Mr & Mrs Piggy Ready-to-Write Wedding Invitation

A Froggy Process

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Hello there!

I hope you all had a wonderful bank holiday weekend and were able to grab a chance to enjoy the sunshine. I’m back at Frog & Pencil HQ after some time away and I’m feeling refreshed and ready to hop to it.

I’ve had this post stored in the depths of my brain for a while now and I finally have some current work to use to help illustrate my points and generally pretty the page up a bit. Occasionally I meet and speak with people who don’t quite realise how much time and effort goes into creating a new design and exactly what that entails. So, I’d like to share with you how I work, from initial idea through to final product; my Froggy process.

For the purpose of this post I’m going to use my new Mr & Mrs Piggy Design.

CONCEPT

Inspiration can strike at any point and I’m influenced by nature and the gorgeous colour combinations you can find all around us. I love hearing people’s stories and more often than not these turn on my creative lightbulb. If I’m working with a client, I listen to what they are envisaging, include personal touches and then sketch up some potential ideas for them to look through.

Lovely Kate contacted me via Facebook as she was looking for a wedding card for her brother-in-law and she desperately wanted something featuring pigs but couldn’t find one anywhere. I don’t usually create one-off cards however after talking with her for a while I started to picture what it could look like and I was getting quite excited about the prospect of it. I concluded that it would be a brilliant design for my next Ready-to-Write wedding invitation which I could then transform into a card for Kate (and others); a win win situation.

SKETCHING

Now, my sketches are really not the most beautiful drawings in the world but they do enable me to have what I like to call, a ‘brain dump’. I can splurge all my thoughts onto paper and tweak certain ideas before refining the good ones. It’s all about working up the right composition (including a garland with bespoke detailing), and some days are easier and quicker than others. It can either take me an hour or up to a day to get this right.

Thankfully with the pigs I already had quite a clear vision and it only required a few scribbles. With a final composition completed, I use my light box to reproduce this design onto good quality watercolour paper.

A Froggy Process – Sketching ideas for my next Ready-to-Write Wedding Invitation
A Froggy Process – Sketching ideas for my next Ready-to-Write Wedding Invitation

PAINTING WITH WATERCOLOUR

I love this bit…it is where I see my illustrations come to life! This is also usually the part where within a few brush strokes I decide I hate it! In almost every case I get this overwhelming feeling that it’s now utter rubbish. However, I have learnt to trust in my ability and believe that it will all come together.

When I begin to paint I already have in mind a rough sense of the colours I’ll be using for the main characters. Throughout my creative years and experimentation with style, I’ve had one constant, I’m a colourist. I love playing with different tones and making them pop.

Working with watercolour I find that you have to be patient and allow time for the paint to dry. I’m quite precise with my colours and I don’t want any unnecessary bleeds. So, with that in mind and depending on the level of detail within the design, painting my illustrations take at least six hours.

At this point, if I’m making something for a client, I will e-mail over a scanned image of the final piece so they can see how it’s progressing.

A Froggy Process – starting to add watercolour to my Mr & Mrs Piggy Ready-to-Write Wedding Invitation illustration design.
Work in progress, painting up Mr & Mrs Piggy illustration
Final painted illustration for Mr & Mrs Piggy Ready-to-Write Wedding Invitation by Frog & Pencil

PHOTOSHOP

Ahh, my good friend Photoshop, how I have sworn at thee a million times. If we were a Facebook item our relationship status would read ‘it’s complicated’. I think it’s pretty amazing what you can do with this programme however my skills are limited but I manage fine and can navigate it with what I need to know…and youtube helps A LOT!

Additionally, I never ever want to lose the handmade touch in my work as that’s me, so I really only use Photoshop for a few things. Mainly, as a tool to tidy up my work once it’s scanned in. I always create a ‘clean’ file where I erase any pesky pixels and make sure the illustration edges are smooth; then the image can be transferred to any project with ease. Once I’ve created a Ready-to-Write wedding invitation for example, I can experiment with background colours, introduce text and brighten the illustration a smidge so that it’s print ready. This can be a bloomin’ lengthy process. To clean the image so it looks excellent digitally can take me around three hours…even more if there are lots of fiddly elements which makes me super cross-eyed. I’m sure there is a simpler option, drop me a line if you know one.

And let’s not forget my other pal InDesign, oh we do have fun! This is more of a publishing programme which is ideal for aligning and producing more text heavy design, such as the reverse of my Ready-to-Write wedding invitations. This can take me a while to work with, but I currently have a nice template in place where I can simply edit the typography; hurrah! As you can probably tell, I much prefer making the work over the digital delights.

This final design would then be sent over to my client to get their approval before it heads to my printer.

Clean file of Mr & Mrs Piggy Illustration

Clean digital file of Mr & Mrs Piggy illustration ready to be transformed into a Ready-to-Write Wedding Invitation.

PRINTING

Once I’ve had the nod from my lovely client, we are ready to print. I’ve been quite lucky and have found a local printer who’s reliable, quick and his prices are reasonable too…oh and of course the final result looks glorious! I always ask for a proof so that I can review the colours. If they’re a bit off, it’s back to my favourite friend Photoshop for a bit of tweaking. I will never send anything to a client or sell a product that I’m not 100% happy with, so this is a crucial part of the process. This too takes time. Thankfully we have a nice relationship and usually I can see a proof by the end of the day. After that, it’s around a 24 to 48 hour wait for the final prints depending on their work load.

Mr & Mrs Piggy Ready-to-Write Wedding Invitation prints with the original watercolour painting.
Front & Back of Mr & Mrs Piggy Ready-to-Write Wedding Invitation.
Mr & Mrs Piggy illustration transformed into a Congratulations Wedding Card.

PACKAGING & POSTAGE

With the invites hot off the press, it’s time to package and post. I like to include a handwritten thank you note and it’s finished off with a Frog & Pencil sticker before making a trip to the post office.

BUT IT DOESN’T END THERE…

Nope, the process continues on after a client has received their goodies. As a small business I need to keep up with my social media accounts and promote myself. Showing off recent work is key to drumming up new commissions. This includes taking good photographs of my illustrations and the final pieces in eye-catching and interesting compositions. We then revisit Photoshop for some more editing, cropping, resizing and brightening so they’re primed for the web. Be it for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, my Frog & Pencil Website or this blog, it’s all important work that takes up more of your time then you’d think.

And there you have it, my Froggy process. I regularly need to remind myself of this structure for when it comes to pricing up quotes as all of these fundamental parts need to be considered so that I don’t undersell myself. It’s tricky, but I love it and I’m getting there.

On a final note, if you’re interested in purchasing my new Mr & Mrs Piggy Ready-to-Write Wedding Invitations or Congratulations Wedding Card, get in touch and say hello, I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time,

Cx

Table-scape setting from Mexican Photoshoot - credit bigphatphotos

Diego & Frida; A Mexicana Photo Shoot!

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Hello there!

I am stoked that I can finally reveal and share our Mexicana photo shoot. Today’s post is rather a long one and absolutely packed to the rafters full of lovely imagery, so I suggest you grab yourself a cuppa or a nice G&T and settle down for a blog feast.

Not long after launching Frog & Pencil, whilst at my first wedding fair, I was approached by the wonderful whirlwind that is Janie from Bigphatphotos. It was all a bit of a flurry but I managed to grasp that she had these brilliant plans for a Mexican, Frida Kahlo styled photo shoot, that was going to be big, bold, colourful and on an alpaca farm. She’d seen my work online and thought my stationery would be perfect and would I be interested in collaborating? Hell. Yes!

Later that month at A Most Curious Wedding Fair, I met two other collaborators who were also the fellow visionaries. The Cake Lady, Emma from Buns of Fun and The Florist, Sharon from Flower30. After seeing their gorgeous stalls, I was super excited to be working with these three amazing and creative women.

I’ll be honest, being new and never having collaborated before I was bloody nervous. So much talent was within this team and I didn’t want to let anyone down. To ease those nerves I met with Janie one morning to talk about the shoot and a few hours later I came away full of inspiration. I realised there really wasn’t any brief or any rules for me, it was simply an opportunity to showcase my work within a theme; so no need to worry.

We shared a Pinterest board that was jam-packed with ideas and I decided that this would be an ideal time to create my first stationery collection which would feature alpacas; from that moment Diego and Frida were born.

I wanted my designs to be colourful, luscious with flora and fauna and have elements of tribal detailing. Overall, the pieces consisted of a Save our Date, Invitation, Map and an RSVP. Additionally, I made ‘on the day’ stationery too which included a Table Plan, Name Cards, Table Numbers and a Menu. Everything is cohesive but not repetitive and I’m very happy with the final results. I especially LOVE my alpaca characters, the Bride & Groom are gorgeous…they really are the heart and soul of this collection.

Before I knew it, the day of the shoot arrived. I awoke to beautiful weather and was buzzed to get going. I picked up our lovely models Amy & Jake and together we travelled to College Farm. On arrival the models headed off to hair & makeup and I made myself useful by helping to build a beautiful tipi. We decorated it with crepe paper streamers and flowers in hot colours and above it, we constructed a curtain with what felt like millions of hanging ribbons. It was looking pretty, I couldn’t wait to get shooting.

With the tipi ready we moved onto setting up the table-scape. This was placed in such a special location. Within the grounds there is a long natural grassy aisle that sits through the middle of a large watery pond. A stunning spot for a wedding breakfast. Everyone brought along ‘bits and bobs’ that had a Mexican vibe and I was staggered at how well the pieces matched. My big lesson from the shoot is that styling is actually pretty hard! You can be super creative but you certainly need a good eye to make a space come to life. I revelled in watching how it all came together and took lots of mental notes for the future.

Shooting began and everything revolved around these two main locations. Janie & Dave were our ace photographers and they were particularly entertaining to watch; I believe their differing skills brought out the best of each other. I especially enjoyed seeing how they work and organise their shots. The models looked great and I fell head over heels for all the floral detailing. I had serious crown envy and was crushing hard on the blooms!!! The nails too were a lovely touch, in particular Jake’s; Laura did a great job of keeping the masculinity on point. The little star of the day had to be our flower girl model, Savannah. She totally rocked the pom poms while echoing a mini Frida Kahlo; adorable!

Alongside the main model shots, Janie & Dave captured the details too. As I’ve mentioned, Sharon’s flowers were incredible and super tropical. She is one talented florist, I never knew you could be so inventive with flowers. Emma’s cakes looked stunning. She arrived with 5 iced cakes and then the decorating took place within the kitchen of College Farm. She is a wizard! It was such fun to watch her transform the sponges into modern designs with a Mexicana twist. They also tasted delicious…a nice little perk of the day! The Horse Box came along and pitched up in the grounds and I think they fitted in brilliantly with the theme of the shoot. A second perk, we were able to eat everything they made and holy moly it’s gooooooood! I’m still drooling over their seared skirt steak flatbread with their zingy fresh sides; I can’t wait to find them at another local event and indulge some more!

Finally, not forgetting my stationery! I had a range of shots within the tipi, settled upon one of the bouquets which I thought looked splendid, the flowers complimented my work well. Alongside that, Dave snapped a few close-ups with an exotic bird of paradise which also enhanced my designs happily. I think my favourite shots though are those on the table-scape. The menu and name cards blended in perfectly and I think everything within that setting looked sumptuous!

Ok, ok, I hear you! I promised a plethora of imagery, so I’ll pipe down now and let you enjoy these galleries so you can see for yourselves what an epic day we all had.

First up, introducing the Diego & Frida stationery collection. All the photographs in this gallery are credited to the very talented Janie & Dave of Bigphatphotos:

Frog & Pencil Diego & Frida Wedding Invitation from Mexicana Photoshoot – Credit to Bigphatphotos
Frog & Pencil Diego & Frida Main Wedding Invite from Mexicana Photoshoot – Credit to Bigphatphotos
Frog & Pencil Diego & Frida Wedding Map from Mexicana Photoshoot – Credit to Bigphatphotos
Frog & Pencil Diego & Frida Save our Date from Mexicana Photoshoot – Credit to Bigphatphotos
Frog & Pencil Diego & Frida Wedding Invitation Pack spread from Mexicana Photoshoot – Credit to Bigphatphotos
Frog & Pencil Diego & Frida Wedding Invitation Pack from Mexicana Photoshoot – Credit to Bigphatphotos
Table-scape setting from Mexican Photoshoot – credit bigphatphotos
Frog & Pencil Frida & Diego Table Plan from Mexicana Photoshoot – Credit to Bigphatphotos
Frog & Pencil Menu from Mexicana Photoshoot – Credit to Bigphatphotos
Frog & Pencil Top Table from Mexicana Photoshoot – Credit to Bigphatphotos

Next up, some behind the scenes action courtesy of moi…

Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes – Tipi Construction
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes – Tipi Construction and decoration
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes, Alpacas
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes – Frog & Pencil Invite
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes cake decorating
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes Cake Set Up
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes College Farm
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes The Horse Box
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes Frog & Pencil Menu Prep
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes – Bride
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes Bride & Groom family shot
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes Bride & Groom smoke bomb shot
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes Flower Prep
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes Flower Prep
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes The Horse Box open for business
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes The Horse Box flatbreads
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes shoot
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes shoot with baby lamb
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes Cake Set Up
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes shoot baby lamb
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes Styling props.
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes Styling props – ribbons
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes – Frog & Pencil Invite shoot
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes – Prepping the table-scape
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes – Prepping the table-scape with Flower30 garlands
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes – Frog & Pencil Menu Table-scape
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes – Tipi florals
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes – Frog & Pencil Save our Date shot
Mexicana Photoshoot Behind the Scenes – Frog & Pencil Menu Tablescape

Finally, a handful of my favourite shots from the day, again all of these are credited to Bigphatphotos.

Mexicana Photoshoot Buns of Fun Cakes – Credit Bigphatphotos
Mexicana Photoshoot Florals by Flower30 – Credit Bigphatphotos
Mexicana Photoshoot Food by The Horse Box – Credit Bigphatphotos
Mexicana Photoshoot wedded couple by The Horse Box – Credit Bigphatphotos
Mexicana Photoshoot wedding nails by Beauty Hobo – Credit Bigphatphotos
Mexicana Photoshoot flower girl – Credit Bigphatphotos
Mexicana Photoshoot Groom nails – Credit Bigphatphotos
Mexicana Photoshoot Groom floral neck piece – Credit Bigphatphotos
Mexicana Photoshoot bride with florals – Credit Bigphatphotos

Wowzers! Aren’t they just brilliant!

I was honoured to be a part of this collaboration and I had a tremendous time. Everyone was so friendly and I was made to feel really welcomed by all. I should also mention our gracious host Katharine of College Farm, she was just fantastic; thank you for having us. Your home is a delight, perfect for a wedding and if the grounds don’t swing it for potential couples then Brian the alpaca most certainly will; what a charmer!

An extra huge thank you goes to the brains behind this experience, Janie. I truly appreciate you bringing me aboard this brilliantly bonkers ship, I loved every moment and congratulations on your beautiful shoot!

Big news! We made it into County Wedding Magazines ‘Your East Anglian Wedding’ with a glossy three page spread and we even snagged the front page (gooo Janie)! Frog & Pencil also had a fab little mention in the Brides Bulletin page under the ‘Editor Loves’ section which was just lovely. You can pick yourself up a copy online or locally in WHSmith.

A TEAM CROAK OUT…

Bigphatphotos: Janie & Dave are a fab duo and as you can see from above are damn talented. If you’re looking for a wedding photographer give these guys a look.

Buns of Fun: Emma is awesome and a total whiz when it comes to beautiful bakes. Give her a call if you’re in need of a cake, you won’t be disappointed.

Flower30: Sharon is lovely and a genius when it comes to flowers. Be it traditional or a chic modern arrangement, she’s your florist!

College Farm: Beautiful venue for a wedding and it’s a place where you can truly make it yours. Give Katharine a call, she’d love to hear from you.

The Horse Box: Georgia & Steve whip up some of the tastiest street food I’ve sampled in years. A great, fresh alternative for you wedding or special occasion…I hear that their sausage rolls are legendary!

The Beauty Hobo: Laura was our nail artist and they looked stylish and current. Give her a call to give your fingers and toes a fancy treat!

Lanoi Makeup Artist: Lanoi did an incredible job with the make up on this shoot, the models look was tribal but contemporary! Looking for a make over, Lanoi’s your gal!

Arcadia Hairdressers Norwich: Hannah transformed our models hair for this shoot and in particular did a great job with our little Frida. Contact her about your wedding hair today!

Elle Harris:  Elle was the styling assistant on the shoot and she helped created a modern mexican look. If you’re looking for some styling advice (or a model), give her a call.

Models: Amy Bevan & Jakey Richardson – these two were lovely and really professional. It was a long day for everyone but they kept up their energy and enabled Bigphatphotos to capture loads of amazing shots. If you’re in need of a model, check them out.

Mexicana Photoshoot Crew! Credit Bigphatphotos

Mexicana Photoshoot Crew! Credit Bigphatphotos

Overall, what an incredible experience and amazing exposure for Frog & Pencil, it’s a day I’ll always treasure. I do hope to be part of another collaboration again in the near future and learn more from other talented folk.

A final note before I part. I am truly encouraged to see so many successful, creative and entrepreneurial women locally in this industry. It was a pleasure to work alongside you and amazing to study from you. In an environment that could be catty and competitive, these women ooze support, inspiration and love; you gals are awesome. Deep from my Froggy heart, gracias you beautiful GirlBosses!

‘Til next time,

Cx

Frog & Pencil outside Not On The High Street HQ after her Pitch!

Carpe Diem; My PitchUp2016 Experience.

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Hello all.

Last Saturday the day finally arrived. With a tummy full of butterflies, my hubby and I were on an early train heading to London for PitchUp2016!

Throughout the previous two weeks, it felt like I lived and breathed this pitch.  I thoroughly researched, carefully chose my products to discuss and nailed down a good structure that would tell my story, show off my products and also touch upon what makes me unique and why I would appeal to a Not On The High Street (NOTHS) customer.

I was feeling pretty confident about my 10 minute pitch and my first run-through came in at 15 minutes…bugger! Even though I have a background in marketing, editing isn’t my strong point. Thank goodness for Lewie! He listened to my spiel and section by section helped me to trim the fat until we were running at just under 9 minutes; genius!

The day before, I was champing at the bit.  I’d successfully completed several rehearsals without glancing at my notes, found a pitch perfect dress and my bags were packed and good to go by early evening.  All I needed was a quality sleep. Hah, good luck Mrs! Sometimes, I hate my brain. I am prone to bouts of insomnia and it kicked in big time, I think I managed three hours and I was NOT a happy Frog!

Luckily, I’m a positive person, so I managed to shake off the rocky nights sleep and focus.  We made it to the train and settled in for the journey, however I couldn’t get rid of my sickly feeling.

We hopped into Richmond with an hour and a half to wait.  We found a nice quiet pub, bought two orange juices and lemonades and I nearly fell off my chair when a £10 note didn’t cover it…I’ve never made a drink last so long in my life. Nonetheless it gave me time to change, calm my nerves and go through it one last time.

At 1.45pm I topped up my lippy, popped on my heels and made my way to NOTHS House.

I was greeted by friendly receptionists and headed to the 3rd floor. The room was filled with experts and suppliers; the atmosphere was buzzing! Looking around, I felt super overdressed as most people were pretty casual. As I waited, I chatted to a lovely jewellery designer Ruby. It turns out we’d already spoken via my blog and twitter, what a sweet coincidence!

As my name was called, I took a deep breath and I was set to seize the moment.

On reflection, it was a positive experience although I’m not a partner…yet! A few minutes into my pitch I felt like I was over prepared, it seemed like my presentation was a bit unexpected. I didn’t even finish what I had planned to say or ask my questions. To sum it up, she loved my products. I showed her my Little Bespoke Book, Ready-to-Write, Portraits and my Alpaca collaboration pieces (still currently top-secret) to show them what a semi-bespoke collection could look like from Frog & Pencil.

Her feedback was great.  She really enjoyed my Little Bespoke Book, especially how personal it could be and hadn’t seen anything like it before. However, her concern, like mine, was the simple fact that it’s too Bespoke for their website to handle. She liked my use of colour, admired my illustrative designs and thought that I had a great eye for detail which was all a nice little confidence boost. She believed there is a gap in their market for Ready-to-Writes and would like to see me develop those further along with my semi-bespoke collections.

She liked my portraits and suggested I speak with the Home Team and proceeded to sign me up. Thankfully, I brought loads of examples of my work, including other portrait pieces. I chatted with the Home Team who liked my designs but they already have a partner who paints people in a similar style. They suggested I come up with new ideas for designs that include my personal elements but without the garland and then to e-mail those over. This is a tough one. I believe that the garlands I paint are essentially my signature.  I’ve spent years battling to find my style and now I have it, do I want to change it?  I don’t want to discount their helpful suggestion so It’s certainly a point I need to spend some serious time considering.

Overall it was an excellent experience and I’m happy I signed up. Not only to gain their advice but I discovered so much about my business in these last few weeks and that is invaluable.  It’s also always beneficial to push yourself and wander out of your comfort zone for a while. Alongside that, it’s exciting to know that they connected with my work and it’s something that could sell on their marketplace.

Be that as it may, I wish they had given a little more input into what those minutes would be like. All we had to work from was to sign up for a ten minute pitch, bring a maximum of five products to discuss and that they shouldn’t be too big.  It’s quite an open brief. I spent a lot of time working on this and I won’t lie, there were points where I stressed myself out so much I was quite emotional. It didn’t need to get that far. Essentially, it was a casual talk about what I do and I didn’t need to prepare as much as I had.

My advice to those who are going up to pitch is this. It’s a very relaxed environment and I would treat it like a chat. Know your products/business inside out and be prepared to maybe answer questions on why you’re unique and why you would appeal to a NOTHS customer. But I certainly wouldn’t have called it a ‘Pitch’, it obviously meant something different to me. Additionally, wear something that you’re comfortable in. Even though I felt pitch ready in my outfit, being so overdressed did make me feel a little self conscious…which is stupid right!? But it happens.

I truly appreciate the time and guidance. Like I said it’s an experience I’m pleased I went through and I picked up a lot which is always priceless.

I have to remember that I’m still a newbie and everything is a learning curve. My plan now is to work on my semi-bespoke ideas and create new Ready-to-Writes to present on my return. In the meantime, I have products made and waiting to sell, so I may set up an Etsy shop or apply to sell on Folksy; stick around and we’ll see where that leads.

Frog & Pencil Wedding Stationery invitations getting prepped for PitchUp2016
Wedding Stationery packed ready for PitchUp2016…I won’t forget these in the morning!
Fingers crossed!
Ready to seize the moment!
Outside Not On The High Street HQ, ready to pitch Frog & Pencil’s Wedding Stationery
Quick selfie before I enjoyed a well deserved g&t!
Celebrating a positive day with my hubby and my big bro!

Thank you to NOTHS for seeing me and if you’ve signed up for future events I wish you all the best of luck!

Until next time you lovely bunch,

Cx

Pitch Up 2016 Prep!

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Hello all!

More exciting news from the Frog & Pencil camp! A little while ago I signed myself up for Not On The High Street’s (NOTHS) ‘Pitch Up 2016’. In a matter of weeks I will be travelling down to London and I have 10 minutes to pitch my Frog & Pencil stationery loveliness to discover if they’d like to partner up with me. Eeeeek, slightly pooping my pants!

Even though this is completely out of my comfort zone (that’s a good thing, right!?!) and I’m super nervous, I couldn’t turn the opportunity down. A few months back I was having a meeting with the awesome Norfolk Brides and we got chatting about F&P selling online which in turn led to NOTHS. We both didn’t quite know how you became one of their sellers but I had an inkling it was a curated marketplace and that you’d most likely have to apply online. No word of a lie, after that meeting I walked home and logged onto Twitter. The first tweet I spotted was NOTHS calling out for the next generation of suppliers and welcoming people to join ‘Pitch Up 2016’. Oh snap! It’s got to be fate! Moment later I seized the day and grabbed a spot.

Visions of Dragon’s Den keep flashing into my mind and I fear hearing the words “I’m out!” but having started preparing and researching for it this week I’m feeling a little calmer. It appears to be more like an informal chat, they will even listen to you if it’s only an idea at this stage, which I think is fantastic. I came across this little nugget during my digging and it has been brilliantly helpful. Not only the content, but the images they’ve included gives me a peace of mind that it’s going to be a more relaxed environment. At the end of the day, they want to hear about me, my story, how my business will fit in with them and their customers and what makes F&P special. I have to remind myself that the person who know Frog & Pencil best is of course moi. I believe in my work and I believe in me which I think is a bloomin’ good place to start.

I’m positive with how it’s going and next week I plan to nail down what I want to say about my chosen pieces of work. It would be incredible to be a partner with NOTHS as they support so many talented small creative businesses and it would be an amazing platform to sell Frog & Pencil goodies. Having watched some videos and read stories they also seem to have developed a great community of suppliers who are all like-minded and passionate…who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?

So, I’m going to give it my best shot and enjoy the experience…and if I only come away with great advice, then I’ll be much richer for it.

I’ll keep you all posted and wish me luck in my prep!

Until next time you lovely lot,

Cx

Hopping Over to Suffolk

Hello there!

Last Sunday Frog & Pencil exhibited for the first time over in beautiful Suffolk. We met lovely Donna at A Most Curious Wedding Fair and she invited me to show my illustrative stationery wares at the Truly Vintage Wedding Fair at Glemham Hall.

I find it rather difficult choosing between wedding fairs as I feel F&P needs to find the right audience. So far, from the two I’ve been a part of, only one couple have been in touch (who are awesome btw) and I’m so happy that they’ve hired me. You do need to invest quite a lot of money into a wedding fair and as this is my first year it’s all trial and error…so much is a gamble. However, I decided to bite the bullet and 1) try a new County, 2) see what a summer crowd is like.

My glamorous, hairy assistant joined me and we rocked up to Glemham early Sunday morning to set up. When we arrived, we were greeted by the chickens and a peacock…I knew then that this was going to be a fun day! Glemham is just gorgeous and the grounds are incredible…if you’re looking for a wedding venue, certainly give them a look, you won’t be disappointed.

It’s been a few months since my last fair but we were quick to put our stall together and it was such a great feeling to see new work on display and how it’s all evolving. Definitely pretty proud of what I’ve achieved so far. Once again, I was super lucky with my friendly neighbours, Hopes & Dreams Wedding & Event Dressing and Events Under Canvas. In all, there were around 30 exhibitors set up in a large and pretty marquee; it was light, airy and spacious, perfect for showcasing my wedding stationery.

10am arrived and the queue of couples drifted in with their family and friends. We spoke to many lovely people, mostly those who have just started their wedding planning process. I relish talking with people about their plans, it’s such an exciting time, you can literally do anything you want! The sunshine made an appearance and the weather was simply delightful. I did find though that quite a few times we had a lull in ‘foot traffic’ which I feel was brought on by the weather; who wouldn’t want to be outside…I was a smidge jealous.

In the quiet spells, I wandered around to meet the other amazing suppliers and managed to chat to most people, exchanging business cards. The Truly Vintage team looked after us too and we were given a tasty packed lunch which I thought was a nice touch. The event came to an end at 4pm and we had a pleasant day at Glemham, however I did come away feeling unsure if we’d caught enough interest. We’ll just have to wait and see… 🙂

Check out my snaps from the Truly Vintage Wedding Fair 2016.

I like to share the love after attending these fairs, so here are a handful of suppliers you should check out!

A SPECIAL CROAK OUT TO…

Hopes & Dreams Wedding & Event Dressing: Lorraine is brilliant and it was ace being her neighbour on the day. She specialises in styling your big day and hiring out items. Her stall was a treasure trove of loveliness, she has something for everyone…if I had a bigger car or a van, I would have snagged her gorgeous dresser! Loads of people were buzzing around her stall, so get in touch to hire those goodies!

Events Under Canvas: Oh snap! These guys hire out giant tipis for all events and they are amazeballs! A great alternative to your traditional marquee and there is no end to how you can style them up to looks gorgeous! Another popular stall and also super friendly; give them a bell and don’t miss out…I have a feeling they have one full diary!

Wisheart Tiara Design: Jacqui came on over to say hello right away which made us feel really welcome. This is one talented lady; she creates beautiful tiaras, combs and wedding hair pieces which are all bespoke. With so many styles to choose from, one of these vintage accessories will be a stunning way to finish off your bridal look.

Myrtle & Mint: This florist’s stall was gorgeous with an incredible colour palette. There was a lovely country garden feel to her stall, so if you’re looking for flowers with a relaxed flair, pop into her shop to say hello!

A big thank you to Donna and the Truly Vintage guys for having us, we had a great day! We’re also keeping our fingers crossed to hear back from you lovely couples…you can always hop over to www.frogandpencil.com to discover more.

Things have been a bit quiet on the blog recently, lots of projects I’ve been a part of or working on are under wraps right now but soon I can divulge all. I have a few posts up my sleeve so keep your eyes peeled!

Until next time you lovely bunch!

Cx

The Three Mental Swans; A Story Of Friendship

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Hello there!

This commission has been under wraps since March but I’m so excited to finally share the illustration and story with you all…it was really quite a specific and a rather bonkers request. So settle down and get comfy while I tell you a little anecdote about the friendship of The Three Mental Swans.

Almost ten years ago C, M & T met each other on their travels in New Zealand and they instantly made a connection. A few weeks of crazy adventures ensued around the Islands and they knew then that they were friends for life. They affectionately named themselves the Mental Swans and each swan has her inner animal. C is the Nemo Swan, M is the Penguin Swan and T is the White Tiger Swan. Even though C, M & T all live in different countries and their lives have taken new directions, the sisterly bond between them has held fast and strong all these years. 

C commissioned me to create an illustration to reflect this wonderful relationship for M’s 30th birthday and I was delighted to be asked. Along with the distinct swans, she wanted to include a few personal Maori touches into the garland. The main one being the butterfly, a design the girls created based around the friendship symbol Pikorua, which they now all proudly share as a tattoo.

This was such a fun design to work on and the moment I began to add colour it all came to life! I’m so happy with this illustration and I adore the heartwarming meaning it represents. I’m also delighted to report that M loves it too…happy birthday M, I hope it was a blinder!

Here it is in all its beautifully bonkers glory; enjoy!

swans-illustration-final

Mental Swans for life!

Are you looking for a unique gift? Resonate a personal story or a special relationship with a Frog & Pencil illustration; it will certainly be one to treasure! Get in touch, I’d love to hear from you.

Adios,

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

Stay Curious!

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Hello there!

You cannot imagine the little squeak of excitement that escaped me when I opened up an e-mail last Wednesday from A Most Curious Wedding Fair (AMCWF). There had been a last minute cancellation and they wanted to know if I was free to exhibit…OH HELL YES!

I had been in touch shortly after launching Frog & Pencil to see if they had any spaces but of course, they were full. I spoke with Gem (the lovely gal organising the fair) and she mentioned that I could still promote myself via their directory list and I happily signed up…but holy moly I was over the moon to have the chance to exhibit!

I attended the fair last year, as a Bride, and I took my gorgeous Maid of Honour with me. It was exactly the kind of fair I had been looking for, something a little more quirky and personal – a refreshing alternative to the more traditional fairs I had been to. So, when Frog & Pencil hopped into the world, I knew that this was my kind of event!

AMCWF describes themselves as a fair for the ‘style savvy couple’ but I think it’s so much more that that. The suppliers are cool, unique, chic, individual, whimsical, eclectic and offer couples something fresh within the wedding industry. I believe that weddings are changing, they’re becoming so much more personal and couples can do whatever they want…if they so desire. You don’t have to have a ‘cookie cutter’ kind of day and I love that AMCWF embraces this idea.

The Fair is held in St Andrew’s Hall in the centre of Norwich and it is a stunning venue. My hairy, glamorous assistant and I arrived early to set up, which thankfully didn’t take much time at all – we’re becoming pro’s now! I had seen the list of exhibitors prior to the day and I genuinely felt honoured to be one of the suppliers among them; there were some amazing people showing off their wares! Seriously, Norfolk is overflowing in creative talent; you lucky, lucky Brides!

Doors opened at 11am and there was a queue to get in for most of the day. With a friendly atmosphere and a steady flow of people, it had all the ingredients for a great day. I spoke to many lovely couples and I really enjoyed hearing about their plans. Frog & Pencil received so much love from the public and fellow exhibitors, I was smiling all day with pride…I still am! In the last hour it quietened down and I took that moment to explore the show, peruse the stands and chat to the wonderful faces stood alongside them.

Here’s my Most Curious Wedding Fair gallery – I meant to take more photographs but I was just simply enjoying being in the moment. Sadly, I later discovered that a bunch of my photos were super blurry…I need to invest in improving my camera skills, but here’s a taste of the day.

Feeling very welcome on arrival.
Setting up is underway.
Finished with time to spare.
Lew’s ready too…now where’s breakfast?
Here come the couples!
No laptop this time so I had space to show my recent commissions which were rather popular.
The obligatory Frog & Bear show selfie!
Voewood’s gorgeous, rustic stand.
Swaffham & Fakenham Florist and The Little Lending Co, Mexican inspired stand!
Blown away by the creative flair!
Flower30 beautiful display.
Doughnut Lab Face!
Doughnut Lab Face!
Feeling the Frog & Pencil love.

As I’ve mentioned, AMCWF was jam packed with amazing suppliers and like last week at Wensum Valley, I’d like to share with you a handful of them.

A SPECIAL CROAK OUT TO…

A Most Curious Wedding Fair: A HUGE thank you to Gem and the team for having me last minute, I truly appreciate the opportunity. You were so welcoming and I loved being a part of the day. Go check out their website to see all of the awesome people who exhibit in the London & Norwich shows…and don’t forget to click on the Most Curious Directory to find suppliers who are equally brilliant but were unable to make a show.

The Little Lending Company: Here you can find fabulous decor accessories and props to hire out for your wedding day, or you can choose from the ‘styled station’ range. Penny is so friendly and super creative; she’ll have whatever you need to make your day unique.

The Swaffham & Fakenham Florist: These gals will make your wedding blooms look spectacular! They teamed up with The Little Lending Company and created an incredible stand at the show, so you won’t be disappointed; go check them out!

Flower30: Another very talented florist who had a gorgeous stall. I spoke with Sharon for a while and she’s so lovely! An artist with a bunch of flowers!

Beth Moseley Photography: Beth creates the most beautiful, natural and relaxed photographs! She’s also lovely, just what you need on your big day – give her a bell if you’re in the market for a photographer!

Buns of Fun: I had a great time meeting Emma and she gave me lots of advice about starting out. Her cakes are incredible and each time I went over to introduce myself there were always people chatting to her. Get in quick I say!

Dust with Cocoa: Debbie is another delectable cake maker, they are just gorgeous! She also won ‘Best Stand’ on the day and it did look marvellous. Check out her website for more cakey delights!

Doughnut Lab: Hold on to your hats as these are by far the BEST doughnuts around! We’ve been a big fan of these guys since they launched; we even had a batch delivered for my birthday. They pack all their doughnuts full of flavour, you’ll just want more and more! We certainly had a happy doughnut lab face at the end of AMCWF; yum!

Grace & Fortune: Beth creates delightful, delicate accessories for your hair and I fell in love with her designs. One of these would finish off your Bridal look perfectly…I wish I had known about her last year.

Botanical & Bloom: I’m a sucker for geometric shapes and succulents, so naturally I fell in love with Hannah’s stall. She creates geometric concrete planters which are so chic and contemporary! They’re on my wish list as a home for my new little succulent, Derek.

So, to all you couples out there, click away and absorb all this wedding inspiration and create a day that reflects who you both are.

Till next time, stay curious!

Cx

A Kula Christening Commission!

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Hello there!

I have a rather adorable commission to share with you all today and it also happens to be quite a personal one too. Our gorgeous friend’s, the Kula’s, have two beautiful girls, Isabel and Abigail and I was delighted to create their Christening Invitation. Even though Claire and Pawel are close friends, I treated the whole process like I would with a client…so it was good practice for me.

I had a Skype chat with Claire about what they were looking for and it was decided that the design should include the girl’s portraits within a floral garland. They wanted to include yellow roses and overall, for it to be colourful, bright and joyous. Isabel also likes butterflies and I wanted to add them to the design for an extra personal touch.

I LOVED illustrating the girls and I had so much fun creating the whole invitation. After a few wording tweaks it was completed in a couple days and I’m delighted with the result, as are the fabulous Kula’s!

Here’s the Kula Christening Invitation gallery from beginning to end; enjoy the little munchkins!

A sneak peek!
Final sketch!
Let the painting begin.
Hello Isabel & Abby.
Finished illustration.
Original to print.
Kula Christening Invitation
Kula Christening Invitation front & back.
Kula Christening Invitation wording.
All ready to be packaged.
Close up of Isabel & Abigail.

Claire has also mentioned that she’s received some lovely feedback from friends and family about the invitations which just makes my heart soar. I’m pretty proud of this commission and delighted to have a happy customer. Lewie and I are also honoured to be Isabel’s God Parents, so I had to do a good job really…didn’t want that title revoked!

Another great example that I don’t just focus on weddings, so if you have a celebration coming up and are looking for personal and bespoke stationery, get in touch and say hello.

I’m off to get ready for A Most Curious Wedding Fair...a last minute cancellation means that Frog & Pencil is now exhibiting this Sunday, eeek! More on that later.

Wishing you all a fantastic weekend!

Cx