#TOP TIP TUESDAY from InspiredByScript.co.uk #3

#3 WHEN ORDERING STATIONERY – 

PROOF READ, PROOF READ, PROOF READ

 & PROOF READ, AGAIN!

Can you tell… I can’t stress this enough!

Regardless of how many times you read something, there’s always a slim chance that something will slip through. I always insist on the couple emailing me whatever they want written inside their invites, menus, order of service and seating plans. I usually do a quick check over, but sometimes even I miss something. The responsibility of getting it right is yours and yours alone.

I never change anything without checking with the Bride and Groom first and many of the on-line stationery suppliers simply use a merge feature and don’t even cast an eye over it.

Once printed, that is it. Unless you want to pay for them to be reprinted, PLEASE check over and over again and hand them your proof over to someone else to check too…. (A fresh eye and all that).

It will save you money in the long run!

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#TOP TIP TUESDAY from InspiredByScript.co.uk #2

#2 WHEN ORDERING STATIONERY 

GIVE YOUR WEDDING STATIONER 

PLENTY OF NOTICE

Can you tell…. This has happened to me? Countless times!

The hardest thing for a stationer who loves to make invitations and stationery that is extra special and totally made to order is that now and again and usually during your busiest periods, you’ll get that all important distress call from someone who has been ‘let down’, by another company.

Now, this is all very well, but I wasn’t your first choice…..so this really isn’t MY problem. I do try and help as best I can, but my clients (and I’m sure I speak for all the other wedding stationers here too) COME FIRST!

Fortunately, my clients know from the outset the lead time I need, so this never happens.

I’m often asked “How long will it/they take”.

The factors here are

1)   How long will it take the client to proof and approve the proofs?

2)    How busy I am at that particular point.

We do try and keep on top of things and generally work comes in steadily, so I am well paced…. But every now and then, it can become manic and everything falls at your feet in one fell swoop BOOSH! Yeah… then I panic (a little).

So you can see, if this is one of those times and we have a 3 week waiting list, those “I’ve been let down and need this for next Friday… and it has to be posted…and I’m not paying for extra 24hour carrier” phone calls are not very welcome.

We don’t work well under pressure.

Many of my US friends who also make Wedding Invitations and Stationery charge DOUBLE on the labour costs. The reason for this is, their diary’s are usually full and they have to hire in extra help. The cost has to be covered somewhere.

RMEMBER: Look after your service provider and they will look after you!

HELP OTHERS & SHARE...

SHARING IS CARING

WHAT'S YOUR TOP TIP?

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#TOP TIP TUESDAY from InspiredByScript.co.uk #1

NEW STARTING TODAY!

#TOP TIP TUESDAY!

#1 WHEN ORDERING STATIONERY 

ALLOW 10% EXTRA!

Why? Everyone makes mistakes right? Whether it’s a slip of the pen or forgetting someone important when adding up how many invites you need.

Even in my Calligraphy days we insisted on an extra 10% of anything we had to write in ‘just in case’. Waiting for extra stationery to arrive from a supplier added extra days to getting the job finished.

For some, it was a costly mistake because many of the stationery suppliers had a minimum order of 20 when ordering…. Even when it was add ons and the client had already ordered from them in the past.

So PLEASE make sure you order AT LEAST another 10% of anything wedding related. Better to have too many than no enough.

HELP OTHERS & SHARE...SHARING IS CARING

WHAT'S YOUR TOP TIP?
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Stunning, Personalised Laser cut wedding invitations

We've been looking at these for quite a while.....till we could resist it no longer, especially as vintage and Rustic wedding with their luxurious lace seem to be the 'thing' at the moment.

Here's one we made earlier...complete with personalised Belly Band

remove the belly band

And up pops the middle

Here's a close up of the intricate detail of this beautiful laser cut invite

The invitation details can be printed on a complimentary or contrasting card... so for dual colour weddings you can mix and match.

And the really great thing is.....They come in 50... YES 60! colours,

so there is something for everyone.

THE DETAILS

Card size: 15cm x 15cm

Card stock 300 - 350gsm card stock

Inner card: 300 gsm card stock

Envelope: 155cm x 155cm in white or ivory. 120 gsm

Colour choice: Choose from 50 colours

OPTIONAL EXTRAS: 

Belly Band

Personalised Topper

Ribbon

Crystals

Pearls 

Aren't they just beautiful?  

Want to know more? Call the studio on 01609 776 866 during opening hours

or if you live in or near Northallerton, North Yorkshire, pop in to see a real life sample.

We just KNOW you'll love them as much as we do! 

Looking for more inspiration?

See our VINTAGE Pinterest Board HERE

See our RUSTIC Pinterest board HERE

Personalised teal, wedding wishing tree tags

100 personalised wedding wishing tree tags.

Ivory card with teal print and ribbons 

Hannah and Matt's pink and silver themed personalised wedding seatingplan

Hannah & Matt came to me and chose a pink and silver themed wedding seating plan.

I really do apologise for the poor quality of these photos.
when work is finished, it's quickly collected or posted and out of the door as storage space is limited.

It seemed far better to quickly take a few photos so I could share them all with you.

At least you'll get a flavour of the items I'm sharing. 

As always, let us know if we can help you with your wedding day paper and card ephemera.

call us on 01609 776 866 during opening hours 

Fingerprint wedding invitations made with the couples own fingerprints

Another order complete and awaiting collection. This fingerprint heart design is made from the couples own fingerprints #wedding #Invitation #Fingerprint#Inspira

Fun with paper

The project called for large buttons. So large buttons it is #papercut  #craft ##creativity

Personalised Christening invitations, a triple celebration!

It's a triple Christening....yes triple, not triplets.
Twins Eli-Clark, Ebony-Mae & their older sister Dawn
are having a joint celebration.

Between us we managed to come up with this idea.... a 3-in-1 invitation.

There were many paper buttons to die cut and my tuimb was numb for a week....

We added an RSVP card to the back of the triple fold card.

the invites were blue and pink to represent the twins and lavender for Dawn.

We're going to carry the colours through to the Post box and guest book.....

It's lvely when it all co-ordinates. 

Personalised have this first drink on us cards

although it's nowhere near as full as I want it to be (I'm aiming to have 100 items in there by Christmas at the latest), My Etsy Store has been busy!

Not with invitation sales as you might think ....but with these little beauties....

Already I have orders sent to New Zealand,

London,

And 2 to Australia! 

You can find these 'Have your first drink on us!' tokens here

As always we give discounts for bulk, so if you want a pack of 60 or more, you can find them here

Make sure you keep your eye on the shop as we slowly add things to it

the link is https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/InspiredByScript 

We also make personalised tags, stickers and labels..... everything you need to fancy up your wedding bits and pieces. 

Call us on 01609 776 866

or if you are close to Northallerton, pop in during opening hours 

Alice and Michael bunting themed, pink and lavender seating plan

Alice & Michael wanted a bunting themed, pink & lavender seating plan.
No problem....

Even though they had a VW camper van to drive the Bride to the venue, I couldn't persuade them to have them on the seating plan....so we went for plain and simple instead.... 

Have you a special idea that you'd like us to make?

Call us during opening hours on 01609 776 866

If you live close to or are within  travelling distance of Northallerton, North Yorkshire, Call in at the studio.

Our opening times are beetween 10.30 am - 4,30 pm

Tuesday - Saturday,

however we are there later during our busy times. 

Kate & Nick - Mr & Mrs Signs and personalised confetti cones.

Now for Kate & Nick - Mr & Mrs Signs and personalised confetti cones.

These large A4, MDF wooden signs are decorated with gold lettering and green ribbon.
I always think Gold on Ivory adds that bit of elegance to any wedding



The signs will be hung on the back of chairs, supplied by the couples wedding planner and venue stylist Jane from Elegant Seating.

I've worked with Jane for a number of weddings now and she comes highly recommended,.



And here we have.... MORE personalised confetti cones. .....this time in a lovely green.
A nice personal touch to any wedding.



Need something special and want us to consider making it for you?
We love unique and creative ideas....so call us and run it by us,
Tel Sue on 01609 776 866 during opening hours, or leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can!

Zach & Kirsty Personalised fingerprint guest book and Confetti Cones in Navy Blue & Pink

It's been mega busy here at Inspired by Script. The only downside to being busy is not having the time to keep up with the blog and Social media.... all necessary parts of running a small business and driving customers our way.

So... I'll do my best over the next few posts to get up to speed and show you some wonderful things we've been making....with ideas from Brides...

First off....
Zach & Kirsty Personalised fingerprint guest book and Confetti Cones in Navy Blue & Pink

Our large A3 wedding fingerprint guest book makes a great keepsake of your special day.
Guests sign the print and then you can frame it after the wedding as a lasting reminder of the special people who ere there.

As I'm pushed for time at the moment I'm using the iPad for photos. Probably not the smartest move I've ever made as the colours are so much brighter on the real thing... but it gives you a flavour of what they look like

Colours can be changed to match your wedding theme and we can use either a stock photo of joined fingerprints OR if you have a black ink pad and some really white paper to hand, why not send them to us and we'll make it even more personal by using yours?

If you are local to Northallerton, North Yorkshire and can pop into the studio, we'll gladly take the prints for you (Baby wipes for clean fingers afterwards are free)

Email us for details inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk

Next off....some wedding confetti cones.
Personalised with the Bride and Grooms names and date of wedding.
Colours used here are again Navy Blue and Pink... gorgeous.

Have you a special something you'd like us to consider making for you?
Contact the studio during opening hours on 01609 776 866
or leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

Personalised fingerprint table name cards

Fingerprint table name cards to match the client's wedding stationery.   

Sunflower inspired wedding invitations and on the day stationery

I just LOVE sunflowers don't you?

They are one of those flowers that brighten up even the dullest days and catch the smallest glimmer of light. They never cease to make me smile.

A few ideas for a sunflower themed wedding.....

First off....a flat sunflower  invitation,

 more commonly used for Evening invitations

Sunflower pocket fold invitation.

Perfect if you have lots of bits of information such as travel,

 accommodation, RSVP's to include. 

Sunflowers can be incorporated in all your decor....

 like these sunflower table napkin wraps.

These sunflowers were from Teesside Hospice.

These small badges not only support a local charity, but make great place cards

and can double up as a wedding favour too. 

Yellow sunflowers look great when teamed up

with Royal Blue.... as in this sunflower post box

And the sunflower seating plan doesn't escape 

the sunshine smile treatment. 

What are your favourite flowers and why?

Is your wedding arranged round a favourite flower? 

Share your thoughts.

Happy planning,

Sue x

Crazy busy...

Apologies for not keeping you all up to date with the goings on at Inspired by Script....it's crazy busy right now and time is precious when you are the maker and shaker. If you want to keep up-to-date while all the craziness is going on....pop over to my facebook pa ge at https://www.facebook.com/InspiredByScript

We are finding Instagram invaluable for taking a quick picture and uploading it.... more or less as it happens. If you're on Instagram find us here! https://instagram.com/inspiredbyscript

We'll be back on the blog as soon as we get a minute to breathe :-)

7 Must Know Tips If You Want To Avoid Failure when Making Your Own Wedding Stationery.

After making wedding invitations and stationery for over 25 years, I'm often contacted by brides who wanted to make their own wedding invitations by come unstuck for a variety of reasons. So in order to avoid making the same mistakes, here's 7 things you simple MUST know.

1. Printing methods

I’m guessing if you are printing at home you are using an ink-jet printer. Be aware that not all card is suitable for ink jets and your printing could smudge or bleed.

At Inspired by Script we use a laser printer which gives a clean and crisp quality to our invitations, this ensures also that our foil also looks clean and crisp.

2. Design

Layout and design is important. Get this wrong and the whole thing can look cheap and nasty. Take care also when choosing fonts for your cards. Make sure it’s readable. Some fonts may look fancy, but when printed at a small size and with aging eyes, making out what it actually says can be a problem. Focus on a fancy design and plain font rather than the other way round. Another word of advice is…. Make sure your design isn’t ink heavy. If you are making your invitations to save money, it could very well cost you more in the long run. 

3. Paper/card stock

Card is described by weight. The thicker the card the higher the number. At Inspired by Script we use 260gms for folded cards and 330gsm for flat invitations. We like our invitations to hold their shape and not curl or flop. It’s most likely that this weight is too thick for home printers. Choose a weight that is suitable for your printer and buy a few sheets to try first….before you rush out and by reams of the stuff.

4. Envelopes

Buy your envelopes first. It’s far easier to make cards to fit envelopes than the other way round. I’ve seen some beautiful cards having to be remade because the maker couldn’t find an envelope to fit.

5. Embellishments

If you want to add embellishments to your cards remember that the flatter the embellishment the better. Seeing great examples of buckles and large flowers on Pinterest is all very well, but try stuffing it and closing the envelope and you’ll be…..well stuffed. You can of course post your cards in a box but be aware of the extra postage costs.

6. Postage

Take postage into account. The more sheets, the heavier the envelope, the more postage you’ll have to pay. I had a client that was over the moon I could make her the scroll invitations she dreamed of…. Until I pointed out that a box would cost an extra £1 and the posted was £3. If you want to include more than the invitation….for example RSVP card, Accommodation, Menu choice etc. consider pocket fold invitations or wallets.

7. Time Scale

If you are a naturally arty/crafty kind of person then you will already be aware of how much time your invitations will take to design and make. Don’t underestimate the time needed. Making half a dozen Christmas cards is one thing but convert that into 50 – 70 invitations when you are working full time and making invitations in your ‘spare time’ could drive you up the wall. I’ve had to do ‘rush jobs’ for couples that simply ran out of time or steam.

Rather than aim to make your cards over a whole weekend, if you are not used to mass production, I suggest you break the making down into small chunks. This is particularly useful if you have a short attention span. Alternatively you could ask your crafty Bridesmaids or female family members round and supply them with a few drinks and nibbles and make a night of it.

Have you or are you planning on making your own invitations or stationery?

What problems did you come across?

We love seeing what you've created. Want to share a picture? 

Email me at inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk 

Are you stuck? Leave a comment below and if I can help I will! 

Happy crafting! Sue x

Looking for ideas and inspiration?

Connect with us on Pinterest

Another short video demo....this time brush lettering

The start of a new week and one where I'm determined to give making videos a shot. Here's another one.... this time it's all about brush lettering

Ahhhh yes.... I'm a lefty :-)

A short video showing my calligraphy on place cards

A little demo of me hand lettering some place cards for Laura & Robert

See our website: http://inspiredbyscript.co.uk 

I couldn't do this without you!

I've enrolled on a seconI've enrolled on a second on-line marketing course and if it's as good as the first one I ever did it will be worth every penny! With this ever changing world we live in, marketing changes almost monthly and if you don't keep up to speed you are quickly left behind. Word of mouth is always my very best form of advertising I must admit....so for those friends and happy customers of mine who've shared my page and introduced me to new Brides and Grooms to be a GREAT BIG THANK YOU! I couldn't do this without you! xxxd on-line marketing course and if it's as good as the first one I ever did it will be worth every penny! With this ever changing world we live in, marketing changes almost monthly and if you don't keep up to speed you are quickly left behind. Word of mouth is always my very best form of advertising I must admit....so for those happy customers of mine who've shared my page and introduced me to new Brides and Grooms to be a GREAT BIG THANK YOU! I couldn't do this without you! xxx

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