Inky Fingers Calligraphy

06/05/2024

I eased myself into the week this morning with some Mariah Carey lyrics and my everyday inks. I especially liked how the sparkles resemble dew on the petals.

This isn't watercolor paper, nor are these water based inks but as I tell my students, all you need is pigment and water to move it around, plus a nib or a brush! It's neat to see what results you get every time with small differences.

Those of you who can't resist some pretty new ink will be pleased to see that my new The Ferris Wheel Press code JA-IFKW now gets you 15% at checkout anytime! You can also use the link in my bio or website.

Off to put the finishing touches on a digital save the date and iron some ribbons for Mother's Day!

04/05/2024

This was a lovely way to spend an afternoon!

06/04/2024

Playing around with some variations of this quote and my two new inks. I love the greens and I think that the Dancing Thyme (first slide) is my current favorite color.

It's described as "serene, earthy, and mellow'" which is just perfect for slowing down, planting some veggie seeds with my son, and enjoying this spring season.

Head on over to the The Ferris Wheel Press site or follow my link and enter IFKW at checkout for 10% off.

03/04/2024

This may be my new favorite flourish for an end letter.

After teaching my class at The Paper Seahorse on Saturday, I decided to experiment with ink on origami paper. I really like how it's light enough to see through if you hold it up in the air but still strong enough for ink. Of course, not every piece did well with ink but that's life.

Pictured here is Emerald Gardens by The Ferris Wheel Press . Snag your own for 10% off by following my linktree to the site or entering in code IFKW at checkout!

Happy writing 🖊️ and can someone please make an inkwell emoji?

09/03/2024

New ink from alert! Here you can see Unfettered Flight in my matching carousel fountain pen.

I usually stick to flexible nibs but I have to admit it's nice to grab a pen, uncap it, and just GO. Shimmer inks can be tricky to use, so in this case I just layered where I wanted a bit of extra shade and sparkle.

I was elated to break out my Ziller's Bird & Design Flourishing manual for a student to look at last week. I haven't given it the study time it deserves yet but it's waiting for me! For now it serves as wonderful inspiration.

Mosey on over to the site via the link on my website or use code IFKW at checkout for a sweet little discount. Happy writing!

09/03/2024

Happy International women's day, friends. Wishing you the time, space, and support you need to get out there and do your thang.

*and if you have the resources to help other women in the world while you're at it, that's even better but TAKE UP SPACE

Ink: new Ultra Marina from the professional calligraphy collection by . As always, knocked it out of the park with beautiful packaging. Score some at 10% off with my discount code of IFKY or follow my website "supplies" page over to their site.

Calligraphy is one way that I use my voice and claim my place. What about you?

23/02/2024

Here's a detail shot from our Gatsby inspired shoot at , shot by .

One of my favorite things is incorporating non-paper items into your wedding to add a unique and luxurious touch to your special day.

It's even better if the piece is actually functional! Coming up with keepsakes that won't end up immediately in a landfill is important to me.

Got a fun idea for your upcoming event? Want me to help come up with one? Let's chat!

21/02/2024

I have always wanted to do an all calligraphy wedding invitation and this modern Great Gatsby inspired styled shoot was the perfect opportunity!

I'll be sharing more dreamy photos but by bit but if you don't want to wait, you can check out the whole feature on

VENDORS (.i.e. Dream Team)
Venue: 
Publication: Marry Me Tampa Bay 
Planner:
Photography: 
Videography: 
Rentals: 
Linens:  Linen 
Dress: 
Tux:  shop 
HMU:
Cake:
Florist: 
Content Creator: 

20/02/2024

This was such a fun shoot to work on. Click through to see all of the beautiful stationery I got to create!

Black, white, and gold 1920s vintage Great Gatsby inspired wedding ideas at historic Tampa Hotel Flor with ballroom ceremony and reception.

15/02/2024

Clearly, I had a tough time choosing which shot to share! As soon as I opened the boxes of inks this month I knew that they would pair beautifully with walnut ink.

I think that all of the shimmer inks really shine (no pun intended but I'm gonna leave it here) when used to fill in larger areas, like these moody blooms. Here I used Aurorealis and Knitted Nettle.

Margriet Pronk is a talented painter from the Netherlands. She was quoted in a Jackson's Art blog post about using cobra water-mixable oils that I discovered when following the rabbit hole of an inspiring article about painting for the movie "The Peasants."

If you want to score some of these gorgeous inks for yourself, head on over to or click the link on my website. Code IFKW will get you 10% off at checkout!

12/02/2024

Some freehand late night practice... This is my favorite way to decompress. Last week was insanely busy (as is to be expected right before Valentine's day) and I'm looking forward to slowing things down a bit this Monday morning!

07/02/2024

I noticed that I haven't shared a lot of foiling on my feed, though I've included plenty of foil peels in my stories! The peel is when you slowly remove the rest of the sheet that didn't receive heat and pressure to stick to the material in your intended design. It's really satisfying to watch.

I love this new trend as an outside the box way to personalize favors for events or just add some shine to your treasured items. Think of it as the "write your name on your backpack in paint pen" given a glow-up. Plus, people really enjoy looking on as I do it onsite at a live event.

Ornaments, notebooks, journals, luggage tags, book covers, sunglass cases- the sky's the limit!

06/02/2024

Holy gorgeousness! I was so excited to write with my new shipment of ink that I opened all 3 at once and jumped right in. The three most recently released colors compliment each other beautifully and I can't wait to use them properly.

First up we have Aurorealis, which is a limited edition violet with dreamy pink and gold shimmer. The Sherry Sonata is a magenta berry hue that I'm eyeing for all my Valentine's themed class placecards. The coolest ink is Knitted Nettle from the Ferritales collection. It reminds me of looking closely at a multicolored hummingbird in the sunlight and I have the shiny box sitting on my desk just so I can admire it.

As always, head on over to the site and use code IFKW at checkout or follow the link in my bio for a sweet 10% discount. Happy writing!

02/02/2024

Join us and in our ReMix Lounge on Tuesday, February 27th at 6pm for our Sip & Script event! Enjoy a cocktail from our WXYZ Bar while learning modern Calligraphy. Beginners welcome! Tickets available for purchase - link in bio!

01/02/2024

My studio smells so nice! Did you know that Meyer lemons are not actually lemons but a cross between a citron and a mandarin orange/pomelo hybrid?

They also make lovely place cards.

27/01/2024

Happy year of the Dragon!! I had a lot of fun playing around with 's calligraphic drawing examples and some very old Penman's ink. Nib: R. Esterbrook 556.

26/01/2024

What a lovely afternoon we had!

We had an excellent time this week at the Clearwater Beach Library learning the basics of watercolor painting with local artist, Margot Griffin! Be sure to check out Clearwater's online calendar for more art classes at https://myclearwaterlibrary.librarymarket.com/events/upcoming

19/01/2024

I'll say it one more time for all of my students:

PENCIL. IS. YOUR. BEST. FRIEND.

I'm working (slowly) on improving my Spencerian and retraining my fingers with a better ( i.e. textbook proper) grip, so it's back to the basics I go. Drafting an exemplar on a dot grid helps me really understand the anatomy of each letter.

I recently heard someone say "Calligraphy is 80% scholarship" or something close to that. Studying is just as important as practicing but I'm trying to get better about doing both consistently, even for just 15 minutes a day.

12/01/2024

Just as I suspected, the new Radiant Rosewing ink from is perfect for florals. I really enjoyed the little blendy spots on my line drawings when I touched the bases of the leaves to the pink.

In the second photo you can really see the shimmer. That Duochrome glint of gold is so very pretty!

I grabbed the wrong box from my growing collection for my photo and just realized it now- the pink box from the
line features the wild swans in their first appearance if you like following along on the adventure.

Snag some ink for yourself on the website using the link in my tree or get 10% off anytime when you enter code IFKW at checkout. Happy doodling!

09/01/2024

It was such an enormous privilege to be a guest at this amazing celebration of love. I don't usually get to see in person all of the little details we've emailed and obsessed over for months.

This may be my favorite deconstructed seating chart to date, thought up by the warmest, most wonderful bride who decided to use beer steins - but classy ones- set off by the gorgeous 1907 brick of

I can't wait to share more photos from this incredible wedding.

06/01/2024

My latest ink is described as "an ethereal deep periwinkle blue" and it's simply gorgeous. I can't wait to (have the time to) use it with a brush on some watercolor paper and create some flowers.

If you want to snag some for yourself, head on over to or use the link in my bio. Code IFKW at checkout gets you a sweet 10% discount!

28/12/2023

Check out this article for some tips for newly engaged couples and see if you can find my advice!

Wedding planning advice about when to start looking for a venue, when to hire a planner, how to set up a budget, and when to take engagement photos.

20/12/2023

Technology is giving me a hard time today so I'll just leave this here for you to enjoy the pretty shimmer!

Ink: Plaited Gold Tress from the collection

If you're interested in adding some sparkle to your ink collection, head on over to The Ferris Wheel Press and use code IFKW for 10% off at checkout or the link from my website!

11/12/2023

I chose to use 's new Frontenac Blue for last week's set of place cards because it reminds me of a sparkling, iced over lake. It may be in the 60's here many days in December but it's still fun to picture all of the Northern holiday imagery!

This smoothly flowing ink is icy teal with blue shimmer and catches the light so nicely. If you fall in love with it and want some for yourself, you get 10% off using code IFKY via my link or on the website!

18/11/2023

Phew! This has been a marathon week of onsite jobs, workshops, gift commissions, and live calligraphy. It was nice to carve out a few minutes to play around with the new bottle of ink that has been waiting for me on my desk for weeks.

Sugar & Spite is the newest drop from the FerriTales collection. Its tone is bright purple with Duochrome pink shimmer, shown undiluted in the second slide. You can apply my IFKW code at checkout for 10% off or use the link in my bio!

01/11/2023

Did you know that I love painting leaves more than making pretty flowers? I find it so relaxing and love the subtle variation from one to the next.

If you've taken a calligraphy class with me and enjoyed the meditative aspect, this is the perfect class for you. Take a look at the classes tab on my website or click the link in my story to sign up!

26/10/2023

Which team are you? I'm both but if I had to pick I'd say treat!

This week I'm working on a couple of weddings, class prep, a pretty little commission, a birthday banner, and some very homemade Halloween costumes. My kiddo turns 4 on Sunday and I'm excited to take him trick or treating on Tuesday. And help make sure he doesn't eat too much candy 🍬

The black ink pictured here is Black Masquerade from the Fanciful Events collection by . It has some lovely shimmery bits of silver that surprise you when they catch the light. The orangy one is called Hearty Harvest and I just love the description: "Amber Butterscotch with Rose Gold Shimmer."

Click the link in my bio or enter code IFKW at checkout for 10% off any order if you want to try these out for yourself!

18/10/2023

Monday warm up. It's full of flaws (can you spot the 3 offenders?) but also lots of pleasing letterforms and most importantly, that shimmer! This new Hearty Harvest ink has been my go-to this month. Swipe to catch all of those little gold flecks shining in the autumn sunlight.

Click the link on my linktree or enter code IFKW at checkout any time you order beautiful inks from them for 10% off!

11/10/2023

I decided to experiment a bit and mixed some of my shimmery new inks together. Cabernet on the Lake and Hearty Harvest + a random magenta a friend gave me years ago. As a professional calligrapher, my desk is surrounded with various tiny bottles of custom inks... as a messy artist, I can't always keep track of what's what. I don't know that I could ever recreate this specific mix but it sure is pretty! Reminds me of fall leaves back in New England.

I can't get over how lovely these little specks of rose gold look in the afternoon light. Head on over to using the link in my bio for 10% off any order, any time! You can also use code IFKW at checkout. Have fun playing with pretty ink!

09/10/2023

Two fun shimmery colors this month from The Ferris Wheel Press ! I just got a new ink stirrer and had lots of fun playing with these gorgeous Halloween inks. Black Masquerade is from the new Fanciful Events collection and made specifically for calligraphers and I appreciate that it's waterproof when dry.

I don't write much with fountain pens, as I usually prefer flexible nibs but now that I'm delving into business hand I suspect my pretty carousel pens will be getting a lot more use!

Use code IFKW at checkout for 10% off, anytime. You can click the link on my website under "supplies" to go straight to their site. inks are great for dip pen or cartridge pens, as well as painting using a brush.