Bye Bye Blogspot!

OK it's official! I'm moving my personal blogging over to a shiny new site. It might take a while to re-direct people but I will now be posting at:
www.estherorridge.wordpress.comwww.estherorridge.wordpress.com
It's a more clean cut blog where I'll be posting things in a more tidy manor. Hopefully it will be easier to read and follow (and look nicer also). Thank you for all your following. Please will you follow me over to Wordpress? I don't want this to be the end of our blogging relationship :) Thanks again and see you over there x

New Email Signature 2012

I'm putting this up for practical reasons (to see if I can get it to work from here). It's something to look at though :) Should look neater than my old "logo" type signature. Hopefully all my social media will have a crisp theme running across them all.

Don't mind these, they are buttons for the new blog... Hopefully they will work.

Ladies Day (Round 2)

Esther Orridge 2012

I was asked to do the design work again for the next Ladies Day at my church. I was given a brief and given the image of the tree (that was hand-painted by another lady from the church) to use. The image compliments the tag line "Baring fruit in every season". This tag line was used on the invitations and will be used on the day. It's going to be an excellent day of encouragement and teaching. The image shows the slide that is being used every Sunday morning (during the notices) running up to the event. I feel honoured to be asked to do this again. I'm in the process of designing other bits for the day also. There's lots to do but I'm enjoying it!

Tea at the Cathedral 2012

Image by Esther Orridge 2012

Image by Esther Orridge 2012

Image by Esther Orridge 2012

Image by Esther Orridge 2012

Image by Esther Orridge 2012

Image by Esther Orridge 2012

Image by Esther Orridge 2012

Image by Esther Orridge 2012

It's been a while since I've taken my camera out for an event. This weekend was the Ladies Tea at the Cathedral (Huddersfield). I wanted to try and capture the feel of the event. It's not ground-breaking but the images came out better than I expected and I'm happy with what I got. Unlimited tea served in China cups and saucers, sandwich triangles, and a tower of scones with jam and cream! Mmmmm! Not only was they lovely food but there were a few craft activity stalls to explore, a comfy "learn to knit" corner, nail painting and a make-up artist pampering the ladies. We also got a goodie bag that was cutely finished with a doily hehe! I loved it. You could do as much or as little as you wished during your time slot. I'm so glad I went. Thank you to the ladies who planned and served on the day. You did an excellent job. And thanks for teaching me how to make those lovely little heart mobiles! Genius!

By the way, if you like the cake stand and would like to know where you can get one, head over to edenfound after you've finished on here and ask the lady who made them :) or see the edenfound blog.

So thankful!

Esther Orridge 2012

This week I've been thinking about lots of things that I take for granted. I thought it'd be a good exercise to write out things I'm thankful for and make some form of graphic with it. Here's what I did today. I've used some new fonts that I've found about the web. What are you most thankful for?

In the right FRAME of mind

Esther Orridge 2012

Esther Orridge 2012

For a while now I've wanted to make some prints to frame for in our new house. Here are the first two that I did today. My wonderful husband has just put them up for me (I don't do DIY because I'll break everything). The Cake themed one is for my kitchen - I LOVE to bake. And the Joshua 24:15 one is now in the hall by the front door. What do you think? :)

Scripture Print Design

Esther Orridge 2012

My sister asked me to design a print to frame for a friend's birthday present. She requested the scripture Psalm 46:10 (NIV Bible) as this is their favourite scripture. So after a few colour amends this is the one she chose and framed. The frame she had already was perfect and complimented the colours exactly. This is a tester for future things I think :) Watch this space!?

First Framed Print Design 2012

Esther Orridge 2012

I've been looking for something to buy for our close friend's baby's dedication and really struggled. I didn't want to get them something that would either be useless or added to a pile of trinkets. So I bought a frame and designed them a print. I used a neutral colour scheme so that if it is put in the baby's nursery it would compliment it and not be "in-your-face". I hope they like it and it will encourage them in the future!

House Warming Invite 2012

Esther Orridge 2012

After been in our new house for over a month, we have finally got around to having our house warming party! So as usual I jumped at the opportunity to design the invitation! This is what I came up with and we got printed. Can you guess the theme?

Vintage Baby Shower Invitation Design

Esther Orridge 2012

It's always baby season now at our church and here is another baby shower invitation I designed for a friend. She loves the vintage style so I took that on board and made this. I've not put it up before now as the Mummy-to-be only found out when she arrived at my house what was happening. The guests seemed to like the invite and it serves it's purpose. I plan to use this design again in the future. It was weird seeing them on people's mantle pieces :) Exciting to see my own work out there! Woo!

Baby Shower Invitation!

Esther Orridge 2012

I've been asked to orgonise and host another friend's baby shower in October this year. And the part of this I get most excited about (apart from the fact she's going to have a baby!!) is designing the invitations. This is my 3rd baby shower design. The Mummy-to-be's favourite colour is purple and they do not know if they are having a boy or girl. So it was natural/necessary to have purple as the colour scheme. They've printed out really well and came earlier from the printers than I expected. I'm so excited to send them out and I hope that she really likes the design even if her guests aren't so sure!! Just got to actually DO the baby shower now aaaaaah! :)

Booklet Design

Esther Orridge 2012

Esther Orridge 2012

I was recently asked to design a booklet for a Youth conference that has been put on this past week and hosted at my church. It was a good challenge as I'd not made a booklet from scratch before. Using a few skills I'd learned on placement I was able to produce this all by myself. I was given the copy, a form to put in it and 2 logos, but told to do whatever I wanted with it all. As I was limited for time I decided to keep it simple but crisp. They were printed and used this week. Each delegate received one as their guide for the week.
It's just a shame that it has to end. It's been so amazing and exciting! Thanks to everyone who came. It's been a brilliant week.

Wedding flowers (18 months on!)

Flowers originally from Forever Green Florist

Flowers originally from Forever Green Florist

After 18 months of marriage (can you believe that?!) I was given my wedding bouquet back. A close friend took it home after the wedding and dried it out so that I could keep it as a memory. I thought it might be interesting to photograph. I think in the future I'll get a frame/box for it and hang it up on display.
It just shows how good my florist was too! I can't recommend Forever Green Florist high enough. If you live near Huddersfield, she is THE one to go to! Seriously, she's amazing and a lovely person to work with. She will make it as de-stressed as possible and put her heart and soul into your flowers. Our flowers were perfect!

Paint your' pot UK style - my final pot

Painted at The Potter's Den (Holmfirth, Huddersfield)

A few posts ago I showed you the mug that it'd painted at the Potter's Den in Holmfirth. I got it back last week and here is the fired version. It's much brighter than I thought it'd be! But I really like it. It's also really nice to drink out of. I just didn't expect it to be glazed so shiny! Can you also see where I forgot to cover? School-boy error on the inside of the handle. Ooops!
If your looking for a chilled out experience where you can be as creative or relaxed as you like, then the Potter's Den is a great place to go. There are a variety of products to decorate starting at £5 and going up to £35. Light refreshments are also served to make the experience more comfortable. They make a good pot of tea there too! :)

Happy Birthday Steph!

Made for You by Me! 2012

Here's a card I made on Sunday for a relative who is turning 9 years old. She's a fab girl and I hope that she's having/had a wonderful day! Happy Birthday Steph :) x

Summer Crafting Weekend - Doncaster 2012

Cake decorative painting by Stephanie Weightman 2012

What an honour it was to be invited to go with my Mum to the Summer Crafting fare at Doncaster Racecourse (hosted by QVC). It was a brilliant day out and well worth the drive. We had a brilliant time and had so much for our eyes to take in that we had a hard time deciding where to go first. But my Mum - as organized as ever - kept us on the straight and narrow... But the highlight of the day was having the privilege or meeting the queen bee of QVC Stephanie Weightman. She is absolutely lovely!
My Mum had told me lots of good things about her but I'd never, consciously, seen her work before. As my Mum had the "special silver pin" we were allowed access to the VIP lounge where we got a hot drink. However, when we looked around the near empty room, Stephanie was sat waiting to be interviewed by Craig Rowe (a lovely presenter on QVC). It was fascinating and exciting to be able to watch them both be filmed for a future show on TV. They were both so professional and relaxed it mesmerized me! It was also encouraging to hear what she had to say. She is so genuine and passionate.
After the interview she was mingling with the other crafters in the lounge and later on my Mum and I were able to say hello. She gave me some advise and encouragement that I will never forget. Thank you Stephanie! :) What an honour!
Later on my Mum and I were drawn to the cake stalls (if you know me you know that I'm addicted to baking cake and eating it!) After being introduced to an amazing product - that I shall post on here when I use them - we realised Stephanie was behind the stall doing a demonstration of painting onto cake (the edible paint was part of the product they were selling). I was fascinated by how easily she painted. I can't paint very well so it was amazing to watch. So simple but beautiful. After the demo she gave me this sample to take away. Wow! It's like an edible Cath Kidston rose!! Now that's pretty hard to top on my awesomeness list! Ha!
Anyway, it was a great experience to go to such a craft fare. The atmosphere was so positive and friendly. Thank you for inviting, driving and taking me Mum. I think I have the bug for craft fares and shows now :) I hope I get to go to more in the future. Exciting times.

Ring Ring!

from i-love-jewellery.co.uk

As a reminder of our day at the Summer Crafting fare (at Doncaster Racecourse) my Mum bought me this fab ring. It might not be up everyone's street but I LOVE it! It's chunky, funky and fits well. I just thought it was really kool and individual. See i-love-jewellery.co.uk for more of their products.

Quick Cards!

Made for You by Me! 2012

Made for You by Me! 2012

Made for You by Me! 2012

These are some last minute cards I made last week. I am supposed to be on card duty at our Harvest Group (mid-week church group) but unfortunately I lost all the cards I was given for the job during our house-move! Ooops! So as the Harvest Group year comes to an end I wanted to make sure I at least got the last one's to the birthday people on time. So I rustled these up for the birthday people! I also made a "Thank You" card for our Harvest Group leaders for the whole group to sign and show how much we appreciated them. They've been fantastic and fun this year :) I've really enjoyed it.

New Notelets

Bought from Paperchase

I set out to find some fun and kool notelets/cards today. On my lunch break I came across these hidden at the back of Paperchase on sale! Score!! I thought they were very suited to what I required. I love tea, and cake, and I love to bake so I think that they reflect me perfectly! Look out because you might get one of these soon :) They are so lovely I almost don't want to send them out!

Becky's New House!

Made for You by Me! 2012

Becky has officially moved house! And what a lovely house it is. Wow! I made this card for her last week. I think she liked it :) I liked it and it's given me an idea for the future... I seem to be getting a bit quicker with making cards now, I seem to have a good idea of the final outcome before I start. That's hopefully going to continue as each card used to take up to 2 hours to make. Yes. I don't rush. That's why they are special. I don't "just make them" but put my heart into each. Even if it's a 'quick' make I still plan it out and make sure it's finished well.

"Baby Bell" Baby Shower Book

The baby shower was a success! Everyone went home happy and full of cake. That was the plan! And most of all I think AlliBell enjoyed it too!
Here's the baby shower book that I've just given to her (couldn't put it up before now because it was a surprise!) I didn't want to just stick an invitation on the front so - because I had so many left over - I decided to make it a bit funky, used an invite as a stencil and then spray painted it! I hoped that this would reflect Alli's creative/rock side. It didn't turn out as crisp as I'd have liked but there were no second chances with it. It was a "now or never" type of moment. Ha! The book is from Paperchase! One of my favourite stores. I always feel happy in that store!
Well, inside there were greetings, words of encouragement and advice for the parents-to-be. I also re-wrote some of the relevant things that happened during the shower for her to remember. Last of all I finished it off with a few photos and a copy of the invitations.
I hope that she likes it and enjoys reading it now and in the future :)

Happy Birthday Abigail!!

Well today my sister and I turn 22! 7/7 is a good day. I made her this poster for her bedroom. I thought I'd keep it bright and bold so she could see it clearly. I personally need this reminder ha! I hope that she likes it as she did request it a few months ago. Happy Birthday Abigail! :) x

Happy Birthday to Me!!

Look what I got!! Yes I've been told that it's not right as a Graphic Designer to have a Kindle but I still said I'd like one. My wonderful husband and a a few other family members clubbed together to get me this for my present. I'm so excited and can't wait to use it. No more heavy bags from massive Harry Potter books! Wooooo!! Yes I'll miss turning the pages but I'm prepared to compromise here.
I wonder what book should be honoured and put on first? NIV study Bible I think! The Lord goes first :) Then probably HP6? Let's see...
Thank you to all who contributed to this I really didn't expect to get it! Thank you thank you thank you!! x x x x x x

The Genius that is Graze.com

I can't pretend that this is an original post but I'm still excited to do it. After a couple of people I know posted about their deliveries I thought now that I've finally been introduced to Graze.com (about a year later) that I'd show you mine! I love it just for the packaging and presentation! How exciting.
It's also making me try new things. Interested? Why don't you take a look for yourself!

Congratulations Tom & Suzie!

Made for You by Me! 2012

Well I think that the Baby season has officially started at church! There's babies being born all the time but I think that the new line of pregnancies has just started to roll! I made this card for a couple who've just had a son (their first child). I wondered when I'd be able to use that stamp again :) I think it worked well here. Not too much detail but hopefully not too much layering either?
I wonder who will pop next? The adventure of life continues...

Paint your' pot UK style!

I'm excited to tell the world that I've officially been to paint my own pot in the UK. Last time I did this I was about 13 years old and it was in the USA with my step-family. I really enjoyed it over there and have always wanted to go over here too.
On Saturday I went to a little place called The Potter's Den, in Holmfirth, where a group of us girls had a lovely time. Each of us painted our own creation. The image shows you mine as it was drying and getting ready to be fired in the kiln. We should get them back at the weekend. I'm expecting it to be really bright as I accidentally forgot that it's much paler when you put the paint on originally. I'll post the final mug up when I get it back. Can't wait to use it!!

Bake Sale!

Well it's been a while but I thought I'd update you on what's been going on since we had our internet connected at the new house! Yeay!
This weekend was as busy and eventful as ever. Never a dull moment... I was asked to lend a baking hand with the Cathedral Mice bake sale on Sunday. So I had a baking session on Friday to make my contribution; Cornflake buns. Mmmmmm!
I also made a big Victoria Sponge for the long awaited baby shower that I've been planning with a friend called Al, for another friend called AlliBell. I designed the shower invites earlier in the year. If you've not seen them see here! I'm really proud of them! Unfortunately I didn't get chance to take a photo of my baking work. The party went really well and the Mummy-to-be gave us her compliments. That's what it's all about!
There's lots more to post about but I can't until the events have passed so watch this space :D

New cherrygorgeous design!

Image from cherrygorgeous.co.uk

Well it's finally here! My first ever official invitation design. This is the most recent design project I've had at cherrygorgeous based on Indian wedding stationery. I have loved it and learned a lot through it. My boss is a great inspiration! She has really helped me develop many skills over the few months I've been there.
The design isn't quite live yet but it has been Blogged and Pinterested! Look out for it being launched in bold and exciting colours!
If you are looking for eco-chic and stylish wedding stationery, look no further and go to cherrygorgeous.co.uk!

Father's Day!

Made for You by Me! 2012

For the first time I've printed a 'design' and featured it on a hand made card! I used a free font and adapted it to make it a little bit less plain but still crisp. I hope he liked it!

Oops!

Just a quick note to apologise for the lack of posts! We have moved house and are in the middle of an internetless season. So as soon as we are re-connected to the WiFi-world you will have a lot more to feast your eyes on :) Hopefully quite a few of my other on-going projects will be far on enough to post also. Let's see how it goes...

Celebration time!

Esther Orridge 2012

 Well I am British and proud to be. So I thought it'd be fun to join in with the Diamond Jubilee celebrations! Here's my post dedicated to HM Queen Elizabeth II. It's just a bit of fun really. It's been a while since I did something vibrant for on here.
I am in the process of designing more deign related things so they will be posted once they are used for you to see :)

Happy Birthday Dad!

Made for You by Me! 2012

I don't like buying cards for family now if I can help it so here's the card I made for my dad for his birthday. I tried to keep it simple compared to previous years.

New Placement Project

My latest design project at cherry gorgeous (placement) was to re-design the save the date cards into a DIY version. So after a speedy project (compared to the last one) they have now gone live and they are ready for production. Woo! I'm really happy with how this project went and I feel like I'm getting more up to speed with things. Let's see if they sell now :)

Ladies day, oh what a day it was!

Well they are only quick photos but they still prove that they are real. The Ladies Day 2012 was a success and brilliantly planned. The designs I'd done were appreciated too which was really encouraging! I didn't get a photo of the finished Pin Wheels but the team that put them together did them really well. they added 2 A3 size wheels to compliment the small graphical one. They were great table features.
They also asked me to produce slides to inform the ladies of the workshops they could choose from throughout the day. I've added one for you to see.
Overall I was asked to design and produce; a double-sided pin wheel design, 4 x menu cards, 1 x drink card, 5 x slides for the big screens (including the previously posted advertisement slide),
and 2 x A3 posters for the registration area.
I really enjoyed this project and was able to exercise a lot of skills and points that I've picked up on placement. I was more aware of how long things took and about continuity and spacing.