Creative Art

Christmas stocking party invites

Posted by Andrea on November 24, 2012
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Handcrafting invitations, as I mentioned in a post last month, is not a service I openly advertise. Over the years some of my regular customers have gotten wind of it and occasionally I get requests.

Rosemarie, a regular client of mine from Henley in Arden, is one such client. I have created a variety of projects for her over the years, including invitations; she trusts me to meet her needs without having to be particularly specific about she what she wants – a designer’s dream!

A call came in from her last week to create invitations for a Christmas supper she was hosting at her home. No design specifics, just a rough guide to the wording – perfect!

I rattled around a few ideas and finally decided on a handcrafted christmas stocking with a pull out tag.

I already had a .svg file for the stocking and used Sure Cuts a Lot and my cricut machine to die cut the stocking shape from one of my favorite  paper packs - Tilda ‘Wintergarden’ (now available to buy in my online store). I used trim I had in the shop (please contact me if you are interested in purchasing the trims used) to trim the edge of the stocking and glittered the scallop edge in a variety of colours to compliment the papers used.

To create the tag inside the stocking I used Photoshop Elements and printed double-sided, allowing for a pretty Christmas design on the front AND the back. I finally finished them off with a complimentary looped ribbon.

I was really chuffed with how they turned out – delicate and so pretty!

I wait to hear what Rosemarie thinks as they are now in the post to her … will keep you posted!

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Handcrafted invitations: a labour of love

Posted by Andrea on October 31, 2012
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There was a time when I first started out, when I would give anything (within reason) a go. It takes time to discover what materials you enjoy using, the pieces that you enjoy creating and what your style is. I was asked on a few occasions to create handcrafted invitations for friends and family; I didn’t mind – it gave me an opportunity to experiment and  I did have some success with it but it isn’t really what I’m all about.

                                                     Graduation invitations and name cards 
 

Producing several hundred of the same design can be exceedingly monotonous and incredibly time consuming. I don’t advertise this service but when you run a design business, it’s a little hard to avoid and occasionally I get approached by my regular clients if they get wind that I CAN do them.

Journalist and fashionista, Priyanka Gill is one such client. I have been asked several times to produce e-invites for events, private functions and dinners. I was also approached about designing something unique for her daughter’s birthday party. The brief was simple – it must be handcrafted, dimensional,  packaged in a box and have a ‘Secret Garden’ theme. I set to work and designed a square layered invite that would feature a dimensional fairy, a fairy garden watermark and garden elements sitting within a layered frame. It would all be tied together with pink satin ribbon embellished with a glittered ‘R’ to represent her daughter’s name.

I created a mock up and sent it to Priyanka. It wasn’t until she approved the design and told me she needed 100 of them that I began to calculate the number of separate elements and processes that would be needed to create it… some 2200 pieces!! Oh my – my Cricut was about to get the workout of its life!

And so it began ….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My process would be simple: die cut or hand cut everything first, decorate the smaller pieces, then assemble, embellish and tie together. Keeping track of all the separate elements was key, luckily I had a stash of old tubs and lids (I knew these would come in handy) which were perfect for the job.

                                                                 Glittering the capital ‘R’s
 

When it came to assembling  it all, I had to ensure that each element was placed in the right order in the layers or elements would be unseen behind panels or other elements. I started with the invite front and the brown scalloped panel behind it, on which the fairy would ‘perch’ and the base flower would sit. I also curved the fairy’s wings and sprinkled angel dust on them.

Adding the elements to the base frame would be easy as long as I remained organised and focussed … easier said than done when there are so many tiny pieces.

The front panels are finally decorated

and assembly can begin …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All in all I was really pleased with how they turned out even if they did take forever to craft! They looked amazing sat in pretty white boxes and more importantly, my client was happy.

Most definitely a labour of love.

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Kilimanjaro Keepsake

Posted by Andrea on October 20, 2012
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My younger sister, Samantha, and her husband do an incredible amount of work for Samaritan’s Purse – a charity dedicated to providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Not only do they collect and deliver shoeboxes overseas, they respond in a distinctly Christian way to issues facing people in the places where they work (issues like water and sanitation, HIV and AIDS,  sustainable livelihoods along with disasters and emergencies) and they also get involved with fundraising.

Samantha, by her own admission, had been considering a life challenge for some time:

 “I have felt the urge to undertake a life challenge for some time now
whilst being certain that I did not want the  results and outcome to be purely
for my own benefit. So – when the ConquerKili invite came round I had absolutely no hesitation in responding immediately – timing, level of challenge,
cause and “calling” all slotted into place.”

Along with Eddie Taylor, Lynne Dejoodt, Beth Short and Rachel Harris, she started to train for the 6 day, 21 mile hike. On 4th October they arrived in Nairobi, visiting the slums in Kibera, where the funds raised will be used to help educate people about running their own small buinesses so they become self sufficient.

Melons ‘street’, Kibera Slums, Nairobi
 

Then began the climb  - it was, as Sam said, ‘the hardest thing I have ever done” bar none.  You can read about the intrepid 5 and their hike up Kilimanjaro on the Samaritan’s Purse website.

 Sam (in the pink hat) and her fellow hikers.
 

After nearly 10 days away it was an enormous relief to have her home. Her husband, Paul to celebrate the success of the climb and her safe return organised a surprise party, inviting close friends and family. It was a lovely idea and I wanted to give her something memorable and personal as a way of congratulations on her achievement. After about half an hour, it suddenly dawned on me … a personal WordArt! Now, I have done Wordarts for all sorts of occasions but never for something like this. I set to work and produced this about an hour or so later …

I was chuffed with the result and Sam was delighted with it. There will be times when she will reflect on her trip for many, many years to come – I hope this will serve as a gentle reminder when the old grey matter sets in. In the meantime, I hope she hangs this somewhere where all the visitors to her house can see it and remark on her amazing achievement.

If you would like to donate money to the Samaritan’s Purse and the team that climbed Kilimanjaro, click HERE. All money donated is most gratefully received and goes to an amazing cause.

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Beautiful renovated furniture at Cherry Tree Interiors

Posted by Andrea on August 23, 2012
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When me and the girls at Cherry Tree Interiors were considering the interior of the new shop, the subject of renovated furniture came up.

Now, we’re no strangers to sourcing and renovating furniture, it’s kinda been a hobby of ours for some time. I remember my husband’s amazement as I spent 3 days in our back garden donning goggles, dungarees and heavy duty gloves to strip back beautiful pine furniture we’d been gifted by my parents. We appreciate good furniture and just because it’s been coated in heavy varnish or painted in a purple gloss paint doesn’t mean we can’t see the potential.

I’ve been meaning to post some pictures of the furniture we renovate and sell in the shop but every time I go to photograph it, it sells – such is the demand. So, with this in mind, having JUST put the glass knobs on the doors of a pretty sideboard, I thought I’d take the opportunity and grab some pictures.

This pretty teak sideboard is from the 1970′s. Originally varnished, it has been lovingly stripped and painted in a soft chalk white paint. We then hand cut flowers, bird cages and birds from wallpaper by Dutch Company PIP Studios and adhered them to the board to create a pretty collage.

It has been finished with a coat of clear varnish and lined with the PIP wallpaper from which the flowers have been cut. It is a beautiful piece and would be perfect for any shabby chic setting, little girls (or big girl’s room) or on it’s own in a hallway. It’s already getting a lot of attention in the shop.

Dimensions:

Width: 125cm          Depth: 42cm          Height: 67cm

If you are interested in purchasing this lovely piece of gorgeousness (and who wouldn’t) and want to beat the crowds, call us on 0121 420 4333 or shoot over to our online shop!

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Bespoke WordArt for Cherry Tree Interiors

Posted by Andrea on July 16, 2012
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We are now entering our 3rd month at Cherry Tree Interiors on Harborne High Street; one thing is clear is that people are still finding us, whether they be local or not. Harborne Carnival helped on Sunday 8th July and with over 60,000 visitors, it should do too!

Our glamorous assistant on the door (my 7 year old) insisted on helping the older girls hand out leaflets outside the front door. The shop has never been so busy.

Talking with the girls (Max and Nicky) over the last couple of weeks, the biggest issue we have is that people simply don’t know what we do; there are so many sections to our business we can’t always advertise the products in the small shop window.

I had a little bit of time on my hands on Saturday and feeling inspired by a wordart I was working on, produced this for the smaller shop window.

I think that says it all, don’t you?

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Personalised Father’s Day WordArt

Posted by Andrea on June 2, 2012
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It suddenly occured to me today that whilst we are all celebrating the Jubilee, Father’s day is looming around the corner – Sunday June 17th to be exact! So with that in mind, I’ve pulled my finger out this afternoon and loaded some new wordart pieces into the shop.

Keep it simple ….

or get your thinking caps on and go for something a little more detailed

or highlight everything that makes them amazing…

with a great variety of colours and sizes (and mounts) and a 5 day turnaround, these make the perfect gift and can be ready in plenty of time for Father’s Day.

So what you waiting for??? ;-)

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Craft and sewing classes now available!

Posted by Andrea on May 26, 2012
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As we venture into our 2nd month in our new home at Cherry Tree Interiors, I thought it was high time we sat down and thought about the classes we should run.

We chatted to our new customers as they wandered around the shop during the opening weeks and the most common demand seemed to be for our bunting and cushion workshops – so they were definitely on our list. There was also great interest in paper crafting and scrapbooking, so these have been added on too.

All of our classes run during the day and some are also run in the evening, so even if you’re tied up with work (or the kids) during the day, our evening classes will give you that opportunity to chill out, make some pretty awesome stuff and socialise with like-minded people.

We will be adding to the list of courses available over the coming months. Some suggestions for courses have been photography basics (adults and children), knitting, crocheting and learning how to use your sewing machine; check in from time to time or Email me! to send us suggestions of courses you would like to see offered or subscribe to our newsletter.

Full listing and booking information can be found here, or you can pop in and see us at the shop.

We look forward to seeing you all!

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The Scrapbooker loves …. handmade paper

Posted by Andrea on March 6, 2012
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Anyone who knows me, knows I just LOVE paper – patterned, plain, handmade, printed – even wallpaper and brown paper. I own tons of it too – so much so that there’s a standing joke, if there was ever a fire in our house, it would light up like a christmas tree and burn quicker than a firework!

As I was going through my handmade papers today searching for an appropriate paper for a client’s bespoke scrapbook album, I got to thinking about why it appeals to me so much.

I came across these beauties …

Ultra thick handmade Indian cotton papers saturated with water based dyes to achieve super vivid colours, all embellished with gold, silver and glitter. Totally scrummy.

Then there were these …

More thick handmade Indian papers with rough edges, heavily ridged vintage travel papers, delicate chinese handmade papers and beautiful Orla Kiely printed papers.

And these …

romantic, textured and oh so pretty

vintage, textured and printed

textured, printed Tour de Paris

textured and printed vintage US and British postcards and stamps

and beautiful painted butterflies.

Then I realised - I just love working with it.

I love the texture, the colour in blanket or patterned form, the grain, the sheen and light that bounces off it, the textures that are created by adding ripples, ridges and embossed patterns, the overlaid glitter and gold and the subtle effects created with pattern and paint, and the stories it portrays in its imagery –  I love it all.

It was then I decided – when I die, sod the red velvet fabric lining my coffin – line it with jewelled coloured decorative handmade paper … and I will rest a happy bunny.

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All Boy WordArt

Posted by Andrea on February 1, 2012
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I love how ideas for new products can suddenly come to fruition after months of hibernation. I’d been thinking about a large ‘Boy’ WordArt theme for sometime. I’d already designed and produced a smaller version in my All About A boy range …

but the more I worked on the Quintessentially  range – the bigger stuff, the more I thought about making these MUCH bigger. Not only can you get loads more words on the page, being able to incorporate photos was an added bonus.

With Christmas fast approaching last year I was forced to pull a few designs quickly out of the bag and so set to work – this was one of the first designs to emerge …

This young man’s Dad furnished me with a lot of words so getting them all on was tricky but not impossible – it just took a little extra time and planning. I kept all the photos to black and white (which is what I do for ALL my WordArt and PhotoArt pieces) it allows for so much more freedom when it comes to choosing typography colour schemes.

The end result? I was happy, Dad was happy and from what I can gather, boy was happy – so nice when that happens!

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Pretty Princess Wordart

Posted by Andrea on January 9, 2012
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Following on from yesterday’s post about Christmas gifts this year, here’s another typographical Wordart print I designed for one very special princess!

Pretty tones of pink and green form the basis of this very pretty Princess Wordart design – it fits a standard Ribba Ikea frame, which is a bonus – spend the money on the design work not the frame; it is now available in our Shop in white and with a rose-pink background (but we can do pretty much any colour background you want tho’!)

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