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.