Self-taught calligraphy?

I have decided to try to teach myself calligraphy, or at the very least, to write neatly enough to address my own invitations. Overly ambitious? Maybe.  A useless skill that I’ll never use again after my wedding? Hopefully not.  A fun challenge? Definitely!

I had thought about taking a calligraphy course at the local tech college, but then I saw Miss Star’s post on weddingbee, and she inspired me to order this book from Amazon:

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It came in the mail on Tuesday, and I was so excited to start learning that all I could think about yesterday was getting out of work so I could rush to Michael’s to buy nibs and paper.  I purchased this cheap starter kit and some parchment with a 20% off coupon that I tore out of one of my bride magazines:

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I also plan to watch some of the lessons on the IAMPETH website (International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers, and Teachers of Handwriting; they have guide sheets you can print out too) and to recruit help from a friend who has taken a calligraphy class.

I have 310 days until my wedding, so I plan to have invitations ready for mailing in 220 days.  I figure I have about 100 invitations to address, so if I can perfect my skills and design my invites in the next 120 days, then I only have to do one envelope/day – now that doesn’t sound so bad, does it?

I’ll keep you all updated on my progress over the coming weeks and will entertain you with before and after pictures – let’s hope you can tell the difference!

Who else has tried to learn calligraphy or another skill for her wedding?