Whit and JD are Moving to Hawaii

...well actually they are just getting married, but this is how they announced their engagment!

I received notice from Whitney that they were moving to Hawaii and that she needed my address. It certainly got my attention. Who wouldn't want a friend who lives in Hawaii? Well, after getting everyone's attention, Whit and JD gleefully shared that Hawaii was just a hoax, but their engagment is the real deal!

I am so excited! They are going to make a terrific marriage.

You can follow their story on their wedding blog: http://whitandjd.blogspot.com/

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Birthday Party Calligraphy

...and no gifts please!

I often have the joy of designing and creating invitations and cards for family events. This past spring, my grandfather threw a birthday brunch for my grandmother. Recognizing that her Alzheimers was not getting any better, he wanted to cherish the moments they would both remember. Well, when my grandfather wants to rally the family, he calls my mom and puts her in charge. And when my mom is in charge, she calls on me for the creative touches to pull a party together! So I started planning...

We canvased my grandmothers 3 daughters (my mom included) to build an address list of old co-workers and friends to share in the celebration. And we only had four weeks!

And I furiously worked on an invitation and lost sleep over how to convey to a lifetime of friends that no gifts were needed to celebrate another wonderful year! I tend to throw my heart into all activities involving my grandmother and this invitation was no different. The wording was very important to me, and here is what I came up with:

May your presence and good wishes be your only gifts

I decided to skip the easy route (much to my husband's dismay) and hand stamped each and every invitation...twice! Here are the supplies I used, all from Paper Source:

And the final product:

(I blurred the details for privacy)


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New Photographer: Smith Photo Studios

After invitations and stationary, the second most important part of any event is the photography. I have developed a growing list of photographers I have worked with and grown to respect. All of their info is on the right side of my blog.

I recently added a new photographer, actually two; a husband and wife team from Pennsylvania, Michael and Lindsay of Smith Photo Studios.


These two young photographers are growing their business like crazy right now! They have only been doing wedding photography for a few years, but have already turned around some fabulous work. They are a terrific couple and would be certain to capture the memories of your special day. Oh, and one more plug, Linday and I grew up together, so I am particularly excited to be featuring her on my blog!

Even if you are not in the Pennsylvania area, check them out as they have frequently traveled the eastern seaboard for weddings!

Here are some of my favorite photos they have taken:

I love the rough contrast of the brick and cobble stone to the warm embrace of this couple!

A spiral staircase + a bride! What could be more fun?

This uber creative shot is fantastic...but I am not sure if my arms bend that way!

This was featured as a "sneak peek" for a wedding, and could not have enticed me more!

I love how these fancy groomsmen look infront of the tudor!

Don't you love these photos?!? Check Michael and Lindsay out at Smith Photo Studios.

They also publish a great blog: http://smithphotostudios.com/wordpress/

And you can be a fan on Facebook!

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Summer and 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!

This is how I will be spending my evening...watching the fireworks display beautifully behind the Washington Monument. It is one of the most patriotic scenes you can imagine. I hope you all have wonderful and safe 4th of July celebrations this evening.

I don't know about you, but my summer is flying by. I cannot believe it is already the 4th of July! I have three weddings to attend this month, two of which I did calligraphy for, one of which I helped plan. I am helping with three additional weddings between now and the new year...and that doesn't begin to explain the calligraphy jobs I have in the queue! Plus, I have my fingers crossed that a good friend will be firming up the details for a three day wedding bash in Maine next 4th of July weekend! :-) Needless to say, I have weddings on the brain!

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by my calendar, I decided to take some time and outline posts for the month as clearly my month is full! I was shocked to find that I did not post once in June, NOT ONCE! How have all you faithful readers let me get away with this? How did I not realize that time was slipping by? Well, now that June is behind us, I promise some excellent details for July, from new photographers I am parterning with to lots of real couple stories, I even have a few DIY projects up my sleeve! Be sure to check out all the good I have to share! It is going to be a fabulous July!

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