Welcome…

I design and create Wedding and Special Occasion Stationery, Greetings Cards, Jewellery and Accessories in Lincolnshire, UK.

Wedding Stationery Designs

To view a selection of my Wedding and Special Occasion Stationery please click on the Wedding Stationery tab above or take a look at my Facebook photos page.

Greetings Cards

To view a selection of Greetings Cards designed and handmade by me, please click on the Cards tab above or take a look at my online Folksy shop.

Jewellery

To view a selection of my handmade button Jewellery please click on the Jewellery tab above or take a look at my online Folksy shop.

If you have any questions, commissions or queries, please get in touch.  info{at}originalminnie{dot}com

I’ve been featured …

… by the Inspired Celebration blog

I was very pleased to have one of my greetings cards featured on the Inspired Celebration blog recently, as they also believe in the ethos of handmade, and supporting independent UK designer makers.
Whether you are organising an event yourself and are looking for ‘that’ special touch to add to your celebration, or if you are attending a Wedding or party as a guest and are looking for a unique gift – Inspired Celebrations will often have beautiful suggestions for you.

So if you like the idea of including handmade designs within your celebration but don’t know where to start, try taking a look at their blog.

Don’t forget Mothers Day

Mothering Sunday is less than a week away now, so if you’re still struggling to find gifts or cards why not try Buying Handmade and looking online at Folksy where you can find handmade quality items from independent UK designer makers (some of which will post orders worldwide).

The official Folksy blog lists lots of ideas for quality handmade Mothering Sunday gifts.

Original Minnie © Handstamped With Love Notepad made from recycled card

I also have some greetings cards and notepads made from recycled card available in my Original Minnie Folksy shop.  They are all hand stamped by me, so if you would like a specific name or phrase, just let me know.

Original Minnie © Handmade pink Bead and Button Earrings made with sterling silver hooks

I also have jewellery available, all of which is sent to you in a gift presentation box made from eco-friendly recycled card.

Original Minnie © Last Postage dates for Mothering Sunday 2011

…and don’t forget my recommended last order date for Mothers Day items from my Folksy shop is 12noon GMT this Wednesday (30th March 2011).   Any questions, please email me on the address at the top of this page or click on the ‘Ask the seller a question’ link on my Folksy shop profile.

(Original Minnie is not responsible for the content of other website content/links).

Gainsborough Old Hall Wedding Fayre

Brand new designs in a very old building

I enjoyed my time yesterday at Gainsborough Old Hall‘s first Wedding Fayre event.  I had never been before, but it is quite an unusual building, as you will see in some of these photos from the day:

© Original Minnie - Gainsborough Old Hall Wedding Fayre March 2011

I’m sure I looked funny in the morning arriving with boxes of plants and sweetie jars to a Wedding Fayre, but it was all for a reason = new designs for quirky favour labels, name places, and table numbers.  I also designed some new table number plant signs, with the background patterns from my final degree project inspired by afternoon tea – can you see the tea cups in the pattern?

© Original Minnie - Gainsborough Old Hall Wedding Fayre handmade favour labels, name places, and table number tags

My old favourite ‘button table numbers’ were displayed with some new menu designs, and co-ordinating plates hand painted by me.

© Original Minnie handmade Wedding and Special Occasion Stationery - table setting with menu, button table number, and hand painted crockery

The day seemed to go so quickly, but I did have a quick wander and found these quirky internal features next to the tea shop (any excuse).

© Original Minnie - Gainsborough Old Hall Wedding Fayre old street lamp

© Original Minnie - Gainsborough Old Hall Wedding Fayre vintage telephone

The venue people were friendly as were the other people displaying, including the photographers either side of my display.   There was Paul from local studio Red Pepper Studios based in Gainsborough, and Reg Moore whose work is featured in magazines including Lincolnshire Pride.

For more designs take a look at my Wedding Stationery page; keep up to date with other Events I will be attending by joining my official Facebook page or check my Events page.

If you have a stationery design or idea in mind, please get in touch and I will be happy to discuss the possibilities.

(Original Minnie is not responsible for the content of other websites/links.)

Mothering Sunday orders

Mothering Sunday will soon be with us in the UK on 3rd April 2011 …

© Original Minnie

… so this is just a quick reminder that if you would like to order any handmade gifts or cards from my Original Minnie Folksy shop, payments need to be received by 12noon GMT on 30th March 2011 for UK orders, or 22nd March 2011 for EU orders.

Please contact me if you have any questions/queries.

Wedding Showcase Event

Sorry I’ve not posted here for a while – I have been busy posting info updates and photos over on my Original Minnie Facebook page in the meantime.

But just to update you here, I was exhibiting at a Wedding Showcase event at the weekend, so thought I would post a few photos.

© Original Minnie Wedding and Special Occasion Stationery = place card with ribbon

Held at the Angel and Royal Hotel at Grantham in Lincolnshire.  An attractive old coach house, you can see glimpses of the building in some of my photos.

© Original Minnie Wedding and Special Occasion Stationery = vintage button table number handmade by Original Minnie

I displayed my table stationery in two of their rooms – one for smaller celebrations…

© Original Minnie Wedding and Special Occasion Stationery = menus and table settings

… and a more grand room with exposed stone walls, for celebrations with a  larger number of guests.

© Original Minnie Wedding and Event Stationery = vintage button table number, designed and made by Original Minnie

I also met some other friendly people, including Grantham based Cake specialists ‘Taffeta’, and florist ‘Suzie Davis’, whose arrangements can be seen in some of my photos.

© Original Minnie Wedding and Special Occasion Stationery = Groom place setting with name card and menu

If you would like to see more images of my Wedding and Event Stationery, go to my Wedding Stationery page, or take a look at the photos on my Facebook page.

I will also be attending some more Wedding Events this year, so you can see my designs in ‘real life’.  Check my Events page for more info.

(Original Minnie is not responsible for the content of other websites/links)

2 days to Christmas

If all this talk of Buying Handmade for Christmas has inspired you, there are lots of places on the web now where you can purchase direct from the maker all year round for birthdays, anniversarys, thank yous, or just to treat yourself.  If you have a creative hand, you can even set up your own shop!

Handmade Pledge Badge from buyhandmade.org

• You know about Folksy already (all UK makers, some selling worldwide, in £ GB pounds)
• there is also Etsy (worldwide makers, some selling worldwide, in $ US dollars)
• and Zibbet (in $ US dollars)
• and Misi (mostly UK sellers, some selling worldwide, in £ GB pounds)
• and MyEhive (mostly UK sellers, in £ GB pounds, $ US dollars, and Euros)
• and of course you can buy direct from the maker face to face at local Craft Markets and Fairs
• and more…

If you have any recommendations of where to find quality handmade, please let us know and leave a comment…

(Original Minnie is not responsible for the content of other websites).

5 days to Christmas

Reminder

Last chance for orders today and tomorrow morning!

Original Minnie © Last Order dates for Christmas 2010

If you have last minute presents and cards to find, why not give handmade this year?

6 days to Christmas

As you know, I love Afternoon Tea and all the trimmings and pretty vintage crockery that comes with it.  (See what I did for my Afternoon Tea inspired degree show here.)

What I found handmade at Belton Xmas Market - Scented Vintage Teacup Candles by Home Sweet Home

That’s why when I saw these handmade scented candles made by Home Sweet Home, at the Belton House Christmas Market last month, I couldn’t resist them!  They were even ready wrapped up as you can see in the photo, so I will be spreading the love and giving most of them away as gifts, but I may have to keep onto one myself as they are too pretty.
You can find similar handmade candles in teacups by various UK makers on Folksy.com, just use the keyword search.

(Original Minnie is not responsible for the content of other websites).

8 days to Christmas

Yum yum!

What is better than Chocolate? Answer: handmade quality chocolate.

What I found handmade at Belton Xmas Market - Handmade Chocolates by Belgian Heaven Chocolate Co

I found these handmade chocs by Belgian Heaven Chocolate Co. at the Belton House Christmas Market I attended last month, and couldn’t resist when I was offered a sample taster.  It was a great weekend at Belton, feeling very festive with live music, plus I found loads of handmade Christmas pressies to tick off the list.

Talking of Chocolate…

I must say if you are a chocolate fan, a trip to Hansen’s Chocolate House in the little village of Folkingham, Lincolnshire is a great visit!  With years of experience, they have the most stunning handcrafted chocolates, as well as a chocolate cafe (!), and you can even peek through a window into the handmade factory and see the artisans at work!

(Original Minnie is not responsible for the content of other websites)