Mad for Monograms, Loony for Letters

So, I've always had a thing for monograms & letters.

I remember way back in elementary school when we did arts & crafts projects with our names.  One of my favorites was turning your name into a butterfly.  This was accomplished by taking a piece of paper & folding it in half lengthwise.  Then painting (in black) your name in cursive along the crease, then folding the paper in half so there is a mirror image of your name on the opposite side of the paper.  Then coloring in the white areas of the letters, and voila! a name butterfly.  The other of my favorites was writing your name in black on a piece of paper (cursive or printing), then outlining it in various colors until the outlines run off the page.

That was then, this is now...

My love for letters has evolved some.  I still love letters, but in a slightly more sophisticated way.

I LOVE these "letter" mugs from Anthropologie - $6 each (below left).  I also love letters you can hang on your wall.  My first "J" came from Anthropologie - made out of zinc - $18 each (below right).  Over the years, I've collected letters from all sorts of stores including Anthropologie, Ballard Designs, Pottery Barn (kids & teen), Restoration Hardware, etc.  If you look, you can find letters in lots of different stores.  A little boutique here in San Francisco, Timeless Treasures, has a vast array of vintage letters in all shapes, sizes, and materials (below middle).

 

In addition to letters, I'm pretty mad for monograms.  These days it seems you can get anything with a monogram.  Land's End has some great canvas tote bags (and most of their other items) that they can monogram.  The bags come in several sizes and colors as well as the available monograms.

I also love letters & monograms on jewelry.  When I was little I had a little "name" necklace with "JENNIFER" in capital block letters.  I was so sad when the letters broke apart between the "N" and "I".  I think I still have it in an old jewelry box...  More recently, thanks to Sex and The City, the "Carrie" name necklaces came back into popularity.  I got a new one with my name in script, and absolutely love it.  There are a ton of websites that will custom make for you.  Here are just a few I found from a quick Google search.  I can't endorse any of these, as I haven't personally used them, so just take the typical precautions when ordering things from the internet.  Name Necklace, The Name Necklace, Zales.

I saw this site mentioned in Lucky Magazine - they have some really cute options - Jane Basch.

I also am falling in love with monogram necklaces.  I also found this site in Lucky Magazine.  Moon & Lola - they have adorable acrylic monogram necklaces in all kinds of colors.

I am also loving these script monogram necklaces too.  I found this site on Google.  Can't vouch for the quality or speediness, but they are super cute!!  My Name Necklace.

Whatever your fancy, there are lots of options out there at all different price points - a letter or a name to match any budget and style.  What's yours?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."  ~ W. Shakespeare