Category: Wedding

The Personal Touch – Nicky & James’ Save Our Date.

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Hello you lovely bunch!

Another Thursday has rolled around which means another Froggy post (not gonna lie, pretty proud that I’ve stuck to my ‘every other Thursday’ schedule so far!).

Today I want to chat about those personal touches I bang on about when it comes to wedding stationery. When I speak to couples about what they’d like their design to feature, I always try to eek out something special and unique to them as a couple. Everyone has their ‘thing’, be it little quirks, a beloved pet or cute stories that could be expressed through their invitations. Quite often, my couples aren’t too sure, so we work with details that will match the wedding day such as colours and flowers, and that’s brilliant.

However, I do adore it when a Bride & Groom want to inject more of a narrative about their journey into the designs and a fantastic example of this comes from Nicky & James.

I began this commission at the start of the summer and when I rang lovely Nicky, she was full of ideas. They’re getting married at The Norfolk Mead but she felt strongly about making a point of where it all began and wanted to express this somehow through their Save Our Date. Nicky recounted her and James’ first date over at gorgeous Sea Palling (for those who don’t know, it’s a fabulous Norfolk Beach) and how it’s now a special and significant place for the two of them. It was to become the spot he chose to pop the question. (I do love a good proposal story!)

I sketched a variety of ideas, including a map of the location with a tiny doodle of a seagull (who we named Sammy). This little ring bearer stole our hearts and he became the main focus of the design. On the reverse they wrote a little ‘ditty’ to share their story:

We shared our first date at Sea Palling,
And were engaged at that special spot,
Now we’re getting married,
We’d love you there as we tie the knot!

It became a much simpler way to tell their tale compared to the map but I feel it’s a much sweeter way to express it.

I have a coffee date with Nicky (and their gorgeous new addition) in a few weeks to discuss the next phase of their stationery and I can’t wait to see what we create! I’m positive that it will continue to feature more lovely little personal touches about her and James’ life together.

This was a blast to make; enjoy a few snaps of Nicky & James’ Save Our Date with that cutie, Sammy the Seagull.

Watercolour Illustration ready for a Save our Date card.Save our Date with a personal touch!Save our Date card with personal touches, including the couples story.

So, as you can see, when it comes to the stationery for your big day, you can do anything you want and this is just one way of making it more personal. If you’re looking for wedding stationery that’s bespoke and a little out of the ordinary, then get in touch. I’d love to chat about your adventure so far, the wedding plans and we can discuss how I can help create designs that reveal your story with those personal touches.

Until next time,

Cx

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Katherine & Peter’s Wedding Invites

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Afternoon all,

Lovely Katherine & Peter spotted that I’d been a finalist at the EDP Wedding Awards and contacted me asking about my stationery for their upcoming wedding. After a good chat over e-mail they invited me to their home to see some examples and discuss ideas further…I even met their cat Watson.

They decided on a portrait for their main illustration and as they’re tying the knot in October, they wanted the designs to have an autumnal vibe with warm and rich jewel tones. Katherine shared a Pinterest link with me which was super helpful; it was full of inspiration and from here I was able to pick out certain tones and flowers to recreate.

To go with their wedding invitation, they wanted to include a details page which outlined all the ‘extra bits’ guests would need to know and a page for their tasty menu. One other key detail P&K asked for was to include Watson, chasing a mouse somewhere on the stationery.

I love the final pieces, there’s such a gorgeous cohesion and flow between them. They’re clean, fresh and I am really enjoying the main invite layout with the text detail. Overall, I’m very happy and I think those colours are just luscious.

I’m delighted to report that Peter & Katherine were pleased too and they left me this lovely review on my Facebook Page; reviews like this make everything worth it.

“Just wanted to thank Claire again for producing such beautiful and unique invitations for our wedding. We have had lots of compliments from friends and family with one friend yesterday saying they were her favourite invite of the year, which reminded me that I must leave this review! We really enjoyed working with Claire and thoroughly recommend! x”

Ok, less of me nattering, how about some visual goodies? Here’s Peter & Katherine’s Wedding Stationery, enjoy!

I had a great time creating these designs and I wish Katherine and Peter all the best with the rest of their wedding plans. Here’s to a fabulous wedding day come October and a very happy future as a married couple.

If these bespoke designs have caught your eye and you’re in the market for some personal wedding stationery, then get in touch via hello@frogandpencil.com, I’d love to hear from you and chat weddings!

Until next time you beauties,

Cx

Lucy & Rory’s Wedding Invitations.

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Hello all,

Yippeee, I’m very excited to share one of my latest commissions with you all today; Lucy and Rory’s Wedding Invitations.

I met these two at the fab Oxnead Wedding Show and I remember us all having quite a good natter about their stationery. They contacted me a few weeks later looking for some personal invitations but with quite a quick turn around.

Lucy told me how much they both loved my portraits and asked if the illustration could feature their children too, rather than just her and Rory. I thought this was such a delightful idea to include them, it’s a whole family affair after all. They wished to personalise it further by incorporating their children’s names within the garland along with the words ‘love’ and ‘family’. It makes me so happy when couples put their own spin on a design, it truly makes it unique to them.

Overall, I created an invite for both day and evening guests and a cute RSVP card where they included a quirkily worded ‘yes’ or ‘no’ option for attending, certainly up Frog & Pencil’s street! Their package of wedding stationery goodness (including the original watercolour painting) was shipped over to them just before Christmas (what a lovely early chrimbo gift!) and it’s not too long now until their big day.

I thoroughly enjoyed creating these invitations and I get a kick out of all their personal details. I want to wish Lucy & Rory a wonderful wedding day with all their loved ones and here’s to a happy future together as Mr & Mrs.

If you would like something similar to Lucy & Rory for your lovely wedding day then hop of over to frogandpencil.com to discover more.  For all enquiries, e-mail me at hello@frogandpencil.com for a little chat about any of your papery needs; I look forward to hearing from you.

There’s a couple more post’s in the pipeline, so keep your eyes peeled for those. Until then, have a hoppin’ brilliant week.

Ciao for now,

Cx

The Oxnead Wedding Show

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Hello folks!

Holy guacamole it’s been a while since I last posted! Apologies for the white noise.

With glorious autumn in full swing, wedding show season returns and last Sunday saw Frog & Pencil exhibiting at our penultimate fair of the year, the Oxnead Wedding Show hosted by Norfolk Brides.

Even though I’ve truly enjoyed my previous fair experiences, I’ll be honest, up to this point, being a part of these hasn’t been as successful as we would have liked. In fact, it became a little disheartening. However, I knew that I was invested in two more before the end of the year and I really wanted to make the most of them. This began with the hubby and I having a really forthright chat about the fairs. We typed up a big list of what works well, what to scrap and what we can develop.

The first big issue we both sensed is that on a whole most people who visit my stand just don’t get it. Something isn’t connecting with them and that’s a huge problem. For example, at a previous fair, someone thought I hired out exotic birds…zilch to do with stationery. To rectify this, it was decided that we needed clear signage pointing out what I create and what’s on the table.

The second problem, which relates with the first, is the stand itself. Having been a part of three fairs with a similar set up it was time for a change. I wanted to bring in height, lots and lots of lovely height! With more work displayed around your eye line, it is much harder to walk past while trying to figure out why some Frog is there hiring out exotic birds! 😉 After a little bit of research, I settled on buying these gorgeous wooden crates to elevate my stand to the next level. They required the Frog & Pencil touch and with some sanding, priming, a lick of paint and a bit of love, they were perfect.

The third obstacle is me. I want to be more engaged with couples but I’m not a pushy person and I’ve always led by watching others body language. If they don’t look interested I don’t interrupt but if they do, then I’ll hop in. It’s extremely difficult for me to initiate the conversation and for it to be natural but I’m working on it. Thankfully that’s something Lewie is pretty damn brilliant at! This resulted in a new tactic, to be a more ‘persuasive’ and to have a few handy openers up my sleeve to experiment with.

Further to engaging with couples, I thought it would be beneficial to run a cracker of a competition. A chance to win an original Frog & Pencil watercolour couples portrait. Not only would this enable me with a talking point but additionally be a great way to capture some contacts for a mailing list.

Armed with new luscious props, a fresh approach and most importantly, fabulous designs, we were ready to tackle Oxnead!

Luckily we had the option to set up the day before which was certainly a life saver and helped keep those pesky nerves at bay. Especially so with a new set up, I was able to take my time to place each piece. The boxes were doing their job and height was achieved. My signs were clear and easy to read. The stationery looked fab taking centre stage (through this new set up phase I kept reminding myself that it’s all about how best to show off my work and make that shine) and the paper flowers I created were the cherry on the top. That afternoon I left as one happy frog, it was looking ace!

Sunday morning I was feeling great! With little left to do apart from the odd tweak, I could relax, have a coffee and get settled in my positive head space. I was determined to not be shy…and the whole day was AMAZING!

From 10am Oxnead Hall was buzzing. There was a great atmosphere and so many wonderful couples to talk to, in fact, it felt like I never stopped chatting. To me, something clicked, I found my fair swagger and enjoyed every moment. We received a lot of attention and my new bridesmaid cards were a hit with Brides. The competition was a winner too, I was delighted when I had my first sign up! The moment we had two the game was afoot, we had ourselves a legit competition! It finished with forty sign ups and I am over the moon.

I don’t know if the shift is down to a little more experience but I am positive that taking time to reflect and making some key changes gave us such a boost. It’s so important to look back and analyse and I’ll continue to do so with the whole of my business.

Oxnead was great for us and I even came home to some e-mails…that’s my first! I’m keeping everything crossed that we carry on moving in this wonderfully productive direction.

Signage prep for Frog & Pencil’s stand at the Oxnead Wedding Show.
Oxnead Wedding Show prep includes making a gazillion gorgeous paper flowers…that was a lot of hot glue!
The Illustrator setting up her stand for the Oxnead Wedding Show – look at that concentration!
Behind the scenes – Frog & Pencil set up for the Oxnead Wedding Show and we’re making a little bit of mess…sorry Norfolk Brides!
Frog & Pencil’s stall at the Oxnead Wedding Show is ready to go!
Frog & Pencil stand at the Oxnead Wedding Show – close up of work.
Close up shot of the Frog & Pencil stand at the Oxnead Wedding Show adorned with paper flowers.
The Diego & Frida collection take centre stage on the Frog & Pencil stand at the Oxnead Wedding Show. #alpacalove
Lovely Emma of Buns of Fun flexing that creative muscle!
Delicious bakes from the super creative Buns of Fun Emma!
The Illustrator stood proudly in front of the Frog & Pencil stand for the Oxnead Wedding Show. I love this set up!
La Belle Amour’s beautiful set up at the Oxnead Wedding Show – crazy about those balloons!
Part of Lou Lou Loves Vintage set up at the Oxnead Wedding Show. Swooning over these light up letters!
Frog & Pencil paper flower close up at the Oxnead Wedding Show. I love these little beauties.
Close up of my new, clear signage for Frog & Pencil’s stand at the Oxnead Wedding Show.
The Bottom Drawer Bridal’s set up at the Oxnead Wedding Show…that dress though!
Frog & Pencil watercolour portrait close up at the Oxnead Wedding Show.
My lovely hairy hubby/tech guy/assistant Lewie whose a dab hand at these now!

Norfolk Brides managed to pack Oxnead Hall to the rafters with amazing suppliers, including two of my favourites, Bigphatphotos & Buns of Fun – I’ve mentioned these guys in posts before, they’re awesomely talented & creative, so check them out! Here are a few new businesses that stood out for me on the day.

A SPECIAL CROAK OUT TO…

Lou Lou Loves Vintage Hire: Lou Lou Loves offers a unique wedding hire and styling service and I loved all of her items on the day. If you’re looking for rustic, vintage, boho, festival or retro goodies to adorn your wedding then contact Lou, she’s got loads of brilliant stuff and she’s lovely to boot!

Bottom Drawer Bridal: Brides to be, check out Bottom Drawer Bridal and prepare to swoon! I’ve been a big admirer of this business for a while and I was chuffed to finally meet Victoria. Her gowns are stunning (check out that floral number, LOVE it!) but what I like is that she offers something a little different too. Make an appointment and hop on over to her adorable shop to enjoy a beautiful bridal experience.

Little Horse Box: I’ve followed this company on social media as they transformed their Little Horse Box into a luxury mobile wine bar. It’s just gorgeous and perfect for weddings and special occasions…I especially would like to take part in their ‘pimp your prosecco’ offer! Liddy is super lovely and I have a feeling this is going to be popular! Give her a call to snag your date.

La Belle Flowers: These florals were just delightful and smelt amazing! I loved her little touches to detail, such as the blooms in the welly boot and the shotgun cartridge button-hole. If you’re looking for some gorgeous flowers, get in touch.

MS Provision: Mike creates beautiful storytelling films of your wedding day that are just wonderful. He’s also really friendly which makes you feel instantly at ease. If you’re looking to capture your day on film, give him a call.

La Belle Amour: This company offers a wedding styling and design service for couples and they also hire out props too. Kelly’s stand was beautiful. I loved the simplicity, natural and chic sophistication it offered. If this sounds like your big day, give her site a look.

Thanks for having us Norfolk Brides and I truly enjoyed chatting to all you lovely couples. Competition winner to be announced soon, so keep an eye out on my social media pages!

My final wedding fair of the year is coming up next weekend and it’s going to be a goodun’. Keep your eyes peeled for The Most Unusual Wedding Fair at Godwick Great Barn.

Until then you beauties!

Cx

Frog, Pencil & Camera…A Collaboration!

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Hello there!

Things have been ticking along nicely over the past few weeks for Frog & Pencil and I’ve been working on a commission that I simply can’t share with you just yet…but soon it will be revealed!

Alongside that little nugget, I’ve been involved in my first collaboration project which I’m delighted to share with you all today.

My awesome Niece Niki is currently in her second year at NUA studying photography. This term they were asked to collaborate with a fellow photography student and one other person; so naturally I was rather chuffed when Niki and Sam asked me to hop on board. I don’t know if it was a part of their brief to work with someone outside of the University but hats off to them as this is valuable and relevant experience to working with other designers throughout the creative industry. Perhaps this should be considered for future briefs.

By creating a wedding themed shoot, Niki and Sam felt that this idea would compliment both their photography styles and this is also where my designs came into play. The original plan sounded beautiful being a boho woodland photo shoot with lots of warm festoon lighting, furniture, fabrics and my artwork hanging from branches. So gorgeous! Sadly, they were let down at the last minute and were unable to make it to Thetford Forest. I do feel for Niki & Sam as they had been planning this for months but these things happen in life and will certainly happen in the working world. Credit to the gals for thinking on their feet and finding a simpler and lovely solution in the studio.

I wasn’t able to make it to the shoot, though I would have loved to have popped my head in to see the set up. Thanks to Sam, she created a fab behind the scenes video which is ace and you can watch it in all it’s glory here…

I spent a fun morning with Niki, coffee & pastries editing her photographs and it was a great experience for me to see and be a part of the final process. Overall I think the images look great. I really like Sam’s compositions of the frames and flowers hanging from the bamboo at different heights. I particularly love Niki’s warm tonal quality she’s captured, I think it naturally compliments my work and the colours within my illustrations.

I’ll certainly be adding some of these photographs to my website gallery but in the meantime you can enjoy a select few here…

Prepping prints!
Ready for their close up!
Credit N.J Photography
Credit N.J Photography
Credit Samantha Cameron Photography
Credit N.J Photography
Credit Samantha Cameron Photography
Credit N.J Photography
Editing images with N.J Photography…with coffee & pastries of course!

I loved being a third collaborator on this project and I hope my designs gave them both enough to work with and they managed to snap what they needed.

I’d certainly recommend you give these guys a look and follow, so here’s my Croak Out to Niki & Sam…

Niki Antell: N.J Photography

Samantha Cameron: Samantha Cameron Photography

There is another Frog & Pencil collaboration in the pipeline which I’m rather excited about…it’s going to be colourful and wonderfully bonkers; watch this space!

Good luck with the rest of the second year guys and thanks for asking me to be a part of this project.

Toodles,

Cx

Life Is Funny…

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Hello all!

I hope you all had a marvellous Christmas, jam packed with merriment, we certainly did. With 2016 just over Twelve hours away, I’ve been reflecting back over the last few years.

Life is funny and always surprising. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a strong woman with a career. I simply wished for something that I had built which made me happy and proud. But life is never that straight forward. In all the jobs I’ve worked in, I believe I never found my true place. Don’t get me wrong, I loved working on arts festivals and being a part of those teams but there’s always been a nagging sense that it wasn’t enough. I needed to be creative and I needed something that was mine. I’ve been blessed to be a part of a loving and committed relationship for thirteen years now, however marriage was still never high up on my priority list, I always fought against it…I guess I just needed to get my sh*t together.

Life is funny. Being a bride and going through the experience of planning a wedding has opened up this whole new chapter in my life. I honestly believe that without it, I wouldn’t have found the confidence in myself to use my illustration skills and start Frog & Pencil. I’d still be lost. It just goes to prove that you really don’t know what’s around the corner when you say ‘YES!’.

Frog & Pencil is still in it’s infancy but I believe in me and I will work my damn hardest to get this business off the ground in 2016. I know it’s a job that I can’t do alone and I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported my endeavour so far. I’m so grateful knowing that you guys have my back. A special thank you goes out to my new legal partner in crime and number one fan Lewie, for your unfaltering belief in me; I love you Bear.

2015

2015, you have been a beautiful whirlwind, the bones and heart of a whole new life. Here’s to the future, saying yes more and to the wonderful adventures that await.

Wishing you all a happy & healthy new year!

Cx

Yippeee, Business Cards!

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Hello all!

I can’t quite believe that Christmas is this week!!! We’re almost ready for the festive season here at Frog & Pencil HQ but I wanted to squeeze in one last quick post before I settle down with some mulled wine and a mince pie.

Last week was rather exciting for me. Having met with a local printer, Eco Colour Print (who are brilliant by the way!), I now have my first batch of business cards and I’m over the moon with how they’ve turned out. Having these sitting on my table, ready to dish out to people in the new year, it’s feeling rather official…I’m a tad giddy.

Designing a business card isn’t as simple as it looks and my process certainly evolved. Originally, I had a fun and colourful idea which needed some tweaking and I liked the concept. However, taking a step back and really looking at my images, a niggling feeling was bothering me. I asked myself these two questions:

“What does this business card tell a potential client about me and what I do?”

“Does this say wedding?”

No, is the simple answer.

Back to the drawing board and this time it needed to be clearer, I had to consider my brand and also maintain some kind of cohesion with my blog and soon to be ready website.

So here you have it, the initial and revised versions. I’m truly pleased that I took the time to reconsider my choices and these are the type of questions I’ll need to keep asking for future designs. I’m delighted with the outcome; I believe it to be the best representation of my brand and they also give couples a glimpse into what I can provide.

First concept idea 1
First concept back
First concept idea 2
First concept back 2
Final 1
Final Back
Final 2
Frog & Pencil Business Cards Group 1
Frog & Pencil Business Card Front 2
Frog & Pencil Business Card Front 1
Frog & Pencil Business Card Back
Frog & Pencil Business Card Group 2

As I say adieu, I wish you all merry little Christmas and I hope you have a happy and lovely festive season…now, where’s that mince pie?

Cx

‘In Mutual Weirdness’ – Frog & Bear’s Wedding Invite

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Hello there!

I’ve been wanting to write this post for a while now but I’ve been waiting on the good ole British weather to turn brighter. I should probably invest in a couple of good lamps hey? Alas, I woke up this morning to beautiful sunshine which meant I had natural light to photograph our wedding invitation, woohooo!

Creating this invite was a complete labour of love. It involved A LOT of cutting out, however I made it through thanks to a Tom Hanks movie marathon! I thoroughly enjoyed the process and I was, and still am, super happy with the result. I also received a bunch of lovely compliments, and that encouragement has nurtured the beginning of Frog & Pencil.

Wanting something distinctive, I chose to design a ‘book’ style invitation. This would contain everything our guests needed to know and additional personalised pages, in one neat package. I hadn’t seen anything like it in the shops or wedding fairs and decided to give it a whirl.

Here’s a run through of what our pages covered:

  • A Dr. Seuss quote about love
  • A brief story about our relationship
  • The actual invitation
  • A map
  • Local accommodation details
  • The RSVP
  • A few extra important points
  • Our contact information
  • Finishing with a photograph of Lewie & I

Some pages varied depending on recipient, for example, our accommodation page. Close family & friends were staying with us at Chaucer Barn over the weekend and they were given alternative details. What I like about this type of invite is that you can pretty much add whatever your heart desires.

So, here you have it, our ‘book’ style wedding invitation gallery, enjoy.

A mini mountain of cutting out.
Ahh, good ole Tom Hanks for keeping me company.
Tagged and good to go!
Ready for posting.
Front cover.
Dr. Seuss quote.
Our story so far…
You’re invited to…
Handmade map & directions.
Accommodation page.
RSVP.
Important extra info.
Contact details.
A photo of the happy couple.
Adorable back page.

I think these are unique, personal and they make a lovely keepsake. These will certainly be one of the bespoke invitation options that I’ll be offering and I hope others love them as much a I do.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Cx