Growing up, my mom inspired me to appreciate the beauty of calligraphy, and through her guidance I fell in love with the perfect brushstrokes of master calligrapher, Bernard Maisner.
I was thrilled when I recently heard he would be on the 7th floor {my favorite floor!} in Bergdorfs showcasing his retail line of exquisite hand painted and engraved stationary, and offering onsite calligraphy personalization of purchases. It was my first time to meet Bernard, and I have to admit I was a bit nervous! But once I stepped off the elevator and started walking towards his desk in the middle of the hall, I was drawn to his creative hand at work and not his celebrity.
I’ve always loved and admired Bernard’s masterful hand. His work is so delicate yet classically ornate, and if you’re lucky enough to receive an envelope hand-letter by him or seated at a dinner party with your name scribed by Bernard, you immediately have a treasured keepsake. Brides go crazy over Bernard addressing their invitations, but for a girl like me it’s a little luxury to have small touches of Bernard’s craft in my life since I love to add a customized flavor to anything…especially paper!
I asked Bernard and the President of Bernard Maisner, Lisa McCarthy, about which products would fit into a mid-20s working girl’s lifestyle without breaking the budget! These were my favorites:
Hand Painted Butterfly Place Cards
Elegant Elephants Coaster Set {you can use them as coasters or as place cards!}
Although Bernard wasn’t planning on writing more than a few things for each customer, he went above and beyond for Bonjour + Hola! I had mentioned to him of my desire to use these gorgeous place cards for a future dinner party around New Years, and he openly offered to write each guest’s name on them for me. They looked nothing short of divine! Aren’t they gorgeous?!
I had noticed this antique pen he was using, and couldn’t help but ask about it. Bernard told me it was a favorite of his to work with, and that he custom blends his own ink to write with it in order to coordinate with a hostesses’ party colors or a bride’s stationary suite {he also loves brown ink with cream color papers and loves to spice it up with red ink during the holidays!}.
Bernard was such an interesting and smart person to be around, and his subtle sense of humor is one of a kind! When I asked how long he had been a calligrapher, his response was “2 weeks”…ha!
It made my holiday season getting to know the person who’s hand I have admired for years!
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