And so it begins

New print being sent off to today! Cannot wait to get on the Arab and print this. This is going to go straight onto my bedroom wall. A reminder to myself…

September I am ready for everything you have to offer. It’s going to be an amazing month!

Friday shenanigans with at the Studio! There is so much going on behind the scenes; I’m working on some new collections ready for the studio/website launch, repainting the studio (because why wouldn’t you 😂) plus I’m knee deep in wedding season! ITS ALL GOING TO BE FINE 🤪

To my sassy little sausage, how are you 5 today?!! Never stop being you (a little less you every so often would be really wonderful). Whilst we look nothing like each other, Nonna likes to remind me regularly that this is payback as your are a mini me in all other ways 😉 now let’s go jump in the sea 🌊 xx

I designed the window vinyl knowing that the afternoon sun would catch the lettering that had been cut out and it would illuminate the floor. I love it when a plan comes together and the finished result is just so 👌🏼

With August set to be a super busy month for me and the plan for a website launch, I cannot wait to get started. August promises so much 🖤

My out of office is on and I’ve taken my little people to Norfolk to enjoy some sunshine, sandy toes and sea air for a week. Just what the doctor ordered!

One of my favourite shots on my recent shoot with . More golden hours in fields please!

New plans, new website, new product… and it’s filling my heart with happiness 🖤

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not: remember that what you now have was once among the thing you only hoped for.” Epicurus.

New website and new products incoming soon! Who’s excited?

Hello June 🖤

And so it begins… the beginning of a letterpress studio! I’m ordering the guillotine this week, looking at an Arab press and I cannot wait to curate some ideas for the design studio with 🖤

May you bloom 🖤

Sometimes we just need a reminder of the direction to steer the boat…

We finished the website this morning and I’m super pleased to tell you that fdleventhire.co.uk is now live. .floraleventhire offers luxury faux arches and wedding flowers with sustainability being at the heart of what Louise and her team do!

Louise came to me with an idea but needed some help putting it together. I proposed branding to sit alongside logo along with a branding shoot with at and to showcase her beautiful face florals.

The things that excite you are not random.
They are connected to your purpose.
Follow them…

P.S. I love you 🖤

So how does your branding journey start with me? I’d love to tell you that I get straight into picking the colour and choosing the typefaces but in all honesty, I don’t. That connection between head and heart is the cornerstone to my approach: figuring out how you want to feel when you see your design is the first step to working out how it will look. Colour tones and visuals come secondary.

If 2024 was going to have a word… it would be slow. I am certainly entering into it slowly with more intention. It’s quality over quantity, being cautious of mindfulness, with heart-led storytelling and connection being at the very heart of it all.

This is the way love should always feel: unconditional, raw and pure.

Found on
Written by

I watched the last supper episode of “And Just Like That.” Carrie asks them round the table what they would like to let go of. She tells them she wants to let go of expectations. This really resonated with me. We set expectations of how things will go and the reality is, they very rarely go the way we think. But isn’t that the beauty of the future, if we just let go of the expectation…

Yesterday was a hard one - working at home with small people about. Not even Floss wanted to behave yesterday! There isn’t an option of not doing it or leaving the work for tomorrow as it’s a book with a print deadline! It made me question whether I should just go and get a proper job, where I leave the house and work term time (you know the kind). Then I got a message from to say that the gallery was ready from a recent shoot and I was blown away by the images and I remembered why I can’t give this up… (well not yet anyway 😉)
Brand shoot: .floraleventhire
📸

Hygge mode: on.

📸
Brand shoot for .floraleventhire

I spoke with a friend at the weekend for an hour about war and work. The privilege we have to be able to carry on but the heaviness it also brings. has woken up this morning and written the most eloquent post about how she’s feeling and the comments. She’s had countless comments of people feeling the same way. (On reflection perhaps that why I felt out of sorts getting dressed up yesterday). Being vulnerable isn’t a weakness, nor is emotion or being sensitive. It shows that we love. Perhaps we all need to do a bit more of it…

I feel a bit out of sorts today. I thought it would make me feel better to get dressed up, head out, lipstick on, dressed in my fancy clothes… actually I spent the whole morning just not feeling myself. So I went home, whipped the lippy off and through on my Blundstones and went out into a field with Floss and I felt so much better. Why am I telling you this? Sometimes we feel like we need to fit in, be more, go the extra because everyone else is and it’s just the same in business. But actually what we usually need is just to go back to basics. Connect (with your audience because you’ve worked out your muse client and tone of voice) Comfort (being comfortable with who you are and what your brand represents and it’s key values) and Consistency (if you’ve done the ground work with your brand strategy stick to the formula, because you know it works - trust the process).

The fire has been lit, I’m in my cosy clothes and I’m back at my desk! A print deadline for means it’s straight back to it. We’ve got a little family birthday party planned for Rupert today and then it’s an afternoon of films on the sofa… does a Sunday get more perfect than that!

Love this picture from a recent shoot. I always think adding the ribbon to the order of service takes it to the next level. 📸

I’ve had a little flurry of new followers so thought I would do an introduction!
I’m Jo, graphic designer behind And So It Begins. Wife of one and mother of two. I had a 10 year studio career before setting up on my own after coming back from maternity leave. I specialise in branding, wedding stationery and brand shoots. This year I invested in a hot foil press and I am currently working on my website to show you what I can do with it!

What makes me tick:
🍂 Good food 🍂 Fresh flowers
🍂 Good company 🍂 Being outside

How about you tell me something that makes you tick?
📸

7 years of you 🖤 Happy Birthday my darling x

“True love is when both people have think they are the lucky ones.”

What a whirlwind this week has been. I cannot wait to share the images from .floraleventhire brand shoot yesterday with . was incredible and the gardens at were breathtaking. It’s been non stop but I’m very much looking forward to a break! It’s just a gentle reminder that today is the last day at my desk and then I’m spending a few days with my smalls! So if I’m slow to reply - I’m sorry im just busy stuffing Danish pastries in!!