Getting Ready for Valentine’s: Live Events, Love Letters & Custom Design

Lately, I’ve been in a bit of a creative hyperfocus mode, spending long stretches designing new card concepts for Minted challenges while also preparing for a full week of Valentine’s events around Houston. It’s one of those seasons where everything overlaps in the best way: live calligraphy, luxury brand collaborations, and behind-the-scenes design work all happening at once.

(This Valentine’s card design is one of my recent Minted challenge submissions and will be up for public voting soon. I will be sharing the link when it goes live for anyone who would like to support, so stay tuned!)

Designing New Cards for Minted

Baptism invitation featuring a lamb illustration, foil calligraphy lettering, and classic religious design created for Minted

Soft pink baby announcement featuring a vintage carousel illustration, foil pressed frame, and elegant calligraphy baby name

Behind the scenes, I’ve been spending time creating new greeting card designs for Minted challenges. This has been a fun creative stretch, working on modern birth announcements, romantic minimal styles, and gender-neutral designs that feel both timeless and fresh.

Designing for Minted pushes me in a different way than live events. It’s more quiet, more detail-oriented, and focused on how a design lives digitally and in print at scale. It’s been a really good balance alongside my more hands-on work.

If you’re local, this season is especially exciting because I’ll be popping up at several beautiful locations offering live personalization and calligraphy experiences.

Upcoming Valentine’s Events in Houston

This Valentine’s season I’ll be at three very different, but equally special, events, each with its own vibe and style. Come by and say Hi!

Jessica Wofford of Wofford Calligraphy preparing to write live dip pen calligraphy during a Dior Christmas card and wax seal event

Grown Brilliance – February 7

This Valentine’s season, Grown Brilliance brings a modern take on meaningful jewelry with lab-grown diamond engagement rings and fine jewelry that blend sustainability, quality, and personalized design. Known for elegant pieces crafted with conflict-free lab-grown diamonds, they offer a beautiful alternative to traditional mined stones while still delivering the luxury and craftsmanship of fine jewelry.

During the event, I will be on site offering live dip pen calligraphy on premium matte cardstock, writing custom couplet poems and romantic messages by hand. Guests can walk away not just with a beautiful piece of jewelry, but also with a custom curated, hand-lettered keepsake created in real time, making their gift feel even more personal and memorable.

Close-up of a calligrapher writing a love letter in dip pen calligraphy during a Dior event — Writing a handwritten love letter using traditional dip pen calligraphy during a Dior event.

Kate Spade – February 13

The day before Valentine’s I’ll be painting and personalizing leather pieces at Kate Spade. This is one of my favorite types of events because it combines fashion, art, and custom detail all in one. Watching a simple leather item transform into something truly unique never gets old.

Jessica Wofford inlaying gold paint pen into hand-engraved initials on the brown leather flap of a Longchamp Le Pliage small crossbody bag during Nordstrom’s All-In leather engraving event at the Houston Galleria. The image shows her hand detailing the gold in the burn-etched monogram above the signature gold snap button. — Luxury leather customization by Wofford Calligraphy at a Nordstrom Galleria ICON event, featuring hand-applied gold inlay initials on a Longchamp bag.

Rienzi (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston) – February 14

On Valentine’s Day, I’ll be returning to the Rienzi House Museum for the fourth year in a row to write dip pen calligraphy love letters during their Valentine’s Day Twilight Evening. Set within this historic house museum in Houston’s museum district, the evening leans fully into old-world romance. Think flowing ink, fine paper, softly lit rooms, and handwritten words created slowly and intentionally.

As guests browse Rienzi’s carefully curated art collection, their own words are transformed into keepsakes through live calligraphy, turning this romantic and memorable experience into something tangible and lasting. The intimate setting invites visitors to pause and reflect, whether they are writing to a partner, a friend, a family member, or even themselves. It is a beautifully thoughtful way to celebrate love in all its forms.

Handwritten Turkish love letter in dip pen calligraphy at the MFAH Rienzi House Museum Valentine’s Day Twilight Evening in Houston — A Turkish dip pen calligraphy love letter reading “My love, I love you very much,” written live during the Valentine’s Day Twilight Evening at the MFAH Rienzi House Museum in Houston.

Why I Love Valentine’s Work

Valentine’s is one of my favorite seasons for calligraphy and personalization because everything centers around connection. Love letters, meaningful gifts, handwritten notes, and thoughtful details all feel especially powerful in a world that’s mostly digital.

Whether it’s engraving a name onto a piece of jewelry, painting a leather bag, or writing a love letter with ink and paper, the goal is always the same: to create something tangible that feels personal and lasting.

If you’re attending any of these events, I’d love to say hello. And if you’re just here for the behind-the-scenes look, I hope this gives you a glimpse into what a busy, creative Valentine’s season looks like inside Wofford Calligraphy.

If you have a Valentine’s card you’ve been dreaming of, or a love letter that deserves to be just as beautiful visually as it is in words, I’d love to help bring it to life. Whether it’s a custom piece, a personalized gift, or something entirely new, you can reach out through the contact form below and we can begin curating the perfect keepsake for your loved one.

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