Calligraphy

Ginny Moore owner of Calligraphy, Ink, calligraphyinkstudio.com , was intergral in the design of our popular LOVE invitation which is currently featured in Your Wedding Day magazine.  We recently asked Ginny about her work and this is what she shared with us:

Q: Paula has received great response to her LOVE invitation, which you helped design. What was your experience like working on the LOVE invitation?

A: For one thing, I loved working with Paula. She is so sweet, fun and artistic. She gave me an idea of what she wanted for the invitation, but she also really let me be creative with it. I have lots of different styles and even pen types I love to use in my calligraphy, but I rarely get to use more than one style per job. This is such a fun opportunity to get imaginative and really use lots of different looks together to play up the whimsical design.

Q: You mentioned your different styles of calligraphy.  We have had customers ask us why they should pay for a calligrapher if they have a computer.  Why should someone use a calligrapher instead of printing addresses out with their computers at home?

A:  For one, etiquette and tradition require hand-addressed envelopes for wedding invitations. Even if you can’t afford a calligrapher, the envelopes should be hand-addressed, even if it’s by the bride or a friend with nice handwriting. It stands out as such a personal touch in a world of emails and texting. Another reason is calligraphy really makes a statement. When your envelopes are beautifully calligraphed, it says to the guests that you take great pride in this event and it is something to be greatly anticipated! After all, the envelope will be the very first thing the guests see as a glimpse of the wedding! A gorgeous, hand-calligraphed envelope is striking and memorable. Finally, using a calligrapher greatly reduces time and stress over one of the most worrisome aspects of planning a wedding: the guest list. Calligraphers have been saving busy brides hours upon hours for years and years!

Thanks so much Ginny!

Working with Organized Light

Andreas Castaňeda is a talented photographer and a very nice person. His company is called Organized Light. I had the opportunity to work with him recently, and his photos were beautiful. Here is what Andreas wrote on his blog about our shoot:

Sep 17
Unique. Botanical. Beautiful. Artistic.
A few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure to photograph the creative work of Paula Estes, owner of Petalos di Pauli http://www.petalosdipauli.com/. Paula Estes, is a Botanical Artist who combines paper with natural elements to create unique stationery, invitations and gift wrap. Paula specializes in incorporating real flower petals, leaves and grasses into her designs. Her custom designed event stationery consists of coordinated ceremony and reception pieces, such as programs, menu and table cards, as well as complete invitation suites. Her work has been featured in magazines including Ceremony, Your Wedding Day and Special Events Magazine as well as being featured on Lifetime Network's Get Married with Colin Cowie in a segment called "The growing trend in bridal of going green."

Paula's hair and make up were done by Tara Dowburd-Luftman, a well sought after Make-up Artist and founder of Make Up Therapy www.makeuptherapy.com, a stylist studio that caters to red carpet events, film shoots and luxury weddings. On my drive back to the office, I was thinking about how I am always surprised at the amazing talent that is out there, and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to work with such talented folks that love what they do and do what they love. The images below are of her amazing work. Take a look and visit her site to see more of her custom work.

YWD Magazine

Hitting the newsstands today, September 29th is the Fall/Winter 2009 edition of Your Wedding Day Magazine. This edition features Petalos di Pauli! It was an honor for Paula to be chosen for this photo layout highlighting several different invitation designs. The magazine is available at Borders and Barnes & Noble. Check it out!

Wild for Zebra Grass

What's new from the Garden and Studio of Petalos di Pauli?
Zebra Grass!

Photographed by Organized Light

Consider this post an Obsession Confession. I just can't stop loving the celadon and yellow corkscrewed blades, created by wrapping them around a chopstick and drying.

Photographed by Paula Estes

Zebra Grass is prolific, yielding heaps of fun fodder for naturally beautiful gift wrapping. A perfect pairing with Recycled Kraft Boxes. It's stunning in the garden and on a gift makes a dazzling finishing touch.

4 Reasons to Write Thank You Notes

1. One does not need to wait for November to be thankful. Writing thank you notes can help us experience a sense of gratitude in our everyday lives year round.

2. Being grateful can make us aware of our blessings and thankful for them.

3. Writing a personal thank you gives us the opportunity to relive the pleasure that caused us to be grateful in the first place.

4. Writing thank you notes can serve as a stress reliever, forcing us to slow down and enjoy a few moments of quiet.

Why not express your sentiments in one of our beautifully handcrafted thank you cards, ordered off-the-shelf or custom designed to match your personality or wedding stationery.

How to Make Grass Place Card Holders

Fountain Grass was a wonderful, sustainable, not to mention creative, choice for place card holders. We trimmed bundled blades to size then secured the ends with pairs of gold plated rhinestone beads, which were easily removed for reuse after the event.


These place card holders were part of the Elegant Tropical Rainforest tablescape featured in Special Events Magazine.

Other dried grasses or natural elements can be used to create a similar design. You'll need at least 2 stems or blades to form a slot for holding the place card, and the right sized bead to fit over the ends. Or jute or wire could be used to secure the ends; the possibilities are endless.

A Night In Bollywood

The Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) presented a stellar South Asian experience at the beautiful and upscale Tanzore Restaurant in Beverly Hills.
I loved the combination of high energy and exotic beauty created by the lighting, music, colorful tents and stunning floral arrangements.

Gaylord’s Lotus Room, a banquet facility which sits adjacent to the restaurant, was designed specifically to allow this type of event to cast its own thematic influence.

A rhythmic performance by NDM Dance Troupe, choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan of “So You Think You Can Dance” fame provided a break from handshaking and card trading and an opportunity to devour appetizers and enjoy the show. Fans of the tasty Indian finger food made second (possibly third) trips to the buffet.

The climax of the evening was the live drumming performed on top of hypnotic tracks played by DJ Shark. A lot of us had no choice but to put down our handbags and beverages and give in to the thunderous beats that lured us onto the dance floor.

Tanzore Restaurant is not only known for its India Modern or Fusion cuisine, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced it winner of the Los Angeles 2007 Restaurant Design Award. I encourage you to take a tour and experience the sensual sophisticated ambience for yourself. There are many options for hosting gatherings. Nikki Sood, director of sales and events, can coordinate large festive events for up to 400 guests or intimate gatherings of 10 in a multitude of settings. Most private rooms as well as the Bar/Lounge are well equipped with features such as BOSE speakers, flat screen TVs and projectors.

“A Night in Bollywood” turned out to be a talented sampling of premier special events industry professionals. The combined expertise of these showcasing sponsors created a fun and memorable experience that I will gladly share with my local clients who might need some or all of their services for their own upcoming celebration. Events like this make us proud to be members of ABC Greater Los Angeles. Thank you to the following businesses that made the event a success:

Sid Khera, Aspect Lighting

Jeffrey Bullied, Jeffrey Bullied Photography

Minal Chaudhary, Mehndi Artist

Doyle Borden, My Flower Guy

Anupma Parks, NDM Productions

DJ Shark

Maurice Walsh, Raj Tents

Nikki Sood, Tanzore