weekend haps

My good friend Jeannie invited me to the Pasadena Heritage Spring Home Tour this weekend & it was fabulous! The tour featured homes by the modern architects, Buff & Hensman.

Our favorites were the Bea House, built in 1957 by Buff, Straub and Hensman (above) and the Thompson/Moseley House built in 1959 by Buff, Straub and Hensman (below).

Thank you Jeannie!

I also spent the weekend finishing up a calligraphy project for a destination wedding in Cabo. The font was Hallmark Script and the envelopes were long and rectangular, which gave me so much space!

We're in the process of putting our condo on the market and the pre-MLS marketing sign went up yesterday, which was kind of sad. If it sells, I will really miss our little place, but I'm also excited for the next chapter.

Aren't we all...

inka dink

Oh how good it feels for the ink to be flowing again!

Monogram design for baby M.R.S.

inked

I've been on a creative hiatus lately for completely unacceptable reasons; I'm too tired after getting home from work, the weekends are too short, I don't have the time, etc. But we all know, when something is important, you find the time for it. Which is why I'm making an honest attempt to get back on track.
My first drawing since last summer...

For Amineh
(a belated 2nd & early 3rd birthday gift)

worker bee

Being under the weather for a few days set me behind on my latest Lulu and the Bee projects, but I'm back and ready to work!

I finished these escort cards for a wedding that is happening this week at a local winery.
Vivaldi font with chocolate ink.

I also did the table names, which were various wines chosen by the couple. A unique and very appropriate touch for a vineyard wedding.

The bride and groom will sit at the Dom Perignon table, of course.

a family affair

A few recent projects for ma famille....

This photo is from a baby shower that my sister-in-law hosted in NYC for her bestie, who is pregnant with her 2nd boy. The whole set-up turned out really nice. The place cards were done by moi to go with the cute invitations (on left). Tres chic!

My brother is donating two of his beautiful photographs to a silent auction for charity next weekend. My mum contributed by having them custom framed, which turned out really nice.

My contribution was to create signs for the front of the frames giving the title of the photograph and my brother's name. And, I wrote his information and the framer's on the backs.

Scott Vickers Photography

155 envelopes and ink-stained hands

Today I completed my latest Lulu and the Bee project....155 wedding invitation envelopes for a So. Cal. bride and groom who are tying the knot in September.

The font is custom, which I created using elements from 2 existing fonts. I named it Megan, after the bride. I'm excited to give them to her on Friday!

More projects in the works...
1. Table Signs and Place Cards for a Camarillo wedding in late July
2. Place Cards for a Long Beach wedding in late July
3. Envelopes for a good friend's wedding in early October

news flash!

My little labor of love, Lulu and the Bee Calligraphy, is featured in the latest issue of Phoenix Picks, which came out today!!

You know I was up at the crack of dawn, brimming with excitement as I opened my e-mail to see what The UE had cooked up for me. Here it is.....

The Wedding Quill

You know your BFF has lost it when she becomes obsessed about the minor details of her wedding invites as in, “Do you think silver-leaf wedding bells are too much?”

Safeguard your friendship by suggesting to your gal pal that she go straight to Lulu and the Bee. Master calligrapher Dianna Andrade takes care of the dirty work by hand-creating customized monograms and addressing invites with gorgeous calligraphy; she will even design the invitations for a personalized touch.

www.luluandthebee.com

Merci, merci, merci!!!

bee blog!!

Lulu and the Bee Calligraphy now has a blog!
I've been working non-stop on the calligraphy biz again this weekend & have accomplished quite a bit. One task that I've enjoyed the most is creating a Bee Blog. Oh, how I love blogging. I think it will be a good way to get people to my site, so we'll see if it works. The purpose of the blog is to offer inspiration and resources for wedding and event planning.
Two blogs! And to think I didn't used to have any.

Check it out if you get a chance...
www.luluandthebee.blogspot.com

busy, busy bee

New Lulu and the Bee logo!
I worked on calligraphy stuff all weekend, including finishing up addressing 100 invitation envelopes for a wedding in July.

I created the flyers below for Adriana to post at the fabulous Hoot & Heart flower shops in L.A.
Thanks so much AR!

a sea of letters

photo by dave gorman

Diving deeper into getting this calligraphy thing going and dreaming about letters (literally).

Swimming in a sea of ideas and pen strokes.

photo by miskan

busy, busy bee

I worked busily all weekend to put together a Lulu and the Bee sample calligraphy book to send to Simply Exquisite Events, a fantastic event planning company here in So. Cal.

I was so excited to come up with an idea for packaging, etc. since this is my first sample book.

My main source for supplies & inspiration was Paper Source.

Many, many thanks to Jules of Belle Maison for the connection to Simply Exquisite Events!

Envelope Sample

I included 6 different envelopes with various fonts.

Table Number Sample

Business Cards

introducing...lulu and the bee!!

After months of preparation, I'm finally ready to officially launch my new handwritten calligraphy business,

Lulu and the Bee!!
Named after my beloved kitty, Lulu, who passed away in 2006,
Lulu and the Bee offers handwritten calligraphy, lettering, monogram design, and custom artwork for every occasion.

Ever since I was a little girl, I've had a love for drawing and lettering.
And, I am so excited to be able to create a little business by doing what I love.
Calligraphy & typography are such wonderful forms of art!

The best chauffeur, Lulu.
In loving memory of my fluffy friend.

Envelope samples with various fonts for my portfolio.

Monogram & invitation sample from my wedding in 2004.

Font sample: Park Avenue

Font sample: Vivaldi

Please visit Lulu and the Bee for more information.
www.luluandthebee.com

I'm looking into selling on Etsy, but it's a little difficult to figure out since I'm offering more of a customized service instead of a finished good. I need to research this option more....

on to the next....

Just completed my first freelance calligraphy project! Hooray!
These are the save-the-date envelopes for my coworker who is getting married in September. She opted for a more modern script instead of a traditional calligraphy font.
Next, it's on to the invitations, table numbers, and place cards.
I also have a meeting with another bride-to-be this Friday.
Looks like this is definitely the beginning of something.
Hoping to get a more complete portfolio together and settle on a business name soon.

greenbacks for ink

Landed my first paid gig today for my pen & ink abilities! A recently engaged co-worker asked me to address the envelopes for her save-the-date cards, which will lead to the wedding invitations, place cards, and table numbers. Extra money for chaussures & maybe the beginning of something?

image credit: drawn & photographed by me