I’m back with another Featured Maker blog post today! If you missed the first one, I caught up with Edinburgh sewist and fabric shop owner Georgie, and you can read all about it here. 

I love finding new creative accounts to follow on Instagram and Nikki and I thought it would be fun to share the love on the blog. I'll be interviewing a Nikki’s Supply Store customer about their favourite crafts and stationery so grab an ice cream, sit back and let’s get chatty…

Today I’m chatting to Rachel McNeil (she/her), a wedding photographer who lives by the seaside in Carnoustie, Scotland. She and her partner Tonie photograph weddings all over the UK and beyond! 

Hi Rachel, lovely to meet you! First up, what are your favourite creative hobbies?

I definitely go through quite a lot of creative hobbies I won’t lie, but my all-time favourite hobby is good old drawing and painting. I always come back to drawing and enjoy having such a quick and accessible creative outlet.

I keep a mini sketchbook on my desk and in my backpack at all times and swear by my trusty 0.5 or 0.7 mechanical pencils. I currently use Muji pencils but these Papier Tigre ones look perfect so will probs try them next!

I love to paint with acrylics on sheets of wood from B&Q. I tend to either draw ideas on paper or on Procreate and paint the ones that resonate. 

Any time I need a moment to think or want to switch off, I draw. I either draw people in my style or more often than not, I draw an eye. I couldn’t tell you why it’s usually an eye but having a piece of paper and a pen or pencil near can keep me occupied instantly.

I must get back into daily drawing - it’s so good for the soul! Is there a craft or creative practice you've always wanted to try but haven't yet?

So I have actually started this but a creative practice I want to try more of is ceramics. I just did a six-week course at Dundee Ceramics learning the basics of wheel throwing and I am totally hooked! I would love to do more, design my own items and become more confident with this medium.

I’ve always wanted to try ceramics too! We love a bit of 90s nostalgia here so I have to ask: What's your favourite item of retro stationery?

A piece of stationery that feels so retro to me but is something I have used consistently since I was in school is the yellow Staedtler Stick 430 pens. I am constantly scribbling down lists and notes whilst at my desk and use these on Nikki’s dotted planner pads.

My job has so many different roles within it so I swear by lists to keep somewhat on top of it all. Whether that is reminders, notes from meetings, and never ending to do lists. It is such a nostalgic pen to me and I love the design of it also! I’m sure I am not the only one who is so pernickety over the feel of a pen so when you find the perfect one for the job - you got to stick with it!

I also love my embossing label maker too. It takes me back to my childhood whenever I use it and I love the aesthetic of them on jars and in journals. Another item that probably also feels quite nostalgic from school is the Stabilo fine line pens.

I think stationery as a whole will always have a nostalgic feeling to me. The excitement of new stationery when you were starting school again is such a strong feeling I can remember. Even treating myself now takes me back to the joy of a new full pencil case! 

I whole heartedly agree! I might start a tradition of treating myself to a new pencil case every September. Drawing and crafting is hungry work, so what's your favourite drink or snack to keep you going while you're creating?

You can’t beat a classic can of Cola. No glass or ice, just a cold can of cola during a mammoth editing session or during a wedding. The best!

Super refreshing! I know it’s a tough call, but what's your favourite item at Nikki's Supply Store?

It’s hard to narrow down but my favourite item right now has to be the Archer & Olive Crescent Moon Dot Grid Journal. I just love this item. I am currently using it for my wedding planning as it matches our theme pretty perfectly and the luxurious feel of the journal just felt right to dedicate it to something so important.

I also have quite the collection of washi tapes that I use whilst journaling and packaging up thank you parcels to clients.

Fun fact: That’s actually one of the first items I ever bought from Nikki’s Supply Store, and was my first ever bullet journal so it holds a special place in my heart too! Thanks to much for chatting to me today and best of luck with the wedding planning! Finally, where we can we find you online?

You can check out our wedding photography Instagram here, my art account is here and my personal account is here. You can also check out our wedding photography website here. Thanks so much!

I’ll be keeping an eye out for creatives to include in our Featured Maker posts as well as the fortnightly Nikki’s Supply Store newsletter - so please keep tagging @nikkissupplystore in your photos on Instagram! It’s really handy if you can tag the photo as well as the caption, as this makes them easier for me to find.