Yes. I can design a totally customized calligraphy pieces with your choice of colors backgrounds, styles and YOUR text. 

Or, I can take an existing text print such as e.e. cummings, i carry your heart, Her Hands~ a poem about mother's hands, and any poem you love,  and combine it with a background of your choice. You can even pick your own photo background and I can superimpose the calligraphy quote on a background or use your own photography. You can also see ready made calligraphy poems in my store. These can all be personalized, and cost a lot less than custom calligraphy. Using existing text that I’ve already done in calligraphy can save you money. And it can still be personalized for your needs. I aim to please and your satisfaction is guaranteed!

Sorry, I do not address envelopes - but there are many good calligraphers you can find. If you want my opinion on their skill level you can contact me. It's buyer beware out there, and I want you to get the best for your money! 

OMGosh! I say that calligraphy are unique gifts for the person who has everything for any occasion! People love calligraphy because it's beautiful! And now a personalized gift written in calligraphy is affordable. It used to cost a fortune to print calligraphy such as framing a poem, and it had to be professionally framed traditionally with glass. Not anymore! There are so many options for printing calligraphy that you will have a hard time picking!
It used to be incredibly expensive to do one print- and it still costs less to do multiples (of the exact same print).

I love writing calligraphy on reusable shopping bags- great for the environment and a thoughtful gift for Mother Earth! Another nice gift for Mother’s Day is writing calligraphy on an apron! Get more ideas on this page. 

Traditional Framing can be very expensive and can even cost a more than the calligraphy! New technology has made it easy to scan my handwritten calligraphy and print calligraphy onto canvas, metal, wood, glass, ceramic, acrylic, and of course art papers. These products are very popular and it comes to you ready to hang. I know you’ll love it!

I can never tell what size the finished piece will be until it’s done. Here's a visual aid to help you decide approximately what size to order. To get an approximate feel for the size, print your text in a 16 point font, and see where you want the line breaks. The width of the finished piece depends upon how long the length of the text is per line, and the height depends upon how long (how many lines) the text is as well. When you leave borders around the writing in the artwork, it generally should be equal on both sides, top and bottom. So now you see that calligraphy has to find it’s own size. But, that being said, if I will be scanning this in, I can shrink the size of the entire piece, but it must keep its proportions, or the calligraphy will be either stretched or compressed!

My fees are not determined solely by the number of words. Words can be written in all different sizes, styles, with or without embellishment, centered, etc.. I charge by an estimate of how long it will take me to design and execute your project as well as any materials that will be used (paper, gold leaf, etc.) as well as how long it will take me to do the design work to come up with the perfect layout and perfect your piece using photoshop to enhance my handwritten calligraphy. Although I don’t specifically use a word/line count to determine a price (approximately $1 per word, and dependent on the number of lines and design work necessary), it is a large consideration because of the time it takes to write out the calligraphy.

It takes me a lot of time to come up with a design, and if I know that the most you want to spend is $100, then I can tell you immediately that the amount of text would start in the $200 or more range. I don’t want to waste either of our time

I do have options for people who have very long text and don’t want to spend a fortune. I combine a terrific and appropriate computer font with handwritten calligraphy for titles, personalization and picking some phrases. I am trying to work with you, to design a piece that is within your budget. That saves us both time!

When your words are written in calligraphy, I want your piece to be truly beautiful. That's why I encourage you to STRETCH your preferences, and be open to creating a really special artwork. You can use your computer fonts for those type of documents. And “parchment” is actually not paper! Look through my gallery to see how great your quote can look with the right background.

FAQ: It can be scary ordering online when you have no idea what the final product will look like. After we’ve come up with a plan, I’ll ask for a deposit. But before I send you the finished calligraphy I will send you a full size copy of the finished calligraphy and design for you to see (on your computer screen). You can check it for errors; tell me what changes you’d like- something moved, smaller, etc… I will work with you to make sure you are totally happy with the final piece. Then I’ll ask for the balance, and it will be ordered on whatever surface you choose, and shipped to you. If there are any problems, contact me and I’ll fix it

My guarantee is that you will be totally happy with your finished calligraphy. (read my rave reviews)

I do have one other option that I’m offering people with very long texts and limited budgets. I can do the text in an appropriate computer font, and then do the personalization, titles or other parts of the text in calligraphy and use the photograph of your choice. People LOVE it- because it has the look of custom calligraphy, a great background, and it costs a lot less money. The only additional charge is for printing and shipping.

My minimum fee is $150. Extra hourly fee is $50. I will do my best to offer you choices that will be within your reasonable budget. I do want you to understand that calligraphy is a time intensive art: I don’t just pull out a pen and write the text out. My fee includes photoshop magic, graphic design work, and editing your text to make sure it’s all spelled correctly and grammatically proper

I have been a professional calligrapher since 1980, and have a BA in Liberal Arts and Masters Degree in Education.