Christmas Closing

***SPECIAL NOTICE*** 

The order book for this year is CLOSED. 

We will be shutting shop on 

FRIDAY 19th DECEMBER and will be closed until 

TUESDAY 6th JANUARY.

PLEASE NOTE: No telephone calls or emails will be answered during this period. 

We would like to thank all our Brides and Grooms for using Inspired by Script and allowing us to be a part of your special day. We hope you have a great Christmas and the happiest things to come in the New Year.
From us... A BIG THANK YOU!

Sue xxx

DIY Bride - Seed Bomb Favours, what a great idea!

I absolutely LOVE this idea!

I've only just heard of Seed Bombing and admit I had to Google it, then watched a couple of youtube videos and I have to admit, I think they're a brilliant idea.

then as I was scouting around on Pinterest I 

found this Blog post by 

Something Turquoise

I thought it would appeal so much to my DIY, Eco Brides that I just HAD to share it! 

Enjoy... Find out how to make them here

http://somethingturquoise.com/2013/05/10/diy-seed-bomb-wedding-favors/ 

A little treat for my followers

...

What a shocker!

Mondays are a day of managing blogs/website/dpwn;oading pictures/paperwork etc. etc. etc. Often I sit when writing blog post and wonder why I bother... I mean... who reads the damn thing anyway? Well I stumbled across my stats and found this!
Page views today
66
Page views yesterday
159
Page views last month
4,665
Page views all time history
174,741
PHEW! well it seems a LOT of you do!
So for all those who take the time... A BIG THANK YOU!
At least I now know I'm not writing for nothing

Keeping kids entertained and occupied during your wedding

Keeping kids entertained and occupied during your wedding can be a bit of an issue... so when I read this post on Bridal Musings about 

What to include in

a kids activity box

at a Wedding 

I just HAD to share

Read the whole article here

What ways did you find to keep the kids busy at your wedding?

Were kids invited?

Share your ideas by clicking the comments below,

or email me (Sue) at

inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk 

FREE Save the Date Cards - We have a WINNER!

WHOOOOP! WHOOOOP! WHOOOP!

Remember this

http://inspiredbyscript.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/free-save-date-cards.html

WE HAVE A WINNER!

A Mahoosive CONGRATULATIONS

Amy and Matt
from ,Wolverhampton, WV7 3LB

You are our winners!

Your free Save the Dates will be in the post very soon!  

And here's the finished Save The Date

Their theme was Vineyards! 

Have to say, I'm please with the results :-)

Now then.... wondering what might be 

a fun Giveaway for this month?

Any ideas? 

Email me (Sue) at inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk

There's more to me than Wedding Stationery

One of the really fabulous things about having a blog is, it’s yours and yours alone! You can use it in any way you see fit. For the most part, this blog is about my Wedding Invitations and Stationery…. But it hasn’t always been that way!

THERE’S MORE TO ME THAN WEDDING STATIONERY!

During my early years as a calligrapher, almost all the content on here was to share my creative spirit and show off all the lovely lettered things I’d made, that seems way back in a previous life now.

For the past 3 years of my past 25 years has been concentrated on Wedding Invitations and Stationery and aimed primarily at the North Yorkshire, Cleveland and County Durham area. However I do know I have blog readers who come from far and wide and from all corners of the world. Some of them are fellow stationery designers, some are from my calligraphy family and others are creative types, so not everyone who lands on this page is a potential client or Bride.

Now…. As well as being chief maker and shaker at Inspired byScript, I also mentor, guide and support, other small businesses to get to grips with marketing, blogging and building a small website… more importantly ‘Modern Day Marketing’. Getting yourself out there and the minefield of the many social media platforms they need to engage in is a bit head blagging. Of course, most people know about Facebook and Twitter but there’s Pinterest, Google + and of course good old blogs and in particular Blogger to get to grips with too.

As well as the business mentoring I do, I also love to help the DIY Bride! Together we come up with some amazing and creative ideas. Sometimes they get me to make it for them and at other times we make things together. Before I set up Inspired by Script I used to teach Calligraphy all over the country. I love getting people all fired up and creative and so miss my teaching days. Once a teacher, always a teacher J

I’m also inspired to motivate and coach people in a ‘Feeling the Fear and doing it anyway’ kind of way. When I went though a particularly bad experience with anxiety and depression I learnt a lot which in fact turned my life around and it’s great to be able to pass on these techniques to others. This also comes in handy when dealing with the stressed out Bride! See all things come full circle in the end!

WHERE I AM NOW:

I’d love to share those other sides of me here, but somehow it just doesn’t feel right. My motivational calligraphy work certainly helps some people, however I’m not sure visitors to my blog are expecting that kind of thing. Mostly my audience consists of Brides & Grooms wanting wedding stationery.

What do I do? I’m struggling here.

Do I set up separate blogs and websites for this kind of stuff…or slip in the odd blog post here?

I DON'T MIND TELLING YOU

I'm worried that I may not be taken seriously as a Wedding Invitation Designer if I go too far off the beaten track. Reading the many advice blogs, the thing they say over and over again is... don't dilute your content with other things. If you are a Wedding Stationer then blog about Wedding Stationery.... but I am so much more than that! 

BUT! AND HERE''S THE GOOD THING!

You'll get to see and read the real me. One thing people say about me is I am real, down to earth and authentic. I'm not some high flying business woman, raking in the cash. Nope, I'm just me. Glad that the money I am given in exchange for my Wedding Invitations and Stationery, pays the bills at the studio and I have the pleasure of a workspace that's not at home :-) Plus I get to meet such wonderful people face-to-face. 

SO! I NEED YOU HELP! 

Any thoughts/help/advice greatly appreciated

Either comment below

Message me on facebook: http://facebook.com/InspiredByScript

oremail me inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk 

Follow me on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/pixiesuesimpson/ 

Sue x

Get Crafty- Make tiny bows with just a fork and ribbon!

When I discovered this... I thought... NO WAY can that work! 

But I tried it and yes it does! 

How easy is that? 

FREE SAVE THE DATE CARDS!

FREE SAVE THE DATE CARDS! - Have you (or a friend)  set a date yet? Click the link and fill out the on-line form for your chance to *WIN*FREE* Save the date cards. BE QUICK! Offer closes 31st October 2014

!http://inspiredbyscript.co.uk/page_79.html 

Cat friendly candles

A bit 'Off Topic' here I know...

but look what my lovely man brought home for me tonight...

Some cat friendly candles!

I know that they look like real flame, but they aren't.

They are simply LAD lights, powered by battery, inside a wax core.

They are totally safe and perfect for Wedding Tables don't you think? 

These were bought from The Range, but we've seen them elsewhere too.

Do a Google search for Living Flame Candles :-) 

Sue x

Facebook for businesses.... is it dead?

I trust these people implicitly ... but I'm still not so sure :-( 

 Facebook Isn't Dead: 10 Reasons to 

Keep Using It for Your Business 

 by Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC)

Made-To-Order... Personalised Wedding Confetti Cones

All set and ready to roll.... 

100 personalised, wedding, confetti cones.

It's National Poetry Day - What's YOUR Favourite?

As a Calligrapher... I have many favourites.... but this must be in my top 10.....

Desiderata -Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

On being a Social Media and Marketing Guru

It's not enough just to have a website and hope people find you these days.

If anyone had told me I'd have to become a website designer, SEO, Analytics and Social media guru as well, I would never have believed them!

It's not enough that us creative folk make things in the hope of selling them to our 'ideal' client, we have to actually hunt down and join in the places our 'ideal' clients hang out.


BLOGGING

Now... I've been blogging for what feels like forever. At first I had another blog which I generally used as a diary about my own personal life. A way of documenting everything that happened on a day to day basis. A lot more fun that keeping a pen and paper journal as I could add photos too. That blog eventually turned into encouraging, motivating and supporting others that were fellow creative's.

When I started 'Inspired by Script' I was mainly doing calligraphy commissions for the public and private sector. Mostly bespoke work in a variety of forms. Then, with the arrival of the foiling machine my work took on a whole new pathway and as everyone who has known me for a long while.... the rest is history. This blog is now mainly consisting of my Wedding Invitations and Stationery. As the blog is attached to my website, most of the visitors are arriving to read about wedding stuff..... however there is more to me than that... so perhaps I'll make it a bit more personal... like I did my other blog.


FACEBOOK

Well, you have to find new ways to attract your customers and with the general age group my Brides and Grooms come from it's really no good hanging around Yahoo Forums, like we did in the old days... oh hell no! We now have to hang around Facebook, not a hard transition for me to make from blogging. Facebook is a sort of 'Micro Blog'. A pretty quick way of getting your latsest pictures out there almost before your paint has had time to dry.
The only real issue I have with Facebook is that they constantly push you to pay them for people to actually SEE your work. That's never going to happen from me! I'm a Yorkshire lass.... we don't spend money unless we have to right? Facebook even tries to get you to pay for more likers! What? So even if you see someone with 1,000's of page likes it's not a reflection on real people who have genuinely liked your page!

My blog is free... so why should I?
No... the best way for people to see your work is by LIKING, SHARING and COMMENTING.
You can help me out here (Puts a really cute, smiley face on)  https://www.facebook.com/InspiredByScript


TWITTER

Ohhhhh Twitter.... and tweeting and all that stuff. Nope, try as I might, I just don't 'get it'. Me and Twitter never really hit it off when it first came out... and I'm no further forward. I think the problem I have with it is, it's more for words than pictures... I'm much more a picture kinda gal, which is why.... https://twitter.com/SuePixieSimpson

PINTEREST is the place for me. It's over flowing with creative people. I'm not sure whether it's a good marketing tool and whether I'll ever get any customers from it... but it sure as hell is a great place to have your pictures shared and inspire others.

I not only have boards for my own work, but colour inspiration boards for couples as well as boards for great recipes, inspirational quotations, out and about, garden ideas as well as creative boards for my arty friends.

Pinterest is a virtual pin board and  an absolute must for me!
Find our pinterest board here if you haven't already
http://www.pinterest.com/pixiesuesimpson/

Well.... that's Social Media covered..... but there's oodles of other stuff we need to learn too. Apart from building the website,  we need to keep on track of HOW people these days actually use the internet, how they find people, how they shop, how long people spend on your site, visitor to sales conversion rates, In-bound marketing, Search Engine Optimisation....Zzzzzzzzz.... have I sent you to sleep yet?

For the most part, that vast majority of people work by trial and error.
With my own website, I try something for a month... so how the visitor stats go and then change it. It's all very much swings and roundabouts and as soon as you've learnt one thing... the industry has canged and you've gotta learn something new.


One thing I know... pictures gain far more interest than words. No-one wants to read anything these days. My first website was VERY wordy, this one less so and there are others that rely solely on pictures with the smallest amount of words possible.

Perhaps it's the way of the world? 
This instant everything. 

Perhaps we need to be kept amused and entertained? 

Perhaps we are bored with the old ways and need constant stimulation?

What's your thoughts and feelings on this? Do you have the same issues too?
Feel free to comment below or send me an email to inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk
I'd love to hear from you on this one!

A Vintage Style Wedding Dress for under £45!

O.K. I admit it.... I'm not really a dress kinda gal. I'm normally found in jeans as they are much more practical around the studio. However, this year the hot, sunny weather seem to have gone to my head a little bit and I've bought not 1, but 4 new dresses! The latest from Lindy Bop has to be my all time favourite! The most gorgeous shade of turquoise ever and covered in butterflies.... gorgeous! 

Anyway... I bet you are wondering where this is leading yes? Well, after buying a dress from them and seeing the amazing quality of the the dress, the fabric and the finishing I just had to have another little look-see and there it was! the

'OPHELIA' CLASSY VINTAGE 

1950'S PINUP PROM SWING DRESS 

WEDDING BRIDESMAIDS

The dress details are:

AN ELEGANT VINTAGE 1950's INSPIRED SWING DRESS BROUGHT TO YOU BY LINDY BOP.

DRESS FEATURES:

• FLARED SKIRT SECTION.
• GOOD QUALITY SATIN FABRIC. NOT TOO LIGHTWEIGHT AND NOT TOO SHINY WITH A LITTLE STRETCHINESS TO IT.
• SIDE POCKETS.
• RUCHED BUST. 
• HIDDEN SIDE ZIP.
• AN IDEAL DRESS FOR PROMS, WEDDINGS / BRIDESMAIDS OR OTHER SPECIAL OCCASIONS.
• AVAILABLE IN PALE GOLD OR IVORY.
• A PETTICOAT IS REQUIRED TO GET THE LOOK IN THE PICTURE. 
• 
  

And all for a bargain price of less than £45! Yes... you heard that right!

And what's really great about this dress is it comes in loads of colours and patterns and would make a stunning Bridesmaid Dress!

So if you're into Vintage, 50's, swing.... pop over and take a look at their fab website!

http://www.lindybop.co.uk/

DIY Bride - Bath Bomb Wedding Favours

There's nothing like something that's hand made for your wedding favours. For me it shows that the couple have done a little bit more than shoved a few sugared almonds into a round net and tied it up with a bit of ribbon. Even worse... just bought a job lot of something from eBay.

Well... for the DIY Brides out there... here's a great idea! 

DIY BATHBOMB FAVORS!

What's even better is.. they are cheap and easy to make! 

Surprise your guests and show them you care.

For full instructions, head on over to 

Something Turquoise

and see for yourself how easy they are.

AND we think they'd look great with some of our personalised favour tags too! 

Ordering Wedding Stationery - How reading this can keep you out of trouble!

"I’d like to order some wedding stationery, but don’t know where to start". How reading this can keep you out of trouble! 

It’s an email I get frequently and that’s when ordering from a small companies, who give you a one-to-one , with many years of experience can come in really handy.

There’s nothing wrong with ordering a ‘few extra’ for last minute guests, but ordering double the amount can cost a small fortune and is a costly mistake.

So we’ve put together a few pointers to prevent this from happening.

First off: SAVE THE DATE

These are sent if your wedding is more than one year away and you want your guests to attend a destination wedding or if your guests live some distance away. They may need to save up for this.

ALLOW – 1 per family

DAYTIME INVITATIONS

Daytime guests are sent 1 card per family, so when ordering remember not to order 1 per guest! You may think this is common sense… but trust me… I’ve heard people do this on more than one occasion. When we get enquiries for unusually high quantities of invites we usually double check!

ALLOW 1 PER FAMILY… PLUS A FEW EXTRA for mistakes when writing out and extra guests you may have forgotten.

EVENING INVITATIONS

Evening invitations. There is no need to send an evening invitation to the guests who will be attending your daytime wedding as they will already know that there is an evening reception/party.

ALLOW 1 PER FAMILY plus a few extra for mistakes when writing out and extra guests you may have forgotten..

R.S.V.P. – ALLOW THE SAME NUMBER AS FOR YOUR DAYTIME & EVENING INVITATIONS

ORDER OF SERVICE/ORDER OF THE DAY

This depends on how your money budget is running. Yes it’s nice to have one each, but 1 PER COUPLE is perfectly fine.

                   

MENUS

The number of menus you order depends on how you are going to present the menus on the table. You can order flat cards if you want to have them at each persons place setting or more commonly 1 PER TABLE

PLACE CARDS –

 Of course for place cards you’ll need 1 PER PERSON

WISHING TREE TAGS

 Wishing tree tags or something similar are becoming more and more common. 

The most common mistake is to order 1 per guest. This is not necessary as 'usually' one of the couple will wrote a card out on behalf of the family. So, I'd suggest

ABOUT ! PER COUPLE or FAMILY 

THANK YOU CARDS

 Please don’t forget to thank you guests for attending your wedding and giving you gifts. It’s the very least you can do.

ALLOW 1 PER FAMILY ATTENDING

There we have it, I hope this helps a little.

If you have any questions about ordering wedding invitations and stationery or anything else you think we may be able to help with, please leave a comment below or get in touch. We’d love to help.

Email: inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk

Tel: 01609 776 866

Opening Times: Tuesday – Saturday

10.30am – 4pm

Tumbling Heart, Red Inspired Wedding Invitations & Stationery - Lyndsay & Craig

This is what happens when you carry a theme right the way through...

Tumbling Heart, Red Inspired Wedding Invitations & Stationery - Lindsay & Craig

Lindsay & Craig chose the Tumbling Heart Design

For their daytime invitations....

And evening invitations too....

The venue, Allerton Court Hotel, Northallerton,

 also offered a menu choice 

and these were sent with the RSVP's

Once the R.S.V.P's are back, it's time to make the seating plan...

The red border reflects the colours chosen for their

Bridesmaids dresses...... 

And the silver on ivory complimented it beautifully.....

 We offer many solutions when it comes to table names and numbers

Flat cards need something to stand on.... like a mini easel 

or one of the many card holders available

We prefer to make these

Stand Alone cards......

And of course we can introduce you colour scheme into them too....

And we made the place cards to match.

All the names are written in Calligraphy

Which offers a truly personal touch.....

 We use Gouache paint as it's far less likely to bleed and smude

and once dry gives crisp lines and is also opaque

so you can easily have white letters on a dark coloured cardstock

In the modern age of computer lettering

people LOVE to see their names hand lettered

and in the case of unusual names, it's very often the 

only thing they have ever had, which is personalised with their names

I mean.... it's not often you see this is it?

And of course.... once the celebrations are over,

it's important to THANK YOU GUESTS! 

A little acknowledgement goes a long way!

So.... there you have it. A full wedding order from start to finish. Sadly the 'On the Day' stationery often gets overlooked when it comes to Wedding Photography, especially in the UK. But the 'On the Day' items are as important as the balloons and table sprinkles.  It would be lovely to see how everything comes together... especially when Menus and Order of Services and Order of the Day are involved too. But unless I gatecrash the party or hire a private photographer, it's unlikely I'll get to see it.

I'm sure... along with all the other bits and pieces of the wedding day, the whole thing looked fabulous and of course... the most important thing is, that everyone had a really great and memorable day.

Winter Inspired Wedding Invitations and Stationery- Karen & Tony

Planning a winter/Christmas wedding is probably the most challenging.

Instead of fighting it, Karen & Tony decided to embrace it.

All the ideas are Karen's... I was merely the person

who executed her ideas.

"Your ideas are our inspiration!" 

For the Invitations, Karen went along with a Holly theme....

She liked a previous design I had done, so we simply added Holly Leaves

instead of the plain leaves......

Once all the R.S.V.P's are in.... 

we can concentrate on the 'On the Day' details,

which help to enhance and personalise the Wedding reception.

The 'Order of the Day' Cards

were the same border as used in the Invitations.

We used Red and Green inside

The table names too had the same border...

this time without the heavy line above and below the design

as this would have made the border too overpowering

and the letters to light-weight,

it's all about balance.....

Rather than place cards, Karen wanted Holly leaves

with holes, to tie onto the wedding favours, 

which are to be Cumbrian Gingerbread in little gold chests 

And.... voila! 

Here they are 78 cut out holly leaves

With consultation I decided that Gold just had to be used for the calligraphy,

not only will to compliment the gold box... but looks pretty classy too!

I don't get to do as much calligraphy these days as I used to...

so it's nice to get my fingers covered in paint and keep my hand in.

Instead of our usual Wishing Tree Tags,

Karen suggested we make some red and green foiled baubles

Here they are before the holes are punched and the ribbon added...

And along with a poem seen at the centre/top....

the order is complete.

A few days earlier, I'd been playing with some doodles

and made them into tags to add to my mail order packages.

Just something a little different and quirky.

A little bit of fun brightens everyones day

and we just can't help those creative juices coming out to play :-)

I'd love to make a selection of designs, directed at the December/Christmas couples... but for once, apart from Holly and Snowflakes, my idea pot is empty.

Anyone got any bright ideas? 

Did you get married in December?

If so... what was your theme? 

Leave a comment or email me at 

inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk

I'd love to hear from you!

Sue x

Get creative and save money on favour boxes!

Get creative and save money on favour boxes!

I've made tons of these boxes in the past...

and they really are easy!

Ivy Themed, Personalised Wedding Invitations - Rebecca & Graham

I love making something, just that little bit different....

The Ivy themed wedding postbox was the starting point.

Made some time ago for my late husbands, cousins wedding

and long before I bought the foiling machine. 

Ivy symbolises eternal fidelity & wedded bliss. 

A popular Victorian tradition was for a bride to plant the ivy in her bouquet after the wedding and watch it grow through the years, passing down sprigs from the same plant for her daughters & granddaughters to use in their weddings.

The couple chose to have their Evening Invitations

 and Money Request cards in a lush green foil....

And the Daytime, gate folded 

Daytime Invitations in Silver Foil 

so as to not over power the green ribbon.

Have you ever wondered about the traditions and customs

 attached to weddings?I found this an interesting read

Wedding Traditions - Wedding Custom

Another great article, this time covering flower traditions 

around the world is this one, by 'The Knot'

Wedding Flowers: Customs & Traditions