Wednesday 27 July 2011

CELEB has taken over!

Don't be alarmed! Library of Days will be back, but for a wee while, CELEB magazine has launched an assault on the blog. We'll be sharing all the details of our celebrity baby with you - how we create each magazine, how we make it bespoke, how we sprinkle it with that celebrity magic. We'll let you in on all the features - and there are lots - that make a CELEB, well, fabulous darlings!

Our lovely clients, Mel and Andy have agreed that we can share their magazine with you,so look out for all their gorgeous pink accents. Today, the front cover, CELEB Parties and the introduction to a special story. Check back tomorrow for the next instalment...



P.S. CELEB is only one of our gorgeous memory books, check http://www.illustries.com/ for more!

Our CELEB Magazine

Now, we know that not everyone loves the celebrity culture, but hey, who hasn't dreamed of being at the centre of all that attention? Well, on your wedding day, that's exactly where you should be, and we designed CELEB to give you that little celebrity sparkle and keep it for posterity.

Like all of our Illustries, CELEB means no more album hidden away on a dusty shelf, no chance of all those little details you slaved over being forgotten as the humdrum settles after the big day. Nope, CELEB puts your story - thousands of words of it - up in the spotlight, where it belongs.

No longer is the glossy magazine the preserve of the rich and famous. With CELEB, you can be the star of your very own, very special, show.

Monday 25 July 2011

Archive posts

All the posts beyond this point are from the Library of Days archive. But please feel free to browse!

Thursday 21 July 2011

Sam's amazing artwork

As we blogged last week, our talented Head of Pictures, Ms Samantha Neal (we like calling her that, she sounds all professional), isn't just a succesful graphic designer and she isn't just the creative genius that makes our Illustries all beautiful. Nope, she is also an artist (conquering the world one pretty picture at a time!), and has created an elegant series of unique works.

Each piece features silhouetted shapes, cut from crisp card and arranged to appear three-dimensional, with minimal framing, such as her signature acrylic box frames. Individual works are made to order with great care and attention to detail and themes range from her original butterfly configuration through to botanical arrangements, love hearts and birds. Pieces can be designed to match a specific interior scheme and personalized as a gift to mark a special occasion. Her original collection has been available from independent galleries and the hugely popular www.notonthehighstreet.com/alilia for a little while.


But, she is ever expanding, and has just been named as one of eight Heal's Discovers artists and designers for 2011, creating a brand new and exclusive range just for the high street store (which happens to be one of her favourite ever shops). Sam's artwork is now available in store and from Heal's. As Emma is writing this, she gets to name her favourite: The silhouetted butterflies, dragonflies and flowers cut from a reproduction of the 1951 Stanford’s Map of Central London, 'In a Flutter, London'.







Well done Sam, Illustries is proud of you!

All images courtesy of Heal's

Z is for PiZZaZZ!

Oh OK, we cheated!

Let’s face it, every bride is after a little wow factor. Those unusual touches, jaw-dropping moments or just a whole load of personality to add to the proceedings: maybe there’s a particular theme, a colour scheme or a general feeling they want to get across. Some of our brides love the whole process of making and customizing some or all of their wedding decorations and the like. There are some great resources out there for ideas and DIY tips. We like…

DIY Bride

Adore by Chloe

Bijoux Bride

But maybe you’re not up for crafting, or you’re finding your efforts are falling short of the Martha Stewart mark. Fear not, there are some brilliant styling companies out there. We think these few are amazing. And when you add up the spend on supplies for your makes, it can be surprisingly cost effective to hire a little pizzazz!

Ava Event Styling

Teaspoon Events

Jennifer Sue Weddings

Friday 15 July 2011

Y is for Yum!

One element we always include in our Illustries is our ‘Recipe for Love’. We create it in different styles – sometimes channeling Nigella, sometimes a bit more Jamie and even a little shouty Gordon now and then – depending on our client and the kind of day. It makes a great highlight for the cake and looks amazing framed up. Yummy!




We also love adding the wedding breakfast menu to our Illustries, it never fails to make us hungry. We’ve had a hog roast, a celtic feast, a barbecue and at-table carving to name but a few. And then there are the cakes and sweet treats to add extra deliciousness - have a look at some more of our fave suppliers out there.

http://butterflybakehouse.co.uk/

http://kissmecupcakes.co.uk/

http://www.boutiquecupcakes.co.uk/

http://www.whoopiepiesuk.co.uk/

http://www.restorationcake.co.uk/

Wednesday 13 July 2011

Heal's Discovers Our Samantha!

Some exciting news we've been dying to share - Illustries' very own Head of Pictures, Samantha Neal, has joined seven other carefully selected designers to take part in Heal’s Discovers 2011! It's only one of our favourite shops!! Well done Sam!
 
Read on to find out what's happening...
 
Heal’s Discovers is an annual collection of inspired designs by the very best up-and-coming designers.

Having approached Heal’s in August 2010 with a specultive email detailing her artwork, Samantha nearly fell off her chair when Design Manager, John Jenkins, called and asked for a meeting. She says, “I’d always loved Heal’s and having worked just a stone’s throw away I spent a lot of time there, window shopping, mainly. But once I left London, whenever I visited I’d always make a point of popping in for some inspiration and a ‘small something’ to take back home. So I thought if I’d always admired Heal’s style, chances are that they might like mine”

Samantha was introduced to buyer Farzana Jones and trading director Giilian Anderson in meetings at their flagship store on Tottenham Court Road, London. After Christmas came a brief to work on ideas and designs for Autumn/Winter 2011. Samantha says, “I then spent some time thinking up a series of new ideas and creative tweaks to original designs that might appeal to the Heal’s audience.”

Samantha presented these ideas, considering autumn/winter colourways, patterns and framing and three weeks later five designs were chosen. Samantha recalls, “On cloud nine several days later, I realized this is when the hard work was about to begin. I had to make my idea commercially viable for both Heal’s and myself. I had to get into the numbers and as a designer, numbers are not my strongest point – as my accountant will tell you!”
After some ups and downs on the production side (but mainly ups), Samantha provided a set of samples to Heal’s for marketing purposes and photoshoots and later delivered her first order into their warehouse by hand: “ I had to hand over a year’s worth of blood, sweat and tears, but it felt amazing!”
On 7th July Samantha attended the special press show and for the first time the realization of her achievement dawned. Says Sam, “The merchandising teams had worked their magic and my art adorned the walls alongside products from the likes of Tom Dixon, Marimekko and Design House Stockholm. They looked stunning!”
Samantha’s five designs – all exclusive to Heals – In a Flutter London, Butterfly Wings & Hedgerow go on sale in store in August and are available online now. The official launch of the Heal’s Discovers campaign takes place during design week in September.

Tuesday 12 July 2011

Exciting news from Sam...

No, it isn't the news that I've been waiting for (I'm desperate to go and buy a hat), but it is truly fantastic. We will be posting all about it tomorrow, but for now, let's just say that Illustries' fabulous Head of Pictures, Samantha Neal, has been talent-spotted by a very savvy high street name. Can't wait to share!

W is for Where?

Is the venue the first thing you choose? We suppose the one of the first decisions is the choice between a civil and religious ceremony. And then is it his home town or hers, or maybe where you’re living now?

We love the fact that our Classic Illustry clients, Neil and Kathryn, opted for his home town but a catholic ceremony to fit with her faith. That left choice fairly limited in Dunoon, but they ended up with the most beautiful church and that view of the coast – magical. Rebecca and Andrew chose the church just up the road from their country cottage and Rebecca says that whenever she’s standing at the kitchen sink, she can see the place that she married, and that it still gives her a warm feeling (helps get through the washing up!).

Other clients have gone for venues where they can take over the whole place for their day and evening, great hotels and even a fabulous castle. Another couple chose the local register office followed by a relaxed party in her mum and dad’s stunning garden, complete with garden-themed menu and favours. And one of our very favourite venues was the gorgeous boathouse that Andrew and Natalie dressed so beautifully for their very personal wedding.

We think that as long as the venue is where you want to be, then anywhere goes. Sign the petition to relax the rules here:

X is for just that, Ex!

Let’s face it, we’ve all got a history, whether it is littered with hearts broken and discarded or just one or two that we’ve loved and lost before we’ve found The One. Maybe your break ups have been messy and the thought of an ex attending your nuptials is laughable. But what if you parted on good terms and are still the best of friends? Can you invite them to your wedding without any awkward moments? We think you have to take your cue from your other half – if they’re comfortable, don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. William and Catherine invited practically all their rumoured exes to the Abbey – which may have something to do with controlling kiss and tell intentions. So maybe there’s some truth in the old ‘keep your enemies close and your enemies closer’ adage. Perhaps that’s the best policy, particularly if you share children with an ex-partner: invite them, please your kids- and hope they turn you down!

We polled you to find out if you'd invite an ex to the wedding. No huge surprises, 80% of you said a resounding no. But a surprising 20% were generous, inviting an ex because of the kids.

Monday 11 July 2011

Back to the grindstone!

The Words half of Illustries is back from holiday to rejoin the Head of Pictures (much to Sam's relief!) and get a bit of work done. And what a bit of work it is: the Avant Garde Illustry we've been creating for Natalie and Andrew is looking amazing, Emma's just hoping she can live up to Sam's design genius. Mel and Andy's CELEB magazine is just about to go to print and the last interviews for Kathryn and Neil's Classic are due tomorrow.

We've had some fabulous activity on twitter this weekend, with some lovely comments and a couple of enquiries, so we're really excited to be creating a little Illustries stir! And we're planning on a 'blog takeover' too - watch this space! So, better get on with it then - wish us luck!

V is for Vintage

Definitely all the rage at the moment, vintage is a fairly difficult concept to pin down. Normally described as ‘pre-1989’, we think vintage can be a pretty free brief with loads of lovely eras from which to pick and choose. We’re sure there are purists out there, so we’re not trying to be experts here, just that we’ve spotted some lovely suppliers who specialize in true vintage or vintage-inspired items, or could give you a little inspiration:

http://www.cuteasabuttonuk.co.uk/ for some lovely button bouquets

http://www.natashajane.co.uk/ to check out bespoke, vintage inspired headwear

http://www.ohmyhoney.co.uk/ for retro creations and beautiful custom ideas

http://www.bonnefete-hire.co.uk/ have venue and table decorations for hire

http://www.fiftieswedding.com/ just loads of inspiration

Tuesday 5 July 2011

My Present Dilemma

My spot as guest blogger came at a very appropriate time – just after my 5th wedding anniversary (sorry I bored you with that one already!) but also in the run up to one of my best friend’s wedding. I’m sure there’s a film title in there somewhere?

Well, the lovely Hannah’s wedding preparations are going brilliantly (they wouldn’t dare do anything else – the girl actually uses tippex in her own diary!) and I can’t wait to see all the lovely ideas come together later this month. From the colours to the table decorations, surprises and even the after party barbeque! But with the excitement of a forthcoming wedding comes the age old dilemma of what is the perfect present?

Things seem to have moved on from the traditional gift list, I being the recipient of 6 – yes 6 – gravy boats for wedding #1, can’t help being secretly relieved! As many couples are living in sin these days (or having a good practice as I prefer to think of it) the trend moved to vouchers for a while, whether for house renovations, treats or even towards the honeymoon. But the most recent trend is for a quirky poem simply requesting the pleasure of your company, and if you must, a gift of money to help out with basically whatever the bride and groom are saving for.

I’ve seen this debate result in some real controversy: some people find the thought of turning up with an envelope neatly nestling some notes just too awkward, and opt for a personal gift instead. When I’ve watched family or friends in the run up to their weddings and have seen the heart and soul (not to mention the money) they put into their weddings I personally think the choice becomes easy – the perfect present is…whatever they want! After all that preparation they deserve it!