Story Time

My small business journey!

I was recently cleaning out my craft boxes and was shocked at the supplies I still have from forgotten past hobbies and business ideas, so I thought it would be fun to take you right back to the beginning of my small business journey-wayyyyy back in time to 2008!

I was 18 working part time in Sainsbury's (a job I still have nightmares about), I was doing an HND in Photography and I thought this would be a great time to start my photography business so I did!

Long story long!

SCD Photography was born, my mum (my hero legend of a mum bought me a pretty expensive camera, a Canon 5d Mark ii) and so began my small business journey. I had wanted to be a photographer from the age of 13, and my mum sparked the whole thing by buying me my 1st ever camera at age 8. I did weddings, family photo shoots, and worked with models on creative shoots. It really was a blast!

I was a good photographer (I've inserted proof ) but I wasn't great I lacked one small but very key thing... confidence! Confidence in myself (I was painfully shy, being behind a camera really helped) I also had lack of confidence in my work. (good old comparison again!) The truth was at 18 I just wasn't ready, I'm so glad that I tired and I loved it, but it just wasn't right for me.

Next chapter!

2017 (I think) I started my next small business venture Yellow House Crafts NI it started as a mix of things, then I did my 1st ever year of March meet the maker on Instagram and discovered the coolest embroidery ever, and I was hooked. So I started a journey into embroidery, and actually became a stockist in 2 local shops selling my things in real shops was one of the most exciting things at the time! (Annnnnnddd I still sell in both those shops just under Joyella Design now, no longer embroidery!)

I loved embroidery however, it was very time consuming, so along side it I started working with resin, I Loved working with resin. I felt like I could create so much more in a shorted time and loved the whole process and the experimentation of it too! Butttttttt then I got pregnant (something myself and husband had wanted for a long time but the timing just wasn't right until that moment!)

Enter the Cricut!

Anyway I wasn't comfortable working with resin while pregnant, and we needed the then office/studio space for the new arrivals bedroom. They're just wasn't room the the box room for working with resin, so I sold all my resin supplies and bought a Cricut Explore air 2!

From there I started making hair bows (that one didn’t last long) and funny make up bags and other random things you can make with cricut, I wanted to try it alllllll! I’m a little craft whore!!!!

2020 lockdown hits and like so many I discovered studio vlogs (Katnipp, Emily Havery Art and Fizz and Flourish). They showed me a whole new world of digital art that was right at your finger tips, and a whole new door of opportunities opened up!

A friend let me borrow their i-pad, I got procreate and a cheap fake apple pencil and began my new journey into digital art and creating products (enamel pins being my favourite), and I would say the rest is history but…

Something new always calls at my creativity and it's hard to keep things under control, and in one lane. Things are always changing, I am always changing, I just can't help it, it's in my nature, it's in my bones! And it's often the blessing and the curse of being creative! 

And I know what you’re thinking…

Maybe I am a little flaky! (I totally am!!!!!)

Are you a little flaky too? It’s just the creativity in your bones!