This month, we've loved... November 2013

November is nearly through, and we've had such a great month! I cannot believe where this month, or even this year has gone. Time really does fly when you are having fun. Here is a little round up of what  happened this month 

1. We put together sample pieces of our new 'traditional range of wedding stationery. It's a little different to our usual style but we are often asked whether we can create this style for couples so we've decided to make it part of our range! Watch this space for more news!

2. We went to the awards ceremony of the Kent Wedding Awards 2013. We didn't win our category but we are so chuffed to have been nominated, and we had a great evening! 

3. Fireworks night at my parents-in-law house. It was a perfect night for fireworks, nice and chilly but dry and fine. I got some awesome photos of sparklers!

4. We have been married for 3 months now :)

5. I love love love shopping in curiosity shops and finding little vintage gems. This typewriter didn't make it home with me, but only because of the price (it made me cough a bit!) - if it had been a little less, it would have been all mine!

6. Winter is coming, so I can dig out all my winter nail varnishes and wear dark colours again.

7. Winter also means guilt-free comfort eating, and this chicken and mushroom pie Will made was delicious! Looking forward to trying more wintery recipes.

8. We went for a  Sunday stroll in the cold the other weekend, and it was perfect for refreshing our stuffy heads. Fingers crossed for some good weather this weekend for more fresh air.

9. I love the sunsets at this time of the year. You have to take a snap as soon as you see it, because it will be gone in a moment. You could apply that to life really - seize the moment because it will be gone in a flash. (profound for me!)

Friday Top Five - Plus Giveaway!

Hello everyone, hope you are all having a lovely Friday and have fun things planned for your weekend!

This week's Friday Top Five is featuring wedding journals. 

Organise, record and store every idea you have and every cutting you collect. It's a unique momento of your special day and something to cherish as much as your wedding photos.

1. Wedding Planner Book, Posh Totty Designs - £25

With deep pockets on every other page and lined sheets opposite, it is beautifully presented in it's own lovely box.

2. Leather Wedding Organiser with optional personalisation, Oh So Cherished - £29.99

This gorgeous planner is crafted with pale ovory Italian leather and handbound by master bookbinders.  For an extra £1.75,  you can add a silver engraved nameplate to your book. What a fab idea for a gift!

3. Moleskin Wedding Journal, Moleskin - £16.99 

Inside a gorgeous pearlescent white cover with beautiful embossing, the Moleskin Wedding Journal consists of 216 ivory pages, a trio of bookmark ribbons and 162 themed adhesive labels. There is also a hidden Bridal Book in the back pocket - perfect for storing ideas to be kept secret from the groom!

 4. The Bride-To-Be Book, Fred Aldous - £16.77

The Bride-To-Be Book is designed for brides who want to preserve the magic and excitement leading up to the big day - the proposal, the stories behind the ring and the dress, the parties and all the fun celebrating with family and friends.

 5. Golden Heart Wedding Planner and Sticky Note Gift Set, The Paperie - £21.50

This step by step planner is the ideal companion to help organise your wedding day. It has prompts for everything so you won't forget a thing! It also comes with a pack of handy sticky notes which slot into the back of the planner.

***** GIVEAWAY! *****

The Paperie is a wonderful online boutique selling gorgeous social stationery, notebooks, journals and pens. In a world so full of e-mails and text messages, the art of handwritten correspondence is becoming a rare thing, and it is The Paperie's aim to keep the written word alive and to pass on their love of all things paper.

The lovely people at The Paperie have given us the Golden Heart Wedding Planner to giveaway to one of our readers! To enter, simply drop us an email to hello@henryandflora.com including your name and postal address, with the subject line 'Wedding Planner'.

Please note - Open to UK residents only! Giveaway closes at 11am (GMT)  15th November 2015.

You can follow The Paperie on Facebook here, Twitter here and read their fab blog here!

Have a fabby weekend everyone!

H & F xx

Bridesmaids Make Up Gifts

The big day is over, and you have written your thank you cards to your guests. But, there are some people who you want to give a little something extra to, the people who really helped to make your day perfect. We have put together an idea that is a perfect way to say thank you to your bridesmaids. 

You will need:

A jar, or box

Tissue paper

Make up

Ribbons

Gift tags (printable available below)

Gather together these elements, and it's as simple as adding the tissue paper and arranging the make up items in a pretty way. Print the tags onto card and cut one out, then punch a hole at the top and thread some ribbon through. Tie it around the top of the jar or box.

It's a simple idea, but one that everyone will love. Why wait until after your wedding to give these to your bridesmaids? You could include some make up in colours that match your theme and that your girls can wear on the big day!

Click on the image below to print the tags!

To print, click on the image above and either right click and save (for PC users) or CTRL click and save (for Mac users). They are designed to be printed on A4 paper. 

Enjoy!

Henry and Flora xx

Wedding Blog Awards!

We are SO EXCITED to announce that we have been shortlisted for the Wedding Blog Awards, best wedding DIY blog! I don't think we have stopped grinning since we heard on Friday evening! 

We really want to thank everyone who voted for us in the first place, just to be nominated is incredible! If you can spare a moment to vote for us again, we would be so happy. You just have to select our blog 

"henryandflorablog.blogspot.co.uk" in the Best Wedding DIY blog

and enter your email address. 

We cannot thank you enough! Keep up to date with award info on twitter using the hashtag #weddingblogawards

New Wedding Stationery Suite Design - Chalkboard Charm

We are so please to showcase our latest wedding stationery design - 'Chalkboard Charm'.  Sitting on a vintage chalkboard background, we have used a mix of stylish typefaces to create this wedding invitation design. A pretty wreath border is finished with a love heart at the bottom. It is printed on a textured card which really brings the background to life. 

It is available in three colour choices - peach, mint and pink. They are supplied with white envelopes free of charge. Coloured envelopes are available at an extra cost, please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any queries - hello@henryandflora.com

We have also included folded thank you cards as part of our range. Chalkboard Charm comes at 148mm x 148mm, leaving the perfect amount of space to thank your friends and family in this personalised card.

We feel it is the perfect blend of vintage charm and rustic elegance to create a really romantic feel. 

Invitation prices start from £1.90, and £1.40 for RSVP cards. Available to purchase now from our online shop www.henryandflora.com

H and F xx

DIY - Sweet Jar Place Cards

Hurrah, the seating plan is sorted! Phew! Now, you'll need somehow to show guests where they are sitting on their table. Folded place cards are a lovely idea, but we've found that unless you or a friend has beautiful handwriting you can be left disappointed with the result.

We have put together a nifty way of creating quirky place cards, that also doubles as cute little favours.

You will need:

Paper for the names (it doesn't have to be brown kraft paper!)

Assortment of fabric - we love mis-matching patterns and colours!

Sweets

Twine or pretty ribbon to tie around the fabric

Mini pegs - widely available

Scallop circle punch - available here

Paper flowers - available at most haberdashery shops

Letter rubber stamps - like these

Ink pad - available in many colours, we used white!

So, get the lid from the jar and cut out a circle of fabric that's about 4 cm bigger all round. If you are careful, you can lay several pieces of fabric on top of one another and cut 2 or 3 pieces at one. Then, fill the jars with your sweets and screw the lid on. Place the fabric on top and secure with twine - tying in a bow. Cut a scalloped circle from the brown paper with the punch, and start stamping your guests' names. We suggest finding the middle letter of the name and stamping that right in the middle of the circle. Then work your way outwards - this way you won't have an off-centered name! Fix to the bow you tied with a mini peg, and if you want, add a paper flower! You could maybe glue on a button or even sparkly gemstones!

It's a simple idea but will look so sweet sitting on everyone's placemats. Also, it's a great way to create something for your wedding yourself without getting too stressed out, as once you have all your materials gathered they can take less than10 minutes each. And if you have lots of guests, why not invite people over to lend a hand - you can get your own little production line going!

You don't have to stop at sweets, perhaps loose tea, coffee or even homemade jam is more your style! Simple, sweet, and tasty - what's not to love?

Pinterest Love - Pom Poms!

We have gathered together some of our favourite images of pom poms from Pinterest. From hanging displays that add interest to an otherwise neglected space in a room, to decorating cakes and even adding wire hooks to create name cards, pom poms are so versatile! We love the idea of pom pom confetti - perhaps not the quickest, nor the most eco-friendly - but that aside, how cute would it be to throw pom poms over the newly wedded couple?!

Credits: 1. Potter and Butler 2. Pom Pom Factory 3. via. RuffledBlog 4. via. Rustic Wedding Chic 5. via. Style M ePretty 6. Aliexpress 7. via. Martha Stewart 8. via. Red Velvet Occasions 9. Pom Pom Factory 10. Antropologie 11. Pippi

Alphabet Bags = Our New Obsession!

We have fallen in love all over again.

Alphabet Bags is an online shop selling tote bags, purses, pouches and other lovely accessories all with beautiful and simple typography on them.

They have various collections for sale but, obviously, our favourite was their wedding collection.

Can you imagine anyone not being thrilled receiving one of these bags?! All designs come in a range of delightful colours so you are sure to be able to find something to match your theme. They are the ideal tote for your lovely bridesmaids or maid of honour - fill them with gifts and let them carry out their duties in style!

We nearly squealed when we saw this 'bride' pouch - so useful for all those little items you just can't do without on your big day!

Out of all their gorgeous designs, our favourite here at Henry and Flora has got to be the glittery heart pouch! The heart design has been printed in super sparkly gold glitter on soft natural canvas with a natural cotton lining.  Not just for weddings, these pouches are perfect for any party too - who wants a heavy, dull handbag when you could have one of these!?

The perfect accessory for your big day. Ideal for carrying essentials and they'd make a fun prop for photos! They are also a wonderful keepsake for when the big day is over.

All of these items are for sale at www.alphabetbags.com

You can also follow what Lucas and Hayley are up to over on their blog.

Work the Theme - Vintage Styling

With the vintage theme for weddings as popular as ever, we have put together a collection of the best beauty buys and stylish accessories to work this look. Whatever your budget, you can create a look that oozes subtle vintage glamour. 

We love this hair piece from 'Silver Sixpence in her Shoe.' It has such beauty in it's simplicity, but still adds a beautiful detail to the outfit. Keep your make-up simple, all that's needed is a subtle sweep of brown eyeliner, a rosy glow of blusher on the apples of your cheeks and a 'just-bitten' lip colour to complete the understated vintage look.

1. Anais Lace Headpiece - Silver Sixpence in her Shoe, £130

2. Bourjois Effet Smoky Sparkling Pencil in Mocha - Boots, £5.49

3. E.L.F. Mineral Blush in Joy - E.L.F, £5

4. Colourglide Shine Lip Colour in Shell Pink - The Body Shop, £10

5. Pearl Petal Stud Earring - Accessorize, £8

6. Stay Flawless 15 Hour Primer - Benefit, out June 13th

Vintage Rose - Wedding Stationery

We are proud to announce we have a new suite of wedding stationery available today - and it goes by the name of 'Vintage Rose'.  New to Henry and Flora, this set is square with the invitations measuring 148mm x 148mm, and smaller items such as the RSVP and Save the Date cards measuring 95mm x 95mm. They are all designed with a soft duck egg blue polka dot reverse.  Matching items are available, including menu cards, directions and thank you notes.

You can find this design, along with our other items, in our online shop - www.henryandflora.com

We hope you love them as much as we do!

Henry and Flora 

DIY - Lemon Sugar Scrub

Dry skin is a year round issue. The last thing you want when you show off your wedding ring to your guests is dry, flakey skin! So if you want your skin to look buffed and polished, and beautifully moisturised, then read on. Not only does a good exfoliation get rid of dead skin cells, the circular massage motions increases blood flow which leaves your skin looking radiant.

For our lemon sugar scrub, you will need:

100ml olive oil

200g caster sugar

1 lemon

Clean empty jam jar, or Kilner jar

(This fills one small jam jar. You can easily make a larger quantity, just aim for roughly 1-part oil to 2-parts sugar)

Spoon into clean jam jars or retro Kilner jars, add a label and tie it on with twine or ribbon. And that's it! It really is that simple. 

Use on your hands twice a week and you'll soon notice the difference. Why not use it on your feet, elbow and knees too? These also make great gifts, just be sure to tell anyone who has sensitive skin to rub gently.

As this is a totally natural product, we recommend that you store it out of direct sunlight and in a cool place. 

Henry and Flora x

Need it, want it, love it

Need it - colour block envelope clutch - £27, Accessorize
Want it - nude court shoes - £12.99, New Look
Love it - Zurie dress - Coast, £150

We love how subtly the yellow blooms on the dress match the inside panels of the clutch bag. Perfect choice for guest at a summer wedding.