Little Pickle

We approached Little Pickle as we have been admirers of her beautiful work, she tells us her story of how she started and more…

1) I used to be a graphic designer and then a teacher of design before I became a fulltime mummy and whilst on maternity leave I started my first design as an illustration and wording I wanted to put on a canvas for my first born ‘s nursery. I knew what I wanted in my head and also knew I could implement it. It was a set of 3 illustrations - a rabbit, butterfly and horse that would go with her colour scheme and theme of her room. These designs I then thought would work well as a framed print. My friends around me were having babies and I started making the prints to give as a gift for them and just thought having the new babies name and its meaning was quite different and meaningful. So I began giving these Baby Name Meaning framed prints as gifts and October 2012 I’d posted a picture on facebook of my 2nd daughters birthday party and an old friend saw a print of mine in one of the photos and asked where I’d bought it from & I said I made it!! She then bought four different Name Meaning prints and I thought hmmmm maybe I could actually do this. So in November last year I thought up the name and designed my logo and started a Facebook page selling my designs. I had a great response and added new designs to my range and Little Pickle has gone from strength to strength. I joined Twitter early this year and since then I’ve been contacted by various websites to sell my products with them and am now getting a steady amount of orders each week.

 

2) I’ve always been arty and loved to draw or create and so being able to make money from what I love doing is really satisfying. I also really enjoy making something personal for someone else, knowing they’ve chosen my designs as a gift or keepsake for their home is a great feeling. At the moment I fit Little Pickle work around my two little ones, working late into the night whilst they’re asleep (luckily I have been blessed with two great sleepers;)) as my children grow I hope Little Pickle does too so I have a thriving business to work with whilst they’re at school.

 

3) I think Little Pickle prints and wall art have a particular style which sets it apart from the rest of the typographic prints out there. They’re ‘beautifully simplistic’ as one customer kindly said of them recently. The fact that the customer can choose the text and colour of the design makes each one bespoke and personal to them. As it’s just me working on them from start to finish I make sure I’m communicating with the customer on a personal level to make sure they are completely happy with the design before printing and sending the final product.

 

4) Little Pickle currently only has a Twitter and Facebook account of it’s own but is available on a number of other websites so I think the next step is to have my own Little Pickle website. That is what I’m currently aiming for and hopefully that will help my business to reach more customers and continue to steadily grow so that in the next year or so as I have more available time with the girls going to school I have increasing sales and it can be my full time job. I’ve been so amazed with the quick results I’ve had so far and it’s all down to social media so keeping up to date with social networking is also a key element of moving forward; I wouldn’t be writing this blog if it wasn’t for Twitter :) so please keep an eye out for my tweets and posts - and remember every home needs a Little Pickle ;)

If you’re interested in connecting with Little Pickle, you can connect with her on twitter and facebook

Please also leave your comments below!

Lumiere Photography

Asian-Bride-getting-ready

We got in touch with Alix from Lumiere Photography, a photographer based in Loughborough,  about her photography and asked her  a few questions.

How did you get started?

I was asked to take a few photos at a friends Hindu wedding.  He had a photographer but wanted a different perspective too. When he saw my photos, he said he preferred mine to the ones he had paid a fortune for. So I decided to set up business. I had already had a book published and was selling stock but I took the plunge. I have always loved photography, as a kid, I used to frame with my fingers, I still take photos in my mind when I don’t have my camera!

What makes you unique from other photographers out there?

I bring a fresh look into things, I am French, Italian family, I bring many cultures with me. I am also friendly and flexible, I’m happy to tailor packages, to do payment plans, gift vouchers, anyway to help. I love sharing the journey, feeling part of the “family” and keeping in touch with people afterwards.

Why do you love what you do?

It’s a celebration of love, joy, emotions, it’s saying Life is beautiful- la vie est belle- It’s carpe diem, sieze the moment because this one won’t come back, but it’s also saying there are millions of beautiful moments.. Very optimistic.

Finally, what are your goals for the future?

I’d like to travel more with photography. I am freelance and my kids are teens so I can afford to go places and weddings abroad are fab. I speak different languages, have travelled, love learning about different cultures. So far I have shot weddings in Spain, France, Italy, and Ireland. I might go to Morocco for one or even Goa, I’ll see..

If you would like to get in touch with Alix, you can view her website:-

http://www.lumiere-photography.co.uk/

Or connect with her on facebook or twitter

Message in a bottle

We are delightful to have Diane from Dilightful on our blog today!

She is makes custom, fully personalised, handmade wedding invitations and stationery.
One exciting feature she has is the ‘message in a bottle’.

We asked her a couple of questions to get to know her more.

Tell us a bit about yourself and the company.

“I’ve always made invitations for as long as I can remember. This is because a lot of my friends and family wanted a high end look to their wedding or event, but didn’t have a fully personalised stationery budget, so I provided a complete custom service that didn’t break the bank. The finish it gives is priceless! Makes the event look thousands more than it actually cost. An invitation is a first impression of a wedding after all! So my style is elegant sophisticated and high end - whilst being within realistic budgets.”

How did you get the idea of message in a bottle invites?

“Well, a wedding planner asked me to do them for one of her high end couples and luckily enough, I almost fell across a local wholesale supplier of the bottles. I wasn’t 100% sure initiallly on how they would look. My style is elegant, classic and sophisticated and I didn’t want to go against what was ‘me’ if you know what I mean? lol (I don’t think you can pull off a style that isn’t in harmony with your own). Anyway, after finishing them, I was amazed! The quality is unbelievable, they really are the cutest little things and really are beautiful. I wish the pictures did them justice. I’ve been so impressed, so much so, that I’m hoping to launch a favour range in the near future.”

 What are your goals for the future?

“For the future, I love what I do and wish to continue what I’m doing! I have a two year old and so sometimes have to have a strict limit on how much work I take on, but when little one goes to school, would love to devote more of my time to Dilightful and develop her further.”

If you want to find out more about these gorgeous message in a bottle invites, you can view her website at:-

http://www.dilightful.co.uk/

and find her on facebook and twitter.

Please feel free to leave your comments below too!

Personalised Wedding Stationery

Chris and Katie White, founders of Myrtle and May -  create beautiful designs for digitally printed wedding stationery.

Katie tells us their story…

“We met at university back in 2001, where we were both on the same Graphic Design BA Hons course in the beautiful city of Bath.  We have been together for nearly twelve years now, married for six and we have two children.

How they started

Our original concept was to offer digitally printed and personalised wedding stationery to couples at affordable prices.  The reason that affordability is so important to us, is because we married on a tight budget ourselves and so we can sympathize with those in a similar situation.   Currently we’re offering a design only service which can be printed by the couple at home or via a printers of their choice.  Our only request is that a small donation is made to Marie Curie Cancer Care, via a charity page called ‘Losing the Louboutins’ or ‘@Lthel_13’ (who we met via Twitter).

We’re more than happy to support a cause like Marie Curie cancer care, as we all know someone who has been affected by cancer.  The Losing the Louboutins are cousins Natasha and Kerrie who are raising money for Marie Curie by treking across the Sahara in October and so well deserve my huge admiration.

Why they love what they do

Ever since our own wedding back in 2006, I still get excited at the prospect of a wedding.  I love all that a wedding entails. As well as the fact that people are excited and happy (and so a pleasure to work with), I also love the flowers and the endless colour combinations.  Being Graphic Design graduates Chris and I both love to create.  To be able to combine both passions is a joy.

The future

Currently Myrtle and May is a non-profitable business as we’re directing funds to the Losing the Louboutins, but our goal for the future is to continue to produce work that makes the happy couple…well, happy!  and once the Losing the Louboutins have raised their £4000 target then we hope to grow the company and begin to turn a profit.”

If you want to know more about Myrtle and May - please view their website here http://www.myrtleandmay.co.uk/

You can also connect with them on facebook  and twitter

Bespoke Wedding Accessories

We are excited to introduce our first wedding accessories feature!

Meet Donna Baitey - owner and designer at Pearl & Blossom.

Donna believes every bride should have something unique to wear on her wedding day, something really special that shows her individual personality.

She tells us her story…

“I started making jewellery at the age of eleven. It’s something I’ve always done, even while studying for my degree in Graphic Design and working as an Art Director in advertising. When some of the girls in the office started getting married, I made headpieces for them to wear on their big day. All their wonderful comments made me feel like I was doing something worthwhile so, when I recently hit the big 3-0, I decided the time was right to concentrate on this obsession of mine and start doing what I love every day.

I’m a modern girl but I have a love for vintage things. So my headpieces and jewellery are hand crafted from a diverse range of materials, including beautiful Art Deco brooches, strings of antique pearls, vintage lace, tulle and crystals. Most of the items I make are one-offs, and every piece is handcrafted at my studio in London.

If you’re looking for something a little more personal, you can take advantage of my bespoke service. Many of my brides like to incorporate a brooch or something passed down from a family member; something beautiful that they might not otherwise have the chance to wear. I can custom-make a headpiece or a selection of accessories for you, and for your bridesmaids if you wish. First of all I’ll find out a bit about you, your wedding style and any ideas you may already have, before designing something exclusively for you.

I love how happy my brides are when they receive their bespoke designs. Reading their thank you emails is one of the best parts of my job”.

If you wish to shop from Pearl and Blossom, Donna is offering our readers at Secret Wedding Blog, an exclusive 10% off her products for a limited time. Please use the code SECRETWEDDINGBLOG on her website to get your 10%* off :- www.pearlandblossom.com 

You can also follow her on twitter! https://twitter.com/pearlandblossom

* 10% offer ends 1st September 2013