Lettering Art Studio New Website Launched!

My new website is up! It incorporates my website and blog on the same site.   It’s actually been up for a while but I’m just now getting around to asking you to make the switch to my shiny new blog.  Pretty please??

Here’s the Home page.  See. I’m right there welcoming you:)

Here’s the Hand Lettering Page.  You can scroll through and see samples of my custom work.

This is the DIY Wedding page.  I’m all about helping DIY Brides have the look for less using my calligraphy fonts !

And of course there’s my Cursive Font page that features Belluccia and Dom Loves Mary with lots of pics to peruse.

Don’t they look nice together?

And last but not least, is my new Blog page.

Starting next week I’ll only be posting on the new blog, with a link to it from here.

So if you have bookmarked this blog, you can update it with the new link: http://letteringartstudio.com/blog/

If you use an RSS  Reader ( like Google Reader) here’s the new feed : http://letteringartstudio.com/feed/

Oh and while you’re there, if you want you can also “follow me” ( sounds a little stalker-ish) on Pinterest and Twitter and “Like “me on Facebook.  Cause that’s what all the cool kids are doing:)

Thanks from the bottom of my heart for still hanging with me.

Have a Wise Wednesday!

Debi

Check out my current two calligraphy fonts Belluccia and Dom Loves Mary  here.

Belluccia has remained on the Best Sellers list for 19 months was named one of Myfonts Most Popular Fonts for 2011 and is available at myfonts.com.

My second calligraphy font, Dom Loves Mary (a “December Rising Star” and  2012 Best Seller) is also available on myfonts.com.

Calligraphy on Envelopes

Just thought I’d share a few pics of some of the envelopes I’ve had the opportunity to do for a variety of special events.  It’s always a thrill to know that people will open their mailboxes and find something special:)

Back to work on my next font.  I”m getting soooo close!!

Best,

Debi

 

And as always my calligraphy font, Belluccia, one of myfonts Most Popular Fonts for 2011, is available at : myfonts.com and fontbros.com.

Letterpressed Wedding Invitation in Pink and Gray

I love the colors of this lovely letterpress invitation!  The use of the pink floral background really highlights the charcoal gray lettering and I love how the letterpress really makes my cursive font pop.

It’s a delight to see my font used in such a pretty wedding invite.  And you’ll be pleased to know the price of this letterpress printer, My Personal Artist, is very reasonable.  Check out more of their lovely designs!

The letterpress process creates a beautiful depth to the font and gives these invites a professional look.

Thanks Michelle for the great post!

And as always my calligraphy font, Belluccia, one of myfonts Most Popular Fonts for 2011, is available at : myfonts.com and fontbros.com.

Medical School Graduation Party Invites

A favorite client of mine who loves to throw festive parties asked me to design a unique invitation for her son’s medical school graduation.  She’s seen pics of some of the boxed invites on this blog and was interested in having me create something similar.

She found a bottled prescription invitation online that she wanted to include. After a few measurements, it was determined that a cookie from It’s a Mary Cake would be the perfect accompaniment — in the shape of a medical scrub no less!  Yellow shredded paper padded the box and kept the cookie from breaking.

To stay on theme, I hand painted the box with a stethoscope that curved around the edges and ended up appropriately with a heart. I then hand lettered the mailing addresses in dark blue to match the theme.

The ‘prescriptions’  from Hello Cupcake added a special touch and included a list of side effects:  continuous laughter, excessive smiling and wonderful memories.  How cute is that?

And as always my calligraphy font, Belluccia, one of myfonts Most Popular Fonts for 2011, is available at : myfonts.com and fontbros.com.

7 Calligraphy Styled Wedding Fonts

Christy Toney of CT Designs Inc. included Belluccia on her list of wedding fonts designed to mimic hand lettering.  Thanks Christy! The list includes a great variety of looks.  Another on the list “Origins”, was created by the very talented Laura Worthington.

If you’re thinking of creating your own DIY wedding invitation, a cursive font can add a unique touch.  Whether it’s a simple outdoor event or a more formal affair, fonts that mimic the look of a professional calligrapher add a lovely personal touch.

Christy gives lots of great tips on her blog.  I especially love her post about wedding table numbers.  Lots of great ideas!  Some that you can make yourself.  Check them out.

On Saturday, March 10, I’ll be teaching my “Intro to Calligraphy” workshop at Paper Source in North Park Center.  If you’re out shopping be sure to come in and take a peek at what we’re doing!

Have a great weekend!

And as always my calligraphy font, Belluccia, one of myfonts Most Popular Fonts for 2011, is available at : myfonts.com and fontbros.com.

Thank You Gift Presentation

I had so much fun putting together this thank you gift for Target in appreciation of our work together on the St. Jude’s ad.  This colorful package contains cookies and text that follow along with the poem and pictures featured in the ad.

I love creating personalized gifts of appreciation that will make the receivers’ day. My goal is to wow them at every step.

wrapped gift

First, I painted and hand lettered words from the poem around this circular container.  I also painted the lid of the box to look like the Target logo. After tying a matching polka dot ribbon around the package I attached a round thank you card with hand lettered spiraling text.

foam snow flakes

Seeing as this box contains delicious (and breakable) cookies, I needed to find a decorative way of protecting the contents.  I used these foam snow flakes and white shredding to cushion the cookies and keep them snug in the box. They also happen to go with the theme.

cookies with lettering

These adorable cookies were baked and decorated by the talented Mary of It’s A Mary Cake.  Mary decorated the little girl cookies to look like the children from the advertisement and made the colorful dinosaur cookies to go along with the poem.

St. Jude's cookie

Mary also duplicated both St. Jude’s and Target’s logo in fondant and then I hand lettered the words.

I’m happy to say, my contacts at Target were delighted to “taste and see” their gift.

I had so much fun creating this one. This idea could be used for so many different occasions.  And who doesn’t love receiving a cookie?

And as always my calligraphy font, Belluccia, one of myfonts Most Popular Fonts for 2011, is available at : myfonts.com and fontbros.com.

“ONE to grow on” themed Birthday Party Decorations

A regular client, who always comes to me with fun and creative ideas, asked me to make some signs for her one-year-old’s birthday party.  The adorable party theme was “ONE to grow on”. So everything was centered around the word “ONE” and things that have to do with growing and nature: earth, grass, sky, sun, and birds.

I took a whimsical approach to the signs, playing on the names she gave the food items.  Bright colors were a must.

The food signs included: Piggies in a Blanket (my personal favorite), Make your own Frito Pie Bar, and We Wheelie Wheelie Love You Pinwheels. Sweets included: wONEderful Texas Sheetcake, sONEy Days Lemon Bars, Reach for the Skies Lollies, and cupcakes in four different flavors.  Personalized name tags were attached to the children’s party favors while the adults received a box of chocolate with ‘a’ special tag with the birthday girl’s initial.

This was a fun project.  All of these bright, happy colors really livened up my studio and the birthday party!

And as always my calligraphy font, Belluccia is available at : myfonts.com and fontbros.com.

Hand lettered Logo for ‘Faith in Public Life’

I was so excited to spend the weekend in D.C where I had the honor of painting the logo on the wall of  Faith in Public Life ‘s new office.  Their mission is to create “a strategy center for the faith community advancing faith in the public square as a powerful force for justice, compassion and the common good”.  It was great to finally meet the people I’ve heard so much about and in addition, have a wonderful weekend with my son, Nick, who also happens to work there.

Logo of Faith in Public Life

Everyone on the staff was so friendly and welcoming.  If you are interested in learning more about this organization, you can take a look at their website here.

While in D.C, I also came across a happy surprise while shopping at Target for curtains and throw pillows to liven up Nick’s apartment.

Poster of St. Jude's ad with my lettering

It was the ad featuring my lettering for a St. Jude Children’s Hospital promotion. I’ve seen it in magazines but this is the first time I’ve seen it at full poster size in their store.  I was so proud and excited.   You can see my first announcement of my work on this ad here.

Once the work was done, my son, a foodie, took me to some amazing restaurants in D.C.  The best of them was Graffiato by Mike Isabella.

Graffiato's Restaurant

Our amazing meal consisted of: Flatbread with pepperoni sauce; Crispy brussel sprouts with pancetta, maple and egg; Wild boar with chestnut, apple and balsamic; and Roasted potato gnocchi with black truffle and wild mushrooms.  We ended with two desserts because it was impossible to decide.  Our final choices were: Chocolate tart with olive oil, pine nuts, and sea salt gelato; and Zeppoles with autumn spices and pumpkin caramel. YUM!  They were both worth the calories.  I also enjoyed a delectable breakfast at Rustik in Nick’s Bloomingdale neighborhood. They serve the best cornmeal pancakes with  pears and mascarpone cheese.  I know this isn’t a food blog, but these meals were just too delicious not to mention.

And what kind of mother would I be if I didn’t post about the wonderful homemade meal my own son made?

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Roasted Cauliflower and Kale Vinaigrette

Nick prepared a delicious butternut squash ravioli with roasted cauliflower and kale vinaigrette.  I was blown away by the skill of his cooking!

Speaking of surprises, who goes to a concert at someone’s townhouse? One of Nick’s friends is committed to supporting local artists and musicians.  The weekend I was in town, the featured trio happened to be the Sligo Creek Stompers.

Sligo Creek Stompers

Needless to say, there was a lot of great music and foot stomping.  I ended up buying their CD and if you’re interested, you can check them out here.

It wouldn’t be a trip to D.C. without attending a Georgetown Hoya basketball game at the Verizon Center.  While leaving the game, I just had to capture a picture of the gate to the entrance of Chinatown.

Gate to Chinatown

The more I visit D.C. the more I love it!

And as always my calligraphy font, Belluccia is available at : myfonts.com and fontbros.com.

Belluccia makes MyFonts Most Popular Fonts list!

I am thrilled and excited to have my Belluccia font featured on MyFonts  Most Popular Fonts of 2011.  Belluccia is my first submission into the font world and I am so happy for the amazing reception that it’s received!

Creating this font was a huge amount of work and it would not have been possible without my “Correspondence Ink” partner, Brian Bonislawsky.

Brian was able to take my calligraphy and transform it into a beautiful typeface.  Without this partnership, Belluccia would not have been created.  Not only is he an excellent font designer (my nickname for him is “font guru”) and has produced hundreds of fonts over the years, but he’s also a great guy and I’m glad to have become friends with him and his lovely wife.

You can check out his work on MyFonts.com at  Astigmatic and on his own site Astigmatic One Eye Type Institute.

I’m also very grateful for, Laura Worthington, whose font Alana is also featured on the Most Popular Fonts of 2011.  Laura is a lettering artist and font designer extraordinaire and always makes the bestsellers list. She is a huge inspiration and I can’t thank her enough for her support. I strongly encourage everyone to go check out her work on MyFonts.com as well as her incredible portfolio.

In addition, its been wonderful to have the advice of Stuart Sandler of Fontbros.com.  He’s been a great help to me and “Correspondence Ink”.    The Belluccia font family is also available there.  Like Brian, Stuart is well known in the font community as an excellent and prolific designer. Take a peak at his collection FontDiner.com and on MyFonts.com here.

The biggest high so far has been seeing the efforts of the talented people who have used my font.

When The Aerialist Press, our friends Alexandra and Craig in California, sent me their beautiful Quill letterpress invitation set done in a crisp, clean style, it just blew me away.

Charlotte of Chartula Studio used Belluccia all the way in the UK for her stunning laser cut invitations in a selection of delicious colors.

Jami Dixon of imajdesign.net , based right here in Dallas, used Belluccia font for her new logo design. She’s also featured Belluccia in some of her invitations.

I also created Belluccia font with the intention of being a means for DIY projects to have a custom calligraphy look at a fraction of the cost.  The creativity of these  customers brings the font to life in a very practical way.

Deni Richards, the creative DIY mother of the bride, used Belluccia to create an abundance of lovely items for her daughter’s wedding.  Everything made by Deni added a beautiful touch to the event.  Former bride Laura Duni, of  Say I Do In NewYork blog, was also able to use Belluccia to add unique touches to her wedding.  She created a custom stamp  which she was able to use to customize napkins, out of town guests bags, post cards, and a name plaque for her guest book.  Another former bride, Stephanie Tunches of the Vintage Modern Wife used Belluccia to create personalized door hangers.  It’s very satisfying for me to see my font used for a time that is so special in a family’s life.

I’d love to see more projects from those of you who were kind enough to purchase my font. Please send me pics so I can post them!

I’m hard at work on the next font.  No release date yet.  But when it does arrive, I hope you’ll like it!

“The Artful Envelope” New Workshop at Paper Source

I’m always excited to share my love of letters with people!  My latest new workshop is “The Artful Envelope”.

Zebra Themed envelope by Lettering Art Studio

I’ll cover unique and creative ways to address envelopes.  I’ll show you how to create an envelope that compliments the invitation or card inside.

2 color/ 2 style Envelope design by Lettering Art Studio

Whether it’s for a festive Christmas party, Christmas cards, a New Year’s Eve blow out, a Birthday Card or an elegant wedding invitation…I’ll help you look at different ways to make your envelope stand out.

We’ll work with a variety of Paper Source products including their beautiful colored envelopes, gel pens, glue pens, chalk markers, stamps, embossing powder, heat gun and anything else that will fit the bill!

I will not be teaching calligraphy but will guide you in how to use your own handwriting or printing.  So you don’t have to have taken my “Intro to Calligraphy” workshop to attend.

If you have, this would be a great follow up workshop for you!

White on Peacock Blue envelope by Lettering Art Studio

Here’s the info:

“The Artful Envelope Workshop ” with Debi Sementelli of Lettering Art Studio

Saturday, December 3 from 1 – 4 pm at Paper Source in North Park Center

$55.00 includes all supplies

To reserve your seat please call the store at 214-696-4400 and speak with any one of the lovely people there or register in person.

Seating is limited.

I hope you can join me for some fun with envelopes!

Speaking of envelopes, I was delighted when the lovely Carol Alexander sent me these pics of her dad, Robert, who followed my instructions from a previous post and created this Halloween themed envelope.  Robert is an 86 year old retiree from Kingwood, Texas. You are never too old to get creative!  Thanks Carol and Robert!

Carol Alexander's dad Robert with his Halloween themed envelope

Halloween themed envelope by Robert Roush

As always, my Belluccia calligraphy font can be found at myfonts.com and fontbros.com.  Check it out!