Search Results for: gail brill

February 27th, 2013 No Comments

weddings with gail brill: MONOGRAMS! – see gail’s inspiration, the behind the scenes process, to designing exquisite wedding details with martha stewart and much more!

  This monogram (below) of the alphabet was drawn by JM Berling around 1908. He was a great monogram designer and lettering artist. I love monograms. To me they are the lyrical coupling of beautiful letter shapes. They can be style specific, like Art Deco or Romantic, they can be simple and stark or elaborate with iconography and symbols. Unlike a family crest they are totally accessible and available to anyone. Everybody that has a name has one. Monograms are evocative of a time when manners mattered and social stationery was essential. Now don’t get me wrong. There are a lot … Read more

February 20th, 2013 No Comments

weddings with gail brill: what a professional calligrapher can do for you, it’s not just addressing envelopes!

Oddly enough, I am going to start this blog post talking about an American Folk hero named John Henry. When I was a kid, my parents read to us about Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox named Babe, Johnny Appleseed and John Henry. John Henry “was a steel drivin’ man” who used a hammer to lay railroad tracks. One day he was pitted against a steam powered hammer that could do the job better than a man. John Henry took up the challenge to compete with the machine and in the end, John Henry won, but it didn’t end well. … Read more

February 12th, 2013 No Comments

weddings with gail brill: this couple preserved their love story creatively, and you can too.

As an artist and invitation designer, my work with brides usually falls into certain parameters. The invitation has a prescribed wording. The cards are a certain size and color. In most cases, the boundaries of tradtion are well maintained. Occasionally I’ll work with a bride who wants a Dupioni silk lining to her envelopes, a sprig of evergreen on the invitation or turquoise ink on a chocolate brown card. Every invitation I design is a one-of-a-kind reflection of the bride and groom. But  sometimes, something extraordinary happens. In July of last year, I heard Julia Goren and Adrien Vlach’s love … Read more

February 6th, 2013 No Comments

introducing our february wedding contributor gail brill: hand calligraphy and the printing process

Thank you Lynn for allowing me this space to do a little talking about my craft. I started working with Lynn when she was at Martha Stewart Living many moons ago. We have worked together on various projects since. In fact, you can see my hand lettering throughout Lynn’s blog template! I often joke that my career as a calligrapher began in 3rd grade when I had to write 500 times “I will make an effort to improve my conduct in the cafeteria” and it was an exercise I loved doing! The reason for why I had to write those … Read more

July 31st, 2012 No Comments

tuesday’s tabletop: gail brill calligraphs a classic black and white place card

I love calligraphy. I use calligraphed cards for dinners and parties whenever I can. I usually call on one of the best in the country to do my calligraphy… Gail Brill of Gail Brill Design. Gail has beautiful scripts and handwriting and most importantly Gail is very consistent with her lettering. I would always use Gail if I needed calligraphy on a photo shoot because I knew it would be perfect and all her letters would be consistent. Consistency is so important when you are lining calligraphed seating cards together in alphabetical order for a wedding or a party. … Read more

November 26th, 2013 No Comments

personalize your gifts with monogramed wrapping paper for the holidays

What a wonderful idea! Gail Brill of Gail Brill Design can create a gorgeous monogram for you and turn it into small sheets of 11 x 17 wrapping paper. Black and white or color can be printed. It’s a $35 set up fee and $2 per sheet for black and white and $3 per sheet for color. Have your own initial or Gail did my husband and my initials together for this gorgeous paper you see above. Gail has many fonts but her most popular is her “Brill Script” which I’ve included below so you can see each letter. The … Read more

September 23rd, 2013 No Comments

this week’s color palette: muted fruits & foliage colors for casual outdoor entertaining

It’s officially fall. But while it’s still warm why not continue to entertain friends and family outside. Creating a casual afternoon of cocktails and bite sized food doesn’t have to be as daunting as you might think. I’ll be sharing my tips all week for casual entertaining so I hope you’ll follow along today through Friday. Pictured above is this week’s color palette which I introduce each Monday and my paint chip picks from Benjamin Moore.  Colors chips from top to bottom: Pearly Gates 190, Pearl Harbor 2165-50, Golden Gate 033, Palace Pear cw-650 and Sweet Pear 389.  It’s a … Read more

September 10th, 2013 No Comments

2 in 1: glass vase place card holders for your table setting under $3 each

I love browsing through the site save-on-crafts.com and finding great products like this glass place card holder. The holder has a hole in the top for your flowers and a slit in the front for your place card. This is wonderful for any season or holiday- tulips at each setting for spring… a pine branch for winter… the possibilities are endless. They are currently on sale for about $2.75 each and come in sets of 8. -Lynn Butler Beling (calligraphy courtesy Gail Brill Design)

July 30th, 2013 No Comments

elevate even the most casual parties with a bit of direction…and calligraphy

If you are entertaining friends and family this summer it’s ok to give them a bit of direction and having a calligrapher do a few simple tags or signs for you can help you do that. You can’t be everywhere when your guests start arriving, so having a station or bar set up for drinks so they may help themselves can actually let them feel at home and at ease. A calligraphed note can act as your elegant helping hand and let them know it’s ok to dive into the festivities without you waiting on them. This calligraphy was done … Read more

July 23rd, 2013 No Comments

create a dramatic table setting with black, peach and pale pink

I love these black compotes and bowls that I have on my online store, little blue dish. (They are made by an Italian glass company called Nason Moretti.) I like to fill vessels with candy for quick and easy centerpieces and also fill the felt favors you see tied with black polka dot ribbon with candy as well for guests to take home. This color palette could really work for any season and any occasion- and for more formal gatherings add a calligraphed place card for each guest within the palette. I alternated black cards with cream calligraphy and … Read more