~Basking in the Spotlight~

I am basking in the spotlight today ~ and blushing a little, too.  Dearest Sweet Janet, over at French Blue wrote an entire post all about me!!!  Janet really does make everything so much more exquisite, as does her amazing daughter Noel.

If you don't already know them, you really must drop by to meet this dynamic mother/daughter duo!!

Janet and Noel are two sweet drops in my puddle of inspiration.

Please skip on over French Blue to see this dear post! :)

Thank you, Janet!!!

~xoxo~

image 1 ~ Tim Walker

image 2 ~ French Blue

Invitation Suites ~ Stewart

This is an invitation suite and monogram I created for the sweetest bride.  It is my version of "Spencerplate" ~ combining Spencerian script with Copperplate.

I have photos of this wedding that I will post soon in a Featured Wedding.

Invitation Suites ~ Portwood

I have had several requests from clients to post some of the invitation suites I have designed ... since my website is in major need of updating, I suppose. :)  I am currently working on two suites that I can't wait to show you. They are hand-lettered and each have hand-painted watercolor flowers.  Since the brides have not even seen them, I will have to wait until they are finished and sent to their guests. I am going to start by posting some of my favorites from past weddings in a series called Invitation Suites, which I will post a few times each month.  A bride can then refer to the suite by name.

This is a suite I really loved from last summer ~ and one of my favorite scripts to do.  My calligraphy is engraved, in charcoal, on a beautiful Belgian paper and the envelopes lined in a soft, celery green.  The suite set the tone for a lovely summer wedding.



We also carry lots of others fabulous designs, through stationery lines we offer, at A Fine Line ~ both letterpress and engraved, calligraphed and not ~ all very unique and customized.

Invitations and Calligraphy ~ A Fine Line

~ April in Paris ~

I wish I could say I was spending the month of April in Paris, but instead I have been busy creating a logo design and illustrations for April in Paris ~ a French Patisserie in Texas.

I met April about five years ago at two separate, week long, calligraphy workshops.  April was there to create a logo for her European bakery and espresso bar.  We had so much fun sharing and getting to know each other.  I lost touch with April soon after and was delighted to hear from her again. During this time she had decided she wanted more and left for NYC and then to Paris for more culinary studies.

While studying in Paris at the Ritz Escoffier and Le Cordon Bleu, her experience inspired her to start a new venture and open April in Paris.

When she contacted me she told me she loved the work I did at the workshop and wanted me to create a logo and some whimsical illustrations for her new bakery and website (not up yet).  She asked me to use the beautiful storefronts and patisserie of Paris, the colors of French macaroons, artisan breads, French silver and fresh ingredients for inspiration.  With those things in mind, and uncertain of exactly what she wanted, I started sketching away.

Here are a few of the illustrations I created for April's website and printed pieces.

artisian breads and pastries

I felt the first pedestal was too dark ~ so I did another ~ but liked the bread in the first one best.  Basically...pretty similar...

...and because I tend to redo things, that most people do not notice (those I have worked for will know this! :), I also drew another storefront, using my first outline. I felt the painting could be better...but in the end, I couldn't tell it was much different either. So, I now have one for my portfolio!

Pâtisserie Stohrer is a favorite of April's and was my inspiration for her storefront illustration.

fresh ingredients

 a macaroon pedestal

mini cupcakes on silver cherub stand

silver serving pieces

a few petits fours ... that didn't scan well

When I showed April several ideas I had for her logo design, her response was so funny, like that only of a baker - "I cannot possibly choose one. It is like looking into a freshly filled pasty case - you have to have a bit of everything!"  So I decided to go with a wheat wreath, encircling the logo, to represent the French artisan breads and pastries she loves to bake.  We then had her business cards engraved in gold on chocolate European paper. She loved that it was like a classic bittersweet chocolate macaroon with a touch of edible gold leaf or classic French gold gilt. Eventually, she wants her business cards to run the full spectrum of macaroon colors "just as the competition for the most exotic colors and flavors continue to unfurl in Paris...with gold gilt engraving, of course."  The first card she chose to use represents her love for the simple chocolate macaroon with a bittersweet chocolate ganache filling.

Creating a "look" for April in Paris was so much fun.  A happy client is the sweetest reward of all! 

From April~

Dana,

I knew you were the one I wanted to do this for me!!

Your illustrations are absolutely poetry in watercolor. I came to you wanting something specific and left with so much more since I entrusted you with so much artistic freedom. Little details I was not sure really came through with my description - you totally brought through.

I couldn't be more happy, unless I were sitting in a bakery on Rue St. Honore having a macaroon!

I cannot quit staring at it all. I am so excited. It is so much beyond what I was thinking. I just absolutely love everything!!!

Merci-

April

~Easter Egg Radishes~

 

I did a few quick sketches of some radishes I bought for my Easter dinner.  As my friend Ronell says, "when all else fails, paint food."  I have not had a lot of time to paint in the last few months, being in the middle of the wedding season frenzy, so I picked up my pen, grabbed my watercolors, and sketched these colorful radishes. I love browsing at the Farmer's Market,  just looking at the beautifully colored fruits and vegetables. Just like flowers, they are a feast for the senses.

Wishing you and your family a lovely Easter weekend.

~~*~~

March Madness of Different Kind

I seem to have created a March Madness of my own, not the one referring to the NCAA men's basketball championship that seems to take over my house the month of March each year! It seems as if spring brings out the shopaholic in me, this year being the lure of French antiques.  I stumbled upon an online French Brocante which for someone working out of her home a great deal of time, and being nearby a computer all day, can be very dangerous. :)

Corey Amaro, of Tongue and Cheek Antiques offers unique pieces each week "with a little bit of everything for those who like it French."

Here are some of the fabulous finds I have purchased from her this month:

 antique French skeleton keys

 silver tarnished calling card trays

 vintage laundry tags (i love things with letters and numbers)

antique bone handled flatware (9 sets) 

French linen dish towels

nineteenth century transferware serving bowl

antique monogrammed linens (doesn't matter that they are not my initials ~ I love monograms!)

This item, I thought about too long and was gone in the blink of an eye...

...an antique French award. I have a fascination of farm animals, even though my husband says I would not last a day on a farm, it is fun to think about living the simple life...or not so simple, as it may be.  I have recently been visiting farms and sketching animals, who do not seem to want to pose for me! .... but that is another story of its own.

 cuties from Asheville Farm

Now that the month is almost over, coming in like a lion and going out like one, it looks as if April is bringing on a new obsession, of another French kind, this being that of Astier de Villate.  Their beautiful ceramic pieces, handmade in Paris, are hand-crafted from black terra cotta with a milky white glaze. I love the imperfection of each piece. I just placed my order for a few new pieces to start my collection. 

I can't wait to add tulips and peonies to this lovely.

And I am sure everything will taste better on these luscious plates.

I still can't decide which style of dinner plate.

and I think this will be my next purchase.  What is better than fresh, spring flowers in a beautiful pitcher? 

I will let you know when I have set my table using all my new finds.

French antique photos by Corey Amaro

Astier de Villate photos by Sue Fisher King

(the wonderful candy box at the top was lost in transit, but Corey graciously refunded my money. Fingers crossed it will show up somewhere, someday!)

Your Presence is Key

I had so much fun designing and constructing this save the date.  The bride and groom were engaged in Europe and wanted the announcement to reflect their style and set the tone for their upcoming wedding.  The bride said her motto was "the harder to read, the better!"

... although I do hope it is somewhat legible since I addressed all the envelopes in the same script!

The save the date is printed on fine Italian paper, with a skelton key from France tied on with a hand-dyed silk ribbon in French Roast.

I love this ribbon and the little hand-dyed cards attached to each roll, showing the color.  These are a few colors I currently have in the shop and seem to be the trend at the moment. Chocolate, eggplant, plum, mossy green and steel blue/grey have been the most requested colors I have had this year.

I am thrilled the bride loved her announcements! She said, "I couldn't have asked for anything better!"  Does that mean I met the requirement of the more unreadable the better? :)

I look forward to working with her to create her formal invitations!