Gifts for Grandparents

Grandparents usually have everything they need. But the thing that means most to grandparents are their grandchildren! I've even been told that "You don't know the meaning of love until you have a grandchild". I find that hard to believe knowing how much I love my kids, but I guess I'll just have to wait to find out!

One thing grandparents never have enough of, is pictures of their grandchildren. And another thing that grandparents don't have enough of, are pictures of THEMSELVES WITH their grandchildren. So, I encouraged Grandpa Mike here, to take a picture of him with his beautiful granddaughter Victoria. It was a nice photo, but needed some photoshop work to take out a distracting background.

I incorporated a hand drawn picture of a tree, with added roots and leaves (great metaphor) (thank you photoshop!) to reflect the sentiment in the lovely words that Victoria wrote to her beloved grandpa. Then I added a gradient background to pull it all together. Completed, this keepsake will be a gift treasured by both for years to come.

Have a grandparent who you love and want to make happy? Think about Beautiful Calligraphy and YOUR Words to live by!

from the heart,
Lianda

Mother's Day Quotes

If you are fortunate to still have your mother alive, and lucky enough to have a good relationship, you may be thinking about Mother's Day coming up.
Realize that we don't need a holiday to express love and thanks to the people around us. In fact, it's best to say our feelings now, and as often as possible. Don't wait, because there are no guarantees in life. You don't want to ever think to yourself: "I should have said" and now it's too late.
I am thankful every day since my mother died last July, that nothing was left unsaid. I have no regrets about the things I wanted to say, but didn't.

A reminder in the way of Words To Live By, can be those words that are in your heart written in beautiful calligraphy. They will always we there and can fill the gap in between the times you speak with your mom.

Here's the quote I've just done. I hope you are fortunate enough so that this applies to your relationship with your mother.

To My Mother:
You’ve always been my greatest supporter throughout my life; the woman I look up to. You’ve taught me the important things in life by living the example. You’ve taught me to love myself as well as others, to trust and be true to myself. You’ve encouraged me through hard times, and celebrated with me in the good times.
Although life brings constant change, your love has always been the constant presence that I know will always be there, unchanging.
I’ll never be able to fully thank you enough for all you’ve done for me. I hope you know how grateful I am that you’re my mom.
I really love you –

By the way, I can calligraph this quote for you and personalize it with your name and even include a photo of you and your mother. The sentiment may be applicable for those of you who would like to use it instead for a Father's Day gift instead. I can also substitute the artwork in the example with other images, such as a heart. After all, this is custom Beautiful Calligraphy, Words to Live By - for you and those you love.

Designing Calligraphy

One of the pleasure of calligraphy is coming up with a design that reflects the sentiment in the words, as well as the reflects the taste of the person who is receiving the calligraphy. This is the fun part, and I enjoy encouraging my customers to collaborate with me in the process.

After all, my tastes are not necessarily their taste. And I can design something that is traditional OR contemporary, and all of the colors and textures of the rainbow are available. In fact, short quotes give you so much more flexibility with the design that it can be a real challenge! There's so much choice, that I do need some direction!

Sometimes I am blessed to have the type of customer who tells me: I like contemporary, these are my color preferences, and if you can put in something like...... Then I have such fun coming up with the design. I really want my customers to stretch - not do black writing on cream color paper. In fact, I WON'T do that - it's boring!

So, when I received this latest commission, I had such fun planning it out. And the designed evolved as I thought about it.

The quote was: Love cannot let you know music, but music can let you know love. Immediately I thought of the two words that if emphasized would give a big visual message that was obvious: Love and Music. If possible, I do the first layout of the words on my computer substituting different fonts and sizes. It's easier to move around the text that way than using and wasting paper. After all I am a "Green Scribe" : )



And of course, the most obvious symbols of Love and Music is a "heart" and "notes".



When you're doing a good design, you shouldn't do something that doesn't "hold together". For instance, if you could physically remove a part of the picture and it doesn't seem like something is missing, the design should be changed.


So, in the first printed by computer layout, you see parts of the quote that are necessarily integrated. Then I thought about what else could hold it together, and naturally, the idea of sheet music as a background popped into my mind. It was alright, but the background was white.



I felt like I wanted the sheet music to look a little aged, and I wanted it to relate to the color in the heart. So I tinted the music the color you see. And voila! A finished piece that reflects the sentiment, and artwork that supports the statement. Thank You L. for giving me free rein and trust to do your quote!



Have a favorite quote that you'd like to have made into Words To Live By: Words that you will see and remind you daily of how much that quote/poem means to you? Remember, Mother's Day is coming up, and your mother might really enjoy YOUR words of thanks and love!

Spring Weddings & Calligraphy

Spring is in the air! With spring comes the perfect time to get married! I'm busy writing custom marriage vows in calligraphy, custom invitations and addressing envelopes.


I'm particularly happy with a design for a wedding scroll. The groom contributed the beginning concept of incorporating a tree (he's a woodworker, among other interests). In order to keep the costs down, instead of writing out the vows in calligraphy, it was done in type (a computer font). I did the monogram in with calligraphy letters, and some other touches. Then it was printed on canvas, to allow it to be displayed as a scroll.


Be original with ideas for your wedding vows! Incorporate your interests into the design, and you'll have a memento you will always treasure!

Art Preferences, Opinion and Personal Responsibility

"You're the artist, you decide", some of my clients tell me. I can certainly make decisions about a calligraphy layout that can fit many people's preferences, but I think that everyone must realize that they DO have a preference. Even little children know what colors and kinds of clothes they like to wear. Within any decision, there is room for your personal preference.

It's not about being right or wrong. It's about honoring your unique view of the world. Yes, art can be expressed in countless ways, and to give over that choice to someone else is negating the importance of your vision. Many people say to me "I'm not creative, I don't know what's the best decision; I don't know what I like." But just think about it, if you are buying something for yourself, unless you will not be using or seeing your purchase, it will be part of your life. You might as well put some of yourself into that decision and LEARN about your preferences.

An unexamined life is not worth living.

Socrates, in Plato

Personal choice is one of the most important characteristics of our lives as human beings. Unlike animals that live primarily by instincts, we get to choose our path through life. Whether the choice works out the way we had envisioned or not, and what we tell ourselves about our choices is a determining factor as to how we define our lives: happy, successful, or whatever terms we use. People who have strong self-esteem are willing to take personal responsibility and make choices; and accept and deal with the consequences.

Getting back to art and calligraphy, many times the choice that you are being asked to make is about a decision for a gift. Oftentimes I find people making a choice based upon their own preferences rather than the preference of the person receiving a gift! That's probably not the best way to make a choice for your recipient. Think about THEIR preferences instead! If you don't know, maybe that's an indication you need to learn more about that person! Think about the clothes they wear, the colors they prefer, even their food choices can tell you something about them! You can also ask them questions and find out things about them that make you feel closer to them! It's a great opportunity. And if you get them a gift that really fits their preferences, they will appreciate it even more! (that's why I have custom gift choices available on my website)

So here's my latest calligraphy border that I would describe as "Contemporary and Colorful". See if that's something that you like, or get to know your preferences - do you like something more traditional, historical, muted colors, or pastels? Honor your opinions, but don't get stuck and stubborn. Being open to considering other choices is a sign of healthy flexibility. And please, realize that there is no right or wrong - If someone doesn't like this border design, I know, it is THEIR opinion, not a statement about my self-worth! How much better we could all get along if we realized that statements from others are simply their opinion and no reason for disagreement or anger!

So, those are my Words To Live By for now!

Love Quotes

We never know what life holds for us. Therefore it's important to make sure that we express what is in our hearts to those we care about, and never live with the statement, "I should have said". Expressing love and gratitude puts the "Law of Attraction" into gear, and you'll get back what you put out.

There are so many Love poems that I've done. I even written marriage proposals in calligraphy. I'm happy to report that every proposals was accepted with a happy YES answer. I've also written many personalized poems that some talented and caring person had written for their loved one. The sentiment is more important than being a Shakespeare, I can assure you.

Sit down and think about what that person means to you; how they have enriched your life and brought you joy. Let them know. If you don't want to have it written in Beautiful Calligraphy, write it yourself. Say those words, and open your heart.

BTW, for those of you who may not realize it, I am also a counselor and teach "heartfelt stress relief". I can assure you that while you are writing those words, you are giving yourself a big dose of stress relief, and making your body healthier!

So expressing love is important for both our emotional and physical health. Say those words, feel the love, be happy and healthy!

Love Poems and Romantic Gifts for Valentine's Day

I'd bet that from the beginning of time when humans first started communicating, words of love had been exchanged. Love poems for Valentine's Day gifts and poetry are some of my favorite calligraphy projects. Oftentimes, I receive a request of personally written poem that a man has written for a woman. I've even written some wonderful marriage proposals! How romantic! Who can reject the lover who expresses him or herself with poetic panache? (by the way, EVERY marriage proposal has been answered with an emphatic "YES".

There would be no story of Roxane be without Cyrano's beautiful love poems. (Make sure you see Steve Martin's funny and tender remake of this famous tale: "Roxanne").

Nowadays with computer research, if you're not a Cyrano, you can still have a romantic and personalized love poem written for you to give to your loved one! There are many services that can provide a made to order poem with specific details that you give the writer about your beloved. Make sure you read some of their work before you decide which author or service to use!

Some of the favorite love poems that I do regularly are ee cummings "I carry your heart", Shakespeare, Corinthians 13 (from the Bible), Emily Dickinson, and the "Apache Wedding Blessing". Some of them are in my store, and can be personalized with names and dates.

Love poems also make great Valentine's Days presents, birthday gifts, and anniversary gifts. Don't forget, even if you don't prefer a love poem, you can still write a Love Letter that shows your appreciation and care for that special person in your life.

Poetry for our friends is also a great way to show them how much they mean to us. Yes, email is great; but computers crash and correspondence gets "lost" on your computer. Somehow, there's a big difference between holding that love letter in your hand and reading the words inscribed in beautiful calligraphy.

Now men, if you want to complete the romantic scene, remember you can always add more to the gift by sending flowers! Personally, I'm very concerned about the environment, and prefer making sure that my flowers are organic. Many companies have flowers that are artificially colored, have pesticides, and aren't very healthy.

And what woman (sorry if this sounds sexist) doesn't love chocolate? Remember those romantic movies "Like Water For Chocolate", or "Chocolat"? Well, you too can be a hero by bringing or sending chocolate.

Remember, whenever you're thinking about getting a gift for a person you care about, think about what HE or SHE would like - not necessarily the things that YOU want them to have. That's the spirit of true giving.