Recent Work: Karen & Al

{ Calligraphy: Plurabelle Calligraphy / Event planning, styling & stationery: Beth Helmstetter Events / Photography: Steve Steinhardt }

Recent Work: Katie & George

{ Calligraphy & top photo: Plurabelle Calligraphy / Stationery & bottom two photos: Christina Reinersman }

Since August, I’ve been working with event planner Karen Oliver (Volare Events) on the wedding of Katie & George. In October, I addressed their beautiful white-on-grey wedding invitations (remember them?) and since then I worked with them on place cards and a huge table assignment chalkboard. Well, Katie & George tied the knot on Saturday and I wanted to share some of these other elements, like the complete invitation suite by stationery designer Christina Reinersman and the delicious cupcake table (below) styled by Karen. The geometric yellow and white pattern of the napkins (bottom) was used as an accent throughout the entire wedding, including as the inside of the place cards and the wrapper around customized chocolate bars!

{ Chalkboard seat assignment frame: Plurabelle Calligraphy / Photo & styling: Volare Events }

{Place card calligraphy: Plurabelle Calligraphy / Photo & styling: Volare Events / Stationery design: Christina Reinersman}

d.i.y. chalkboard menu

{Calligraphy + Photography by Plurabelle Calligraphy }

For the past four days I’ve been sick with a terrible cold but this evening I felt better, and all I wanted was some craft time. While I was sick in bed, I spent a lot of time browsing cooking blogs for Thanksgiving dinner recipes, so I thought what better craft than a Thanksgiving dinner menu? For awhile I’ve been wanting to experiment with making homemade chalkboard paint, especially in colors other than black, so this was the prime opportunity. I mixed up some green acrylic paint, water, tile grout and a little acrylic matte medium and voilà – chalkboard paint with just the right amount of grit to look like a vintage school board. Of course, I didn’t really think ahead about what I’d paint it onto, but after some digging I found our old chess board (sorry to my boyfriend!), the back of which made for an excellent canvas. I’m not even sure yet what my final menu will be, but that’s the great thing about chalk boards – all of it can easily change!

chalkboard menus & banana pudding

 {Calligraphy + photography by Plurabelle Calligraphy, 2011 }

This was another project that made me hungry as I worked. Pan-seared turbot fish, lasagna cupcakes, triple berry tarts, southern banana pudding…my hand was shaking by the end of it. The guests of this wedding were certainly treated to a feast.

more chalk, please

{ chalkboard calligraphy by me  |  photography by raya carlisle  |  wedding styling by bash, please }

i always get excited butterflies in my stomach when i see my work in the context for which it was intended. these images of the chalkboard calligraphy project i did back in may were just featured on snippet + ink and i couldn’t be more pleased with their overall effect at the wedding.

it’s one thing to lie on the floor of my studio, sipping coffee late into the night, calligraphing 175 names onto a 24-by-36-inch chalkboard, but it’s quite another to see it in the midst of gorgeous flower arrangements and a stunning table styling. of course it helps when the event is styled by bash, please and the images are captured by a photographer like raya carlisle!