Inspiration

Tea cup treasures!

I  read an article recently that sounded just like me.. in fact I’m sure I’ve said almost the same thing after a visit to one of the many auctions, antique markets or car boots that I’ve trawled hunting for a treasured hand painted teacup and saucer !

Yasmin le Bon was quoted as saying..

‘NOTHING GIVES ME MORE JOY.. than finding a beautiful hand-painted teacup and saucer.  My husband Simon is obsessed with making traditional tea, and I like having tea parties with lots of different cups.’

After collecting some beautiful bone china tea cups for our vintage style wedding I just had to do something gorgeous with all my favs! So some have been turned into candles (the most perfect little gifts) and others are holding some of my treasured vintage jewellery on my dressing table.

This then got me to thinking about all the other beautiful creative ideas that artists had been inspired to do with teacups and Jennifer Collier and her vintage paper teacups came to mind. These stunning pieces of artwork are simply amazing.

Jennifer talks a little about her process on her website:

‘My practice focuses on creating work from paper; by bonding, waxing, trapping and stitching I produce unusual paper ‘fabrics’, which are used to explore the ‘remaking’ of household objects. The papers are treated as if cloth, with the main technique employed being stitch; a contemporary twist on traditional textiles.’

The end result, I’m sure you’ll agree, is amazing.

The HB girls have decided to have a tea party next year in aid of our favourite charity, it’s also a wonderful way of having a traditional afternoon tea and getting the teacup collection out of storage (we’ll keep you posted!)

You can find out more about Jennifer Collier at jennifercollier.co.uk

The Button Tin

We came across The Button Tin at the Save The Date –  Event With A Difference wedding show… and we were in love with all Gemma’s beautiful creations. Based up in a studio in Rotherham Gemma hosts craft events and particularly interesting are her Craft Hen Parties – what a fab ides for a hen party, to get all your ladies together for a day of crafting and making a lovely momento of the day!

Gemma is trained in the fine arts and an experienced workshop tutor and runs a programme of vintage craft workshops  throughout the year. Choose from Gemma’s beautiful fabrics and buttons and also learn how to recycle and salvage vintage materials and incorporate them in to your work.

All materials and equipment are provided along with afternoon tea!

See some of Gemma’s work, including beautiful button holes and table decorations HERE

The Button Tin Studio – workshops with a vintage twist, full of beautiful vintage fabrics, trimmings, crochet and patchwork, vintage sewing machines and a beautifully styled studio space.

For more information contact Gemma at gemma.nemer@hotmail.co.uk or visit her website online at www.thebuttontin.com

Calligraphy: a perfect finishing touch

I really love calligraphy.

I think this is in part because I’m a Janeite & the beautiful curly script makes me think of a time when writing with a nib & an inkwell was the only way to write at all.

Whenever I see an address beautifully written in calligraphy it makes me think that it should be presented to it’s recipient on a silver platter by a butler wearing white gloves. Sadly, nowadays most of us don’t have butlers & it’s not really practical to send all our correspondence written in calligraphy.

I do think it’s perfect for special occasions though. It adds a really special touch to envelopes, invitations, place cards & favour tags.

We offer a calligraphy service here at Hummingbird. We can add names or address to any of your stationery items for small extra charge. For more information get in touch with us in the studio on 01530 411905 or email us at info@hummingbirdcards.co.uk

Luella’s look book – white on white

We were absolutely delighted to have our laser-cut bunting fetured in the new look book for Luella’s Boudoir - one of our favourite Wedding Dress shops around. The theme was a simple yet stunning White on White. The shoot was held at One Marleybone and showcased all the new dresses for the season which are absolutely stunning!! Rachel worked her styling magic and the photography is by the amazing Segerius Bruce

The lovely ladies at Rock My Wedding have done a full report, take a peek here:

http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/white-on-white/

“ Styling By Rachel Atwell Owner of Luella’s: I had so much fun styling this shoot and working with such a lovely group of suppliers made it even more enjoyable. I wanted to create something that would showcase some of our key bridal looks for 2011/12 but I also wanted to be able to give our brides some ideas about the different types of props they could use for their own weddings”.

Here is a video of what went on behind the scenes on the day of shooting:

http://vimeo.com/28980143

 

We love the huge white balloons available from HERE the white paper pom-poms available from HERE and of course our laser-cut bunting which you can buy online HERE.

Check out Luella’s Boudoir and all their excuisite wedding dresses and accessories online HERE

 

 

Venue- One Marylebone Photography- Segerius Bruce Filming- Pearls Videos Makeup & Hair Stylist – Gemma Sutton Flowers – Philippa Craddock Models- Gingersnaps Creative Management Props and accessories – Balloons: Simply Elegant Ltd  Bunting & Mobiles – The Hummingbird Card Company  Lanterns & Fans – The Hanging Lantern Company  Poms – Paper Poms UK Butterfly & Heart Tree – Designers Choice Dresses, Accessories and Styling- Luella’s Boudoir

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Event With A Difference

What a day…on Sunday 16th October we exhibited at the Save The Date Magazine ‘Event with a Difference’ over at The Roundhouse in Derby. What a fantastic venue, and a really interesting mix of wonderful wedding suppliers.

Regular fashion shows throughout the day showcased all the beautiful gowns and accessories, and the Teepee outside, which is available to hire as a venue, was converted into a bar and  served drinks under the bautiful blue sky!!

Abbie & Lydia had put together a wonderful mix of quirky and unusual suppliers, lots of vintage creations and contemporary twists to inspire your big day. Here are a few shots and some of our favourite  fellow wedding lovelies!!

If you are looking for a wedding car with a difference and a retro feel… these Vintage VW campers are perfect, they also have a beautiful open top beetle!

Beautiful display of vintage inspired jewellery and accessories from Tattered Rose Their headpieces were just lovely!

We loved the stand of the newly launched Wren’s Tea Party - a lovely collection of vintage crockery and accoutrements hire for weddings and parties.

Debbie Bryan had a quirky collection of vintage items, a lovely idea to tie vintage lace around napkins on your tables –  these would work beautifully with one of our laser-cut favour tags and a hand calligraphied name! Her studio is in the lace-market area of Nottingham and filled with vintage lace and beautiful crafts perfect for vintage themed weddings. (We are coveting her stunning original lace design, framed artworks and her beautiful lace resin brooches!) Debbie will be having a special open evening on Nov 16th take a look here for more details.

Our friends over at The Wedding Of My Dreams  had a lovely stand with lots of ideas to decorate your table and all the little finishing touches to make your day unique, we loved their little vintage style bottles for casual floral displays.

But our favourite new discovery of the day had to be The Button Tin Gemma had put together the most amazing stand of vintage and hand crafted pieces. Her work is truly stunning and very unique, and perfect for all the vintage themed weddings at the moment. Using vintage fabrics & haberdashery, crochet, lace and a huge creative talent Gemma creates one of pieces, stitched floral bouquets and buttonholes, table numbers, place settings and wedding keepsakes. They really are beautiful and Gemma also runs Crafting Hen Do days at her studio in Rotherham, we shall do a post on these shortly as it is such a lovely idea for something different to do, especially if you have lots of creative hens!

We also showcased our new Garden Party invitation which went down a storm, we were so pleased with the reaction as nearly everyone who visited the stand picked it up, commented and said how much they loved it!! We will be adding this design and another stunning creation, plus all the co-ordinating items in the next few months. If you are interested in a sample just drop us an email at info@hummingbirdcards.co.uk

 

Creating Your Own Wedding Invitations

Since we launched our new website back in May we have had so many enquiries about our new CREATE & MAKE Collection. It seems there are a lot of creative Brides out there who really want to play a part in creating their own stationery – our D.I.Y. wedding option allows you to do just this.

Choose your favourite design from our BOUTIQUE LASER-CUT collection and we can supply you with all the elements to create your perfect stationery.

What is included?

For the price of a Create & Make invitation you receive:

- A beautiful laser-cut card outer of your choice

- A matching envelope

- A coloured inlay of your choice

We can also supply matching paper for printing your inserts, tape for fixing, ribbons and diamantés or pearls for the final finishing touch. It is a lovely way to get your bridesmaids and friends involved too, we love the idea of getting together for an evening with a bottle of bubbly and all sitting down together to get creative! Using our Create & Make range is also a great way to save a few pennies and have stunning laser-cut stationery on a smaller budget.

Here are a few simple steps on how to order your Create & Make stationery from The Hummingbird Card Company, followed by a little guide on how to put it all together.

ORDERING:

Firstly ORDER A SAMPLE ONLINE – once you have received it, checked your colours and made  your choices you are ready to place your order:

Fill in our online CREATE & MAKE order form.

Step 1:  Choose your design from our Boutique Collection.

Step 2: Choose your card colour, inlay colour, and if you would like ribbons, diamantés or pearls.

Step 3: Let us know which items you are interested in and how many you need. We will supply you with matching paper if requested and can also provide you with a set up for printing your invitation layouts.

Step 4: We will send you a quote and, once you have confirmed, an invoice for payment.

Step 5: Once we have received your payment, we will wrap everything beautifully in one of our keepsake boxes and send it via courier ready for you to start creating. Easy as that!

Now onto the fun part!

Choose a font, make sure you have all the correct details included (don’t forget to double check all the times, dates & spelling!!) Click here for help with wording your invites and what information you need to include.

You Will Need:

Lasercut Outers, Coloured Inlays, Printed Inserts, Guillotine (or scalpel & ruler), Double sided tape, Ribbon, Diamante or pearls, Superglue, Tweezers, Scissors, Glass of bubbly (optional!)

- Trim down all your inserts to the correct size and fold in half.

- Add a small piece of our skinny double sided tape to the back of the insert.

- Fix inside the coloured inlay. Trim the edges so they all match.

- Fix a small piece of tape to the back of the inlay and fix inside the laser-cut card.

- Add your chosen ribbon by tying in a bow and trimming the ends or just leave the card plain & simple.

- To fix diamantés or pearls to your cards add a tiny dot of super glue to where you would like them positioned. Then, using tweezers, gently place the diamantés or pearls on top of the small glue dot. Make sure you allow a few minutes for everything to dry!

- If you are wanting to include information sheets we can supply you with paper to match your invitations. Print and trim these down to size (130mm x 260mm), fold them in half, they sit neatly behind your invitation.

- Write your guests names on each invitation, address the envelopes, then simply add a stamp and they are ready to send.

If you need a layout for printing just let us know and we can send you an example. Follow the same process for printing Menus, Orders of Service, Thank You cards etc. We can also supply you with matching Place-cards, Favour Boxes, Bunting and Mobiles to co-ordinate with your stationery.

To order a sample Click HERE

ENJOY!!

To place a Create & Make Enquiry please click HERE


The Designer Vintage Bridal Show

This weekend we popped along to visit the  Designer Vintage Bridal Show - a wonderful collection of wedding suppliers: beautiful dresses, vintage crockery, event stylists, wedding shoes,  stylish transport, stationery, headpieces, jewellery and all you could possibly need for a vintage themed wedding day! A fantastic event which was buzzing with lots of stylish ladies all wanting a wedding with a bit of difference.

The stands all looked fantastic, they also had catwalk shows – showcasing dresses inspired by the 20′s& 30′s, 40′s & 50′s and 60′s and 70′s, bridal workshops, and the best bloggers around for you to meet in person: Including Kelly from Boho, Annabel from Love My Dress, Amma from Beyond/Beyond, Alexis from OMG and Kat from RockN’Roll Bride.


There was the gorgeous Wedding Yurt  complete with fur floors, double bed and champagne bar serving love potion cocktails. Beautiful, alternative Wedding Photography from the amazing Emma Case, jewellery from Magpie Vintage, fabulous shoes from the lady who organised the whole event Rachel Simpson and our favourite stand was Charlotte Casadejus who had exquisite vintage inspired dresses (beautiful vintage lace and silk gowns made to measure!) and a selection of stunning vintage accessories.


Definately worth visiting when they have there next show, if you would like to see a list of all the exhibitors and get all the best vintage wedding inspiration just click HERE

http://www.designervintagebridal.co.uk

Win tickets to the Wedding Event With A Difference!

WIN 2 TICKETS

We are very excited to announce that we will be exhibiting at the upcoming Wedding Event with a Difference, organised by Save The Date Magazine, at The Roundhouse, Derby on Sunday 16th October.

It promises to be a fabulous event with lots happening including the Creative Corner with handmade pieces of pretty, the Lyrical Lounge (tipi tent) outside with live entertainment and a fire pit to keep you toasty. There’s an amazing Catwalk Show, interactive demonstrations and so many incredible exhibitors (including us of course!)

Tickets are on sale now and are selling fast! Get yours by visiting

www.savethedatemagazine.co.uk/events/

Don’t forget, tickets are limited so be quickl and don’t miss out!

As a special treat, we’ve got 2 tickets to give away. To be in with a chance of winning these, all you need to do is tell us how many fashion shows are taking place throughout the day? (Clue: The answer is on www.savethedatemagazine.co.uk) Please send your answers to info@hummingbirdcards.co.uk and we shall select a winner at random on 1st Septemeber.

We really hope you can make it and look forward to seeing you there!

Old Fashioned Tea Party…

With a Wedding fast approaching, it’s just 3 weeks to go, Yikes! I’ve been searching for inspiration for a garden party wedding inspired thank you present. About a year ago I bought a print by the artist Tessa Galloway at a local art exhibition and last night I had a little look at her website to see if anything new caught my eye, and it did! Just the perfect thing.

These are just how I would like the sweet tables to look, covered in old table cloths and decked with cake stands and lots of scrumptious and delicious treats like cupcakes, treacle tart and ginger cake! I think this would make the perfect gift and be lovely memory of our special day.

Tessa  loves to explore  nostalgia and memories inspired by vintage postcards, old letters, found paper and antique curiosities. Her illustrations have a unique way of capturing the beautiful and decorative details of every day objects and places.

Tessa will be exhibiting again this weekend at The Dame Catherine Arts 18th Annual Summer Art Exhibition in Ticknall, Leicestershire.

27th-29th August 2011

See more of  Tessa’s work at www.tessagalloway.co.uk

 

Michelle Holmes

If you’re looking for a unique wedding gift then look no further than Michelle Holmes. Michelle creates beautiful machine and hand embroidered artwork pieces that can be commissioned and personalised for a bride and groom. Working from a photo she can be inspired to create an image that reflects the couple. If you would like to chat through a bespoke piece,  just contact michelle@archangelstudio.co.uk

 

Wall hangings & framed artwork pieces are the main focus of her work, but she also creates gorgeous accessories such as leather purses and notebooks. Machine embroidered line drawings of figures are her passion, incorporating them into enchanting landscapes and seascapes. Michelle loves working with natural fabrics and mixes everything from leather and laces, with hand stitching, beading and applique to create surface interest.

 


Her work can be seen at her Archangel Studio at the Ferrers Centre in the beautiful grounds of Staunton Harold Hall, on the edge of the National Forest. Staunton Harold is also a perfect wedding venue if you are looking for some stately grandeur! If you’re in need of a lovely inspirational day out, then treat yourself. There’s galleries, a deli, a picture framers, and a pottery with a great little tea room in the Georgian stable block.