Where creativity meets clarity.

Driven by a passion to create, this is where bold thinking meets thoughtful execution. Let’s create something meaningful together.

Approach

I am a passionate thinker and doer, dedicated to making your vision a reality. Collaboration and creativity drive everything I do. The process is simple, thoughtful, and designed with your experience in mind. I believe great results come from clear steps and open collaboration.

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Meet Kris

Kris Carlson-Parsley

Owner

Kris Carlson-Parsley is the owner/craftswoman behind Pen & Hand. Kris grew up in the small farming town of Lansing, NY, where she quickly learned an appreciation for hard work and the outdoors. The desire to create led to her to Baltimore, MD where she attended the Maryland Institute College of Art. After four years of intense learning and artistic growth, Kris graduated in 2011 with a BFA in Graphic Design and Studio Concentrations in Book Arts, Printmaking, and Photography.

The knowledge she gained at MICA led to jobs in Graphic Design, Bookbinding, and Letterpress, but Kris often felt something was missing. That's when she decided to start her own business. Pen & Hand is the outlet where Kris can use all of her skills to create.

Although Pen & Hand's main focuses are calligraphy and letterpress, Kris loves working one-on-one to create something special for you. Contact her to start discussing your project. 

  • Kris is an incredible designer! She is detail oriented and so creative. She helped us bring our vision to life and gave us such wonderful suggestions on how to make everything in our invitation suite work including acrylic invitations! We received so many compliments from friends and family on our invitations and the other extras she helped us design including our bar sign, welcome sign, escort cards and table numbers. We are so grateful to have worked with her and have already recommended her to our colleagues and friends. She helped make our wedding day so beautiful and elegant.

    —Alice & Matt, Wedding Clients

  • Kris is an incredible artist. She took a meaningful project for my family and made it INCREDIBLE. The information on our family tree was presented so beautifully, so clearly, and with so much attention to detail. Not only did she comb through tons of documents, but she found interesting ways for it to come to life, researching different ways of presentation. My father absolutely loved this heirloom gift!

    Colleen Daly, Calligraphy Client

  • "Kris is so wonderful at what she does! Not only is her work beautiful, but she is so pleasant, understanding, and accommodating. She went above and beyond to ensure that my vision for my wedding invitations and bar signs came to life!"

    — Mary Sinicropi, Wedding Client

  • My daughter was married in 2020 during the Covid-19 shutdown. I reached out to Kris for 2 pieces, the readings from the wedding, and they are stunning. The process was so easy, and working with Kris was an absolute pleasure. Likely the only project that was a pleasure or easy in 2020! Both pieces hang outside my daughter and her husbands bedroom and they see them each and every day. I can not recommend her and her work more.

    Linda Morgan, Calligraphy Client

  • Our experience with Kris was flawless. She listened to what we wanted on our save the dates and wedding invitations. She mocked up a design and went over it with us. She showed us different options for fonts, color scheme variations, paper options, and finishing touches. Kris went above and beyond to make sure our day was special and memorable.

    — Carria Treveiler, Wedding Client

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