My Creative Side
Inspiration, work, and coffee-fueled creating
We frolicked in the grass, sipped a little prosecco, and played by the water — the perfect kind of shoot!
How and why I carve out the time for photography in my family, plus a little rant on why you should stop treating your phone like a camera :)
This patio needed a refresh, and thankfully I was able to get some inspiration and beautiful plants from Hortulus Farm to fill in our backyard space. It is now colorful, warm, inviting, and ready for autumn!
“Where do you find inspiration?” asked no one of me, ever. But here I am to tell you all about it! And to find inspiration, I am always guilty of immediately doing the thing I know I shouldn’t do. I hate it when I let myself kill it without even realizing it!
I had the opportunity to join Lisa from Hollow House Farm and Kimberlee from Moods of Motherhood Photo for a lovely summer evening of sweet sips, scrumptious bites, and of course farm flower picking!
S did something real cute last week and surprised us with tickets to a local tulip farm that casually turned out to be the largest tulip farm on the east coast 🤯.
There is no better place I can think of than Bucks County when it comes to community engagement and locals coming together to support small business. Our bucolic haven is filled with the expertise and craftsmanship of so many farmers, creatives, designers, and curators…all of whom deserve a little spotlight for their passions and labor.
Just picture this: in every corner, a splattering of cheerful English daisies; soft folksy music is playing; aged terra cotta pots play house for topiaries and trees of all shapes and sizes. Vintage furniture is layered throughout the greenhouse, serving as both a display and a resting place for all sorts of heirloom-quality books, gardening tools, and flickering candles.
I’ve been searching for the perfect mirror to hang on my kitchen wall. It’s a large wall that could handle a larger statement mirror. Mirrors are my decorating go-to; they create the illusion of space, bounce off light, and go with any decor!
When designing Gwyn’s nursery, S wanted to have a sign made by her mom in the classic A. Taylor Studio style. We opted for a small, rustic whitewashed type sign to add warmth to the walls. The nursery has elements of white, wood tones, and soft sage. For contrast, an elegant black script reads her beautiful name in its full form.
I have been on a calligraphy break for most of 2021 (#selfcare!) except for one major commission for a lovely A. Taylor Studio bride, Ashley. Her romantic garden wedding from October included many gold mirrors, of all sizes, for signage.
Burlap: file it under one of my favorite things! Seriously! I love using it whenever I can in decor for a natural look, and added texture. It’s primitive yet timeless, and when applied to the correct color palette or pattern it can work magic! I decided to give it a go making a double-bow ribbon made of burlap for the nursery under a lamb’s ear wreath.
One of the things we all wish we could receive is our Hogwarts letter! In the Sorcerer’s Stone, the letters are written to Harry on beautiful, sumptuous parchment with emerald green ink….
J’s wedding truly looked like the most relaxed, intimate, glamorous and sweet occasion, so I am hoping for them it was worth the wait. I am such a fan of smaller weddings. The intimacy and romance is something you just can’t match.
2020 and 2021 brides, I tip my hat to you. Covid-19 has thrown such a curveball our way, and while many of us are fortunate to simply be “stuck at home” some of us are much more deeply impacted. So many have lost loved ones, are in a distressing financial situation, or having to put life’s big milestones on hold.
My friend C and I have a penchant for summertime adventures, including but not limited to spontaneous travels, colorful photography, bubbly aperitivi, and front seats to a beautiful view. We planned a photographer’s weekend, simply to take photos and create memories and get a bit of relaxation in this last weekend of summer. It was truly an escape! The weather was crisp, the crowds lulled, and the rays of mid day sunshine ever so slightly softer.
It has been a slow summer for calligraphy, so I was thrilled with my most recent commission. Marble tile place cards have a special spot in my heart. There is SO much prep work that goes into them, and some textures are just a struggle.
These pups were something I created last year, the first two of a collection I intended to call “Salty Dogs.” Coming off a week at LBI, I was so inspired by all of the wet, shaggy dogs I saw on their beachside strolls with their families. Dogs that look kissed by the sea breeze and ocean mist. In other words, salty dogs.
Imagine being able to stay in a luxury hotel overlooking the Amalfi Coast. Or the Italian Riviera. Or of the canals of Venice. Or the blackened beaches of Sicily. I imagine this classy, head-scarf donning beauty not only exquisitely dressed, but breathing in scents of sea salt and jasmine, about to tuck into a morning cornetto and espresso doppio.
Has anyone else been getting concerned about the grocery stores’ inadequate supply of paper towels or toilet paper? In what feels like a hilarious twist, I embarked on a paper-making journey this week. And the product quite resembles toilet paper or paper towels…so, crisis averted.
Oh, Coronavirus! The time you have given me to paint! I can’t tell you the last time I whipped up a fashion illustration I actually liked in this amount of time. Three days! Three days of “quarantine,” where I didn’t really leave the house (except to go for walks). Three days that were perfectly busy — filled with work, planning, webinars, computer time, chores….
When I was approached about doing my first seating chart, I knew that I would be challenged because it was a first. Having designed wedding welcome signs for years now, I knew that my first seating chart would ideally be on a mirror. And this mirror was certainly so, so special - it was an heirloom, a piece belonging to the grandmother of the bride. I felt so honored that I was entrusted with this treasure. I was so happy with how it turned out, and I learned a lot about how to properly envision and plan for a seating chart.
My wedding invites, which I designed on a popular wedding invitation website, felt like a chore because the process was filled with micro-details and frustrating “this or that” options. I was definitely on a budget, with limited time, and an vision for a timeless and classic design…
The urge to paint always hits me the same way. I don’t watercolor nearly enough, and when I miss it, it is this instinctual craving. I just know that I need to slow down and paint. I don’t need to see paint supplies, or even a painting to inspire me…sometimes I just know it’s been a while, and it is time to bring out my brushes and paints again.
How suite (get it, get it?!) is this beautiful invite layout? I worked on this with a bride for a September Philadelphia wedding and it is certainly one of my favorite collections. This suite is available as a semi-custom collection for future brides, too, which is exciting!
The reason I wanted to make a post devoted solely to place cards is NOT only because they might be my favorite kind of bespoke project, but to showcase some of my work over the past few years I've done for really creative and inspiring brides! Scroll through this post if you want to see some pretty neat place card inspiration!
In terms of my creative pursuits, the feeling of seeing your work after months of effort is hard to top! And this full-custom suite was truly a labor of love. While it was not my first project in invitation design, this was the largest and most sumptuous suite (look at that letterpress!) I have done to date.
I am by no means a woodworker, but I have been able to figure out how create pretty wooden signs with a dash of calligraphy! I could never have figured it out without trial and error, expert advice and wisdom (most from my mom), and probably six different types of stains and sealants. It's taken a few years, but I am happy to say I've finally got the hang of it!
Lately I've been taking a more intentional approach to how I manage my creative time. A lot of my time for producing calligraphy projects is very unstructured, and honestly the time can slip away. Anyone else get sucked into Instastories for 20 minutes at a time? When I do that, I feel so ashamed and LAZY! But it happens. So, I'm sharing some of my own strategies to stay productive and focused, even when your to-do list is miles long.
A behind-the-scenes look at the rebranding process.