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

Ask Mum...Follow your dreams

January is always a difficult month for me as it marks the anniversary of losing my lovely Mum (who this blog is dedicated to), however, this year it has been a particularly challenging month in a number of ways. Towards the end of January I found myself rather lost and not knowing which way to turn. I kept thinking to myself, if only I could sit down with a cuppa and have a good chat with Mum, what advice would she have given me? This created an idea for a new column 'Ask Mum' where I will share little pearls of wisdom I find which might just help me (and you) along the way. I LOVE this one and it's certainly great advice for me right now...

Image from Freya Art 

Mischief Meets : Jess Williams

I was meant to post this interview at the end of last year but time just ran out, and then due to various events in my personal life during January, updating my blog got a little waylaid... however, here I am and  I'm so glad I waited because just reading this interview again has given me such an motivation boost and if any of you are still feeling ever so slightly sluggish and still in hibernation mode (like I have been), this Mischief 'meeting' will kick you right back into touch and raring to get going. 

Jess is a super talented print designer and illustrator with a love for fashion, pattern and colour. She has worked with some big names in the retail/fashion industry and is now branching out into stationery and homeware as well. I'm really happy to introduce you to her and hope you enjoy her interview... 

• Who are you? What is the essence of your business? What do you do?

I have to admit I have my fingers in a lot of pies at the moment! I am a Print Designer and Illustrator and work across Fashion, Interiors and Stationery. I also lecture part time at Birmingham City Uni on the BA Textiles course.

• What is your background? Have you always been creative? How & why did you start doing what you do?

I've always loved to paint and draw ever since I can remember. I think I knew I wanted to be a designer before I even knew the job I wanted to do was called a 'Designer'!

My Art Foundation course in Nottingham completely opened my eyes to a new world, we were taught a new way of looking at things, observing our surroundings and finding inspiration in everyday things. 

I went on to study Embroidery at University and after graduating worked as a print designer for a fashion supplier. I loved fashion but knew I wanted to expand and work in other areas too, in 2009 I handed my notice in, went freelance and haven't looked back (yet!). This year has been exciting for me as I've just launched some of my own products! It feels like a new chapter is just beginning.....

• Where do you work? Describe your studio.

I work from a bright pink studio in Birmingham which I share with the ever-inspiring Tamsin from Studio Seed. It's in the middle of the countryside so we enjoy beautiful views, it's very idyllic, squirrels and pheasants stroll past our windows!

• What is a typical day for you?

At the moment there is no 'typical' day for me. My clients will book me by the day, sometimes months in advance, sometimes the week before. I also book days out as 'studio days' where I will catch up with all my emails, catch up on any admin, email new potential clients, write blog posts, plan my weeks ahead and do my accounts. Recently I've started releasing work under my own name so I'll book studio days out for this too. 

I visit clients once or twice a week and work from their offices, days like these usually start with a LONG commute; London, Leicester, Bradford, Bristol, all over the country! If I'm not driving I'll use my travel time to catch up with all the latest fashion magazines to see if any of my designs have been featured. I enjoy working 'in house', meeting the design teams, talking through new ideas, looking at any samples that have come in and sampling the various on-site catering facilities!

If I'm working for a client from my studio I will email a few days in advance so I'm ready to go with lots of new ideas as soon as I get to work. My working day starts at 9 a.m but I get to my studio around 8.30 so I can have a cup of tea and deal with any urgent emails before my client work begins. I'll email my clients with progress throughout the day and respond to feedback.

If I've finished all my tasks I leave work between 5.30 and 6, I keep to whatever hours my clients keep to though, so if they're working 'til late in to the evening then so am I. 

A teaching day for me is non-stop! I teach Print students on a BA Textiles course so a typical day would be working with the students in the screen room, supervising workshops, holding group tutorials and presenting lectures.

•What do you find most satisfying about the work you do? What are your biggest challenges as a creative?

The most satisfying aspect of my job is that I get paid to be creative everyday! I love the freedom of running my own business and the feeling that I am carving my own path. I feel proud that I've created a 'job' that is perfect for me, the variation keeps me excited and inspired and I think that really shows in my work. I'm an Aries so I really thrive on adventure and my career has definitely been an adventure so far!

• How do you get out of a creative rut?

I take time away. When I worked in commercial fashion we were paid to travel the world on 'inspiration trips' and this is something I have continued since setting up on my own. I find that travel helps clear my head and inspires new work, I love Paris for the flea markets and independent boutiques. New York for amazing thrift shops and department stores, Berlin for....well, everything and Stockholm for inspiring street fashion. Obviously budget doesn't always allow a glamorous location so I will often set off to explore somewhere closer to home. The next mini-trip I'm planning is an afternoon in Ledbury, I want to check out my friend Abigail Borg's work in Hus&Hem, explore the local area and sit in a teashop with my sketchbook.

• Which 3 things couldn't you live without?

My external hard dive (I like to be portable!), Muji fine liners and Google. I really would be lost without Google; my email account is my connection to my clients, my Google calendar allows me to instantly see my work schedule from my phone or computer and I've recently started using Google Drive to upload client work. It's completely free and I can send huge files easily. *I should probably add that I promise I'm not sponsored by Google here!

• What is next on the agenda?

I'm really happy with the current clients I am working with so I will definitely do everything I can to make sure they are getting what they need from me. I have only just started working on my 'Jess Williams' range so hopefully I will expand next year and add some more home products. I would love to see my prints on home furnishings and wallpaper. I'm also planning a vintagey, up-cycling kind of adventure with my best friend so hopefully we'll be working on that next year too. 

• Where do you find your inspiration? Do you have any favourite books, magazines etc?

I live and die for Pinterest! I also love magazines and will literally devour anything from Frankie magazine to Hello! I read a lot and have recently fallen in love with 'my heart wanders' by Pia Jane Bijkerk. Pia is a wonderful stylist and her book is so beautifully written and presented. I love Selina Lake too, her books are in every room of my flat...mostly just to show my boyfriend it's not just us who have a flat full of vintage treasures and a million patterned cushions on our settee!

• Which designers/artists do you admire?

Selina Lake for styling, I love her aesthetic! I stumbled across Aprile Elcich recently and find her work so different and fresh. I am a huge Celia Birtwell fan too, I love her fantastic prints and the thought of her as the darling of the 60's and 70's jet-setting with Ozzie Clark and David Hockney, dressing Pattie Boyd and Jane Berkin and hanging out with the Beetles and the Rolling Stones. Oh the glamour! 

•  Blogs are taking over the world, which are your favourites?

Garance Dore

DesignLoveFest

Oh Joy!

Miss Moss

I'm also quite nosey so blogs like Bleubird and RockstarDiaries are a guilty pleasure, I love learning about other peoples' daily lives!  

•What advice would you give to someone wanting to start their own creative business?

I would say the first thing would be to look at it from a practical point of view, it is near impossible to be creative when you have serious money pressures so perhaps it's sensible to start part-time to keep a steady flow of income in those early stages. Ask for help and really make the most of all the resources that are available to you. Know your field inside out, do eCourses or extra training. Websites like Creative Boom are amazing for business info too. 

It's important to be brave and bold and to push yourself out of your comfort zone. For me positivity is key, it's so important to be able to take the rough with the smooth. I try not to dwell too much on any setbacks I have and when good things happen I celebrate big-time! Champagne all round!

Jess, you are a great inspiration and proof that working for yourself can be really exciting and diverse. Sounds to me like you have the perfect job and I'm rather envious of your's and Tamsin's pink studio! You are one busy and successful lady, thanks so much for finding the time to fit us in. 

You can find out more about Jess and see further work on her website here and read her blog here. 

All images are courtesy of Jess Williams. Scalloped badge by Pugly Pixel

Belated Christmas & Happy New Year!

No I haven't fallen asleep and missed Christmas but I wanted to share my 2012 Christmas Card design and I couldn't show it before Christmas or I'd have ruined the surprise for all my expectant recipients. 

Each year my friends tell me they they don't think my next year's card can top the last which is great because it gives me the challenge of coming up with something even better! 2012's card was 100% handmade by me and I have to say I was rather proud of it... 

It involved a stamp of a loving gingerbread man I designed myself and had made at The English Stamp Co. I stamped him on to A7 recycled cotton rag using Dew Drop Pearlescent Rust pigment ink to give him a bit of sparkle. Inside I folded a piece of brown kraft paper and printed one side with my Christmas message and the other with the all important 'How to Make a Gingerbread Man' recipe. I attached this as an insert with some luxury red & white bakers twine and voila! 

The card was greatly received and one friend even gave me a tin of gingerbread biscuits she'd baked from the recipe in my card... so lovely and very yummy! So friends, did I top last years card?....ideas for next year on a postcard please!

Hope you all had a fun filled Christmas my dear readers and I wish you all a very happy new year and best wishes for 2013. I've been a little under the weather for the last week or so but once I am back on my feet and raring to go, I have some lovely things to share with you. Back soon.......xxx

Oh so cute gift from Anthropologie

I was so excited when I received this lovely little surprise gift from Anthropologie in the post yesterday that I had to share it with you. It's so cute, especially the tiny piece of paper. Thank you so much Anthropologie!

Close knit Christmas in Streatham!

The Ninja Knitters have been busy round our neighbourhood this weekend. Streatham Common never looked so pretty! The local businesses on our road have been suffering lately due to the long term closure of the road and the Ninja Knitters decided to knit the community back together....

Mischief Meets: BerinMade

I can't believe how fast this week has flown by, I've been so busy I've not had chance to write any posts but I am at least leaving you for the weekend with this great interview with the quirky and very talented illustrator and calligrapher Erin, founder of Berin Made : Illustrated Paper Goods. I first came across Erin's work when one of my friend's used one of her beautiful DIY wedding stamp designs at their wedding last year and I have been a fan ever since. I don't need to give her much of an introduction, once you begin to read Erin's interview you will be completely taken in by her magic. 

• Who are you? What is the essence of your business? What do you do?

I'm Erin, the illustrator and founder of BerinMade Illustrated Paper Goods. BerinMade is founded upon a love of whimsical illustrations and finely-crafted lettering. I have a collection of greeting cards, social stationery and prints for the home.

I also have a wedding collection which was launched in May this year. It celebrates fun-loving creativity and a feminine aesthetic for the spirited bridal couple, offering a full-range service from Save the Dates to On-the-day accessories such as menus, escort cards, and everything in between. 

We also love DIY here so I do a lot of DIY tutorials (and write regularly for Green Wedding Shoes in the US and Love My Dress here in the UK), as well as DIY wedding stamps for my clients who love a personal touch on their stationery!

• What is your background? Have you always been creative? How & why did you start doing what you do?

I've always been creatively inclined. I think that means that I've always been an "ideas" kind of person, and loved to make things. As with many creative people though, I drifted from hobby to hobby (I danced and played the piano when I was younger) then drifted across disciplines in art college-- I was classically trained in Fine Art at Byam Shaw which was a part of Central Saint Martins- where I made sculptures, played around with photography, then finally settled down into painting huge canvases. 

After I graduated from my degree, I somehow took a small detour in working in Contemporary Art in an auction house. Although it was art-relate, I felt dry and uninspired- and also a bit like a glorified sales person. During that time, in the evenings and the weekends, I started doodling and sketching again, and became obsessively interested in lettering, and I realised that I must put it to use because I couldn't stop thinking about it. My Etsy shop started picking up attention also, and when I came to cross roads at my day job, I made a quick exit, dived straight into here and never looked back!

• Where do you work? Describe your studio

I work from home in my studio in Central London. I have three worktops- one packing station, one digital desk (where my computer resides) and a painting/sketching island which faces the window with lovely sunlight. Sometimes, when it's so busy it looks like my studio has had a tornado ripped through it, I think about going out there and renting a space, with filing cabinets (and also hiring an assistant who will diarise for me) but then I realise that I love working in my fluffy slippers and randomly bursting into song a little too much and may possibly never give that up, so I've stayed put in the privacy of my own home!

• What is a typical day for you?

Everyday is a little bit different, but starts quite similarly. I'm not really a morning person, and prefer to work at night, so I don't really start working until 9:30. It always starts with coffee, emails, sometimes more coffee when the emails are crazy! Then I get through my list of admin to-dos for clients such as drawing up quotes, doing timelines, sending out proofs, speaking to my printer, ordering supplies, and try to finish that before lunch.

In the afternoon, sometimes I do product shoots, DIY tutorials, other times I make more new products, and sometimes personal projects. It all depends on my calendar, but it's my peak hours and creative time! 

Then my late afternoon is spent battling the post office queue before it closes! I then spend some more time working on whatever project I have on, stop for dinner with my amazing husband, and start again later on in the evenings I wrap up whatever email threads I had going on during the day.

• What do you find most satisfying about the work you do? What are your biggest challenges as a creative?

I love that this is mine and I get to call the shots and make the big decisions. It means that I can carve the path the company takes, and I can push it along in a direction and pace for me. I do have big dreams for this little business, so reaching those small milestones along the way definitely feels like a much bigger accomplishment than anything I'd ever done in my day job. 

• Which 3 things couldn't you live without?

Coffee, gold glitter, and good design. 

• What is next on the agenda?

A rebrand in the new year, expanding my greeting cards collection, and possibly taking on a person or two to help out.

• Where do you find your inspiration? Do you have any favourite books, magazines etc?

I love print: books, stationery, posters, etc, but really try to stay away when I'm looking for inspiration. My sense of colour is actually derived from my background in Fine Art-- it's just what makes my heart beat faster. Some great colourist I love are Peter Doig, Patrick Heron, Turner, Francis Bacon, but mostly I'd say, inspiration is an unexpected thing, and happens when you're living life. I guess life is design. I'm sometimes hovering over old shop windows checking out their weathered painted sign, or the pattern from an old sofa. It's mostly a feeling rather than a conscious decision.

• Blogs are taking over the world, which are your favourites?

Are they? Yes, probably! This is terrible to admit but I read just about enough to get by and to know what's going on out there. I think some bloggers have great voices but if you're not careful, you end up being kind of drowned in them and lose yourself in all the things other people are doing...

I love Shini's fashion and lifestyle blog Park and Cube, she makes me laugh out loud and her photography is amazing. I've known her since our university days and I've always been blown away by her talent.

Will Taylor's blog Bright.Bazaar is my daily hit of colour, and he is mostly responsible for my list of beautiful household items that I want but can't afford! Will's a lovely person as well, and just so kind and supportive of the blogging community.

The one blog that I read obsessively before getting married was Green Wedding Shoes. It's great because now I work with the editor Jen sometimes for DIY tutorials, and she is the sweetest. But yes, her blog pretty much encapsulated everything I love about weddings in its creativity and quirkiness.

Of course, since I started working in the industry, I have loved working with Annabel from Love My Dress- she is amazingly resourceful, not to mention kind and authentic. I think that at the end of the day, there are a ton of blogs with glorious images to look at (and Love My Dress has archives and archives full of them), but it's the voice and person behind the blog that makes people want to keep coming back. Annabel does that so right.

• What advice would you give to someone wanting to start their own creative business?

Prepare to work your butt off! It's great, you're going to love it.

Erin has designed a range of very special personalised Christmas cards with your own name and message written in calligraphy. 50% of the proceeds from these Christmas cards are given to Via Design (a UK-based charitable company) to help towards their work with vulnerable women in India, rebuilding their lives by equipping them with craft skills as a sustainable means of living. Hurry to order yours now as time is running out! If you are interested in learning more about the work of Via Design, you can read her interview with CEO Jane  Rogers on the blog. 

You can find out more about Erin and her work here and visit her shop here. She also writes a lovely blog where she shares her inspirations and some of the weddings and projects she is involved in. 

Hope you enjoy and have a lovely weekend!

All images are courtesy of Berin Made. 

Taking a little break

You may have noticed I've been a bit quiet on here this week, that's because I'm taking a little break away from it all. My boyfriend's parents have a beautiful Georgian cottage in a remote little village in the North York Moors which we have borrowed for the week. We are spending our time relaxing by the wood burner, catching up on movies and checking out the local Christmas Markets (Castle Howard's was cancelled due to bad weather much to my disappointment). After a bitterly cold walk around Whitby today though I don't feel too guilty for hiding away in doors....

See you all next week x

An Evening with Holly Becker

Well I'm a little late in the day with this post but better late than never hey? I'm sure you have all heard by now that Holly Becker launched her new book 'Decorate Workshop' a couple of weeks ago.  The launch was hosted by Anthropologie on Regents Street (London) and I my friend Trinske (from Nordic Rose) and I were lucky enough to attend. Holly invited her BYW students to join her for a tea party (or rather a fizz and cake party) before the event. It was a great opportunity to finally meet Holly and other bloggers who I've grown to know so well 'virtually' over the last year. You can't beat meeting someone in person and they are all so friendly. I have to admit meeting Holly I felt a little bit star struck...well she is a star isn't she?!

It was such a fun and inspiring evening. Who'd have thought a bunch of bloggers could make so much noise! After the initial chit chats and plenty of cake (and boy were those cake slices big!) we sat down to an evening being entertained by Holly and her special guests Will Taylor from Bright Bazaar who interviewed Holly about her book and also American stylist James Leyland Day who spoke about his tips on styling your home. We learnt how Holly took a very personal approach to the book and used her friendly and down-to-earth teaching skills which she does so very well to get her readers to get to know themselves and style from the heart. 

Holly ended the night by signing copies of her wonderful book for us all. It really is lovely. The french fold jacket opens up into a fantastic poster of all Holly's favourite things which, as you can see below is now in pride of place above my desk.

I will do a full review on the book a bit later, I can't wait until I have half an hour to sit down and read it properly. In the meantime you can view an exclusive extract of the book here.

I also wanted to say it was a real honour to meet theses lovely ladies, Tiffany from The Curiosity Project, Anna from Betty and Frank, Charlotte from Anknel and Burblets, Yvonne from The Yvestown Blog, Kirsty from Me Plus Molly, Louise from 30's Magazine, Sinead from Crafty Fox Market, Gabs from Ink Paint Paper and Caroline from Trend Daily. There were lot so of others too but I'd be here all day if I listed them all. I hope to meet everyone again very soon. I am amazed how friendly and welcoming the blogging network is and really glad to be a part of it. 

All in all a fabulous evening. Thank you Holly for inviting me and also all your inspiration and for teaching me just about everything I needed to know to get to where I am now with my blog! I will cherish your book and hopefully one day soon I will have a new home which will need some Holly TLC. 

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.