Hey everybody, Bella here. Sorry, it has been a while since our last blog post! I guess we got a bit carried away last year and just didn't find the time to post. The good part is that we were busy. Busy creating cool things, busy with the children and busy ploughing on with everyday life.
But we are here now, and have made a promise to ourselves to post on here more often this year! So hopefully you should hear from us more in 2020.
It's probably a little late but I wanted to kick 2020 off with a blog post to say thank you to all our supporters last year in 2019.
2019 was meant to start off on a high. My brother was getting married in December 2018 and it also signalled an end to an awful year of ill health for my young daughter in 2018 (see our previous post about her battle with mastoiditis here) However what was meant to be our busiest month in that December 2018 (over a year ago now! How did time fly so fast?!) ended up being our quietest as I ended up having to cancel appearances at Christmas Fairs and events, due to my Dad having a stroke. It was touch and go, he made a recovery but ended up missing my brother's wedding which he had been looking forward to all year.
So January 2019 started off very quiet and I was worried, about family and business, and my confidence had been knocked by being out of the loop business-wise. Fast forward a year and December 2019 was our busiest yet, everybody is well and happy and I feel ready for the year ahead.
So back to 2019. Once my Dad got better, the business started to take off again. Not everybody knows but I also laser cut/engrave industrial labels for big machines, and I had a few big orders in 2019, which was great. Completely different to the creative stuff, but I really enjoy it too.
I got to make some really nice custom pieces too, which I absolutely loved. There is something special about having something made for you, that nobody else owns. I love hearing customer's ideas, sentiments and thoughts, and working with them to produce something they are happy with. They really make for unique, thoughtful and sentimental keepsakes.
I think my favourite custom item that I designed and made in 2019, had to be the cat clock (see pics below). It was a 10th anniversary gift from husband to wife. Based on a painting ('Mrowwy Night' by The Oatmeal/Starry Night by Van Gogh) and on their 2 cats, it ended up becoming a layered wooden piece of functional art. I was super proud of this one and they were so happy.
The Tiny Treetop Treasures
I also made a vow to make more things with the children. I have 3 girls, now aged 1, 4 and 6. Having a laser, is great for business but it is also great for hobbies and lighting that creative spark in children!
So, 2019 saw the rise of The Tiny Treetop Treasures (my 4 year old and 6 year old, one day the youngest will join us too!). I will do a further blog post about our ventures and creations from 2019, but see below for a quick example of the fun we have together.
Custom Harry Potter Monopoly Board Game
Another high point of 2019 was when I designed and made a custom Harry Potter Monopoly board game for my husband Dan. (Again, I think another blog post on this is warranted as it was such a huge project!). It took a while to design but once I got my head around how I wanted to make it, it was a straightforward procedure to cut and put together. He loved it, the girls loved it and it is something we play quite often, it is really fun!
So there we have it, 2019 started off a bit shakey but ended up very happy and very busy. Here's hoping 2020 will be more of the happy and busy. We are so grateful for everybody's support, especially our customers and our families. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
From myself, my husband and my 3 little girls, we wish you a happy and healthy 2020.