It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

A little bit of Christmas.......

We have been busy digging out our sparkles, twinkles and glitter and we are getting into the Christmas spirit here at emsOriginal!

If you are looking for something a bit special and bespoke, we are able to design and create for you personalised Christmas cards, which can celebrate a first Christmas as a married couple or your child's first Christmas! We also sell homemade vintage-style Christmas baubles, which again can be personalised to your liking. Orders are coming in fast for our personalised house commissions, a really great gift at Christmas time.

So be sure to pay us a visit soon to ensure you get your gifts in time for Christmas!!

Personalised Christmas baubles

.....add your child's name

Vintage-style handmade Christmas baubles

Personalised Christmas cards and commissions

Look forward to seeing you soon! Why not pop along to share a mince pie and glass of bubbles at The Lavender Tree for one of our Christmas evenings: Wednesdays from now until 12 December 5pm to 9pm.

Autumn is here!

Well it felt like the summer washed away with the rain and before we knew it the crisp autumn air is upon us here in Cheshire. And with the Autumn comes some big changes for emsOriginal. For those who don't already know we have been busy moving studios, hence the very bad updating of the blog! eek!

But emsOriginal does have a new home at the lovely Lavender Tree in Alderley Edge. Its is a really very unique shop. Specialising in bespoke interiors and beautiful furnishings and gifts for the home. And now I am here as an in-house designer to create personalised gifts and frames!

So heres what I have been up to....

I now have a new lovely home for the studio come and see me soon!!
I am at the Lavender Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays!
xx

New samples and ideas for new babys and childrens rooms!
Come and look at the lovely vintage suitcase lined with Mother Goose, perfect for any childs room to house all those books and teddies!

A new idea for a new born baby gift - Original illustration, framed £45.

Autumn Wedding ideas!

 Hope to see you all soon!

The European Tour continues...

So emsOriginal took a little time to re-evaluate ideas and decided the best way to do this was Paris. Champagne, snails (Yes i tried one!), and the Mona Lisa was calling!

What a place to go and i really did feel like the girl who finally got to go to Paris! It seems its the home, the beginnings of all things beautiful. From sauntering down the Champ Elysee's to wandering around Montmarte, feeling every bit of the bohemian past. The little winding streets and the amazing views across Paris from the Steps of the Sacre-Couer just echo the bohemian ideals of beauty, truth, freedom and love. I really do love Paris!

I had a fab time! And feel those Parisian vibes are currently flowing through my veins and can't wait for a little downtime in the autumn to begin on a new body of artwork!

The Art of Parisian food!

The Parisian Patisserie!

Love Locks on the Bridge by the Notre Dame

View of Paris from the Montmarte

The Girl who finally got to go to Paris!

All good things....

The Cherry Tree girls x

 What a month for emsOriginal! As many as you may have heard, the lovely shop 'The Cherry Tree' in Knutsford will be shutting its little door for the final time soon, a mixture of reasons including the difficulties faced in these economic times and it really has struck a cord to how many of our lovely indie shops are being driven out off the high streets and advised to simply join the online world. I am a true supporter of the independents and it saddens me to think of a faceless brand moving into all our lovely little shops. Independent shops don't just exist to retail, but they provide expertise and knowledge of the products they are selling as the owners of these little shops have a real passion and love for what they do. It has been a beautiful shop and with the support of the owner Sara Hoodfar, it has been the stepping stone for my business and I will forever remember this little haven within the village I grew up in and in turn a shop that helped me grow my business to the success it is today! I am sure the owner Sara will go on to create and inspire more with her amazing eye for something beautiful and unique and her support for other graduates and artists just like me!

emsOriginal is taking the first steps into the big wide world! I will be moving from the Cherry Tree in the next few weeks and working from my humble abode till I find that perfect little studio in cheshire to operate from- as soon as I have news I will be updating all my lovely customers! Please don't hesitate to get in touch with orders during this time, I am offering a free postage and delivery service (in Cheshire) from Monday 16th July till the end of August to help during the big move so look forward to hearing your new design ideas soon and I will get creating! Please email ems@emsoriginal.com - if you do require a design consultation and a meet that is no problem I can still meet in and around Knutsford and so will look forward to seeing you soon!

This year I feel is going to be a big year for emsOriginal, I have lots of ideas and I can't wait to get down to creating, and for all wedding customers there will be a few treats in store too!

Please follow the blog for more updates! Speak soon!

Where does the time go?!

Well I seem to have completely lost May somewhere, baffled to what I have done each day but it has flown by... but somewhere along the way finally found the sun!

At the beginning of the Month I had lovely celebrations of my Parents Ruby Wedding Anniversary - and lucky them they got an original emsOriginal illustration of there lovely lives together! hehe.

I'm really looking forward to this week, there's already a great atmosphere in the air in Knutsford as we head towards the Olympic torch run through on the 31st May, and then the Diamond Jubilee weekend ahead! We have been rolling out the bunting in the Cherry Tree Shop! I did have big plans for commemorative souvenirs but this got lost somewhere in the depths of the beginning of May! But i think now I will just soak up the weekend with the BBC coverage and perhaps a cheeky glass of something bubbly!

So what have I been upto! Well i have been really developing new ideas for emsOriginal and a new area of my business "Something Borrowed..." - I have a number of items I have been collecting for years, all back from the days I had big plans to become a tv&film set designer and now I'm finally refurbishing and bringing them back to life to become props for wedding and event hire! It all began with a little vintage suitcase, and a couple of bits and bobs I hired as extra's alongside my wedding stationery, but the ideas have really evolved and now I have a vintage sweetie cart, photo booth, croquet sets, boules, books and typewriters to hire! Just slowly updating the website with all props available ready for the autumn!

I'm really looking forward to June, I have finally got sometime to really push the new areas of my business I have been really keen to get to work on! And I will be having a little stand at the Plumley Village fun day on the 30th June so a good month to really get some new ideas and get creating with a nice day with family & friends and hopefully lots of customers on the 30th!

See you soon!
xx

April showers!

Well this week we have been definitely been having a few rain showers! But definitely summer is on the way! March was a very busy month here at emsOriginal and April seems to be running away with itself too!!

So the highlights of March...

1. I completed and on time my vintage suitcase! And it seems this little case has a few more travels in it yet and is booking up quickly for weddings this spring and summer! See below my finished article and let me know what you think!

Vintage Suitcase Available to Hire, please email weddings@emsoriginal.com for further detail!

2. Iv been busy with some other little ideas iv been having for creating bespoke weddings and will be installing a wedding window in the Cherry Tree Shop this month so will keep you updated on when it is completed and you can come down to view!

3. I did finally start making a few little pieces for the jubilee an promise to have them for sale in cherry tree by the end of the month! So watch this space!

4. I have a new stockist of my cards! A fabulous boutique clothes shop called Mandi Boo in Audlem! I have to stop myself spending too much money when I deliver stock it such a fab place!

I'm still working hard and will update my website in the next few weeks with my most recent commissions and some further samples of some of the wedding stationary I have been completing but it really is all just running perfectly!

Thanks for following! See you soon!

Xx

Spring is in the air!

Well the last couple of weeks have been very busy on the emsOriginal calender! Not just with the approach of wedding days for my lovely wedding customers but also i have been doing a spot of traveling! I have had an absolutely fantastic weekend in Rome and hands down I think it is one of the best cities i have ever been too! It is a city full of stories, adventures and amazing food, and provided me with inspiration for the rest of the year I think!

For the first time in years I even had time to send postcards home from the smallest city in the world - Vatican City!

So what did I see that inspired me on this trip! Well all the "have too's" when roaming in Rome! The Vatican city, museum & the Sistine Chapel, we walked to Colosseum as the sunset on ancient Rome, a spot of anti-pasti and a cheeky beer Morretti sat on the Piazza outside the Pantheon, tossed a coin over the shoulder into the Fontana de Trevi, and climbed the Spanish steps to look out across the city!

We also had a rather memorable cappuccino in a little cafe called Caffe Fasse, where we met a older Italian man who we could have sat with for hours and listened to the history of Rome -  who needs tour guides when you take time for a coffee with the locals! He was more interested in the difference of the regional accents of myself and my friends!

It was a fantastic trip! A great chance to see great works of art by Michelangelo, Rafael & Bernini, and even historical philosophical texts of Aristotle! - I could totally have settled down in this city!

angels fighting demons, a beautiful dome in the vatican

i love Rome!! xx

Another seller of this trip was the sunshine! Spring came a week early for me! But luckily it arrived at the Cherry Tree today too! And we had the door open as we gave the shop a good spring clean and got crafting for Easter! - If you haven't popped in for a while, come and visit us soon!

At the moment everything about Spring is getting me excited! Today I saw a bunch of Daffodils and couldn't stop myself eating a creme egg for the season! :)

So what have I got planned for Spring! Well I have some lovely weddings to complete over the next couple of weeks to take me right through to the end of April, but then I think emsOriginal will be taking a little time to refocus in May, Iv got some big plans for my card ranges and wedding styling and really want to take some time to concentrate on putting these plans into action so hopefully will be able to bring you a blog soon on what I plan to do!

For a sneak peak... here's somethings I've been buying ready for projects!

Speak to you soon!

xxx

Inspiration then innovation...

emsOriginal has been having a fab time over the last few weeks! It seems that the little studio down the stairs at the Cherry Tree really has been discovered and I'm busy with lots of orders and wedding stationary right through to the summer! Which is absolutely more than I could wish for and would like to thank everybody for their support!

Special Christening Cards from Godparents

Amongst orders it was my gorgeous nephews christening at the weekend and I had been busy working to create some bespoke designs for my family and friends to give to Little ajsOriginal at the Weekend!

But it seemed my illustrations were out done as Little ajsOriginal loved his little music box I had given to him the most! Giggling away as the little monkey and giraffe swirled around! Thank you Cherry Tree gifts for a beautiful present that really does now have treasured memories attached of our gorgeous little man!

Talk to the Animals Music Box

On another note this week aside from the creation of special commissions and wedding stationary at emsOriginal illustration! The other side of the process is the research and innovation of ideas that transforms a something simple into something that really is a brand new bespoke design for the most individual of weddings! Sometimes after a busy day at the studio in the Cherry Tree Gallery and talking about weddings it feels that my business as an illustrator is really only a small part and I feel I am ever expanding into the design and planning of weddings too and it really is something I love to do!

Back in my university days I have the full intention to become a fully fledged set designer, and somewhere along the way I found me, my style and love of creating illustrations, however it is true that sometimes first loves really creep back and within my current work I have been enjoying getting back to planning and designing on a larger scale!

So in the next few weeks I am doing my research collecting and collating all unusual bits and bobs and will be transforming to show the unique ideas I have for different wedding style and plans... so watch this space for transformations!

"A pinch of creativity"

The things we find in the garage!!

We all come across beautiful images that inspire us and drive us to create new and innovative design and if we are lucky enough to be an artist we can claim that we have been inspiration to others! In the past week though unfortunately i have been subject to what is becoming known across the social networking channels as the 'Kirstie Alsop Curse' where somebody has see my designs and instead of being inspired has logged onto my website and literally copied one of my designs a 'DIY' attempt and, completely oblivious to this faux pas came to ask me where I source my materials from to create there own wedding stationary! This is obviously such an upsetting incident as it is hard to explain as an artist we don't come up with our style overnight - it is a process of years of training from our childhood which is constantly evolving! I really am quite open with all my techniques and my ideas but perhaps I do need to be a little more careful in future! But I am never down for long and there is always a silver lining to these things and lucky enough for me I do also meet some lovely people who understand the work and time behind my designs and one of which recently has asked me to design a wedding guest box from an old vintage suitcase!

So I have a long way to go before I can say it is in tip top outstanding condition for a wedding at the end of march! Bitten off more than I can chew??! Never!

Starting my research I found this beautiful website http://www.oncewed.com and it hasn't only inspired me for this project but now I have a whole new to do list as well! It really is a inspiration and really somehow drummed into me it is soo important to be innovative with ideas and constantly creating new things!

Taken from www.oncewed.com
Photography by Tec Petaja
Event Design by Joy Thigpen

I think the lesson to be learned from this is when people want some different, something beautiful and un-mass produced they seek people who can help them achieve the dreams in their imagination and they appreciate the work we do to help create the fairytale for them!

I will definitely keep you updated on the success with the vintage luggage case! I am looking forward to the challenge too! xxx