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.

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?

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! :)

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! :)

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.

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 :)

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!!