Jute and jam jars....A Cornish Wedding

Hello! Hello! Did you think I'd disappeared off the face of the blog planet? Well I had (almost!), but I'm back. The last few months have been somewhat testing as you know. Not only have I deserted my blog but I've had very little interaction with anybody out there in the creative world. I've not been on Pinterest for weeks! UGH! What is going on? Anyway, you'll be pleased to know that I am finally coming out the other side...slowly. My creative juices are flowing once more.

How gorgeous and summery was the bank holiday weekend? I was lucky enough to be down in Cornwall for the wedding on my friend Jo. The setting in Trevose Head/Booby's Bay was spectacular. Everything about the wedding was so beautiful but it was Jo's attention to the (hand-made) details which really stood out for me. Think, jam jars, hay bails, white wash wood, country flowers and lots of jute! They even built the bar themselves! I managed to capture some of it on camera and thought I'd share it with you here.

www.charliescribble.com

The professional photography was done by one of my favourite photographers, Marianne Taylor. I can't wait to see them, I'm sure they will be fabulous!

Photography For Bloggers with Emily Quinton

I've always been a keen photographer taking pictures whenever the opportunity arises and as a designer always trying to be creative with angles (often a little too much!), effects and a little bit obsessed with the macro setting! Despite having a good eye for things I've never really been 100% happy with the pictures I take and always wanted to learn how to take better photos, especially beautiful ones to use on my blog. Then I came across the delightful photographer and blogger Emily Quinton (of The Start Up Wife)  via Holly Becker's Blogging Your Way Course and when she announced she was going to be teaching a photography workshop for bloggers, I think I was one of the first to sign up! 

So, a week last Saturday, my friend Mel and I, some of my fellow London Bloggers (Geraldine, Kate, Jane & Kirsty) and a bunch of other lovely creative ladies took to the back streets of trendy Shoreditch for a full on session with Emily and our cameras. As you can imagine with Emily's crafty and blogging background we were all greeted with gorgeous little goodie bags filled with stickers, pencils and Moleskin notebooks. 

We learnt all about composition (the 'rule of thirds'), how to get the best lighting, including taking pictures in 'the golden hour',  which type of lenses to use and some very good tips on how to achieve great quality photos, even on an iPhone and which apps to do it with! Then to finish off the day we had a lesson on how to save, edit and use our photos to their best potential on our blogs and with other social media.

Below are some of the best images I took during the day. Let me now what you think! Which is your favourite?

All in all was a day packed full of great advice, hands on practise and lots of fun. Emily is teaching the workshop again in September (see the link above) and I highly recommend it if you are a blogger and looking to improve your photography skills or if you want to take photos of products for a website. Even if you aren't a blogger it is still a great day and you will come away having learnt so many key skills to put to use in your photography. It's not a course to teach you how to use your camera mind you and it can be taken with any camera or camera phone. I was lucky enough to borrow a friends digital SLR camera for the day which has now very kindly been donated to me so I can get in some much needed practise and have fun taking lots of beautiful photos. Thank you! And thank you to Emily for being such a star and a great teacher. 

If you'd like to check out some of the other girls posts you can do here. Me Plus Molly, Papermash, For Bella and Will

Bookmarked Blog : The Fresh Exchange

One of my favourite blogs lately is The Fresh Exchange written by Megan of Hitch Design Studio. If asked which bloggers I aspire to be like, Megan would most definitely be one of them. Not only does she seem like a really loveable girl I'd like to meet (and a big dog lover too!) but she is an extremely talented graphic designer with a unique and elegant style which is portrayed throughout her blog. 

She says in her bio how she 'believes in simplicity' and it's this simplicity I love about her blog. It is a prime example of how very simple use of graphics can really inject personality onto your posts. Her photography is so dreamy and she brings each image to life with a little piece of handwritten typography . The power of a few little words! How beautiful is her hand lettering?

The blog shares her inspirations as a designer, stylist and blogger, she advises and gives tips to other bloggers while sharing her own thoughts and ideas. Her latest posts have been following her travels and documenting her recent trip to Europe. How fun are these images? (You can see an image from each day of her trip here.)

All her posts are completely original and unique to her, she features in most of them herself and even using her own handwriting in a lot of them. Her whimsical style collages are so cute and I love her weekend suggestions simply overlaid on a great photograph. 

If that wasn't enough to engage you, she also makes the cutest little videos of snippets of her life with her family and friends. She certainly seems to have the perfect life!

What really amazes me is how Megan finds time to create such a beautiful blog and do all the things she does. She also runs Hitch Design Studio, check out some of her fab design work,  and she is the co-founder of the wonderful Blog Brunch an online collaboration by bloggers for bloggers which holds a monthly chat and question time on Twitter. 

So, hurry over and check out The Fresh Exchange, I'm sure you will love it as much as me and it will give you heaps of inspiration. 

Bookmarked Blog : Call Me Cupcake

Gosh I can't believe a week has gone since my last featured blog post. Hope you enjoyed discovering Breanna's blog. This week on 'Bookmarked Blog' (I have changed the name for this column as you can see!) I am sharing the absolutely beautiful blog of Swedish photographer and baker, Linda Lomelino...Call Me Cupcake. 

You may already know of Linda, she's quite popular with the bloggers out there. I think I am totally head over heels in love with her style. Her photographs literally have me drooling. Can you get any more stunning than this? They are so pretty and so seductive. Did a picture of a cake every win you over so badly?!! Make sure you have plenty of time when you venture over to have a look as I guarantee when you click on the recipe index you'll be there for hours! She's not just a brilliant photographer but a pretty fabulous baker as well with some creative ideas. Guinness Chocolate cake anyone?  

Linda also adds fun touches of type to some of her images which create another dimension to her posts and makes them even more engaging. The fonts are very carefully considered and sit perfectly with the style and theme of the particular shot. 

The design of Call Me Cupcake is the work of talented blog designer Tabitha Emma. (another one of my designer heroes). The soft water colour back wash with the handwritten pencil type and simple line drawings are equally as beautiful and create a really cosy, home-baked feel. 

Linda recently brought out a new book filled with all her delicious recipes and featuring her own stunning photographs. Sadly it's only available in Swedish but a tempting purchase just for the pictures!

As you can imagine from her blog, Linda is a really sweet lady too, I wrote her an email last year when I first discovered her blog complimenting her on it and she sent a lovely email straight back.

Enjoy and don't drool too much :-)

All images courtesy of Call Me Cupcake.

Book Love: A Vintage Tea Party

I just came out of a meeting and popped in to Oliver Bonas to pick up a Birthday present when I just happened to stumble upon the most amazing book which got me drooling in more ways than one! It’s not new to the book shelves but it’s the first time I've seen it and it got purchased to go straight on mine….after I have read it cover to cover and given it a photoshoot so I can share some of it’s beauty with my readers. 

The book is ‘The Vintage Tea Party Book’ by Angel Adoree and she invites you to join her on a journey to create the perfect vintage tea party... 

It’s beautifully designed with handwritten typography (one of my favourite fonts Lady Rene) mixed with doodles and seductive photographs. The ingredients are just as creative, for example Raspberry Soup, 24 carot oysters, a Salad Cemetery, Saffron & Tea shots, Bunting Butties, Rose petal sandwiches and Lollipop Jam Rolls. 

...and it’s not just about the food, it is interspersed with ‘how to’s’; make hair pieces, pinnies and aprons, decorate chinaware, candle making, style your hair and it even includes the history of the Union Jack (if you are interested)!

I'm organising one of my best friend's baby shower this weekend and it's not surprising that it has a vintage tea party theme. Some of these yummy ideas will definitely be featuring. 

A little weekend fun with Instagram

This weekend I had some fun with Instagram and the girls in Brighton and London. 

Brighton Pier * Cupcakes from Peyton & Byrne
Flowers from Wild at Heart at Liberty's * Sign at Thorne's Foods, Brighton

Colour (and foodie) Love: Pantone Tarts by Emilie de Griottes

I don't normally re-post and copy what someone else has post but with the name and nature or my blog, just this once I am going to. When the post from Jackie Magpie popped up in my feed this morning I had to share it. My fellow Pantone lovers and followers will really appreciate these Pantone Tarts! A very colourful start to a Monday morning. 

The tarts are made by French foodie Emilie de Griottes for a feature in the magazine Fricote. Aren't they amazing?! These take Pantone chips to a whole new level, especially if you spend hours obsessing over them like me! 

 All images are from here.

Emilie's website it truly lovely too, full of beautifully colourful food and delicious photography, definitely worth a look. 

Colour Love: Sundaes on Sunday with Louis Vuitton

I spent my Friday night in, catching up and reading this months magazines and have to say I am totally IN LOVE with the Spring Summer 2012 ad campaign for Louis Vuitton's range by Marc Jacobs. It's shot by Steven Meisel and directed by Marc Jacobs himself. Icecream parlouresque, it's so pretty, pink and retro, filled with pastels and candy. All my favourite ingredients!

All images from WWD

Watch the behind the scenes video of the shoot with Marc Jacobs

Typography Love: Happy Pancake Day!

Typographic poster by Tom Daivey

Pancake day always takes me by surprise and by the time I remember and get to the supermarket all the eggs, oranges and lemons are completely sold out! Might try and be a little more inventive this year. Usually we eat them for desert (or at least Jonny my OH does, I have been know to just eat a whole plate of them with orange juice and sugar for my dinner!!) but I'd really like to have a go at some savoury ones. Anyone have any suggestions?

Pancake alphabet by Mitchell Goldstein

Movember Wedding Fun

While on the subjects of Emma and Iain's wedding and the month of Movember, I thought this the perfect opportunity to share these great images from their wedding with you. They were taken by Bedford based photographers Ben and Tim from Milkbottle Photography (they look like twins but they aren't!). I can't recommend these two enough. They were so much fun and got really involved without you even knowing they were there, and I think their pics are the best I have seen (and I have been to a lot of weddings). I know when I get married (might happen one day!), being a designer and wanting something that little bit different, I will be extremely fussy about who takes my photos, well I won't have any doubts asking Milkbottle that is for sure. Thanks Tim for supplying the photos for this post and thanks Emma and Iain who also gave their permission for me to share them (well Emma did...sorry Iain!).