The Lady in the Big Hat Invites You… | First Night Design

FROM THE ARCHIVE 28th February 2013 – And I still haven’t done any more drawing!

The Lady in the Big Hat #1 Personalized Announcements by FirstNightDesign I am delighted to tell you that I have just sold one hundred invitations of  The Lady in the Big Hat. I often used to draw …

Source: The Lady in the Big Hat Invites You… | First Night Design

Take care and keep laughing!

Sugar-Dusted Christmas Fruit Invitations | Zazzle

Original & vintage art © First Night Design [www.firstnightdesign.wordpress.com]

Source: Sugar-Dusted Christmas Fruit Card | Zazzle

Take care and keep laughing!

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid! #Halloween #Invitation | Zazzle

Original & vintage art © First Night Design

Source: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid! Card | Zazzle

If it’s something you mark, enjoy. It turns out my youngest niece adores Halloween!

Take care and keep laughing!

Sail Away to a Party: Invitations #Repost

Thank heavens it’s two years later and, as some of you know, I’ve now had that cataract operation!

Sail Away Custom Invitation by FirstNightDesign

FROM THE ARCHIVE 17th April 2013

A lovely customer has bought 30 of these invitations, which makes up for the cataract operation mentioned in the earlier post being cancelled.  Right…

Source: Sail Away to a Party: Invitations

First Night Design | Thanksgiving Hideaway #Art

Thanksgiving Hideaway © Sarah Vernon

Original photograph by Mr FND adapted in Photoshop for Thanksgiving with textures from 2 Lil’ Owls and Grand Hotel monogram from The Graphics Fairy.

Thanksgiving Hideaway 4.25×5.5 Paper Invitation Cards from Zazzle

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“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.”
― Oscar Wilde, A Woman of No Importance

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“I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land.”
― Jon Stewart

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Thanksgiving Hideaway Drawstring Bag © Sarah Vernon from FAA

Available at the following galleries:
Redbubble
Crated
Zazzle US
Zazzle UK
Fine Art America
Fine Art England

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First Night Design | Unexpected Pleasures

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“Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often.”
― Mae West

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Island Love Postcard

The Lady in the Big Hat #1 11 Cm X 14 Cm Invitation Card

I am always curious to know what customers are drawn to most and since Zazzle keeps adding search categories ‘backstage’, I nosed around in the ‘Most Ordered’ using the all-time option. I couldn’t have been more surprised except for top spot going to The Playbills Binder as it’s the only product I know sells like hot cakes at Christmas.

The Little Glass Slipper 2 Invitation 4″ X 9.25″ Invitation Card

The Playbills Binders

The Peacock Collection Wedding Invite 9 Cm X 13 Cm Invitation Card

I never sell what I expect to sell! I guess there’s a lesson in there somewhere that we should never assume owt nor think we know what the reality is.

Take care and keep laughing!

First Night Design | Hot Cross Bun Invites & Recipe #Easter

Planning a little shindig for Easter? How about delicious Hot Cross Bun invitations?

Hot Cross Buns Easter Basket #2 5″ x 7″ Invitation Card (UK)

Hot Cross Buns Easter Basket #2 5″ x 7″ Invitation Cards (US)

Here’s Delia Smith’s recipe for Hot Cross Buns.

Ingredients
450g strong white flour
1 level teaspoon fine salt
4 level teaspoons, easy bake yeast
3 level teaspoons ground mixed spice
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
50g golden caster sugar
110g currants (I like pinhead)
50g whole candied peel, chopped
50g spreadable butter
150ml hand-hot milk
75ml hand-hot water
1 large egg, beaten
For the crosses:
40g strong (or normal) plain flour
10g spreadable butter
For the glaze:
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of water
Equipment You will need a large baking sheet with a liner or well-greased and a lightly oiled polythene bag

Method

First tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt, yeast, mixed spice and cinnamon then give it a good mix.

Add the caster sugar followed by the currants and candied peel then mix these dry ingredients together and make a well in the centre.

Next add the butter and pour the hand-hot milk and the hand-hot water over the butter followed by the beaten egg.

Now mix everything to a dough, starting with a spatula and finishing with your hands until it is all combined, evenly mixed and leaves the bowl clean. Add a spot more milk if it needs it.

Next cover the bowl with a polythene bag and leave it at room temperature to rise – it will take about 1½ hours to 2 hours to double its original volume.

Then turn the dough out on to clean work surface (you shouldn’t need any flour) and punch out the air.

Now divide the mixture into twelve using a palette knife.

Take one piece of the dough and shape it into a round then roll it between the fingers of each hand, keeping your hands flat, to form a fairly smooth round ball (this should only take about 10 seconds or so) then do the same with the remaining pieces of dough.

Arrange them on the lined or greased baking sheet (allowing plenty of room for expansion). Leave them to rise once more inside a large, lightly greased polythene bag for 45 minutes to an hour, or again until about double the size.

Meanwhile, if you want to make dough crosses, put the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter. Add just enough cold water to form a dough then roll it out thinly on a lightly floured surface to an oblong about 12cm by 16cm then cut it into 24 strips.

Pre-heat the oven to 220°C, gas mark 7.

When the second rising is up, brush the strips with water, to make them stick, and make a cross on top of each bun trimming away any excess dough with a small knife.

Alternatively you can use a small sharp or serrated knife to score a cross in the top of each bun.

Bake the buns for 15 minutes near the centre of the oven. Then, while they’re cooking make the glaze in a small saucepan by slowly melting together the sugar and 2 tablespoons of water over a gentle heat until the sugar granules have dissolved and you have a clear syrup.

As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush them immediately with the glaze while they are still warm.

Then cool them on a wire rack.

If you are not serving them on the day that you bake them its best to freeze them as soon as they are cool.

Then when you need them defrost them and warm them through in the oven. If there are any left over they are wonderful, split, toasted and buttered on the following day.

Available at the following galleries:
Zazzle US
Zazzle UK

Take care and keep laughing!

First Night Design | ‘We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious…’

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‘We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.’
—Thornton Wilder

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A few ideas for Thanksgiving, if you can get your head round it when vampires, werewolves, skeletons and sundry other spooky Halloween items are being thrust upon us from every side!

Artful Pumpkins © Sarah Vernon [Redbubble]

I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t also show you the matching tote!

Artful Pumpkins Tote © Sarah Vernon [Redbubble]

The products below are for sale on Zazzle. 
Don’t You Just Love Thanksgiving! Card

A Bountiful Thanksgiving Postage

Thanksgiving Rooster Postcard

Corn on the Cob Vintage Thanksgiving Card

Leafy Thanksgiving Scratch Pads

Artful Pumpkins Wrapping Paper

A Bountiful Thanksgiving Personalized Invitation

 
Riding High Thanksgiving Sticker

Thanksgiving Rooster Letterhead Design

Give Thanks Cards

Artful Pumpkins Wrapping Paper

For these and other Thanksgiving gifts at First Night Design on Zazzle, click here.

Take care and keep laughing!

Infinity & Beyond

One from the archives.

First Night Design

Infinity Invitations © Sarah Vernon @ First Night Design [Zazzle]

I’m very fond of watercolours.  Interestingly, I have heard people disparaging them over the years, almost as if they considered the skill required inferior to that of painting in oils or acrylics and thus making any result worthless.  To me, watercolour can often create a picture much more emotional and evocative than one done in another medium.

I suspect that the number of books teaching you How to Paint Watercolours in 4 Easy Lessons, or some such title, add to the myth that watercolour is easy and doesn’t require any talent or skill.  I find it difficult to paint with watercolour but have occasionally turned out something of note.  Believe me, it’s not as easy as it looks!

Now that a disabling condition, which affects my mobility and dexterity, has impacted on my ability to wield a paintbrush, I have…

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First Night Design | Wordless Wednesday—Let’s Party!

 

 

 

 

 

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Related articles

Sail Away to a Party: Invitations

Sail Away Custom Invitation by FirstNightDesign

A lovely customer has bought 30 of these invitations, which makes up for the cataract operation mentioned in the earlier post being cancelled.  Right now I’d prefer to be on that dhow and sailing away from the frustrations of the real world.

Take care and keep laughing!

Infinity & Beyond

Infinity Invitations © Sarah Vernon @ First Night Design [Zazzle]

I’m very fond of watercolours.  Interestingly, I have heard people disparaging them over the years, almost as if they considered the skill required inferior to that of painting in oils or acrylics and thus making any result worthless.  To me, watercolour can often create a picture much more emotional and evocative than one done in another medium.

I suspect that the number of books teaching you How to Paint Watercolours in 4 Easy Lessons, or some such title, add to the myth that watercolour is easy and doesn’t require any talent or skill.  I find it difficult to paint with watercolour but have occasionally turned out something of note.  Believe me, it’s not as easy as it looks!

Now that a disabling condition, which affects my mobility and dexterity, has impacted on my ability to wield a paintbrush, I have been exploring ways to create the same effect on a computer and I don’t just mean by use of a ‘watercolour’ filter in software such as Photoshop but by playing with layers of photographs and textures, and changing the blend modes as well as softening certain areas with various tools.  It’s a great joy experimenting and that’s how I created Infinity.

If you are interested in learning more about watercolour, whether you are an amateur or professional, I would recommend a book and DVD by the UK artist Jean Haines, Colour and Paint in Water Colour.   A reviewer on Amazon writes: ‘I can honestly say that this book, more than any other I have read (and there have been many), has directly influenced my work and way of thinking. Jean Haines is an Artist whose time is now. She is at the top of her game. You need to study the best. Buy this book.’

Take care and keep laughing!