One of my favorite paper memories of 2013 was an evening of calligraphy with the immensely talented Bryn Chernoff of Paperfinger. She is a dream and has the patience of a saint I tell you.

Bryn smartly poured us glasses of wine (there were cookies too!) before an ink pot was cracked. We learned some nib basics and best practices for keeping ink fresh. I had never written with a nib before (full disclosure: I thought all calligraphy was achieved with this grocery store buy when I was a kid) so I was super excited to try it out. Friends, its harder than it looks!

We practiced single letters first. And then we strung them together (not pictured for obvious reasons) to create simple words, like hello and our names. Despite needing lots of pointers from the afore mentioned saint, it was so much fun.

We all went home with the essential supplies and loads of practice sheets to hone our skills. I also walked away with a whole new appreciation of calligraphy (wedding envelope addressing is so fairly priced). If you ever have an opportunity to take a class with Bryn, jump at the chance! She is a wonderful teacher and an all-around lovely person to spend an evening alongside. Check out her amazing stationery too and these beautiful custom address stamps… swoon!

**thanks for tolerating the vertical iPhone snaps**