It started with magenta and gold

I just finished a vintage stamp project with a client who was after stamps in gold and magenta, and that integrated Black Heritage stamps in these colors. I know that vintage postage on wedding invitations is nothing new. Stamps can really pull an invitation together, and make it match and look pretty. But vintage postage can also tell a little story.

Each envelope had a combination of state birds, the statue of liberty (which say "liberty for all"), Harriet Tubman, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., W.C. Handy (talk about magenta-- one of the prettiest stamps around) and tropical flowers. Some also included stamps commemorating our nation's capitol. I just adored assembling each envelope, and each conveyed a sense of history.

The other sweet part of this job is how many of the invitees lived on the same street. I addressed envelope after envelope to residents of one street who lived one house down from the next. It was so lovely to think about such a tight knit community making their way to this special celebration.

Hello again.

Thank you for sticking with me dear readers. I appreciate your patience and forgiveness. In the past two weeks I've addressed 700 envelopes for a noted fashion house. I've also completed work for a very exciting and project that I can't wait to tell you all about in a few months. There are some wonderful collaborations afoot. And also, my hard drive died.


On the first project: I have never addressed this many envelopes at one time, but it turned out to be meditative and fun. I'll share a photo soon. The recipients were...ummm...well, they were all remarkable and accomplished people and it was exciting to know that my work would make its way to their mailbox and hopefully brighten their day. Some days my schedule was slightly ridiculous -- going to Bay Ridge to interview octogenarian ballroom dancers and then coming home to calligraph envelopes addressed to cultural icons. But each involves writing in very different ways, using different parts of my brain. And I'm so grateful that I can do both.


Snow/Moss

Yes, that's right. That's my calligraphy above Kate Moss's head. A bit of my work from a recent corporate identity campaign.

Website Update

I've added some new fall samples to the website. I'm complete smitten with oversized envelopes like the one pictured above. I've found a great source for gigantic envelopes (like 20" x 24"). I love the idea of putting a very small invite in a very gigantic envelope.
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Snow Trade


I received an email not long ago from a client inquiring about escort cards. She said they would be on "vintage ledger paper." I said "tell me more about the materials you are using!" What resulted was a pretty incredible trade. I did the escort cards (pictured above). And Phyllis sent me boxes of her wonderful wedding decorations, including these amazing chalkboards, to use at my wedding. I'm pretty sure I got the better end of the deal. You can see more of Phyllis and Dan's beautiful wedding, photographed by Sarah K. Chen, over at Once Wed.