C'ville Entremom

I admit it.. I rarely write letters.  My reliance on email is almost to a fault!  To me, calligraphy was something I only used while addressing the envelopes for my wedding.  So, how refreshing and eye opening was it for me to find the beautiful penmanship and calligraphy talents of Jen Maton, of If So INKlined?  Jen is single handedly bringing handwriting back!

If So INKlined offers traditional, modern and unique professional hand calligraphy for weddings, births, corporate events, parties… almost any occasion.  All designs are done by hand.  If So INKlined offers unique cards, envelope addressing, place card lettering, seating scrolls, map direction card illustrations, formal invitations, whimsical invitations, table cards, monograms, custom art, poems, certificates, logos, wedding vows and so much more.  Jen is open to all project ideas!

When Jen was 12 years old, her parents gave her a calligraphy set for her birthday.  From that moment, she was hooked.  She became intrigued by the art form.  Over the next couple of years, her family and friends allowed Jen to practice her calligraphy style on their cards and envelopes.  As a college student, Jen began taking calligraphy courses which increased her love for lettering even more.  Jen’s career path started in graphic design and eventually led her to freelance work designing advertisements that have been featured in national magazines like Better Homes and Gardens and House Beautiful to name a few.

Once Jen began having children, she decided that she wanted to stay at home with them.  When her 1st child, Stella, was 3 weeks old, she decided that she couldn’t give up the dream of owning her own business.  During nap and bedtime, Jen began the process of coming up with a business centered around creating designs by hand.  She was approached by a Rhode Island wedding planner (Jen just moved here from RI) who needed an artist to create theme oriented wedding invitations and paper products for a few of her brides.  Voila!  A business is born.

Jen finds that juggling her business and raising her kids is challenging.  She only takes on what works with her kids’ schedules.  Her kids (Stella – 5, Ruby – 4, and baby Maton on the way) are her true passion and first priority.  Jen never over-books herself and only takes on jobs that are not rushed.  She also networks with other moms and will often kid-swap when work gets busy.  That way her kids can play and she can save money by not hiring a babysitter.

For more information on If So INKlined, please visit Jen’s website.

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When I first decided to start up C’Ville Entremom, I sent out an email to every woman that I know in the area in search of mom-owned businesses.  There was one name that came back to me over and over again:  Besty Carter of By Betsy.  I just had to find out what all of these women knew that I didn’t and what I have been missing out on!

Log onto ByBetsy.com and the first thing you notice is the fun, fresh and whimsical artwork that Betsy creates.  By Betsy offers stationary and invitations for all occasions:  weddings, save the dates, birthdays, birth announcements, moving announcements and customized bookmarks to name a few!  Betsy uses your ideas and her creativity to create one of a kind stationary for you.  All you have to do is contact Betsy and let her know what you are envisioning and she creates/draws/designs exactly what you are looking for!  How cool is that??  One of Betsy’s best sellers is her Cheers! Drink Line..  Here is an example:  Let’s say you want to create your own family stationery with drinks customized for every member of your family…  You’d end up with the cutest cards with a beer mug for Dad, champagne for Mom, a bottle for baby and a dog bowl for Luna, all with the family name underneath!

The Cheers! line became so popular as stationary that Betsy started extending it into customized invitations as well. For example, if a customer is having a cocktail party and she knows the are huge UVA fans, she will incorporate the personalized drink(s) into the invitation scene somehow or will have a row of cocktails that will be served at the soiree with a UVA koozie on a beer bottle in the lineup.  The Cheers! line led to similar line-up ideas:  family shoes and kids outfits!  How adorable are these?

Betsy founded By Betsy in 2003 when she couldn’t find the kind of stationary that she wanted for her 4 month old daughter, Susannah (now 6).  She found an open niche out there and went after it.  Prior to motherhood, Besty, who has a Masters in Teaching, was an elementary school teacher.  Often, she had to get creative when teaching concepts and would use some of her whimsical artwork to help inspire her students with their lessons.  Who knew that this creativity would later transcend into an enterprise??

So, how does Betsy balance working and motherhood?  Betsy finds this part fun.  She will sketch designs at her kitchen table while her little ones, Susannah and Graham (4), are doing art projects or working on homework.  After the artwork has been created, she does all the formatting and publishing of the work once the kids are in bed.  She admits that, at times, it does get tough to balance family and work, but she has used her creativity to juggle both.

Betsy mainly relies on word of mouth to promote her business.  I would have to say she has done a great job as I have found many, many women that use her!  If you would like to find out more about By Betsy, visit her website (www.bybetsy.com) or email Betsy bybetsycarter@comcast.net.

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