With a little practice, you too can become a calligraphy master. Once you’ve got it down, calligraphy can be applied to so much around the house.
When we are hosting a gathering — whether that’s a monthly Filigree Supper or a gathering of friends and family at home — we always like to create a focal point at the table. Personalizing your table in honor of your guests helps them feel welcome, which is especially important if a guest is coming alone. Place cards with custom calligraphy is a favorite and surefire way to accomplish this mission! For our “Letter and Lace” dinner, calligrapher Jenna Blazevich of Vichcraft took hand lettering to new heights with her beautiful work that graced everything from the place cards to the runner to the glassware and signature cocktail signs. Dinner was held at the Tack Room in Chicago, a gorgeous brick space recently restored to its 1890’s glory. For this supper, we really wanted to use the magic and romance of calligraphy to set the stage for an exquisite meal.
Place Cards
These will immediately put your guests at ease — deciding where to sit is one less decision they’ll have to make. You probably know everyone well enough to predict who would like to sit next to each other, or you could take this opportunity to try to play matchmaker! Either way, a place card is a thoughtful way to convey to your guest that they are welcome.
Party Favors
Another craft technique that we recently discovered is glass etching. It might seem a little intimidating at first, but all you need is some etching cream and stencils to incorporate a memorable and personalized design element. At our events we like to send each guest home with a gift to commemorate the occasion. Everyone received their own personally monogrammed glass!
Menus
You can print out menus and leave a blank space at the top for a calligraphed event name. Or you can create just one menu on a chalkboard. (The napkins, by Dot & Army, are hand dyed with a lace, hand-sewn trim.)
Drink Cards
Pretty up the cocktails with nice handwriting and some beautiful stems, like these from The Foxglove Studio.
Runner
For the “piece de résistance” we went big with a large-scale runner that reinforced the theme on the table. This was made using black craft paper and white permanent markers, but there are many color combinations that would look fabulous. Just make sure there is enough contrast between the paper and the marker color. We love how the darkness of the paper made the colors on the table really pop!
To complement the drama of the runner, The Foxglove Studio combined dahlias and ranunculus in warm hues, using delicate fluted vessels and leather-wrapped vases.
If you learn how to do calligraphy, you’ll find that there are so many fun ways to bring it to the table. We hope you give one of these a try at your next gathering!
SOURCE:http://www.marthastewart.com/1501499/use-calligraphy-upgrade-your-tablescape