Heather - Calligrapher/Owner of Marcardin Calligraphy. I am a member of The International Association of Master Penman and Teachers of Handwriting (IAMPETH). From time to time, I collaborate with Sakura of America and in past have taught with them hand lettering at the National Art Education Association (NAEA).

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What does Marcardin mean?

Back in the day - when fine craftsmanship was a way of life - residential estates were named after their builder. I’m lucky enough to have a richly documented family history. My (many times) great uncle was named Mark Hardin. He built his family home in the 1850s in Shelbyville, Kentucky. I share the same pride as I’m sure he did in naming the estate, Marcardin. Fast forward to the very early 1990s – my family was faced with the difficult decision to sell the once money making-farming-historical-family oriented property. During the selling of the house, some pieces were willed to museums, divided upon the family, and auctioned off. What is left of the historical and vintage items of the home is safely housed for my curiosity to plunge into. Of all the things left behind, my most favorite findings are the journals and letters that were stored in the attic of Marcardin for decades. Before the mass manufactured ball-point pens, each handwritten item could easily be considered a piece of art. I discovered the actual handwriting of Mark Hardin himself and fell in love with the beautiful handwriting, aka calligraphy. When starting my dream business, Marcardin felt like the perfect fit.