A Thank You From the Heart – Reflecting, Creating, and Moving Forward Together There are moments when running a small business feels less like work and more like standing in the middle of a living, breathing story. This is one of those moments. I wanted to take the time to pause, reflect, and most importantly say thank you. Thank you for every order, every message, every recommendation, every kind word, and every time you chose to support my small business instead of a faceless corporate giant. Your support genuinely means more to me than I can easily put into words. When you purchase one of my handcrafted mugs, business cards, T-shirts, calendars, or when you choose to shop your WELEDA, Essens, or Avon products with me, you are not just buying an item. You are supporting a person, a household, a dream that is still very much in motion. You are helping me keep creating, learning, and pushing forward, even on the days when energy feels stretched thin. This blog post is a thank-you note, a progress update, and an honest reflection. No filters, no glossy brochure language, just the reality of a small business owner doing their best to juggle creativity, responsibility, and growth. Your Support Keeps the Creative Engine Running Every product I make starts the same way: with intention. Whether it is a mug designed to make someone smile in the morning, a T-shirt that expresses identity or humour, or business cards that help another entrepreneur look professional, each item is created with care and attention. When you buy from me, you allow me to keep investing time into improving designs, upgrading materials, and expanding my range. You also give me the confidence to try new things. That confidence is priceless. Shopping your WELEDA, Essens, and Avon products with me goes beyond convenience. It allows me to offer personal recommendations, share first-hand experience, and be available when questions arise. Many of you come back again and again, and that loyalty never goes unnoticed. It builds trust, and trust is the foundation of any meaningful business relationship. A Creative Christmas and New Year Behind the Scenes While many people were switching off over Christmas and New Year, my time was spent differently. The festive closure gave me something incredibly valuable: uninterrupted creative space. I used that time to design and develop new T-shirts, beanies, tank tops, password books, diaries, and mood diaries. Some designs came together quickly. Others took countless revisions, scrapped ideas, and fresh starts. Creativity is rarely linear. It zigzags, loops back on itself, and occasionally disappears for a cup of tea before returning with a better idea. These new products reflect where I am right now: balancing practicality with expression, structure with emotion. The mood diaries, in particular, come from a place of understanding how important it is to track thoughts, feelings, and mental wellbeing, especially when life feels busy or overwhelming. I am excited to keep releasing these items step by step, refining them as I go, and seeing how they resonate with you. Building the Website, One Brick at a Time Alongside product creation, I have spent a lot of time working on the website itself. Pages have been redesigned, layouts improved, wording refined, and navigation made clearer. While the site is not finished yet, it is becoming more aligned with how I want my brand to feel and function. Running a business often means accepting that perfection is not a starting point. Progress is. I work on the website the same way I approach everything else: step by step, learning as I go, making improvements where I can, and adjusting when something does not quite work. Your patience while things evolve means more than you know. A small business website is never truly “done”. It grows alongside the person behind it. The Reality of Juggling Many Roles Some of you already know that in April 2025 I started my electrician course at Access Training in Wales. What I underestimated was not the quality of the course, but the sheer intensity of balancing studying, exams, running a business, completing self-employed electrical jobs, and caring for my mum. Each of these roles demands focus, responsibility, and energy. Together, they create a full plate that sometimes feels like it might tip. There are early mornings, late nights, and days when the to-do list feels longer than the available hours. Caring for a parent adds another layer entirely. It is rewarding, emotional, and challenging in equal measure. It teaches patience and perspective in ways nothing else quite does. I am sharing this not for sympathy, but for honesty. Behind every handmade product and every carefully packed order is a real life with real demands. Your understanding, kindness, and continued support help more than you might realise. Meeting You Face to Face at Whitley Bay Big Local In December, I had the opportunity to run a market stall at Whitley Bay Big Local. From a financial perspective, it barely covered the costs. From an experience perspective, it was invaluable. Meeting customers face to face changes everything. Seeing reactions, hearing feedback, answering questions in real time, and watching people connect with the products reminded me why I started this journey in the first place. Markets are not always about profit. Sometimes they are about visibility, confidence, and learning how to tell your story out loud instead of through a screen. I walked away tired, slightly cold, but grateful for the conversations and the connections made. What Your Support Truly Means Supporting my business helps keep everything moving forward. It allows me to continue learning, creating, studying, and caring for my family while building something sustainable for the future. It means I can keep offering: Every order is a reminder that what I am doing matters to someone. That reminder carries me through busy weeks, study deadlines, and long days. Looking Ahead With Gratitude and Purpose There is still so much I want to do. More products to design, more website improvements to make, more skills to gain through training, and