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i love to write on unconventional surfaces. i love the challenge of figuring out what pen, ink or writing utensils in general will work on what!! oysters, rocks, mussels, wood...love it all. the number one question that i get from people is: "how did you do that?!?" and my number two favorite thing - is to share my knowledge and show people how i create these little beauties. typically, i offer an "everything but paper" workshop, but i wanted to do a different version of it, make it more casual - less timely, which also means less cost too. Maybe we will even order a pizza and have some wine while we scribble away! so i am so stoked to unveil the latest workshop series starting in june! every first wednesday of the month i will be hosting - what i am calling - "wednesday night paper parties." + 1 to 1.5 hours, in the evening + brief hand-lettering tutorial + each month will cover a different aspect of calligraphy or hand-lettering + materials = pen & practice paper pad & handout card (to keep costs down, the swag bag will be minimized - but i will be bringing my own inventory of fun stuff for everyone to experiment with) + each lesson will be fun and unique! first lesson details: + date - wednesday, june 7th + time - 5:30pm - 7:00pm + location - the wedding space, san luis obispo + theme - write on rocks! + details - the table will be filled with rocks of all sorts, sizes and shapes for everyone to have fun with. you get to keep and take home all that you write on (and a personalized souvenir from me as well!) + cost - $30 per attendee + secure your seat here - or contact me directly at 805-712-0116 // or // hello@feteandquill.com (for a no-fees option) can't wait to see you there! stay tuned for more workshop dates to be announced - i have a lot of goodies to come!! xo, raina  isn't this photo just divine?!? check out all the rad vendors involved in this shoot:
+ photography: bared soul & hannah kate photography + design: vino fiore events + venue: oak heart estate + catering: gusto on the go + florals: brooke edelman floral design + table: if you give a girl a saw + rentals: scout rental co. + desserts: just baked slo & elouise margot baked + makeup: alex makeup art + hair: allie mccann, alxndra hair + calligraphy & stationery: moi :)
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calligraphy and hand-lettered signage at a wedding or event is truly special, and really gives your guests an intimate look into who you are, and the couple that you have become. there are so many wonderful ways to personalize signs. from traditional, to whimsy, to funky - they really bring that something extra to an event! these past years, chalkboards have been all the rage for the base material for wedding signs. and they have had a good run - and you will still see them used from time to time. but the shift from rustic wedding decor has begun (that's right mason jars and wood rounds - i'm looking at you! disappear!!), and couples are looking for new and unique materials that can be used for signs. below are some of the newest and greatest (and i am so happy to work on them too) signage materials showing up lately: + wooden signs
but, what i always remember, regardless of what i am writing on - it's always the what is written that means the most! xo, raina  perfect example of something fun, and so true to the bride and groom's personalities! this was a quote that the b&g wanted on a vintage window pane that she found while antiquing. when i dropped it off to bride's father the day before the wedding - he couldn't stop laughing!! love it.
happy easter y'all!! hope everyone is having an egg-cellent and hoppy good time today. as i was going on my easter day (which actually was to finish some calligraphy projects and prepare for a lot more of wedding work this upcoming week) - i remembered that i forgot to mention one of other favorite white pens (see former post for the other three honorable mentions)! aaaah!! how did i forget this one?!? although i love the uni-posca and molotow - these are pens that will wipe off (most surfaces). for mirrors, and other non-porous writing surfaces - a little windex will take the ink right off. now - sometimes that is what you want when doing wedding or event signage...but there are times when you require ink that is permanent. in those instances (and in many, many other instances - trust me, i stock up on these bad boys) my go-to pen is: + sakura pentouch paint markers these amazing pens come in extra-fine tip, fine and medium tips. the extra-fine is perfect for calligraphy projects that require extreme precision. the colors spectrum is wonderful too. the white is super white...but my favorites are actually the gold and copper. i haven't come across any other pen that has such a bright and shiny metallic ink like the pentouch does. it is like liquid gold flowing from this pen! gorgeousness!! these are the pens i use for most hand-lettering projects like oysters, rocks and leaves. trust me - you'll fall in love with this writing instrument! have fun!! xo, raina  gorgeous photography skills by the darling austyn elizabeth for a shoot up at the incredible oyster ridge venue in santa margarita, california. i used a fine tip pentouch in black for this.
you may wonder - a white pen is a white pen? how could there be such a big difference?? but in the calligraphy and signage spectrum - there is a ton of difference. there are gelly roll pens, chalk markers - and a whole slew of options out there for any project you can dream of. but let's talk signage pens! when i first started out doing wedding signs, the only pens i used were the bistro chalk markers that you can get at a local michael's store. these pens are great, and get the job done easily. but, though countless hours of research - after failing on some projects that required white ink, but the bistro markers were not holding up to the standards i wanted them to - i went to find the ideal marker. below is a lineup of my favorite pens to use on signage: + molotov one4all marker - this is my absolute favorite pen to use! the ink is thicker, flows wonderfully - but most importantly, the whiteness is super bright and lacks the "thin" nature that other pens have. this "thinning" that i speak of, is when you are writing with other pens, you can sometimes see through the ink and have to go over it multiple times. and when you do go over the ink for a second layer - the molotow does not wipe off the first layer - which is wonderful! + uni-posca pens - my second favorite! they works just as well as the molotow, the main difference is the ink does have a thinner quality. they work great on any surface, and are my go-to for when i work on windows and glass or acrylic projects. they also come in a variety of colors - but the gold that they have are my favorite. + crafty croc chalk markers - when a project is strictly chalkboard, i love using these markers (that are meant just for chalkboards). they come in some great colors - from an autumn tone, to bright neon colors. the ink quality is great - the only downside is that they do not come with a fine tip point, but a reverse chisel tip instead. and when you are wanting to do a large scale project - like a seating chart - that requires a super fine tip to get the names smaller, the molotow and posca shine for those requirements. these are my top three pens! have fun with them on your next projects. xo, raina  rad photography skills by the lovely jen rodriguez for a wedding last summer at greengage ranch in san luis obispo. designed and coordinated by the impeccable danae grace events. vintage frame from embellish vintage rentals in nipomo, california.
sometimes you have to take a day - and just escape. even if it is only an hour or two away from your own hometown. work had been going strong and wonderful. i'd been a calligraphy fiend for weeks - and, although i absolutely love it - the hubs and i hadn't had a day to ourselves for awhile, and i was missing spending quality time together (as opposed to the hi/bye in between the work madness!). our schedules finally aligned - and we had a whole day off together last week! which is rare treat, considering that our schedules are complete opposites. i love living on the central coast! there is such rugged beauty in this area, from paso robles to san luis obispo to orcutt. but there is one area that i hadn't explored, and that was between los alamos and santa ynez. so instead of cuddling on the couch for a movie marathon with the hubby, we decided to go exploring south of us. we had absolutely no agenda, not time constraints...just a general idea of the area that we wanted to explore. i posted a quick inquiry on facebook, asking what do do, where to go, what to eat - and got a ton of great responses while we were on the road! we headed down the 101 to los alamos, where two friends suggested bell street farms for an early lunch. the meatloaf sandwich was divine, and i washed it down with a terrific glass of their house rose! this little place is adorable, and i literally wanted everything on the menu - can't wait to go back. afterwards, we strolled the small strip of downtown los alamos - perusing the antique shops. mainly window shopping - but, man...i could have done some damage with all those vintage lovelies! back on the road, we drove towards santa ynez for some wine tasting - stopping by in solvang and taking in the cuteness of this town. the danish charm is in every nook and cranny, and we're making plans to stop by another day to take in the whole town! once in santa ynez, we headed first to sunstone winery to taste some vino. this is a gorgeous property, with lots of fun lawn games to play while you're enjoying a glass of their yummy wine. the people we met while tasting were so friendly, we had a great time chatting! the second winery we went to was just a stone's throw from sunstone - this one is kalyra. the hubs and i felt right at home at this cozy and laid-back winery! the gal who ran the tasting room was super rad, she had some great stories and was very knowledgable about the wines. we signed up for their dessert wine club - because i love me some great muscat or port after a delicious dinner! lastly, we headed to los olives to check out ca'del grevino's newest tasting room - but i became sidetracked by the beguiling sign announcing that honey paper - a luxury paper and stationery store - was having a sale upstairs from the tasting room. luckily, i have a very go-with-flow hubby, who didn't mind tagging along as i oohed and awwed over all the paper pretties at honey paper. i don't mind admitting, i could have happily skipped away with the whole store - but curbed my spending at a couple sheets of fun wrapping paper and a bottle of gold ink that i have never heard of before (but can't wait to use in my calligraphy adventures!). we did end up doing a tasting at ca'del grevino - and enjoyed out time there. very personable staff, and lovely wines. i had done signage for an industry event months earlier (and hadn't been able to attend) - so it was nice to be able to visit and get to know the winery, who started it, and the newest developments they have in store! we bought a bottle of wine to enjoy at a later dinner. we took the long way home to view all the gorgeousness that the early rains had brought the valleys and hills that surround this beautiful part of california. the flowers were extraordinary! the hills and fields so green! we can't wait to go back down and explore more of this area. everything was wonderful, and it was so lovely to spend this day with my husband - we always know how to have fun, even when driving though the countryside, holding hands, and daydreaming. xo, raina  |
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