Many people have been asking to see samples of my fonts again... so to make it easy for you all to find them I am reposting them to the top of the blog. Hope this makes things more convenient.
Sample photos coming soon of new items created throughout the past year.

I present the hand created fonts of "Calligraphy by Tammy"....

TANNER ITALIC

PRETTY PAM


SHANE CURLSZANE FLOURISH
TAYLOR SCRIPTBRIAN STRAIGHT
BAILEY SLANTZCONNOR BLOCKCHRISTIAN PRINTKeep in mind all fonts can be tweaked and adjusted to match what you would like to create. There area also artistic fonts not shown, that are used on things like marriage certificates and such. The fonts above would be the most commonly used fonts in my own calligraphy experience to address envelopes and do place cards and the majority of regular calligraphy work that comes through my doors.

Hard to believe it's been a whole year since I have posted anything new! Last year was a great year for calligraphy and I was busy the whole year through. Fall and Winter led to some down time and now things are picking up again and I am ready to write for you!
This week look for new photos coming of many fun and creative things I have done through last year. I am gathering photos and look forward to sharing with you soon!

Wedding Season 2011 Now Open & Samples of Years Past

My father Tom and myself.

I know it's been a while since I have posted any new samples. I have spent the remainder of the year 2010 caring for my dear father Tom Dolby, who was suffering with lung cancer & bladder cancer and other health issues. After 2 years of fighting this devastating illness with all of his heart and soul, his body finally gave out on New Years Day of 2011 at the age of 68. He fought a long hard battle and we are all so proud of him. My heart broke at the loss of this gentle, sweet man. He was a great father with a fabulous sense of humor.

I would like to thank my clients who were patient with me this year when caring for my father or news of his health may have interfered with work. Family always comes first for me. But I would always do my best to complete orders if it even took me all night or driving far to get an order to a client.  I am grateful to have had the time I spent with my father to care for him in his final months and grateful to all of you for your prayers, patience and understanding during this past year.


With that said... It is time to open up my schedule to the season of 2011. I look forward to working with new clients who have received my name from previous brides and grooms and wedding planners as well as though who have found me through google or various bridal wedding sites. I am excited to get business going this year, so feel free to phone me or email me to place your invitations into my schedule for this year.

The most popular theme and a continuing growing trend is the "Vintage" theme. Vintage inspired weddings include items that go all the way back to the 1930's and 40's. Vintage cars, vintage style invitations and anything of a polished, classic nature is included. Lace veils, pearls, gloves all accessorize the bridal look of this type of theme. When it came to invitations, swirls and letterpressed invitations were all the rage. My font most popular last year to go with that theme was "Zane Flourish".  Every year seems to have a personality for fonts that becomes that year's favorite. If you wish to view more of my fonts, simply scroll down to the bottom of the blog page and they are a small way up from the bottom.

Zane Flourish Font - Most popular font of 2010 to match the "Vintage" themed wedding.

 

 

 

 

 

 Now on to some more unique wedding items for your viewing pleasure.
The wedding card box below was created for a lovely wedding at Nemacolin Woodlands using the them of "Enchanted Forest". The box was created in the colors to match the wedding theme including chocolate brown, purple and vivid green.  Real woodland items were added to the box including wooden swirls, pinecones and velvet leaves.

Enchanted Forest Theme Wedding Card Box

This was a bathroom basket sign created to match the theme as well.

 The bride and groom provided various toiletries for their guests to use. A cute poem explaining the basket was placed near each one in all of the restrooms at the reception..  

A friend's wedding cake. Fresh flowers arrived at the wedding reception site and I was asked to decorate the cake for the bride and groom using the flowers. I was a floral designer, so I was thrilled to do so and thought the cake turned out lovely.

This was a custom ordered marriage certificate utilizing pieces of the actual invitation as well as drawing in the color theme of the wedding, which was red and black. 

Seating chart using a monogram created by the bride's friend. 

Small gems were added to dress it up and brown borders brought the whole thing together with the elegant swirls added by myself.

This is the matching menu card created to go with the "W" monogram theme.

Vintage style marriage certificate - a special gift from me to a bride for being so wonderful with me.

Marriage Certifcate ordered as a special gift by a friend.

Seating Chart in black and pink to match color theme. Chart divided by letters and 2 boards were created to hold the many guests attending this wedding.

 I will be adding some more photos soon, listed by wedding. I look forward to sharing more fun ideas with you, so that you may be able to get some ideas of your own by utilizing what is shared here, and yet adding your own personal twist to make it your own! I am thrilled to create anything you may dream up or you can leave all the details to me. Either way... adding calligraphy and special items to your wedding will leave your guests with that true sense of your theme and that they have just attended a very special wedding!

How About Some New Sample Photos!

It's been ages since I have posted due to a very busy year! Thanks to all of my clients from last year and for all the wonderful artistic work we accomplished together. I thought I would share some of the fun pieces created for weddings and various other pieces from the past season.


I am happy to share a few more styles of the ever fun marriage certificate. A beautiful 3D wedding cake sticker by Martha Stewart is the focal, accompanied by elegant ribbons and floral decorations in a vintage style frame. This is such a beautiful and unique gift and will go nicely in any decor of any home. I made many of these last year including one for my dear friend Lori for her wedding. She just loved it as you can see by the smile on her face. These make a wonderful shower gift for a wedding! It will be a one of a kind present that your bride will cherish forever. They become an instant family heirloom! Every time I have given this gift at a shower, upon opening, the room just fills with oohs and aaahs. I love the response and the brides are always thrilled to receive it! I often hear it was their favorite gift. Let me make one for you and you will be the star of your next shower!



Marriage certificates can be made to match color schemes as well! This bride chose the fabulous color duo of tangerine and avacado for her wedding colors. I created this custom marriage certificate that is matted in an oversized mat and ready to become an instant guest book as well as a family heirloom. The guests signed the edges in fun orange and green markers to match. Or you could use metallic pens or any ideas that make it uniquely yours.
Here is another version for my darling friend Pam's wedding. This one has doves and Jolee's Wedding cake embellishments along with a ribbon belted in rhinestones to match Pammy's scheme of fuschia and bright green. Guests signed in the matching colors and the finished piece is exciting and fun! Pammy has it hanging in her home and it's a lovely reminder of all of her friends who surrounded her with love on her wedding day.
Designing programs is another service provided by myself. I often can do these for a fraction of the price that you will find these online for. They can be created in simple black and white with ribbons tied to match your colors or simply bridal versions of ivory and white with black lettering. Or you can pull out your colors and do something fun like this program. Using large monogram letters overlapping the program matches the wedding theme perfectly!
Here's another unique item. This was a large sign for a shuttle for the wedding guests. Designed in colors to match the theme and embellished with glitter, rhinestones and swirls and polka dot ribbon for hanging on the trolley. What a GREAT way to show your guests their fabulous ride awaiting them!Seating charts are definitely in style now. This one was created using the bride's specially created monogram letter "W" for her top design. I found lovely artistic swirls for the sides that were then embellished with rhinestones for a true dramatic flair! (Click on the photo for a close up of the swirls). Guests names were printed on matching paper and layered in the same chocolate brown as the W. Beautiful floral ivory ribbon covers each side for the perfect finishing touch.
Menus are a marvelous and inexpensive way to let your guests know about all of the fabulous food selections that await them at your event! You went to great lengths to choose every item of food that will be served at your wedding. Why not let the guests know exactly what's in that dressing, or that fun and unique wedding cake? It's a great conversation starter. I know that I love to see what's on the menu when I go to a wedding. I get excited knowing about a raspberry filled cupcake or a funky salad dressing. These are an extremely inexpensive way to add a touch of elegance to your bridal table.
Accompanying the menu are samples of place cards filled in, in calligraphy. You will notice the tables are named after cities. Another great idea for weddings that is all the rage. Naming your tables rather than simple numbers is a fun way to share things that are important to you as a couple. I have many ideas for this, so feel free to ask me some of them! I have beautiful ways to dress up your table names with swirls and glitter and even photographs! These are embellished with metallic silver ribbons. Ribbons in matching colors to your wedding can be added to any items you order to put a splash of color on your tables and really make your color theme stand out.
Pet portraits are something I truly enjoy making. I love animals and creating a gift of someone's pet in watercolor is one of my favorite things to do. Utilizing my calligraphy skills I am also able to add the pet's names on the bottom, making this a truly one of a kind, personal gift. Our animals are often like family. This is an everlasting reminder of how special our fuzzy or feathered friends truly are to us.
These sweet puppies are Barkley and Emily. Emily passed away last year. I am sure my brother and sister in law treasure this artwork even more now that she is gone.
Well, that's just a few things! You can see how busy I have been and this season is off to a great start as well.
I will have more postings coming up in the days ahead. Get ready for photos showing entire sets of photos and all the matching items created just for these special weddings!

Testimonials from Happy Clients!

I am always thrilled when a client expresses how happy they were with their finished product. Just today I received this email from my most recent bride Ashley...

**"I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEE the seating chart it is so much prettier than I imagined it would be."

~Ashley

....and here are a few new testimonials that brought joy to my step and a smile to my face...

**Thanks again, and I wanted to tell you that everything looks fantastic. Jennie and I are thrilled with how the envelopes and tabs turned out, and we look forward to working with you again for her programs! Take care, Janis Colbert
(wife of the general manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers for their lovely daughter Jennie's wedding.)

**Review from Wedding Wire by Erin of Divine Celebrations-Event Planners

(will tell you more about Erin on another posting!)

Erin writes: I highly recommend Calligraphy by Tammy! I am an event planner and MUST be able to rely on vendors to do what they say they will. Tammy exceeds expectations every time!! Erin (Wedding Planner/Owner of Divine Celebrations)

I love doing wedding work for event planners like Kat (Trends to Traditions) & Erin and other area wedding vendors. Their creativity allows me to create unique items that help to stretch my artistic abilities. It's always a pleasure to work for such wonderful professional women! Now a few more joyful brides....

**Tammy,
The envelopes are gorgeous!!! They are absolutely stunning. Thanks so much!! ~Sonika

**Tammy,

"Forgot to tell you that Liz loved the certificate – I appreciate your delivering it to the Marina. Thank you for the invitations and the certificate – a beautiful job on both – I will be happy to recommend you to anyone who needs an excellent calligrapher! ~Lydia

**My mom over-nighted the envelopes- they are beautiful. Thank you so much they are exactly what I wanted. ~ Tara

**Everyone commented on the envelopes and said how beautiful they were...Thanks for doing such a great job. I even had a coworker compare some letter on the main envelope to the inside and she said it looked identical. ~Lynn

**Thank you so much! We love the envelopes and can't wait to get our guest's reactions! I'll be sure to pass along your praises on the bee! ~Thanks again, Heidi W.

I was asked to display my artwork at a gallery in Upper St. Clair by Jenny Gallo of Carrot Top Studios. It was such an honor that she would find my artwork worthy of sharing with her paritioners. It was a privilege to have had it displayed in their gallery for the month of May. Be sure to check out Jenny's lovely fabric art at: Carrot Top Studio

Jenny wrote....

**Thank you so much for making time to share your art with the community at Westminster Presbyterian. You have such a lovely eye for adding a bit of creativeity to your already lovely calligraphy. I will look forward to seeing your work at Light of Life (Mission Shelter where I will be donating the bulk of the scripture art as well as painting murals of scriptures directly on their walls) - where I know it will be equally uplifting! Enjoy your summer ~ Jenny

**I just wanted to say thank you so much for doing such a wonderful job on our place cards and doing then so quickly. I will definitely recommend you to friends and family for future events. Thanks again for making such beautiful cards.

Sincerely,
Tracy and Steve

**Thanks so much for the beautiful work you did. I absolutely LOVE thecalligraphy! ~Maureen

**Thanks again for doing such a wonderful job and for getting it done so quickly! ~Danielle

And a special thank you to all of my 2009 clients! Thanks for making this the best year ever for "Calligraphy by Tammy". Your kind words and joyous response to my work make it all worthwhile! Much Love & Blessings, ~ Tammy

Special thank you to Dio Selina for allowing me to use the wonderful bird artwork in my thank you graphic! Check out her fun stuff at http://www.zazzle.com/love_birds_thank_you_stickers-217790729866960816

Introducing Wedding Planner Kat Shaw

Occasionally I would like to share some of our other wonderful Pittsburgh Wedding Vendors here on this blog and the work I create for them. There are many talented wedding folks out there from florists, to photographers to wedding planners.


First item to share is a card box that I custom created for one of my wedding planners whom I work with, Miss Katherine Shaw of Trends to Traditions. Kat is a Pittsburgh wedding planner who can design any kind of wedding from 10 guests to thousands! She is incredibly talented and creative and should you hire her, she offers plans in every budget. She has been featured in local Pittsburgh magazines as well as national magazines for her fine wedding work.

I have had the privilege of being Kat's calligrapher for several years now and it is an honor to be inspired and included in her creative wedding ideas! I know when Kat calls for wedding work, that something fun and interesting will soon be created by my pen or hands.
This box was for a wedding them of chocolate, raspberry, vanilla. The theme was carried through from invitations to reception. The custom card box was made to go with that theme, along with place cards and many other items as well. Her themes are amazing and completely unforgettable. Check out her website for some incredible photos!
You will never be short on creative and unique ideas for your wedding. Your guests will never forget their wedding experience at your big day if you are lucky enough to hire Kat! People will be talking for weeks to come and letting you know, they have never seen a wedding like yours! You can reach Kat by calling 724-267-2108 and you can reach her website at the following link:
http://www.TrendsToTraditions.com You won't be sorry!

Joanne Bartone, Pittsburgh photographer took the above photo of Kat and she has an interview about Katherine on her blog page as well. Click on the picture of Kat or the link here below. You can't go wrong with Joanne's photography abilities either!! Check out the interview about Kat listed below and then visit the eye candy on her pages as well. What an amazing bunch of incredibly talented Pittsburgh Wedding Women we have!
LINK: Joanne Bartone Photography

Children's Name Art - Watercolor and Fine Lettering

As promised here are a few pieces of children's name art. There are also some baby birth certificates on my page, if you scroll down lower on the page, you can take a look at those. I am hoping to get into designing some nice vintage birth certificates as well using a collection of wonderful vintage art I have purchased.
For now, the first piece I made for my friend Julie's son, Connor. I gave her this gift at his shower and it was such fun to create! It will carry him through for years, as it is made in vivid colors and simply uses area wildlife with animals he might see here in Pennsylvania, to go with each letter. All letters were drawn in pencil and then watercolored along with the animals representing each letter.



The next piece was created for another friend of mine, using the letters of his name in the color navy to go with the baby's room theme of "nautical". Knowing this theme and that my friends attended church with me, who would love scriptures on their piece, I found all of the images to go with nautical items and then found scriptures to place beneath each one that either started with that letter or had the word in it. Steve & Leslie were thrilled with their custom watercolor and I hope you enjoy it too.


It was great fun to find the items to watercolor and to search for scriptures to go with it.
I thoroughly enjoy getting to create custom art for my friends and they are always excited to receive it. I love knowing a little piece of my heart and creativity is hanging in their home. It is always an honor to be included in the decor of their children's room.
Here are some more close ups of the piece for Matthew, so you can get a better look at the watercolor and the scriptures in calligraphy...


If you are interested in having a custom name designed to match a child's room in your life, I would be extremely honored to do so! Simply write me or phone me with the details of your room and I will be happy to design something creative and fun for you! I haven't had much chance to design girls' themes, so I certainly would welcome that. This would be a great gift for a baby, or for a christening. I also can do christening and baptism certificates for children as well.

Wedding Seating Chart Design

Here is a lovely alternative to the usual place cards. This is a monogrammed seating chart. We used this colored monogram design scheme throughout her entire invitation, programs, and they even blew it up to a very large size and put it on the doors of the church! Click on it for a close up. These are done in a design phase then blown up on film type paper for a nice gloss finish and mounted on foamcore, or framed to your desires. My client had it framed and matted in the soft green color of the monogram. It is then placed on an easel outside of the doors to the hall where your guests will be seated. I will show some other pieces from her design scheme in an upcoming post on programs and menu cards. Email if you would like to discuss this type of artwork for your wedding!
Tomorrow's post -- children's name art!

Now scheduling for April and May! Welcoming new customers with my special offer...

Just a quick little reminder, that I am now scheduling for the month of April and May for incoming orders and I would love to include YOU and your wedding on my calendar. There is nothing I love more than sitting down with you and helping to create beautiful words that will add to the elegance of your wedding. I will meet with you personally at a time and place of your choosing with folders full of samples that will help you choose the type style that will accentuate your event. I promise you the best prices along with a quality of workmanship I am certain you will be happy to receive. If you have an idea that you will be requiring my services in these upcoming months, I would love to reserve a space for you and be certain that I will save that block of time especially for you - to dedicate it to your exciting upcoming event. My goal is to make ordering as simple and stress free as possible.
I have never needed to turn a client away in 23 years. I normally do everything in my power to get you your order (even staying up all night if I must!), when you want it, and how you want it... with no hidden charges, such as list maintenance fees, rush charges, colored ink charges or set up fees that some calligraphers charge. I have even decided to take away the dark envelope charge. I have found a new way to do them that works efficiently and I will now do dark envelopes for the same price as regular envelopes! Bottom line, I am doing my best to keep my prices competitive for you, helping you to choose my services, all the while making sure you get what you desire. I want to be your calligrapher!
Take advantage of my 23+ years of experience. My expertise is reflected in the quality of your final envelopes. I promise you will be pleased, and I will do everything I can to be sure that you are happy with your finished product. I guarantee my work.
The months of April and May also include my very special offer mentioned previously, of a free marriage certificate, with every order of 100 envelopes or more (if you have less than 100 - you may still have the certificate at 50% off!). Samples are in a lower post. Simply scroll down for further information about this very fun piece of artwork that will become a family heirloom.
Coming soon on this blog... samples of children's name artwork. Seating charts. Wedding Programs. Table Number Cards. Place Cards.
If you have anything you would like to see samples of on this blog, feel free to write me and I will do my best to get things posted that you would like to see.
I also plan on discussing and displaying upcoming wedding paper trends to keep you current on things going on in the wedding market today. It may give you some ideas of things you could use for your wedding. Fun ideas for table naming, unique ideas for place cards, paper trends in invitations. Keep an eye on this blog for these upcoming posts!
Wishing you all very happy and stress free wedding planning! Talk with you soon! ~ Tammy

Framed Wedding Poem - Dancing With God

The picture above is of the poem "Dancing With God". A pastor at my former church ordered this from me for his son's wedding. He read it at the wedding and wanted the happy couple to have a copy of it for them to treasure and remember always. I chose a nice natural parchment paper in a gray tone, with black letters highlighted in silver. Silver rub on swirls were added as embellishments along with metal butterflies and rhinestones in crystal. I thought the butterflies reminded me of dancing, so they seemed to be a good fit to dress up this piece.
Here is a copy of the poem and what is says in full, in case you might want to use it for your wedding. The sentiment is truly lovely.

DANCING WITH GOD

When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.

I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.

When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.

The movement doesn't flow with the music,

and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,

both bodies begin to flow with the music.

One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back

or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.

It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.

The dance takes surrender, willingness,

and attentiveness from one person

and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.

When I saw "G: I thought of God, followed by "U" and "I".

"God, "U" and "I" dance."

God, you, and I dance.

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust

that I would get guidance about my life.

Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings

and mercies be upon you on this day and everyday.

May you abide in God as God abides in you.

Dance together with God, trusting God to lead

and to guide you through each season of your life.

Here is a close up for a better look at the embellishments and clearer look at the print:

Elegant Wedding Gifts - Marriage Certificates & Wedding Poems

I love to create Marriage Certificates! What a fun piece of artwork to treasure. They are an exquisite framed memory of the day you were wed. They become family heirlooms and beloved mementos. They can be created for anniversaries as well! They are a lovely item to display on a table at your event, to place near your wedding cake or guest book. The photographer can take a photo of your certificate alongside your bouquet and rings, for a lovely captured moment of the pieces of your special day. I am showing a display of many marriage certificates I have created through the years below. (Where needed the last names have been blocked for the privacy of my clients.)

These are great wedding gifts! I have a client who orders one for every wedding she attends. She lets me know that the bride and groom often send her thank you notes, proclaiming that the marriage certificate was always their favorite gift. In years to come, it will become a piece of your family heritage, displaying your history. It can be customized to include any and all information that YOU would like to include from minimal such as names, wedding date and church alone, or can include the whole wedding party! We will work together to create a masterpiece that matches your wedding, or one that is simple and elegant in tones of white or ivory. It can include beautiful special adhesives that are 3D fabric miniatures of wedding dress and tuxedo or doves and wedding cakes. They can be understated including only ribbon or a monogram or piece from your invitation. Some of the examples below show this such as the pink & brown ribbon ones using a piece of the client's actual invitation.
Prices depend upon the amount of information you would like to include. You may order them framed or unframed. For pricing feel free to email me to discuss the details. Prices begin at $35+ for unframed. Framing begins at an additional $20+ depending upon the size and type of frame needed. I am happy to shop for a frame for you that fits your budget!
Remember to order one for every wedding you attend! Simply call me when you have the invitation information. It is a one of a kind wedding gift that is unique and original! Your bride and groom will know that you took the time to order an exceptional gift, a custom created piece of artwork that will be cherished for years to come. They will never forget this very special gift or the giver!

WEDDING CERTIFICATE SAMPLES-
(Feel free to click on them for a close up):

Marriage Certificate utilizing the couple's invitation front.
Cake is a 3-D Martha Stewart adornment.
Wedding Certificate using the monogram from the invitation front.
Wedding was in Hershey, so brown ribbon was added to go with the wedding's chocolate theme.

Marriage certificate using the 3-D stickers of wedding dress, tux,
champagne and even bow tie and ribbon for the best man and maid of honor.
(Excuse my shadow in the background! I took this one outside. LOL)

Marriage Certificate in bridal shades of ivory, using wedding cake 3D stickers along with doves. Letters are jeweled and the frame is a lovely shade of ivory.

Larger Wedding Certificate in bridal colors, displaying all of the wedding party details.
This was for a wedding for a gay couple, two women, who are friends of my sister.


Marriage certificate created to match the wedding theme of red roses.
All place cards, menus and programs also had the red paper rose on them to match.
The 3D wedding cake in this piece is a Martha Stewart sticker.

Marriage Certificate in wedding whites done on gray parchment to highlight paper cutouts.
Jolee's stickers in 3-D wedding tux and gown, and lovely doves also adorn this piece.