Hello everyone and happy Summer (finally!),
I haven't written a blog post for nearly a month....whoops! Wedding season is now in full swing and I have been involved in planning a few.
I have also had a massive amount of writers block, so I thought I would provide you with some recommendations on some businesses in the areas which The Lifestyler covers, businesses that feature in my "little book of life savers".
So today I start this "focus" section with "The Little Printing Company" a specialist print and design company based in Gloucestershire.
The company is owned and run by the lovely Jamie Mccuiag and is in it's 7th year of trading.
Jamie gives us a little insight into how his company operates here:
"We very often get artwork that has been produced in word/publisher for example. Personally, we would look to use these files as an indication of how the customer wants the job to look and then re-make it in using Adobe Creative Suite - placing individual elements such as logos/images etc and making sure they are of print quality (not pulled from a website for example).
Whether artwork is supplied to us as a 'finished' piece, or if it is something that we have put together with the help of the customer, we always give it a 'once over'. This can help to spot typo's, incorrect grammar, areas that are the wrong colour, and check to see if the job 'bleeds' off the page.
We go back and forth with PDF proofs until the client is happy with the design/look of the job. For us this makes no difference if it is a 100 page book or a business card - there is no point signing a job off that you are not 100% happy with the design because you will be left with cards/leaflets/books etc for months and years to come that you do not like.
All of this is at no extra cost as far as The Little Printing Company is concerned - the price we quote is the price you pay (as long as the spec remains the same)."
To contact Jamie for a no obligation quotation, please email: info@littleprinting.co.uk or call 01453 844228.
Visit the website at www.littleprinting.co.uk.
I would highly recommend The Little Printing Company. Jamie and the team are exceptionally professional and go that "extra mile" to ensure that the finished article is perfect.
Come back next time for another "focus" section on another business that I rate!
Olivia x
Following on from my post about hosting a Jubilee themed shindig, I thought, why not post something about Wimbledon. I don't know about you but I don't feel that there has been the usual hype about this popular annual championship. I guess this is due to the impending Olympic Games due to commence on 27th July.
If the Jubilee celebrations weren't enough for you - just throw another party in honour of the famous Wimbledon games!
Here are a couple of ideas to help when organising this event:
Date
Make sure you pick a date with a good match being played - choosing a date when Wimbledon is all over is probably not the best!
TV
Make sure you have a television or projector to watch the match on and make sure it is viewable to all guests
Decoration
Yes you've guessed it....get that bunting out again!! Why not buy a load of tennis balls and scatter around in bowls/garden. Get hold of some cute deck chairs like the one below from www.conranshop.co.uk
Food & Drink
Pimm's (obvs)
Strawberries and Cream (also obvs!)
Scones/cake/tea
Picnic foods
Swat Up!
Here are some facts about Wimbledon to impress your pals!
1) Don't complain about rain
During World War II, a bomb ripped through centre court and 1,200 seats were lost. Fortunately, they weren't filled at the time. Play finally resumed in 1946 but it wasn't until 1949 that the area was back in top shape.
2) No time for matchmaking
The last married woman to win the women's singles championship was Chris Evert Lloyd in 1981. Married to the jobs perhaps?
3) A short introduction
In 1930, Brame Hillyard became the first man to play wearing shorts. That was on court 10 - and Bunny Austin was the first to do so on centre court three years later.
4) By the letterGoran Ivanisevic is the only Wimbledon champion whose entire name alternates consonants and vowels. We're not sure who did the research into that, but we're glad it wasn't us!
5) British bad boysTim Henman was the first-ever person to be disqualified from the men's doubles in 1995, after hitting a ball in anger and striking a ball girl in the process. Andy Murray, in turn, became the first British player in 106 years to be fined after swearing at a match official - although that was in a different tournament.
6) Champion eats words
Despite predictions of half a million visitors this year, when Spencer Gore became the first Wimbledon champion in 1875, he said he doubted whether the game would catch on - perhaps unsurprisingly since it cost just one shilling to watch the final and Gore received 12 guineas for his triumph. (If you're wondering? The pot now stands at 12.6m)
7) Name that game
The name 'tennis' is thought to come from the French 'tenez!' ('take' or 'receive'), a server's warning shout.
8) New balls please
Ever wondered why tennis balls are yellow? They weren't always - white balls were replaced in 1986 because they are more visible to TV cameras. Incidentally, one ball is only in play for about twenty minutes of an average two-and-a-half-hour tennis match.
9) Not just a pretty faceMaria Sharapova, one of the top earners in female sports, broke the record for the loudest grunts on court - recorded at a deafening 101.2 decibels!
10) Time for a breakVenus Williams won her 2005 final against Lindsay Davenport in the longest ladies' singles final ever played at Wimbledon lasting 2 hours and 45 minutes. Time for a sit down? Chairs were only provided for players to rest when changing ends in 1975.
11) Young starters
British player, Laura Robson, is not only the junior champion but, at 15 years and 152 days old on Monday 22nd June, was the youngest woman to play in the senior competition since Martina Hingis in 1995.
12) Strawberries and cream
Last year, 23 tonnes of strawberries were served to visitors. When laid end-to-end, these berries would stretch almost 60km (37 miles), i.e. from Wimbledon to Reading. A slippery slope when you include the 7,000 litres of fresh cream racked up each fortnight.
13) String theory
At least 40 miles worth of string are fitted to 2,000 rackets over a fortnight at Wimbledon. That's just under six laps' worth of centre court - what? We were curious!
14) Hark the halk!
Hamish the hawk flies for one hour every morning of the championships before the gates open to ward off the local pigeons. He starts his duties at 9am on the dot.
Hope you enjoy turning your home/garden into centre court this week! Come on Murray!!
Olivia x
