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Regular readers of this wedding blog will know that I do love me my stationery. As a young teenager, you’d more often than not find me in the paper section of Fenwicks rather than the shoe hall, and what were school trips for if not foraging the gift shop for giant rubbers, rainbow pencils and pretty notepads afterwards?
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I still find it difficult to leave a National Trust building without dropping some pocket money like it’s hot.
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So if, like me, pretty wedding invitations were a must do on your bridal shopping list, prepare to add today’s Brides Up North Featured Supplier to your wish list. Let’s chat to Jenny of Little Jem.
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What is the story behind Little Jem?
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Back in 2009, with a vision of creating the perfect wedding invitation for a special person in my life, I began a (non stop?) shopping spree of crafty trinkets, patterned papers, pretty trims and just about anything that reflected love, glamour and romance, with a quirky modern twist. This personal gift to my friend started something magical; an eclectic and inspiring collection of stationery that really adds a special treat to any modern wedding.
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Who is a Little Jem bride?
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A Little Jem bride is someone looking for a unique, modern and utterly handmade style for their big day. Colour and texture play an important role in my designs so I’d say Little Jem will appeal to couples wanting to steer clear of traditional stationery!
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What makes Little Jem special?
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To put it simply, whilst I was researching the vast world of wedding invites for my friends stationery, I wasn’t particularly inspired by the range of handmade designs available. The same generic materials featured heavily on whiter than white designs! On the flip side of this, graphics has really added some excitement to the wedding invite, there are some lovely colourful designs out there but what I found lacking was a really unique handmade style.
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I’ve collected crafty things for years; interesting buttons of all shapes and sizes, trims, fabric, ribbons the lot. I love patterns and colourful trinkets and anything paper related. With such a lovely array of materials, I felt an exciting opportunity to enhance the handmade invite into something modern and gorgeous and perfect for a wedding!
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What wedding stationery ranges does Little Jem stock?
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My collection is currently split into three gorgeous bundles: Beautiful Buttons, Patterned Paper Love and Trims Frills & Ribbons.
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Each handmade design is centred around a unique focal point, from floral, vintage style buttons to intricately patterned Japanese papers. I feel my collection has a really inspiring range of materials, which have been carefully chosen and added to each design.
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What products are available in each design?
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Each Little Jem design can be made into a whole host of wedding stationery products, as well as invitations you can include save the dates, RSVP cards, order of service, place cards, table name/number cards, menus, table plan, thank you cards…the lot!
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Do you have any new stationery designs for Spring 2012?
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I do indeed! I’m currently working on two new ranges, featuring handmade to order materials. I’ve been working closely with some really lovely crafty people and I’m really excited to launch these new designs.
The first one is the Yoyo range, featuring handmade fabric flowers with a cute wooden button at its centre. I love love love these little gems from Loopy Bird Crafts!
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And the second range is called The Love Charm, which features stunning charms made of fabric, words and buttons all set in a case of resin. These really are so unique and gorgeous. The very talented face behind these Love Charms is Melissa from www.joppdesign.com.
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Can you tell is a bit about your ordering process?
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Ordering your wedding stationery with Little Jem a simple process, with lots of flexibility for bouncing ideas and suggestions back and forth between myself and the excited couple.
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Where possible, materials are also flexible to suit your colour scheme i.e. fabrics, ribbons, patterned papers although a lot of materials are a one off and not available in a range of colours – this is what makes Little Jem unique! Layout, fonts and wording can all be changed and I’ll endeavour to do the best I can to get their design just right.
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Which designs are your bestsellers?
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All of my button designs are very popular, as is the Flowers and Pearls range: this one really adds some glamorous style to a wedding
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Which is your personal favourite? Why?
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I adore Forever in Love: the delicate colours of dusky pink and pale green are very popular for 2012 weddings and I just love the pretty, quirky floral button.
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What are your prices, are you doing any special offers?
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My prices range from £2.50 to £4.50 per invite. I’m very conscientious when it comes to pricing, i try to keep the price affordable without cutting corners on the finer details. For a beautifully authentic handmade design, these prices are not to be missed!
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Can you offer a special discount to Brides Up North readers?
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Yes absolutely, I’d love to offer all Brides Up North readers 15% of any order over £300. Just quote “Brides up North” when getting in touch.
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How long do you take to turn around an order?
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It really does depend on which design is ordered. Some have a very quick turnaround, and others may take a little longer due to ordering all my materials. I’d advise couples to order well in advance to make sure they get the design they want, and not have to make any compromises because this is their wedding day after all!
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How can I get in touch to discuss my requirements or place an order?
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You can visit my website www.littlejem.net or give me a call 07807 944918. I am on Facebook and Twitter too or why not come and meet me at the Alternative Wedding Fair on 1st April at Tiger Tiger Manchester? For more details visit www.thealternativeweddingfair.com.
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Why do you read the Brides Up North?
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I love Brides up North because its close to home! Julia is a pleasure to work with. I like the friendly, modern and fun style to her site and am a regular reader.
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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2012 Little Jem
Little Jem is a Brides Up North Featured Supplier
Contact Brides Up North to submit your business as a Featured Supplier
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