HOW MUCH! But I could make it myself far cheaper!

A lady wanted to purchase a beautiful hand crocheted dress and spotted a crafter who did absolutely amazing work, but she charged a good price too. The lady thought that her price was way too high so she approached the crocheter and in quite a brusque fashion stated "I want to buy a dress from you, but I think you charge too much." The crafter was a little taken aback but replied "Ok, how much do you think i should charge?" The lady replied “I think you should charge “X” much, because the yarn will cost this much, and ribbons this much, and buttons this much. I even factored in the price of scissors." The final price the lady had calculated was a lot cheaper than the crafters original price, but she said "Ok, deal. You will get it in a week". The customer is very pleased with herself and can’t resist telling all her friends what a fabulous deal she has negotiated and how smart she is, and that in a week she will have her gorgeous crocheted dress.

A week later her parcel arrives in a lovely packaged box. She opens it and inside is yarn, ribbons, buttons and even scissors. Angrily she contacts the crafter asking “How could you do this to me? I asked you for a dress and you sent me a box of yarn, ribbon, buttons and scissors?!" The crafter quietly replies "My dear, you got exactly what you paid for, if you think there is something missing, you need to pay for it."

Moral of the story, when you buy handmade you are not just buying the materials you are buying the crafters, time, effort, love and dedication that goes into making your items. Xxx   

Inspired by Script -Our Virtual Shop Tour is now LIVE!

Well thanks to the wonderful Google where most of my mail order searches come from and with the great service from Better Reach.... Inspired by Script is pleased to announce, you can now take a VIRTUAL TOUR of our little Aladdin's Cave.

SIMPLY CLICK HERE

And use your mouse to scan 360 degrees around the shop and zoom in and out too!
You'll see there's lots more than simply Wedding Invitations.!

Everything in the shop is made designed and printed by us!
Here are some stills of the photos the wonderful people at Better Reach did for me...

Hey! What do you think? Let us know in the comments box below... we LOVE hearing from you! x

Contact us by email: inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk 
Tel: Sue on 01609 776 866
Website: http://inspiredbyscript.co.uk

And behold I make all things new. Well not quite new... but definitely less chaotic!

It was a mad run up to Christmas at Inspired by Script. Normally it quietens down a little before the holidays, but I've come to realise that with the Wedding Industry it's more likely to be a mad dash to get your stationery ordered before the studio shuts it's doors for Christmas. This year was no exception. Can you believe I even took my first order for 2016! (more of that later).

Because we take such little time off during the year, due to the type of industry I now find myself in, the only time to have a good hard think about the business and the way it works is during that 2 week window... so when I say "I'm shutting shop for 2 weeks" we invariably find we somehow end up there at some point. 

The studio has gone through many changes in the 15 years that I have been there. I started this life offering Calligraphy & Lettering Art services, but to be frank, it was tough. People just didn't understand how many hours were involved in creating something hand written. I mean, if you can hand write a small note to a friend in 10 minutes or so, how in the world can it take you 2 or 3 hours? It's because people didn't understand the years of training to actually be able to write in that way, that they almost fell over when you quoted a price. Hand lettering was in demand... but usually to write the deaths of young soldiers in memorial books for the M.O.D. (a very depressing job indeed!).

  I have to say... it feels very strange to see photos of what the shop used to look like....

And the work I used to do seems a very long way away......

Anyway... fast forwarding to more cheerful stuff. The wedding side of things was a leap of faith. I wasn't convinced anyone would pay for bespoke, made to order and created especially for them, invitations and stationery... how absolutely WRONG can anyone be! I'm not going to lie and say it was easy... there were many hours getting to grips with a lot of things.. Facebook, web analytics, Twitter and Pinterest... and these ways of marketing you have to understand and keep well on top of as they change on an almost weekly basis..... and did I mention how time consuming they are??? Time that takes away creating and designing time. Eating away into your day but non the less necessary for today's modern day Bride & Grooms. Also known as... 'The Young Ones' :-)

My first display stand for the cards wasn't really very practical... and it gave way to perspex ... which soon outgrew itself..... more ideas than space I'm afraid. 

And in my higher wisdom I invested yet more money on these cardboard point of sale stands

But finding anything quickly became an impossible task. 

With so many ideas the shop could quickly

 descend into chaos during consultations

Even the display area of

'Our latest orders' was at risk....

Of course.... we don't just make Wedding Invitations,

we make anything connected to paper and Card

 that is printed or constructed.

I've been playing with paper all my life.... 

so this feeds my creative spirit  :-)

And then there's the personalised postboxes too...

 And we can't forget the table numbers and place cards or wedding favours....

It's only a little place.... trying to cram in a lot of ideas.

Fitting a quart into a pint pot springs to mind! 

So over the Christmas holidays (did someone mention holiday?) we decided to have a big rethink. And the idea of Inspiration Boards was born.

First a Butterfly themed one....

Then a Heart themed one.......

Then Ivy... which seems to be increasingly popular.....

And of course my favourite... The Wishing Tree Design

In all it's variations........ 

Because we want to give our customers the best possible experience, we are forever changing the little shop around. The 'Inspiration Boards' at least show the choices you have and variety of ways your invitation can be made: flat, Folded, Wallet or Pocket Fold. Card colour, foil colours and of course the all important Designs.

Ahhhh yes... the designs .... the many, many designs which are forever growing! Each design, because we make everything ourselves, can be changed and tweaked and there's just not enough room to display everything.... So I have succumbed to putting them all in an album. Far easier to brows and less in yer face and overwhelming than when they were on the shelf.

Of course.... we'll still have a display of our latest orders,

 and dedicated shelves for Wallet & Pocket fold Invitations

but the shelf unit at the end will be better used to display all the other little bits of ephemera.

It's very much a work in progress and I'm sure things will change as the year wears on, but I'll keep you updated with snippets of the inside of the shop, mainly for those who haven't the pleasure of actually visiting and have to rely on mail order.

The plan for this year is... the blog will change. It  will incorporate stories from the studio, sometimes informative, sometimes funny, sometimes simply sharing someone's great ideas.

I love hearing all your ideas and plans and we take an active part in the overall look of your big day.

We are not 'just another shop that sells stuff for weddings', we pride ourselves on giving 1 to 1 service which will totally compliment your wedding day.

If we can help you in any way, shape or form or you're simply looking for some friendly advice, contact us directly at the studio by

calling 01609 776 866.
Email us at inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk 
or visit the shop at:
288a high Street, Northallerton,
 North Yorkshire, DL7 8DW

we're always happy to help :-)
Hey, if you like or don't like this post, we'd love to hear from you.
Click the comments box below and leave a message.

If you found it useful or like it.... please help us by clicking one
 (or all if you are feeling generous) of the share
 buttons also in the box below.

And lastly ... don't forget to visit our website
http://inspiredbyscript.co.uk 

happy planing! Sue x

Looking back.... looking forward.

LOOKING BACK

First off.. HAPPY NEW YEAR! And congratulations to all you lovely Brides to be who are getting married this year.

December is usually a quieter time for me. Weddings are almost done and apart from a few, the couples getting married in 2015 usually leave it till January to get in touch.

2014 was an exception to the rule and I had 3 brides who were tying the knot with a winter themed wedding. As I close for Christmas around the 20th you can imagine it was all hands on deck and my feet never touched the floor :-) It felt at times chaotic... but we got there in the end.

It wasn't my intention to go into making wedding stationery full time and no longer offer the bespoke calligraphy service that I had been doing as a main source of income for the 20 years prior to the last 3, but with the purchase of a foiling machine, cutters, folding machine and you lovely couples coming to me thick and fast... well ... you have to be flexible in business and go with the flow. And thanks to you all, I had the best year ever.

Before this, business was at times a struggle and at best it was slow and steady, but memorial books and writing out the names of dead soldiers, some no older than boys, takes it's toll and to be honest I found it at times depressing and heartbreaking. I'm much happier joining in with more joyful  occasions.

I had little belief that there was a real market for hand made, made to order Wedding Invitations and Stationery... but you've proved me wrong and for that I am so very, very, grateful.

Being a part of the couples day is rewarding. After the venue and the date is booked, I'm very often the first and last supplier a couple has contact with. From the initial Save-the-Date or Invitation cards... right through to the seating pans, place cards, post boxes and a wide variety of other interesting things you get me to make, which can literally be collected just a few days before the big day!. Our relationship is a long one :-)

Your ideas feed my creativity and what a year we had! And as the year moved on... the ideas became braver and much more creative. I'm excited that couples are thinking more about the whole picture and not just the flowers and dress. All thanks to Pinterest i'm sure! Themed weddings are always the best to work with... besides we have so much fun coming up with ideas together. It's a joint collaboration.
I'll be totally honest with you... I've had a ball!

So... thank you to all you lovely couples that came to Inspired by Script last year... whether on foot or by phone. It was an amazing year and I hope it continues.

If anything... the only regret I had last year is that I was so busy my blogging went down the pan! And I didn't keep everything up to date! Facebook is quicker for the micro blogging world and so I tended to use that instead. So while I love writing articles and although I am starting the year with good intentions, it may go belly up again. So make sure you 'LIKE' us on FACEBOOK


LOOKING FORWARD

In my diary... I already have 6 couples getting married this year and 1 in 2016! And I haven't even opened the doors yet :-)  This year looks like it will be busier than ever!

Blue is the colour and polka dots and chevrons and camper vans and country weddings are afoot!
And I'm sure my lovely couples will have some great, new ideas of their own.

As well as looking forward to working with new ideas and themes, inspiration comes thick and fast when you have a couple of weeks off!

I'm hoping I'll get time to share more on my Blog this year... even if I can only manage micro blogs at my busiest times.

I'm also hoping to offer alternatives, aimed at the DIY Bride. I love creative people and sometimes Brides are reluctant to mention that they want to make their own. Hey I have taught at a variety of workshops on all manner of creative crafts and well before I taught Calligraphy too. So don't be shy. We can also supply materials for you to make your own!.... if for whatever reason you are stuck... come and see me. If I can help... I will!

We're also hoping to offer some downloadable designs. These designs will be fully personalised and after payment, all you will have to do is download and print. It's that simple! I supply the design, you supply the card, envelopes, download, print and cut... any amount you need.

We are also planning on making some videos to help the DIY Bride, so make sure you follow us! More on this later!

 NEW IDEAS FOR THE BLOG

I love and need the interaction from the people who read this blog. So I need your help!
Can you help with any of the following?

• Would you like to feature on this blog?  I'm looking for couples who want to share their happy day, including perhaps the planning, the issues they had and right through to the final day. REAL WEDDINGS inspire others. They help others get through that all important PLANNING thing! Do you fancy being featured? 
• Are you a supplier? Would you like to write an article telling the lovely couples who read my blog all about what you do, why you do it and perhaps offer planning hlep to them?
• COUPLES what is your most pressing question or difficulty regarding the planning of your wedding? do you need help or advice... perhaps from others who read this blog? A problem shared is a problem halved. 

Depending on demand... I intent to get on board some of the local suppliers to talk about what they do.

I want to help inspire YOU with the massive amount of ideas floating round the net at the moment.

Of course I'll be sharing all my new ideas via the blog too as well as getting up close and personal with the studio.

And there will be competitions... and giveaways..... and draws..... and discounts! 

So... whether you are a couple or a business who wants to be featured or just need help or advice... email me (Sue at inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk and let's make this happen! 

Alternatively Leave a message on my Facebook page or send me a pm if you want to stay private :-)

Or just leave a comment under this post. I promise I'll get back to you.
Come on everyone... Let's make 2015 a year to connect!

By the way.... If you like this post please feel free to share with others... Sharing is caring! :-)

Sue x

Winding Down but lots to do behind the scenes.

Well here we are.... the beginning of December already! And this year my feet haven't touched the ground, thanks to all the wonderful couples that have passed through the doors of Inspired by Script and those who I haven't met personally, but have had a deep and close relationship with through internet orders from my website. 

It's unlikely there will be anyone shopping for invitations at this time of the year and I'm taking the opportunity to have a well earned break to recharge my batteries ready for the new Brides and Grooms that will enter the shop just after Christmas, as the proposals during Christmas and New Year reach an all time high. 

Although I work hard all year round to bring new and fresh ideas (many ideas coming from couples themselves), I usually take advantage of this down time to work on my website, learn more about social media and internet marketing, which in this ever changing world of technology has to be kept on top of. Sometimes it seems, no sooner have you learnt one thing and something else comes along. It's ok for you young things.... but it certainly keeps us oldies on our toes. It seems daily I have to learn a new abbreviation for something or other :-)

These days... it's not just a case of building a website and that's that. People view websites on a wide variety of devices and you have to make sure that your site is compatible with all types of devices. you also have to learn where your traffic is coming from, when they are leaving and try to analyse WHY they are leaving. I've had to learn how website and social media are integrated and how everything from Facebook to Blogging, Twitter to Pinterest and not to mention Google+ all help your Google ranking. If all this sounds technical... well it is and so far removed from Calligraphy and the making and creating of Wedding Invitations and Stationery... but hey ho.... who said being an artist was all coffee shops and afternoon tea? for me and many others like me... it's all part of the job.

All this takes precious time away from the making and I'm not convinced that this is the way society should be going... but like it or not, it's here to stay and you have to embrace it or loose valuable clients. 

So... as well as improving the website... Starting in the New Year, I have some really great ideas and exciting plans for the blog too.... but that will have to wait for now. Be assured that behind the scenes, during the Christmas break... I'll be working my socks off to make your experience on my website the best it can be. 

I won't lie and tell you all this is a breeze.... some days it gets ontop of you and feels like a never ending mountain to climb, but on the whole it's fascinates me and the job of marketing becomes far less arduous as I remind myself of these words.... 

Working with couples 

is not a job...

It's an honour! 

Don't ask me to copy someone else's idea as refusal often offends!

I have an issue.... and if this had happened just once, it probably wouldn't even be worth my time writing about it.... but it has happened repeatedly over the last year!

I love it when Brides come in, all enthusiastic and brimming with ideas about their 'Dream Wedding Day'. However..... when I ask them to come with some ideas, they don't always see 'inspiration' in the same way I do.

Making bespoke, tailor made, using my own designs, sometimes with the Brides ideas, can be time consuming but rewarding... of that there is no doubt! 

With the internet, Brides have access to thousands of cards and wedding invitations in particular, on eBay, Google, Pinterest and many other forms of sharing.  

On more than one occasion I've had a Bride tip out of an envelope either a card made by someone else, or a poorly printed pixelated picture taken from the internet. 

I don't want to start slagging Wedding Stationers or large print companies off here, but quite honestly sometimes I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

TAKE THE MASS PRODUCED CARDS for example.

Certain print companies (who shall remain anonymous!) state quite clearly on their website that they sell Wedding invitations from as little as 60p! Then there's a picture of a folded card, all nicely printed inside and you think you have grabbed yourself a bargain! 

So... of you trundle, filling out membership forms, email mailing lists and eventually get to the part where you have to enter all the information you want on the card....... Hey! I hear you say! I only need 30 cards so that's only going to cost me £18! BARGAIN! Then you have to enter all your payment card details, go through some more security checks, respond to the email that says you want to make the order, click pay and then realise that the P&P has been super hiked up ,,,, and those cards for 60p were the POSTCARD variety (as shown in the small print!) 

Not such a bargain now is it?

A few times I've been presented with the pictures of the front of these cards (which are totally revolting might I add) and asked to do something like them! Errrr you want me to copy that design... Oh yes please.... Errrr I think not! 

For one thing  I do not copy anyone else's designs!

 another thing is ... it's illegal!... Copyright infringement! 

and.... even if I 'could' legally copy it, I wouldn't because it awful from a design point of view and I wouldn't want anyone thinking that's the sort of rubbish I turn out.

Ironically... the Brides who have asked me to do this, generally think

 I WILL BE CHEAPER TOO! 

OK, OK, So you can't really copyright a piece of white card with printing on it, cut slightly smaller than a piece of colour card underneath..... but seriously.... do you really think I'd want to???

So please....... on entering the studio.....

Please .......

DON'T ASK ME TO COPY SOMEONE ELSE'S IDEA!

AS REFUSAL OFTEN OFFENDS! 

We have tons of samples and ideas at the shop... there's something for everyone and to suit all kinds of budgets. If you don't find what you are looking for, we will do our best to come up with something especially for you! 

The bottom line is.... If you like a particular idea or card.... 

BUY IT FROM THE PERSON 

OR COMPANY WHO MADE IT!

They are the ones who have taken the time to see what does and doesn't work. 

You owe it to them to reward them for their hard work, making their designs work,

designs that you love so much! 

But PLEASE do not come to me with someone else's design....

I have plenty in my own head that still need to come out :-)

It shouldn't happen to a Wedding Stationer.... but I'm afraid it does!

I make Wedding Invitations and Stationery.... let me put this a bit more clearly.... I DESIGN, personalise and make Wedding Invitations and Stationery. Nothing special about that you may think? But in my little shop I must have well over 50 different designs and I'm quite happy to design something around you and your ideas.......So why is it that quite a few Brides now, have trawled the Internet for ideas and insist on coming to me with other peoples samples?

Now.... just so we are clear on this and for those who are not familiar with my work.... this is what I do: Handmade, designed by me, bespoke (tailor-made) invitations that are FOILED. Foiled is that shiny stuff you see on the top quality cards in your W H Smiths or Clinton Cards etc. Here's one...

.

If you want to see more

pop over to the website:

http://inspiredbyscript.co.uk

And just so you get the picture.... here's the huge choice of foil colours.... 

So you see there's a lot of choice...... added to that the FREE design service we offer too!

OK.... so, the bride comes in and the conversation usually goes something like this:

BRIDE: I hear you make Wedding Invitations?
ME: I most certainly do..... have you got any ideas in mind.
(By this I usually mean a colour theme, some sort of graphic idea, perhaps Butterflies, Hearts, Flowers or something like that)
BRIDE: Well I have a few
ME: Great! Let me see what you've got!

And now I am going to relate to the latest Bride that came in to see me... this is a true story! HONEST!

The Bride shifts her hand awkwardly into her handbag and pulls our a card (SEE PICTURE)

BRIDE: I like this one! Can you make one of these?

ME: Well by 'one' I expect you mean more than one?

BRIDE: Yes

ME: Well I do, make cut letter pieces to give as gifts (I proudly show her the following)

.... but the card you are showing me is laser cut and those machines cost about £12,000 ... that's a lot of cards I'd have to sell over my lifetime if I wanted to break even... so No... I don't do laser cut cads.... But if you like it so much, why don't you just buy them from the company?

BRIDE: Because they are £5 each!

There's now a pregnant pause, while I wait for the Bride to say something.... silence.

ME: Ok what other ideas have you got?

She tentatively brings out another card.... this time with Top hats and hearts on. Not my cup of tea I must admit.... but there again, it's not my Wedding and I have to learn to butt out sometimes :-)

ME: Ok.... what do you like about it?

BRIDE: I like the navy blue card.

ME: Anything else?

BRIDE: Yes, the glitter

ME: after a long pause (mostly to gather my thought back together. Well for one thing, I don't print on dark card, this is a special printing process... and the glitter is laid down by machine also... so no, I don't do that type of thing either. Look at all these..... I FOIL and make Wedding Invitations, these are MY designs.....

BRIDE: (interrupting before I go any further): I have more....

She proceeds to take out card after card, sample after sample, until we were surrounded by 10 cards in total... all totally different.... NON of them like anything I produce.

ME: (after a sharp intake of breath! So.... what exactly do you like about all these cards? Any one in particular? Is it the colour? The pictures? The design or layout?

BRIDE: I dunno... I just like them.

I quickly... well perhaps I should have been quicker! ... homed in on the fact she was a serial sample collector. As it was over 18 months till her Wedding, I said although I would LOVE to help her, she needed to go away and have a think of what makes her tick and come back when something had really grabbed her imagination. Perhaps she is only having a small wedding and if she collects enough samples, she won't have to buy one??  I really don't know.

Can I just say here... I'm not opposed to ideas and suggestions. I'm happy to offer guidance and inspiration..... but there has to be some input from the Bride!

In one way, I feel she was lost.... in another I feel she was getting carried away with all the Cinderella/Princess/Magical part of it all. She left the studio, without even looking at my Invitations or Stationery.... perhaps she was lonely and wanted just to show me hers? Whatever the reason.... it helps your Wedding Stationer if you have a least an idea of what you want.

I see my job as connecting and interacting with the Bride and Groom, bashing around a few ideas after getting to know them. Some make this easy, some make it hard and some (not many thankfully!) make it impossible. Still.... we hang on in there and the easy to please Brides, with some idea of what they want, far outweighs the difficult times when you want to throw in the towel. :-)

Oh well.... tomorrow is another day.... another dollar :-)

Growing and Changing.... It's a fact of life!

Running any business, especially a small one like mine, is a matter of trial and error. Of course  there are standard business blueprints that work for everyone, but there are many factors that need to be taken into account. 

Before I decided to put my efforts 100% into the Wedding Stationery Business, my little gallery part was geared towards a mish-mash (is that a word?) or what, why and how, you could have pretty lettering arranged on a wide variety of surfaces. 

Potential Brides were confused ,

and really... I'm not surprised.

Firstly out came all the canvases, wall hangings and other lettered on items

And we repainted the walls in a colour that would make the 

Wedding Invitations and Stationery stand out......

The thing is..... once you start changing, it's very much a case of trial and error. You do your very best to present what you have to offer in the best possible way. Customers really need to be able to look at what you do and what you have to offer and totally 'get you', without long winded explanations. It's very much a work in progress and you have to be prepared to let go of the things that don't work.

Over the Easter Holidays Steve (my very supportive other half and part-time kiln fired jewellery maker) had booked 18 days holiday..... and as the saying goes, devil and idle hands and all that :-)

We took a long hard look at the shelves that were the home to the Table numbers, seating plans, favour tags, place cards and other assorted ephemera and decided we needed to display them better.

People rarely went over that side of the room and things just didn't 'feel' right.

 So..... he's built a larger table top area at the other side,

and we've painted it to match the walls.......

There's still some rearranging to be going on with the walls

but it's finally starting to look happier and more settled.

The hardest thing has been, getting rid of all my calligraphy and lettering art prints and originals. I no longer see myself as a calligrapher and lettering artist.... just someone who's qualified in calligraphy who uses this skill to design and produce hand made, personalised wedding stationery.

We're looking forward to hearing what our customers think and if they can make suggestions as to how to make their experience better and more enjoyable.

We LOVE it! Let's see if they do! :-)

Orange, Yellow and Hot Pink Inspired Wedding Ideas

Well, it's still pretty cold and miserable and the threat of snow looms all around....

So.... we decided to re-dress the window at Inspired by Script

in the hope it brought some magic our way and the sunshine too.

Shown below is a Wedding Post Box and in front  of that

some of Steve Smiths Jewellery, 

which we also sell as his work sells really well

as Bridesmaid and Best Man Gifts.....

No.... not earring for the men, but stunning solid silver cufflinks :-) 

A few weeks ago a lady rang with the most exciting colour scheme

Citrus colours of Orange and Yellow and added to it a hint of Hot Pink. 

So I decided that would certainly warm up the still dark and gloomy days.

As we dressed the other window in Butterfly themed stationery

we thought this time we'd got for hearts....

so the Wishing Tree took a hit first,

with Orange and yellow hearts

and the actually 'Wishing Tags' In gold and Copper foil

to represent the Orange and Yellow.

The Wedding Invitations foiled in

Copper and Gold

looked particularly stunning

We make everything at the studio ourselves, so

 Brides can make sure that everything matches,

this time for the window display I decided to do

 the full set of what's available....

minus the Wedding Albums and Guest Books that is,

but the place cards, table numbers and favour tags are here....

AND..... can you believe it....

but as we had just finished setting up the window,...

the sun came out! Just long enough to take a few pictures,

but it did come out!...

and if you look at the 3rd picture down you will see 

the fluffy why clouds in the most gorgeous Blue sky 

caught in the reflection of the window.

It's certainly hard to believe that this time

 last year we were having a heatwave! 

Life at the studio - CHANGE can be terrifying!

  CHANGE can be terrifying can't it? But I'm all the better for knowing I have you right there with me!

Ohhhh am I excited or what? There's big changes coming to Inspired by Script this year as my focus is looking straight ahead at Brides and the Wedding part of my business, which I have since 1999, kept at arms length. The thing about business is you have to change with the times and go where your market takes you.

Whatever your original plan was or is, you really have to listen to your customers and ask them what THEY want and see how you can help them.

CALLIGRAPHY is a specialist service and can cover a multitude and wide variety of orders.... from certificates to large family tree, small quotations to memorial books.

It was time for a change.... and as the Brides came, I had to make the decision that something had to go. Offering all the services I offered made me feel like I was Jack-of-all-trades, master of non. One day I could be making a birthday card, the next I could be designing a whole range of stationery for corporate clients and the next day I could be painting a canvas with inspirational poetry.

There is some regret that I am leaving those orders behind, but another part of me is sighing with HUGE relief that I will no longer be bouncing about, not knowing from one day to the next what orders will come through the door and how long they will take up of my precious time. There was the added problem too that someone would come in with a really small poem or quotation and not realise the time that it would take to actually think it through. People also have a preconceived idea of what they want, with no design background and once in a while I had to produce something in a way that was described to me, knowing it looked pretty terrible... this is not what I trained to do.

I finally feel free! More focused. Doing what I really should have been doing all along.

 I want to write,
I want to advise,
I want to help,
and most of all I want to use my design and creative skills, to help Brides get exactly what they want for their most important day.

Over the coming weeks, there will be changes. My lettering and calligraphy pieces will be sold at discounted prices.... the website I created just for the wedding stationery side http://northyorkshireweddings.co.uk  and the blog http://northyorkshireweddings.blogspot.com will also see some changes, but it will most probably be another year until Inspired by Script and North Yorkshire Weddings both amalgamate into one.

The Joys of Being Creative

If there's one thing my holiday taught me, it was that I can't keep going on full power 50 weeks a year and not have a break. My work didn't end when I returned home at night. I usually made tea and then ended up on the computer, listing and working on my website, both the Inspired by Script one and the North Yorkshire Weddings one, then blogging, again on my Inspired by Script Blog and my North Yorkshire Weddings Blog. I'm also involved with the collective Weddings North Yorkshire which I helped set up, to connect Brides and Grooms with Wedding Suppliers in the North Yorkshire area. All this takes time. Time that you cannot charge for and time you cannot factor into your day... so it has to fit in somewhere.

For sometime, I have been working almost 7 days a week and something has to give. Mondays are my quietest days, so I have decided that from now on I will be open Satudays but closed Mondays. Most of my clients work full time and when they are finished work, so have I.

I've also been wanting to follow up another idea.... and this goes back some time. The Studio does seem to attract other creative's. Work and money aside, I am often asked for help and advice. Having to learn along the way and fallen down many pitfalls myself, I love helping and encouraging others to either BR CREATIVE or FOLLOW THEIR PASSION.

Sometimes the only help people need is a little encouragement to believe in themselves, other times they need some practical help and advice on where and how to sell and market their work.

Long established businesses are only too willing to come forward and offer their advice too. So I am in the process of building a new blog called Makers and Shakers! I'm hoping eventually that this will become popular and interactive, with those new to making money from their Art and Crafting skills coming out into the open and sharing their creativeness and their experiences.

All this of course, takes time and somehow you have to find the time.... so I have decided that although I will be away from the studio on Mondays... I will be still working.... Blogging, listing on websites and writing articles.... but without distraction from all the creative stuff around me.

So, if you are an artists, crafter, beginner or long established business, I'd love to hear from you!

Pop over to the blog http://makersandshakers.blogspot.co.uk/
and remember to join us on Facebook at our Makers and Shakers Page.

As always, I love to hear from you, so please contact me though my Inspired by Script email address

Happy creating,
Sue x

Give Me A Sign

Well....it had to happen! The white on back Gallery Sign had to go! It no longer fitted with my new business model and not only didn't describe my new take on my business, but the colours were totally uninspiring.

The purple, hot pink and lime green were already in use, but in different combinations throughout my branding and as I'm moving forward into the Brides, Babies and Beyond kind of things (Personalised Gifts and Stationery for Special Occasions) I thought that the hot pink would be more eye catching for a sign.

I have to tell you, that this is MkII of the sign, the last one was made yesterday and turned out to be a complete disaster, sign wise that is.

I was so disgusted with it I even forgot to photograph it, which is a shame because it would have made a great blog post on 'What NOT to do, when making and designing a sign!'.

I'm far happier with this one....I even perhaps went overboard when adding my leafy twists and curly branches.....but at least they are MY graphics and not ones pulled off the internet.

It's now hung on the wall......blinding anyone who goes near it and actually describes what awaits anyone who dares to venture down the yard at 288a High Street.... (and you can get directions here!)

What with the revamp inside and the new sign outside...Inspired by Script is certainly looking more appealing and all adds to the new look branding.