Goodbye January blues, hello creative, paint brush wielding Liz!

January is definitely a good month for me to be creative. I am so glum every year at the need to start a January diet and the fact we are ridiculously broke that I always have loads of drive to try and make our house look prettier! Before I could get all creative, I needed to spend several hours in turning our house back into a house where I can see the floors, and not just papers everywhere. Seriously I got so carried away with tidying up, at one point I'm surprised I didn't get Mr A&G and sit him on a shelf with a label on him saying 'husband'!

Anyway, once my crazy 'let's get tidy' self had been tamed, I decided it was time to get busy and start giving an old wooden box some much needed TLC.

My grandma recently died and when my mum and dad were clearing out her house, they found an old wooden box that she used for storing all of her cottons. My grandma was a seamstress, and I love that this is where she stored all her important things for her work. So when my mum asked me if I wanted it, my answer was a resounding yes! Look at the poor thing, doesn't it look like it needs some love!

As soon as I set my sights on this beauty, I knew I wanted to paint it in a chalky 'farrow and ball' style paint but I was a bit scared of starting in case I ruined it. Plus the weather over the last month has been completely hideous so that the perfect excuse for not painting it, I mean who can paint outside in the rain! Let's ignore the fact that there has always been the option of painting indoors available to me, that's completely irrelevant, clearly! Anyway cue a dry day, me in an enthusiastic January mood, and an empty house as the husband was off to the gym, and I decided to get to it.

So I sent Mr A&G into the shed to find me some tools...

Got dressed into my best 'workman' clothes, and after a word from Mr A&G that went something along the lines of 'make sure you clean my paint brushes, I will kill you if you ruin them' (sheesh talk about a kill joy!)I was ready to roll!!

I started by sanding down the box and the drawers, so it it looked like this...

I grabbed a tester pot of paint that we had used on one of our bathroom walls recently, which is a grey/white and got painting.

Took one look at the painted box and decided it was definitely too white, so went on a mission to find out what other tester pots we had that were slightly darker and got mixing! Never mixed paint before in my life, but I figured if you can mix foundation (make-up!) then surely you can just mix paint. I mean it's practically the same right!??

Hooray, am a painting genius! It seemed to work, so I pumped my chest out and felt very smug and happy at my painting prowess and carried on creating my masterpiece! I gave it all about 2 coats of this kind of duck-grey colour (I don't even know what 'duck-grey' colour is, but if it exists - this is what I think duck grey should be. Actually now I think about it, isn't it duck blue that you have?).

I left it to dry, and started to obsess that the wall to the right of the table (not the one with the clock on it) would look flipping great if it was painted in chalkboard paint! Mental reminder, must mention this to Mr A&G ;-)

Off I went about my day, skipped back later to check it and after looking at it from every single direction, it was resoundingly clear to me! It is without doubt, still too white and definitely not what I think duck-grey should be! Oh my word, the disappointment :-( You will see in the picture if you look closely that the beloved brushes of Mr A&G had all been cleaned, so the thought of having to dirty them all over again was nearly enough to send my creativity to a dark dungeon somewhere...

A few days later, my enthusiasm returned, so back went on my 'workman' clothes - actually that is a total lie. I decided that I couldn't face that. So I set about painting in my favourite loungy trousers - brilliant decision Liz, I mean what would possibly go wrong!? In my mind, it was clear - I am painter extraordinaire, who is so great at it that I can paint it whatever I want... I'll leave it to your imagination as to whether this was actually the case!

I found some 'Farrow and Ball' grey which actually is a bit green as we have it on our bedroom wall and I mixed that with the original grey and with a dark charcoal grey and off I went again...

I left it to dry, and then once dry I sanded some of the edges to give it a more shabby finish ... and whilst this photo doesn't really show it is now a more greeny-grey which I am much happier with.

Here it is in it's resting place. Yeeeaaahhh! Mr A&G and I have no excuses now - we have to try and get our messy behinds into following some sort of post system! I still think I may change the handles. I might take them off completely and put some old brass handles on, or maybe paint the wooden handles a darker colour but for now I am very happy with it.

Look at it looking all pretty on our stairs! I hope my grandma, wherever she is is, is looking down and is happy with it. For me, it makes me very happy every night to come home and see a little bit of their lives in my house, and a tidy set of stairs!

Happy January everyone xxx

The final chapter of printing techniques!

So I am back to finish my little run through of the most common specialty printing methods. Today I'm going to take you through the printing styles of thermography and embossing.

Thermography

Thermography produces a raised and shiny type. This is done by first inking the paper with the design, this is then covered with a powder which adheres to the ink. It is then cured with heat and hey-presto you have a print that is raised off the page and beautifully shiny. I love the tactile feeling of this print, that means you can run your finger over the print, and the shine is fab-u-lous!. As I understand it, thermography, tends to only be printed single sided as the heat when applied to side 2 could damage side 1. The costs of thermography used to be relatively cheap, but as printers are stopping to do it, when you find a good thermographic printer their costs do tend to be higher.

Take a look at some beautiful examples below.

The last thermography example is designed by blush paperie

Embossing

Embossing is a dry print method; however, the difference to other dry print methods is that nothing is applied to the paper (so no ink, no foil and no colour). Embossing is a form of relief printing, in which two plates are used and the paper is pressed (with the addition of heat) between the two plates to produce a raised image. As there is no colour, embossing tends to be used for accents, rather than to print full invitations, as the details can be very difficult to read without colour.

It is a brilliant way to add that little extra detail to you invitations, without it being too over powering - take a look below and see what you think.

There are other varieties of printing, but the ones I have talked you through are the main ones you will tend to see being used. I hope this little guide has been helpful in giving you a basic understanding of what the different printing styles are and gives you some inspiration for what your wedding invitations could look like.

Have a happy Monday

L xx

How to get the 'wow' factor with your wedding invitations - part two

In my post a couple of days ago, I took you through some of the options available for cardstock and some of the beautiful varieties you can get. As promised, I will now move onto taking you through the different printing methods available to you, so that you can choose a method that will complement your beautiful cardstock. I originally said I would do this all in one post, but having seen how long a post that would be - I think I may take a few blog posts to take you through it all.

Before I start, I just want to put in the disclaimer that I am not a printer, and do not profess to being one in any way. I have, however, been really lucky to work with some great printers who helped me to create my wedding invitations for my clients. But I have had to, over the last year, ask them all the silly questions about printing techniques so that I can create the finished product for my clients that them and I desire. So, this guide should hopefully put the answers to all those silly questions I have asked into a digestible form.

The printing methods that I will be covering are digital, letterpress and foil blocking.

Digital printing

This style of printing is printing that you will be very familiar with, as it is the style of printing that you will be used to at home at in the office. The main different is that it refers to printing undertaken on a large scale digital printer rather than your normal printer that you would have at home. Digital printing is the most common style of printing for invitations, primarily because it tends to work out cheaper - especially if you are having a smaller quantity of invitations. When printed on a large scale printer, the printing has a nice glossy finish to it, with no bleed to the ink, rather than the slightly duller and more bled finish that you would get if printing on a home printer.

Whilst digital printing can be good for lots of invitation types, and can still enable you to create an elegant and ornate invitation, there is an added finish and 'wow' that is created by speciality printing methods, of which I am going to talk you through two today; Letterpress and Foil Stamping 

Craig and Kate's wedding invitation - digitally printed Ayot and Gray Design

Letterpress

I am just going to put it out there – I reckon this has got to be my favourite specialty printing technique! This style of printing is absolutely stunning when it is done well. Letterpress printing was the everyday printing style for five centuries until more modern techniques took over. It is however, very on trend at the moment because of the intricacy of printing it allows and the fabulous overall finish you get with this printing type.

In letterpress printing, ink or tint is applied to a printing plate (which has a raised surface that includes all the print and design for the invitation – this is then pressed into card to make an ‘impression’, which provides the invitation with an indentation where the print has been pressed into the page.

Whilst this is more expensive that digital printing, letterpress works out more economical if you are having a larger volume of invitations printed, as the main costs involved are in creating the printing plate. As a result, this can work out very expensive if you are only having a few invitations printed.

Take a look at some beautiful examples below.

Invitations by Bella Figura

Foil Stamping

Foil stamping is a dry printing method, meaning that no actual ink is used. It works in a similar way to letterpress, in that a plate is made with the design and then a foil sheet is pressed between the plate and the card, and then heated up to keep the foil in place. For this style, in the past the foil has usually always been thought of as being shiny and metallic (usually gold or silver); however, foil comes in many colours and also in many finishes – from matte to super-glossy to clear. The prices for this are very similar to letterpress due to the similarities in the printing technique

Take a look at some examples below.

Black on Grey foil stamped invitation by  benign objects

Gold foil stamping by digby rose

So that's all I will take you through today. I hope you have enjoyed the nice eye candy and it has inspired you on some of the printing options available to you. Next time I will carry on my journey through the speciality printing types and will be talking about thermography and embossing

Back soon

L xx

 

 

 

How to get the 'wow' factor with your wedding invitations - part one

If you were to ask me why I have such a love for wedding stationery design, my hands down biggest reason would be that I love how you can create such an air of excitement about your wedding from the minute your invitation hits the doormat of your guest. When I am designing with my clients, I love planning with them as to how we are going to get that 'wow' moment!

It is quite hard though for brides and grooms to choose which style of enclosure they would like for their invitation, and which style of printing to opt for. So, in the next 2 blog posts, I am going to talk you through some examples of how you can use your cardstock and your printing technique to give your invitations that 'wow' factor.

Today's blog post, will be focussing on how you can do this with your cardstock and enclosures. There are several different ways that you can do this, and the choices wedding couples make can be based on the cost and the amount of information, and therefore inserts that want to send to their guests. Or it can be, for brides like me, a decision simply made when you find a design idea they fall in love with. Whatever the reasons though, hopefully this run through will help wedding couples see what the options are that are available to them

Pocketfold

I love a pocketfold design. This design involves having the main invitation attached to the centre of the pocketfold, with the inserts neatly displayed within the pocket for your guests, so everything from the maps and guest list information, to a stamp addressed RSVP is all there ready for the guests.  The pocketfold then folds up neatly, and can be held together by a paper band with the bride and grooms details on it, or by using a wax stamp to hold it together. These are just a couple of ways you can do it but the list can go on... The pocketfold when finished usually is inserted into a colour co-ordinated envelope and away you go. 

I have shown you a couple of examples below

Gate card

Another option that is similar to the pocketfold, is a gate card. The gate card does not have a pocket within it, but has the same style of finish. Perfect for wedding couples who do not require inserts, or want to provide RSVPs. If you do not want to include an RSVP, you can still do this with this design, and the photograph shows an elegant way of doing this through using a vellum wrap to hold the inserts together. 

Pocket envelope

I used a pocket envelope for my wedding, as I loved the finish that you could create with the envelope. The photograph below, is not from my wedding but shows what the inside of the envelope looks like. 

I included my invitation, a map and direction sheet, and an RSVP within the envelope. The design was finished with a metallic paper wrap style address label that were printed with the individual guest names on them, and mine and my husband's details on the back. The photograph below shows that I then held the envelope closed through using a silver wax stamp of a heart. I absolutely loved doing those wax stamps - it was such fun! The envelopes were inserted into clear envelopes and sent to the guests this way so as soon as they landed on their mats, they could see the details of the invitations. I was so excited when they were finished :-)

Portable pocket

Those of you who follow me on facebook will remember seeing Craig and Kate's invitations last year. They used a grey portable pocket, with a bespoke design tagged to create the perfect encasing for their vintage ticket style invitations. If you are opting for a more simple design, the portable pocket provides you with the perfectly understated way of ensuring that all your inserts stay in one place!

A portable pocket can be used in different ways, to the way I used it for Craig and Kate. Check out the stunning detailing in the photo below that has been used on a portable pocket, to display the bride and groom's names.

Another way that you can use a portable pocket, is to use one side of the pocket to attach your main card backed invitation, and then opt for an enclosure style pocket, that essentially has a cut down front that can display your inserts. So, when your guests turn your invitations over they will get such a brilliant surprise. Backing cards used within the pocket enclosure enable you to create a stunning backdrop for the inserts that you provide your guests with. 

Envelofold

The envelofold is a style of invitation that is perfectly suited to save the date cards, or invitations where you either do not want to send inserts, or you are happy for your inserts to remain separate to the invitation. The envelofold, folds down so that when your guest receives it, it looks from the outside like an envelope but when they open it they get a great, eyecatching surprise.

Z cards

Z cards are a lovely and contemporary way to tell a story within your invitation as they open up just like a story book. They provide you with plenty of space to use eyecatching graphics to really set the scene for the modern wedding. The example I have shown below is printed onto the white card backing of a patterned card. The font colours are matched to the patterned backing card so it cannot help but grab the attention of your guests. 

Simple invitation design

Those of you that follow me on facebook, and if you don't please check me out on my facebook page of ayotandgraydesign and click like, if you would like to stay up to date on the world of Ayot and Gray! Sorry, slight digression - those of you that follow me will remember Sophy and Tim's invitations that were a simple but elegant design to match their wedding. They used navy backing card to add an essential border to their invitations to give them a more polished finish. The choices of backing cards are huge, from beautiful metallic golds, to stunning bright colours or patterns to add something truly special to this style of design. 

You can print on vellums to provide an overlay to your invitation. Look how the example below helps make it very clear to us all that this wedding is going to be a stunning and elegant affair!

Or if you want to go for the simple design, but still keep all the inserts in one place - you can attach a matching pocket envelope to the back of your backing card to give your guests that wow factor when they turn the invitation over. 

Envelope liner

Last but not least, the envelope liner! Sophy and Tim used an ivory liner within their envelope as it fitted with their colour scheme, and it made their invitations look more finished. The choices of envelopes and liners is endless and you can use bolder colours and patterns to add more impact if that suits your style. I have shown you an example below of how you can add colour and patterns to really grab the attention of your guests. One of my wedding couples this year is using their envelope liner to create a stunning backdrop for their invitations and I cannot wait to show you when it is finished. 

I hope this has helped to give you a little bit of a guide on how you can use your design and cardstock to really get your guests talking. What I have discussed here is really only a flavour of what can be done, the options are pretty endless. 

Next time I will chat to you about the styles of printing you can use to make sure you don't let your fabulous cardstock down by going for the wrong printing technique :-)

Bye for now

L xx

Save the date invitations

I have had such good fun recently designing some save the date proofs for a bride, who has a great colour scheme of coral, grey and yellow. I love couples that go for a bright colour schemes, and this colour scheme was no exception. The coral and yellow really complemented each other and the grey providing the calming influence to make sure that the designs didn't veer towards being a bit too loud. I played it very safe at my own wedding, choosing ivory, blue and grey as my main colours, but I think if you choose your colours well, they can look really eye-catching and stunning.

For these designs, the bride sent me through some examples of the types of save the dates/ invites they liked and the type of fonts. It was clear from these that this couple favoured a design with a slight vintage feel to them and importantly the font needed to be the perfect combination of handwritten and italic.

When I am designing I always make sure that the proofs I design have a couple of designs that are at the extremes within the brief to see whether the bride chooses something different when they see it, as it's always good just to make sure that we are on the right lines with the design.

For the first two designs, I followed the brief pretty much to the letter and included vintage frame elements, handwritten style fonts and incorporated the three key colours.

Simple frame design

Coral circle frame design

The third design was a very modern style design, that did not have vintage elements apart from in the italic font chosen. This design was all about the striking italic date design that will instantly catch the eye and attention of the guests, and worked perfectly with the coral colour.

striking italic design

The final design, was a more elegant design in a 5'x5' square style, which included vintage style graphics as a border at the bottom of the invite,. The writing on this one was less handwritten and more of a modern italic style font. This design would look great printed using letterpress or thermographic printing. The letterpress, would press the coral regalia print into the card, whereas thermographic printing basically lifts the print off the page slightly so if you ran your fingers across it you would be able to feel the print. Thermographic printing creates a stunning glossy style of printing, that it's hard to replicate with other types of printing. Both types of printing come at a premium though which is why a lot of wedding couples opt for digital printing as it is more affordable.

Coral regalia border design

Would love to hear which design is your favourite, so please let me know

Back soon
L xx

I am on the hunt for an old, distressed looking wooden ladder!!

Let me explain why....

About a year ago, Adrian and I redecorated our irritatingly shaped and pretty small box room so it went from a plain magnolia space that looked like this (sorry for the poor photo)

 

 

 

 

 and ended up looking like this...

 

 

Adrian and I (more of him and less of me!) made the bed and the bookcase from scratch so we’re pretty proud of ourselves J.

I’ll digress slightly for a minute just to tell you a bit more about this bed. When we first moved into this house we set a desk up in the room, and then piled all our boxes into the recess in the room but it was a really bad use of space and looked pretty dreadful if I’m honest. So last Christmas, as I lay in bed with a chest infection, I started to sketch out some ideas for what we could do – much to the delight of my husband who got greeted with these ideas every night when he arrived home from work! I ignored the ideas that our house builder had for this room, which was in one word ‘horrific!’

 Anyway during these searching sessions, I found this day bed on pottery barn and thought it would look great in our room and would provide us with an additional small bed for when my friend’s come to stay with their children and when my little niece is old enough to come and stay.

 

 

However we couldn’t afford the money for the bed as it was a whopping $899 plus shipping and import tax!! I then found this amazing site call ana white (click HERE to go to her site) that shows you how to make specific bits of wooden furniture from scratch.

So off Mr W and I went to the timber yard up the road and hey presto, a little bit of drilling, swearing and painting later – we had a base for the bed!!! I think it cost us about £60 to make the base for the bed!

 

 

 

Add a mattress, some baskets and some bedding and cushions later and we had our bed!!

 

Inspired by making this bed we then moved onto making a bookcase that would fit the alcove within this room. Mr W turned into my very own handy Andy over the couple of weekends where we were doing this :-) The bookcase looks a bit of a jumble at the moment, but at least the picture gives you a feel for how the room looks.

Ever since we completed this woodwork class, I have been looking for 2 things to finish off the room:

1.  A wooden small, distressed looking step so that little people that use this bed when they come to stay can get in it.
 
2. An old looking ladder that can form a magazine rack so we can sit on this bed and catch up on some reading.

Here is my inspiration for the ladder...

 

 And for the step....

 

This blog post will frustrate my dad no end as he can’t understand why I would want to fill my house with old things! But I think they will look brilliant in this room and really finish the room off. So far though I have drawn a blank, so keep your eyes peeled people as I am becoming desperate…

Once I find these I need to move onto finding a small table and a lamp.  I love this side table from cox and cox – nudge nudge wink wink Mr W!!!

 

 

If anyone finds me that ladder, I will quite literally love them forever!

Be back soon

L xx