HUGS 2011: Hubspot User Conference

Before this becomes obsolete, I wanted to write a quick post on my attendance to the Hubspot 2011 Conference this past Friday. The company I am currently employed utilizes Hubspot software for its online marketing initiatives, and I have since become an obsessed user since being introduced to the system about 6 months ago. Hubspot hosted a conference at the Boston Sheraton this past Friday, called HUGS 2011, and it was, for the most part, good.

{Powerful Closing Here} Such delicious Geekiness...

The day had a full agenda of seminars that were broken up into three tracks based on experience of Hubspot users. I felt torn between the Intermediate and Advanced sessions, so I attended a few of both. Some of the presentations were a bit better then others, but for the most part I felt as though I knew most of the material already, or was in a real-life Hubspot webinar. Which has its great moments, but wasn't what I'd expected.

The event itself was okay, you could tell that they still need to tweak things a bit to make flawless. For example, there was a  Q&A lunch session with the CEO and Founder that I really wanted to catch, but I had gotten a late seat at a table waaay in the back with lots of chattering marketers, so I had no prayer of hearing what was going on. One of their big speakers also didn't show up due to illness, which was disappointing

However, I do not regret attending. I got a great spreadsheet that I'm still wrapping my mind around to measure ROI of online marketing efforts. I got further inspired and was yelling "YES! YES!" in my head during a content seminar about blogging and have a slew of new ideas to get my company involved with our blog. Lastly, my favorite presentation was by Jeanne Hopkins, Director of Marketing at Hubspot. The seminar not only gave me great pointers on marketing collaborations, but I was able to snag her for a quick conversation on how to be a strong female leader in the male workplace.

You're on your way, Hubspot, and I like what you're doing. I believe next year will be even better!

If you went to the conference, let me know what you think ;)

Custom Calligraphy Ink Color for Wedding Envelopes

Wedding Calligraphy for Outer Envelope Only, $2

This bride came to me with the coolest vintage-inspired invites that I've ever seen. Using different fonts and styles to create an antiqued feel, the invitations came in a charcoal-grey color scheme that she requested for a custom color mix for her calligraphy for outer envelopes.

You can see from the images that she chose the spread out zip code with no dot accents between the numbers. The envelopes were great quality, looking almost woven, and thus great to write on. I used a C-5 calligraphy nib, and custom-mixed a grey using a mostly white ink bottle with limited drops of black. The result was a "not too harsh" ink color that really popped, and looked great against her invitations!

Custom calligraphy ink for wedding envelopes

Looking for a custom color, or just don't want to even THINK about addressing all those envelopes yourself? Contact me today to get started on your calligraphy project: I've worked with brides all over the country, and will help you to make your wedding a day to remember.

Calligraphy for Vintage Wedding Photo Shoot: Part 1

In a recent request on Etsy, I was asked at the 11th hour to help out with some select calligraphy pieces for a vintage photo shoot at a bridal show in the Boston area. The event planner sent me this "inspiration board", of which the pallette was made up of robin's egg blue, cream, and pink.

Inspiration Board for Vintage Bridal Theme

It turns out their calligrapher fell through, and they were desperate for some finishing-touch pieces to help complete their concept. Though one week was a bit short notice to turn around everything that they had wanted, I was able to produce for them a pink tea menu card and 8 place cards in an assortment of cream, pink, and light blue: all with chocolate brown ink to help correspond with the "vintage" look of their wedding shoot.

The theme of the photo shoot was a vintage garden tea party - very whimsical but elegant, English, etc. Colors they used include pinks, robin's egg blue, creams and other pastels. In addition to the calligraphy that they needed, the tablescape incorporated mis-matched china, lace table cloths, silver tea pots, and other antiqued items of the color group. The location was also beautiful, with the scene being set in this garden bridal photo shoot video that you can click to view.

Though the professional images have not yet been released by the photographer, I took some shots of my own of my work before handing it over. You can take a look at the Tea Menu, as well as the 8 calligraphy place cards each portraying a different name with the theme's colors in chocolate brown ink.

If you are in need of a specific calligraphy vision for your wedding or special event, this is a perfect example of how Ash Tree Calligraphy can help you! Contact me today to get started.