Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Monograms

Monograms. What are they? Wiki says, "A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol." You find them embroidered on luggage and bags, or maybe on a piece of personal stationary.

I've carved some monograms for a few custom orders, and like them so much I have decided to offer them as a regular custom item in my Etsy shop. I love the way that some simple letters can create the perfect logo. The sky is the limit of course, with so many fonts out there, and so many different ways to organize the letters together.

There is some monogram etiquette also. In the three initial monogram above, the middle letter is actually the first initial of the last name, or surname. The first letter then becomes the initial of the first name, and the last letter in the trio is the middle name. That is convention for an individual, but a married couple might combine there names, and keep the middle (largest) letter as the last name, but use their first initials for the flanking letters in the logo.

Whether you use one, two, or three letters, a monogram is a great way to mark a letter, envelope, or card as something that came from YOU! I can't wait to carve more of these little treasures.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

The Holiday Rush

On December 5th I participated in a Vendor Fair at Wilson Commons at the University of Rochester. This was my first real show as a vendor of Jackbear Stamps. I really had a great time, and did well. I sold a few stamps I had made from the table, but more importantly, I made a lot of custom sales for Christmas that I am now working on. It was great to meet face to face with people and talk about the work I do. I worked on a UR themed bookplate all day and managed to finish by the end of the day. I got enough custom orders that I took my custom orders sign down in fear I would take on more than I could handle. But the carving is progressing nicely, many are already done, and many are in progress. I should be able to get them all done on time for the Holidays. It was a great experience I hope to repeat in the future! Thanks to anyone who stopped by!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Exposure

So, I don't think I will be at this site for long, but this week, I'm the featured artist at Cafe Handmade. This it out!

I am also selling stamps at my first show this Friday, December 5th at the University of Rochester Vendor Fair. I'm working hard growing my inventory, so I hope it pays off. Wish me luck!