Hop Hop Hippo!!!

Hello there!

It has been BUSY up here at Frog & Pencil HQ, hence the lack of posts of late but in the coming weeks I have quite a few exciting things to write about, so you should see a rise in my blogging.

A few days after we launched the Frog & Pencil website a lovely little gem of an e-mail pinged its way into my inbox. My first, official web enquiry for a commission. Both Lewie and I were ecstatic…I was hopping around the lounge with excitement because a real live human being wanted me to make something for them and Lew was jumping around, proud that the web contact form works and was successful! Needless to say, we were rather happy.

The very wonderful S is pregnant with her first child and wanted to announce their joyous news with a card to send to family and friends. She had seen my work on Facebook and liked my style, so after checking out my website she got in touch. S was looking for an illustration that had a pink mummy hippo, a grey daddy hippo and a baby hippo popping out behind them, with the line ‘We would like to introduce you to someone’ alongside them. And on the back she envisioned ‘Delivery expected August 2016’. I instantly thought this sounded ADORABLE and such a sweet idea; a nice alternative to sharing the news on social media. This commission was just my cup of tea and I was delighted to create a card for S and her Husband.

We chatted a while about any additional embellishment such as a garland, however, it was decided to keep the design pretty simple with a little decoration to compliment the hippos.

I absolutely loved working on this commission, it was a really fun project and it also helped me to figure out what my packaging style would become too. It’s been a couple of weeks since I posted all the goodies to S and her Husband, which thankfully arrived safe and sound. Along with the final cards, I included envelopes, a thank you card, my business card and the original painting which I believe will be perfect hung up in the nursery. I’m proud to say that they’re thrilled with their hippo card and I was very chuffed to receive some brilliant feedback.

Commission Feedback

Here you have it folks, Frog & Pencil’s first commission…enjoy the hippo gallery!

Walking my first parcel to the Post Office, I was overcome with pride and I can’t wait to create more designs to make future clients smile.

As you can see, I don’t just illustrate loveliness for weddings; I’ve actually just finished a Christening Invitation (which will be posted on here next week). If you, like S, enjoy what I do and have a special announcement or want to mark a particular occasion, get in touch, I’d love to chat to you! E-mail me here… hello@frogandpencil.com

Wishing S and her Husband all the best for the future with their mini hippo of joy. A massive thank you for asking me to make your card and also for supporting an independent small business.

I hope you’re all having a marvellous Wednesday and not getting too soggy, I’m off to get ready for my first Wedding Fair…more on that later!

Cx

Portrait Gifts

Hello there!

I hope that you all had a fantastic new years and are finding a way to combat the January blues.

A super quick post for you lovely bunch today. In the run up to Christmas I made a few gifts for my friends. I shared a handful of sneak peeks on my Instagram and Twitter feeds, but now, since they’ve all been unwrapped, I can finally reveal the illustrations; hurrah!

So here you have it, three custom portraits. Apologies about the lighting in the photographs…I’m working towards improving this. Enjoy!

I relished creating these images and I’m happy to report that all the recipients loved their gift!

If you’re interested in commissioning a bespoke portrait for yourself or as a present to a loved one, please do get in touch via: hello@frogandpencil.com

I’d be delighted to hear from you.

Cx

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

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.

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