Saying I’m a creative spirit is an understatement. I will try any creative craft I can get my hands on but somehow I’ve gone all time (let’s just say it’s more than 20 years) without trying calligraphy. Until now! It’s something I’ve wanted to try forever but just never made the time for. And if I’m being honest, I didn’t really think it would be my thang. Thanks to Hallmark Canada and Lisa Mavian of Post Calligraphy for hosting this great calligraphy workshop I now have a new creative hobby to obsess over.

I’ve been lucky enough to be invited to many great events as a blogger but this calligraphy workshop sits pretty high on the list. Not only was Lisa a great teacher and I fell in love with the art of calligraphy but you know I’m a sucker for a well styled event and Hallmark really nailed it. They got me with the vintage tea cups & plates and the rest of the beautiful decor, florals and food were a crazy amount of icing on the cake. The theme of a modern tea party was the perfect setting to get our calligraphy juices flowing.

We were each presented with the prettiest place setting including all the tools (and treats) that we needed to get in a scripty type of mood. I have a feeling I may be replacing the tea cup with a wine glass for future calligraphy sessions. Or maybe I’ll start drinking wine out of a tea cup.

The reason that I wasn’t so sure calligraphy would be my thing is that I admit that I think it can be kinda stuffy and too structured for me. Well the traditional calligraphy anyway. I also thought it would be super hard and take forever to get the hang of it. I realized pretty quickly that it’s really just about learning the general technique then finding your own style and I hate to be one of those people but I seemed to get the hang of it pretty quickly. Of course the first thing I tacked was my name. Not bad for a calligraphy rookie! And then I tackled my second favourite name. This is where I was at by the end of the 2 hour workshop. I found my groove and not surprisingly my style seems to be big with lots of dramatic tail ends. Writing the letter s was my favourite and there’s a few curse words full of s’s that look great in calligraphy. Just saying. Sure, there’s some really great calligraphy inspired fonts (see above) but there’s nothing like the real deal. It’s the little details that a digital font can’t duplicate.
As I was afraid of, I’m now hooked on another creative hobby, so much so that I’m looking here, there, and everywhere for supplies I might be able to get my hands on to make replicating what I learned in class that little bit easier (like a light box, so I can practice tracing the letters). I really did find it so relaxing and satisfying. I wasn’t ready to leave when the class was over. Thank you so much to Lisa Mavian and Hallmark Canada for allowing me to discover my calligraphy side. If you want to see what some of the other people created, check out #lovehallmarkca on social media and if you’re looking for some beautiful inspiration or want to leave the fancy shmancy type to the pros, visit Post Calligraphy and see some of Lisa’s beautiful work.