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Morning all! Let’s all give a warm its-nearly-the-weekend-and-payday-thank-goodness welcome to Brides Up North Featured Supplier, Deb of Hand-Held-Designs, who is here to tell us all about her range of beautiful cut wedding stationery.
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What is the story behind Hand-Held-Designs?
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My love of card design was re-awakened, whilst studying for a degree in Textiles and Surface Design at CCAD. I had spent the previous 20+ years in the Hair and Beauty Industry, mostly running my own hairdressing business. As a hobby I had made cards over the years and sold them at craft fairs, and I had always sold out, but it wasn’t until the card and gift assignment at University that I realised how exciting it was working with paper again. I love having a flat piece of paper, and a craft knife, and cutting out a design I’ve created, and how magical it is seeing it appear little by little, and how beautiful the shadows are when the light catches the design. I knew then that my heart was with card and paper design, and paper-cut design, and I knew that I wanted to create beautiful stationery, that would be something special and different for a couple’s special day.
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Who is a Hand-Held-Designs bride?
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A bride who wants a beautiful, contemporary, striking design and loves to add a splash of colour.
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Where are you based? Do you work by appointment /online?
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I am based in Darlington, Co. Durham, and currently work from my small studio based in my home. I work online, via email, and by telephone, and exhibit my stationery collections at selected wedding fairs, where it’s always nice to speak to people face to face.
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Who is a Hand-Held-Designs dream client?
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My dream client is any couple who falls a little in love with my designs, I have a passion for what I do, and if clients ’feel’ the design as I do, that’s just perfect.
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Tell us more about your Intri’cut service. Are your designs all bespoke?
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All the designs are created by myself, and are ‘Intri’cut’ – I call it this as the products are intricate in design and nature, starting with a design that I sketch and develop, then turn into a digital outline that is then sent to my cutting machine for the design to be cut out. It’s not laser cut, it is cut with a fine-detail blade, so has no burnt or scorched edges to it. I have a ‘core’ range of designs, which I am always working on adding to. These can be adapted to make them more personal to each couple, by adding their chosen coloured inserts to match their theme, and, if required, choosing a coordinating/contrasting foil, which comes in a large range of colours, (metallic and matt). If the bride wishes, some of the designs can have text of choice added to the invitation front, and though I suggest fonts that compliment each other, with an extensive range of commercial fonts and pantone colours available to print with, I’m sure the couple will find something to make their chosen design unique to them.
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What products are available in each design?
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Most of the designs start with ‘Save the Date’, and go through to all of the wedding day stationery, including table plans and post-wedding ‘Thank You’ cards. Anything I haven’t covered I am working on, so please ask, I don’t want to take a single design and put it on everything. I try to mix it up to make it more unique.
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What stationery designs do you think will be popular for next season?
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Print and patterned stationery will feature with geometric patterns, chevrons and stripes proving popular.
Stationery can be mixed and matched within this theme, providing there is a common colour running throughout and this can look stunning with a real contemporary edge. The ‘Gemini’ range of invitations offers a geometric pattern, that is proving a real favourite and depending on which colours are chosen, it can look contemporary or classic.
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1920’s glamour, and the ‘roaring 20’s’ theme will influence a lot of design. Art Deco stationery looks amazing, and ties in with the geometric prints and patterns. I have been looking at 1920’s architecture for inspiration for new designs, so watch this space!
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Cut wedding stationery will grow in popularity; it is stylish and detailed, it works with any colour scheme and offers something different to the usual printed stationery.
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What would be your top five tips for Brides up North when choosing their wedding stationery?
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The wedding day is all about the happy couple, and the stationery should be a reflection of the couple’s taste.
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The stationery gives the first impression, and sets the tone of your big day, so invitations are very importation. Think carefully if you are planning on having co-ordinating wedding-day stationery, it’s worth thinking about this in the first stages, so everything looks gorgeous on the day. Mention it to your stationer, even if you don’t need it now, ordering it in advance avoids possible disappointment later.
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Think of your budget – it’s so easy to get carried away with all the accessories and wedding-day stationery. Discuss with your stationer how much you have to spend and your requirements, they should offer advice and recommend solutions to keep within price, e.g. only putting one menu on each table, or supplying place cards left unprinted for you to hand-write.
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If the invitations you love are a little more expensive, then don’t buy ‘Save the Date’ cards as well as Invitations – just send your invitations out earlier.
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Book your stationer early – better to have time in hand, you will have plenty of other wedding topics to think about!
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Order a few extra invitations, at least 5 of each, day and evening, ( I always add in a few extra envelopes), because we all make spelling mistakes at times – particularly when we need to get it right!
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Does all of your stationery have to match?
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Not necessarily, no. Matching stationery looks beautiful, and you know everything goes together, but mixing and matching can look amazing, as long as there is a common element that ties it all together. Mixing and matching patterns or florals work well, as long as the colour theme runs throughout.
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What are your prices/ price range and are you doing any special offers?
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The range of invitations are divided into two price bands, namely £4.90 each and £5.90 each. This includes two inserts, one coloured and one white with text. For a small additional cost they can be individually accessorized with Swarovski Crystals, which really finishes them off.
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I am offering all Brides up North readers, free Swarovski Crystals on all invitations ordered by 1st March. Please quote Brides Up North when placing your order or enquiry.
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Which designs are your best sellers?
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The ‘Flutterby’ range is always a popular favourite, it’s a pretty range and very romantic. The ‘Gemini’ is also proving equally as popular, it can look very classical, but then choose a strong colour behind it, and on the foil detail, and it looks totally different and has a real contemporary look.
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What sets Hand-Held-Designs apart from it’s competitors?
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All Hand-Held-Designs’ intricate collections are individually cut on a cutting machine, which cuts with a blade, producing a nice, crisp edge, without the burnished or scorched edges associated with laser cutting. Hence on the pearlescent card I use, the edges are the same crisp clean finish on the outside and the inside, making it perfect for wedding stationery. Hand-Held-Designs offer beautiful intricate stationery, which can be further enhanced with foil detailing in a range of striking complimentary or co-ordinating colours. As the designs are created by me, the range is unique and original to Hand-Held-Designs.
I offer a professional, reliable service, where customer care is paramount.
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How long does it take to turn around an order?
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I usually quote 6 weeks from receiving full payment and the final signed proof, but please contact me if you have a more urgent requirement. The insert paper is ordered especially for each order, and this can take up to 4 weeks for delivery.
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How can Brides Up North get in touch with you?
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Website: www.hand-held-designs.co.uk
Email: hello@hand-held-designs.co.uk
Telephone: 07535 707320
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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2013 provided by Hand-Held-Designs
Hand-Held-Designs is a Brides Up North Featured Supplier, and this is a sponsored post
Contact Brides Up North to submit your business as a Featured Supplier
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