Inventive advent

We love this intricate and creative advent calendar designed and printed in the UK by Lucy Jane Batchelor! Available to buy from www.thenaturalstore.co.uk . Find out more about Lucy's clever paper products and beautiful characters at: www.lucyjanebatchelor.me.uk

Little Christmas Pud!

This is an unashamedly promotional plug for my mum!

She is a knitter extraordinaire and has kept all three of my children in hats, cardis and blankets for the last 13 years. In fact some well loved items have been saved and passed from baby to baby, like my fave lime green cardi that little Rose now wears- it was knitted for her older sister Kia 13 years ago, how green is that ?!

Mum has finally bitten the bullet, overcome her technophobia and created a folksy shop to sell her Beanie Baby Hats. She uses beautifully soft cotton yarn- just right for little noggins.

I wanted to share with you her latest creation, a fab Christmas Pud- the perfect gift for a little one!

Take a look at: http://www.folksy.com/shops/BeanieBabyHats

Hee Hee, there it is, family promotion finished,

Jemma x

GreenLeaf Press Christmas Boutique

It is December already! Unlike the highstreet, we don't allow ourselves to get in the festive spirit until this month begins, however now that it is here we won't hold back, woohoo..

To prove it we are pleased to announce the opening of our Christmas Boutique, our first venture into selling directly online, eek!

This year our Holiday cards have been inspired by everything from hand knitted jumpers to Nordic folk art.
Take a look at our store and let us know what you think of this year's designs:

http://greenleafpress.bigcartel.com/category/christmas

We will also be posting up some of our favourite christmas decorations and gifts from across the internet over the next few weeks, starting with this little selection, enjoy!

Clockwise: Cute mushroom candles from Heals, Fab christmas pud rubbish bags available from Nigel's Eco Store. Elizabeth Cook reclaimed wool robin from The Natural Store, plantable seed decorations, recycled glass baubles and recycled card crackers- all from Nigel's Eco store. Stackable fair trade santa dolls and growing grass christmas tree are both available at The Ethical Superstore.

BUSINESS: Sending cards to customers - the yays and the nays

Click here: BUSINESS: Sending cards to customers - the yays and the nays

We are feeling very festive here at GreenLeaf with the release of our brand new Christmas Card boutique (more details to follow). This article from UK Handmade perfectly sums up the benefits of using seasonal greetings to share a little love with your valued clients and fellow businesses.
Remember, we GreenLeaf girls are more than willing to help you achieve this! x

Greenleaf Press at Flaunt Events Wedding Fayre

Well Jemma, little Rose and I have had a great day out today, as wedding fayre exhibitors with Wirrals very own Flaunt Wedding Events at Hulme Hall, Port Sunlight.

It was our first time out since 'The Great Big Green Wedding Fayre' ... Ages we know! but what with our greenleaf baby boom this year, a focus on bringing together a wonderful season of garden inspired designs, a new christmas card range, a soon to be launched greenleaf boutique to buy our stationery online and the preparations for the next Great Big Green Wedding Fayre we have just been to busy until now.

A Big Thanks to Flaunt Wedding Events and all who attended the fayre, exhibitors and visitors, it was great fun for us meeting so many lovely people the standard and quality of goods and services on offer was fantastic!

Daisy Green Goodies!

Have you seen Daisy Green Magazine? http://www.daisygreenmagazine.co.uk/

This stunning online green lifestyle magazine is choc full of environmental news, blogs, chat, fashion and links to fellow ethical businesses- everyday it offers bitesize chunks of useful info, reviews and offers.

Our favourite page by far is the Goodies page- every month readers have the opportunity to sign up to win a wealth of prizes. This month we have a vested interest as GreenLeaf are offering a bespoke stationery prize, but along side this in July you also have the opportunity to win a basket full of Tropical Wholefoods goodies, 5 Pevonia Botanica skincare travel kits, 4 tree2mydoor.com 30.00 gift vouchers and even a short break in a gypsy caravan in West Wales!

{All images courtesy of Daisy Green magazine}

To sign up for these competitions and learn more about Daisy Green, visit the site and go to the goodies page;
http://www.daisygreenmagazine.co.uk/category/goodies/

Summer, weddings and berries..

It's June and the bumblebees are buzzing around our lavender bushes, we are dreaming of pick-your-own-berries and outdoor events!
Our friends' blogs, too, seem to have drifted off into hazy day dreams of picnic weddings and rustic British country charm- we have pulled together our favourite images to share with you, with some great links to be found below:

{images courtesy of Country Living via The Natural Wedding Company,

Not Mass Produced, Not On The High Street and GreenLeaf Press}

Felt Corsage from SevenSeventyOne Design, available in several colours on the Not Mass Produced Website: www.notmassproduced.com

Personalised hanging wedding signs by Delightful Living on Not On The High Street: http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/delightfulliving/product/personalised-hanging-sign-for-weddings

A6 Flat Invitation on straw paper with recycled cotton rag envelope available from us! (Please get in touch to find out more)

{images courtesy of Emily Quinton Photography}

The stunning engagement shots above were taken by Emily Quinton with styling by Charley of London Bride. Find out more about working with this talented duo:

http://emilyquinton.com/blog/

{images courtsey of Green Wedding Shoes, iDIY, The Traditional Flower Co,

Not On The High Street and Cox & Cox}

For similar hand painted wooden signs and personalised flower crates, follow the link to Not On The High Street above.

Seasonal flowers arrangements and accessories available from The Traditional Flower Company, http://www.traditionalflower.co.uk/traditional/

For these flower petal confetti cones and other lovely gifts check out Cox & Cox http://www.coxandcox.co.uk

The 'upcycled' flower caddy is a DIY project on the iDIY blog (please follow the link in our right hand bar)

{images courtesy of GreenLeaf Press, Ruffled, Style me Pretty and Milomade}

Our current season range of stationery is available to view on the main GreenLeaf website, www.greenleafpress.co.uk.

The beautiful handstitched love token was created by a bride whose wedding featured on the fabulous vintage wedding blog, Ruffled: http://ruffledblog.com/

Finally this recycled paper garland and recycled confetti are handmade by Evie Milo in Scotland. Milomade recycled paper goods and jewellery are available to buy from; http://www.makers-online.co.uk/artist/milomade

Ethical jewellery supplier spotlight!

{image courtesy of The Hairy Growler www.hairygrowler.co.uk}

We love browsing through fellow ethical suppliers websites and blogs to keep up to date with what's new and exciting out there.

On one such virtual ramble yesterday I came across The Hairy Growler (!)

{images of production, courtesy of The Hairy Growler}

Some suppliers of ethical jewellery are very visible across green wedding planning sites- other are a little harder to find, and we think The Hairy Growler is a hidden gem that must be shared. Jewellery designer Les collects up unloved and unwanted antique silver ware, anything from forks to platters, and breathes his magic into them, transforming mismatched objects into superbly intricate pieces of jewellery.

{Once upon a time this bangle was a fork! Thanks to The Hairy Growler}

We love the fact that Les doesn't try to disguise a piece's origins-his website shows in detail the fascinating process of turning tableware into a wearable work of art. If you look carefully you can see that some of his bangles were forks in their last lives!

{A stunning pendant crafted from an old coin- a great thankyou gift for your bridesmaids?}

Les also micro cuts the most delicate natural designs from old coins and the bowls of spoons, creating beautiful brooches or earrings, and cuts the prongs from forks to create simply elegant silver bands.

{images courtesy of The Hairy Growler}

But we cannot do justice to this superb collection, you really must take a look at the website to find out more about the process, buying his work or commissioning your own bespoke wedding rings:
http://www.hairygrowler.co.uk/

Les also runs another business from his base in Cambridgeshire, The Wedding Cake Knife Co does exactly what it says on the tin, transforming antique wedding knives and unwanted heirlooms into contemporary mementos of your special day!


Discover more at:
http://www.theweddingcakeknife.co.uk/

Wow, what a shot!

{image courtesy of Lawson Photography}

We have been watching Lawson Photography's blog for a while now. Whilst not as green as some of our other photography friends they are local- working in Cheshire & Lancashire and their shots are stunning. Look at this beautiful english countryside portrait- who needs to travel when the UK is this stunning?

View more of their work here:

http://www.lawsonphotography.co.uk/

Tiffany-blue mood boards

We were thrilled to be approached at the end of May by Zoe Lingard, a wonderful wedding planner based in London.

Zoe is pulling together ideas for a client who would like a hint of Tiffany blue for her wedding accessories. Zoe liked several of our designs and a deciding factor for her clients wedding is that it should be ethical.

We happily obliged and pulled together a selection of our designs in her colourways, what do you think?

Zoe maintains a great blog with tips and a record of the weddings she works on, we know they would be a great source of inspiration for our brides.

{images courtesy of zoe lingard}

To take a look or to find out more about Zoe's services visit:

http://www.zoelingard.co.uk/

If you would like to receive samples of any of the designs above, get in touch with us:
info@greenleafpress.co.uk

The Book of Green

Pst! The Book of Green 2010/11 is out now. A fabulous FREE eco directory, this is a must for anyone trying to live ethically- and a great resource for planning your green nuptuals.

With the choice of a paperback version, an online directory/magazine and new for this year, a free iPhone app (available from the app store) this is a must-have for every eco household!

Did we mention you can find us in the Family Events section? :)

Find out more at http://www.bookofgreen.co.uk/

GreenLeaf Stationery Sample packs

Fresh off the press here are some shots of our latest sample pack.

This bespoke pack, requested by Philippa and Monty in Bristol contained 5 items of stationery each from two of our design ranges.

The couple requested a colour palette of vibrant pink and leafy green and the stationery was printed on a selection of our cotton, straw and feather papers, for them to choose from.

If you would like to receive your own tailor-made sample pack, please get in touch.

A pack similar to that above containing five items each from two design ranges costs 6.50,

and we do not charge extra for colour changes.

To find out more contact us on info@greenleafpress.co.uk or call Jemma on 07824 860 682

A speedy green affair!

Phew what a week! Amanda and I were approached by a
client at the end of last week who needed their invites,
erm now- eek!!


Our bride and groom to be have decided to get married asap-
this June, in fact and needed our help to let their friends and
family know quickly.


We happily got on with production and with the help of our
shiny new printer, needle and thread, set about making this
great variation of our jardin birds design- the colours chosen
by our bride have certainly put us in the mood for Spring!

We have asked our bride, Nicola (if she gets the time) to

write a piece for the blog on her super fast green wedding

plans- looking forward to her reply...

Jemma x

sweetpeas and bumble bees

{All images courtesy of www.sweetpeasandbumblebees.co.uk}

Leafing through the June edition of Homes & Gardens magazine (ok so it's not all green, but I can dream, can't I?) I came across an article on Sweetpeas and Bumble Bees - a brand new website selling eco-friendly cut flowers grown here in the UK.

Florist, Ashley Munro Scott has thrown herself into this new business, finding the perfect location in a traditional English walled garden. The website is a fantastic find for green brides to be, as Ashley grows a wealth of flower and foliage varieties, just right for an eco bouquet.

Browsing through the website is hugely enjoyable- with a gallery of images showing the garden's progress- from it original uncultivated state, to the visually stunning end product.
Ashley also keeps fans up to date with an often hilarious Gardeners' blog tracking their story so far.
You will be in no doubt as to the reasons why we should all be opting for seasonally produced, home grown flowers if you check out the 'Why Buy Eco-friendly Flowers' section, detailing the negative impact of importing blooms and the highly positive aspects of growing flowers from seed here in the UK, using natural feeds and pest repellents.




Sweetpeas and Bumblebees grow over 400 varieties of flowers, including alliums, peonies, Old English Roses and Sweet Williams, and they offer a bespoke service for events and weddings, "A bride marrying next year could choose her flowers this year, then watch how they're cared for from seedling to bud." How lovely!



To find out more log on to http://www.sweetpeasandbumblebees.co.uk/
or call Ashley directly on 07950 225 021

With Thanks to Homes & Gardens magazine, June 2010, No 12 Vol 21

How Green is your Photographer?

Our friend, Olivia Brabbs has kindly written a post on the merits of green wedding photography:

{All Images courtesy of Olivia Brabbs}

Year by year more and more couples are bringing a more eco-focused ethos to their wedding planning and it’s absolutely brilliant that there are so many cool suppliers out there that can offer services that are both green and chic. Going green no longer means munching on lentils and wearing sandals - in 2010 eco-chic is where it’s at !!

So you’ve invested in some gorgeous eco stationery, thought about a locally sourced organic menu and perhaps a honeymoon destination that doesn’t rack up thousands of polluting air miles but what about your wedding photography?

By the very nature of the industry there are inherent difficulties in taking a full eco approach - but unlike when green chat first started to become more common on the wedding circuit - it’s no longer enough to just use the “I only shoot with digital” mantra. Yes, of course it’s a step in the right direction over film but photographers can go so much further. You could perhaps think about the location of your photographer to cut car miles - some will travel the length and breadth of the country and in fact the world to shoot a wedding but is there someone on your doorstep that can meet your needs?

Also in terms of location do also ask questions about the source of any album products offered. It’s a real shame that the UK is currently saturated by albums flown in from New Zealand and Australia when there are lovely options created on home turf. Other things to look for include online proofing and green office and business management - perhaps through the use of renewable energy, good recycling policies and use of ethical banking to name a few.

Top of the list though has to be the person behind the lens. Wedding photography is about creating a collection of memories that will last across generations and so choosing someone that fits with your personal ethics and desired vibe for your wedding day is really important.

After all, happy smiley people are the key to relaxed and lovely images...

Olivia x

OLIVIA BRABBS PHOTOGRAPHY http://www.oliviabrabbs.co.uk/

We love to keep up to date with Olivia's diverse range of photo shoots, and you can too by following her blog:
http://www.oliviabrabbsblog.co.uk/

To chat with Olivia about your requirements, give her a call on:
0113 3188381 or 07779 345819