Out with the Old, In with the New!

I had the opportunity to work with a very wise business mentor recently and we got talking about some of the older designs I currently have for sale.

She said if I wouldn't like to see them on a billboard, then they should go, I shouldn't have them up for sale.  And she's correct of course.  If I'm not loving them, if I'm not loving working on them or personalising them my clients, then no I shouldn't have them for sale.  I've been through and counted up 37 - yes! 37! designs that simply have to go.  Over the next little while I will be taking these designs down and replacing them with new and improved creations, more reflective of me and where I am now.

As a designer, I have grown over the years, my skills have improved and been refined, and some of my earlier work just doesn't show me at my best.

I have lots of ideas for my new designs.  However if there is a particular theme, idea or design you are just itching to see, please drop me a line.  I'm always interested in and appreciative of your feedback and ideas.  After all, it's you who purchase the designs!

Until next time, cheers nicky

Combining Birthday Parties - Double the Fun!

It is surprising the amount of requests I receive from parents whose children's birthdays are quite close together and who want to throw one party instead of two.  It makes a lot of sense and I'm sure it works out costing less than two separate celebrations.  The difficult part is how to combine the parties so it looks even remotely cohesive.

In the past, I've been given the challenge of designing an invitation with a Space and a Princess theme.  Kinda tricky.  A simpler theme was Princess and Pirate, almost a walk in the park that one!  More recently, the two themes were a Mermaid and a Hedgehog.  Hmmmm, interesting.  How on earth do I approach that I wondered??!

In the end, the solution was relatively simple.  Two invitations.  I suggested to my client that we double side the invitations, have the Mermaid on one side and the Hedgehog on the other.  Obviously they would need to work together somehow, so I elected to keep a similar look to each design.  This is what I came up with.

To view the Hedgehog Invitation, click here.

After creating the Hedgehog themed invitation, I did a redesign of my popular Mermaid themed inviation in order to tie in with the design of the Hedgehog.

To view the Mermaid Invitation, click here.

My client was very happy, her kids were thrilled, both got what they wanted.  Great result all round.

Something to keep in mind should you decide to double the fun and throw a combined birthday party for your next celebration!

Until next time!
Cheers, Nicky :)

Setting the Table

My daughter Emily turned 8 recently and I used the opportunity to create a party table to co-ordinate with her invites. I had an idea in my head of what I wanted to achieve and surprisingly enough, I pulled it off! To be honest, it was easier than I expected and I feel it's something that anyone can achieve. It did take some time though and it is something you'll need to plan. I started by drawing a plan of how I wanted the table to look and what food I planned to place on it. From there, I worked out what tags, labels and wrappers I needed and then set about designing them.

Of course if you are planning a party, all you need to do is let me know what your ideas are and I can design the invites and help you plan what else you'll need for the table.

Surprisingly enough too, it didn't break the bank. I think because I did take time to plan and had worked out what food was going to be served, I had time to purchase a good amount in advance and not all in a mad rush at once a couple of days before the big event - which is what I normally do!

I had the cupcakes professionally made because I wanted to achieve a certain look and because I just didn't want the hassle of having to do those too. They were fab as well, better than I could have imagined! Sondra at Sweet Bites Cakes made those for the big event. I sent her a copy of Emily's invite and she took care of the rest. I highly recommend Sondra and you can find her at www.sweetbitescakes.co.nz.

I will admit I did go a bit OTT and purchased pink and white polka dot balloons, the paper straws and the pink and white polka dot party bags from the US. They really did look the part though and I'm so pleased I did that. Those type of products are something I can easily source on your behalf so if you're looking for products such as these, please let me know and I can get pricing for you.

The tissue pom poms sitting on the table are something my girls and I made shortly before the party and I have to say it didn't take much more than half an hour to complete those. I found the instructions on the internet. I'll dig them out for you and post them later.

The VERY best thing though was the reactions of the kids and parents. Emily was so happy she screamed! When her guests arrrived at the door, she excitedly brought them through to view the party table. For a few moments, the gifts were forgotten as they stood in front of the table in awe. There were lots of gasps and wows and looks of wonderment. I was really chuffed and it made the effort so worthwhile.

So next time you've got a party to plan, whether it be a big or small affair, a birthday, baby shower, engagement, christening or whatever, take some time to think about the table and what look you would like to achieve. Your next email after that should be to me so I can help turn that idea into a reality!

Below are some photos from Emily's party. Hopefully you'll get some inspiration from them for your next event!

Nicky x