An arts and crafts journalist, I was made editor of Crafty Magazine a year after joining Practical Publishing in Manchester. Sadly, the magazine closed after 12 months but it was a fantastic year during which I met so many amazingly talented people who all really inspired me to consider setting up my own handmade brand – and now I produce some of the finest handmade table lamps for sale in the UK. People like Laura Clempson of Clara and Macy, Tilly Walnes of Tilly and the Buttons, Kat Goldin, Stephanie Dosen (Tiny Owl Knits) and Hannah Read-Baldrey all really made me think that this was an avenue that I just had to pursue. I fell in love with the idea of becoming a designer-maker and turning my hobbies into something more, so I set up my own business a few months after Crafty closed down.
Here are some of the front covers of my magazine, which I absolutely loved – and still miss every day!
As much as I loved working as the Crafty editor, running my own handmade business is just as much fun – and certainly just as stressful! It’s been a huge learning curve already and I’m still finding out all sorts of interesting things about lamp-making. Did you know, for example, that you can buy silk-covered cable? Who’d have thought! I’m always on the lookout for ways to make my lamps better, more original and with subtle hints of luxury, so coming across products like this that I never even knew existed is always quite exciting.
Here’s to more merry lamp-making in the future!