting.  This wedding calls for both.

The bride brought me these little shimmery, opalescent metallic, appropriately the color is in fact called "opal."  I wrote the guests' names on the envelope. 

The little cards are business-card-size and have a wonderful texture.  They're the palest pink (called "blush") and the bride stamped the image with a pewter metallic ink pad.  I wrote the names on them for the place cards as well as the table numbers.  (BTW, write the word "table" 100 times and it starts to looks like it's spelled wrong after about time #10.)