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!

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 :)

Happy Birthday Dee!

Esther Orridge 2012

Made for You by Me! 2012

Well it was my wonderful placement boss's birthday this week and I wanted to get her a something to celebrate. I've got bored of buying the same presents so I'm trying this year to make them a lot more personal and tailored to the one I'm buying for. I've banned myself from buying ornament type presents from now on (unless absolutely necessary).
So over the past few weeks I've been listening to my boss and trying to figure out what I could get her. The idea I came up with was a cheese board. Simply because I had asked her what she likes to snack on when she wants some "me time" and she said she prefers cheese over chocolate (I gasped at this ha!). However at this time of the year they are near non-existent!
As usual, if I can't find something I'll try make it myself. So deciding to make it a personal cheese selection for 1, I came up with this hamper-style idea. I decided against the cheese "board" because a) they were stupidly priced, b) it would have been too heavy to carry around, and c) I wanted to do it a bit different.
I wanted to go for a funky but slightly vintage look with the wrapping. I used scrunched up brown paper to pad out the inside/bottom of the bucket and wrapped everything individually to give it a little bit of a fun-factor. The ribbons added more colour (this reflects her colourful personality) and  made the card to explain what it was all about.
The top image shows my finished, personal cheese selection/hamper for 1. Complete with crackers and a "Star Bar" which is her favourite chocolate bar (in case she wants a break from cheese).
The bottom image is the card that I made for her too :)

Classy Ladies Night

Bibis (Leeds)

Bibis (Leeds)

Bibis (Leeds)

Well, to celebrate my brilliant friend Sian's (flygirldesign) 21st birthday I introduced her to the wonderful world of Bibis in Leeds. After work we decided to treat ourselves to a classy cocktail and a delicious desert and enjoy her upcoming mile-stone of 21 years! :D The images show us enjoying our treats (they really are worth saving up for a special occasion). This is the only place where I know that they will serve me a luxurious "Chocolate Martini" in England. I had one made specially on honeymoon in Mexico and couldn't find it on any menus since we got back. The staff are as amazing their uniform (sophisticated 20s bar tender style). It's even worth going to see their toilets! Shiny!
What a lovely evening spent with a close friend and 5* service. We were treat like "real Ladies of leisure".
If you want to find out more about Bibis in Leeds (walking distance from the train station) click the link below:
http://www.bibisrestaurant.com/

"How to be a Graphic Designer without loosing your soul"

This was my fantastic Secret Santa present from my work experience placement. I'm in the process of reading it - started over Christmas period - and already being encouraged and learning lots from it. It's written in normal speak! (I'm a simple person so I need straight forward no-nonsense language to understand).
It's basically told me that I'm a normal designer and I'm going through the normal situations and emotions that many others have also done across the globe. It's now explaining about actually getting into the career and what "they" are looking for. Very useful.
It's also graphically well presented - even though it's mainly just text! - which would normally put me off. But it's actually not too back because of the layout and language it's easier to digest and take in.
I will give you a proper review once I have a fair judgement of the whole book.

Another Cherrygorgeous post!

It's that time again! Vintage bridal gowns found on ebay. Some need a little bit of imagination but there are some lovely ones listed until the first week of December 2011. Here's this link for you to see the blog:
http://www.cherrygorgeous.co.uk/blog/wedding-articles/vintage-style-ebay-gowns-2
Remember to check out the ebay tips on the blog before purchasing anything from ebay for your wedding to minimise disappointment or communication issues as much as possible. That's the last thing you need when planning your wedding. Or worse - on your big day!

Personalised Jar Labels!

The above images (that were taken by my boss) show the first ever of my designs up for sale! Woooo!
They are part of the new Cherrygorgeous products that are making their way through to production this year. Exciting! And the labels were a project that I was heavily involved with.
Along with my boss, we created a range of personalised jar labels for homemade preserved fruit/veg/pickle jars. I feel so privileged that my designs are being used by the business. Thanks Dee! :)
Check out the link for details of the product (yes it really is online - I can't believe it)!
http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/cherrygorgeous/product/personalised-jam-jar-labels

Another new Cherrygorgeous post!

Another mood board post on the Cherrygorgeous blog inspired by the "Snowflake" wedding stationary design.
The second collection of images for the winter weddings is there to help brides get ideas for their weddings and also display our stationary designs available to them. We also feature links to businesses for reference. There will be more to come across the year! Here's the link for the "Snowflake" mood board post.

New Cherrygorgeous post!

Found a wedding dress on ebay? Tempted to buy it?

Check out these essential tips I put together before you purchase anything for your wedding! They aren't ground breaking pointers but sometimes you can forget the simple basics of things when you have so much on your mind.

Especially something like planning a wedding!!

The post is on the Cherrygorgeous blog! Take a look :)

Winter Warmer Inspiration!

Well my second Inspiration Board went live this week at Cherrygorgeous! Take a look if you like. This one is promoting our "Winter Warmer" stationary and there is a lovely colour range to go with it :)

Here's the blog post link:
http://www.cherrygorgeous.co.uk/blog/wedding-articles/winter-warmer-wedding-ideas

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Cherrygorgeous Post

One of my tasks on the side was to hunt for vintage bridal gowns on ebay.co.uk to post about on the Cherrygorgeous blog yesterday. There were many vintage-style that I found but most auctions ended before I could post about it, however there's a few good ones that I did manage display. Most were around the £350 mark *buy now*. Take a look if you like :)

http://www.cherrygorgeous.co.uk/blog/wedding-articles/vintage-style-ebay-gowns

Do you remember me?

Unexpectedly last week I was given the opportunity to bring my Maud doodle alive! I had a day to play with at my placement and was told that I could concentrate on experimenting with him. This is a small card range that I managed to produce. I tweaked them slightly this week - after my first appraisal at my placement (which went really well, praise God). I love my little reindeer and I'm really happy with how he's turned out! My favourite designs are the last 2. Are you feeling festive yet? :) I'm getting there...

Wokon Packaging

Yesterday I was introduced to a brilliant healthy fast food restaurant in Leeds. I was cheeky and asked if I could have a clean box to bring home. This is the second time I've seen this type of packaging used within the space of 2 or 3 weeks. It reminded me of the "Puur" packaging from an earlier post.
Thanks Sian for introducing me to Wokon! You are a star! :)

Autumn Inspiration!

My first piece of Cherrygorgeous work is on their blog!
Check it out: http://www.cherrygorgeous.co.uk/blog/wedding-favours/autumn-weddings
One of my first briefs was to create a mood board for the Autumn season brides. The stationary design is called "Autumn in Love".

And so it begins

Well the time has come for the new academic year and I'm now officially on placement! Wooooo! My boss is lovely, my work space is cosy and I already have 3 briefs to work through.
Check out the website to see what they offer: http://www.cherrygorgeous.co.uk/
If you are looking for amazing and personal wedding stationary, this is the place to go! Weddings weddings weddings! I love it!!
(The above image is one of their existing designs).