A Hand-Made Christmas Sales Success Story

This is a story about a Scottish craftswoman, +Eunice Wilson, who is having a runaway success with her hand-made Christmas gifts made from upcycled leather. Think product, timing and luck….because the idea of hanging books around your neck, off your ears or on your wrists doesn’t immediately seem such a clever one. Unless that is, the books are miniscule and exquisite. Product, tick. 

Handmade Books Pendant £18-23

                                                                            
Eunice Wilson, a book freak if ever there was one, hit on the notion of making tiny books out of recycled material into jewellery and cufflinks and they are proving hugely popular in the run up to Christmas. Timing, tick.

Eunice’s big break came when

Alex Piros - Recycled Paper Secrets

I am delighted to be back after weeks of camping in our new home amidst shoals of unpacked boxes and splinter-prone bare floorboards.   A highlight of my blog-off time was meeting Alex Piros (above) of "BeGoodStayGood" who produces hand-bound notebooks and pretty paper goods. Loveitback met up with her on a hot and humid London afternoon in St Pancras station hence the setting for most of the pictures!

Alex has a stunning smile and while in fact she is German, she speaks a flawless American accented English. One of the reasons I was happy to include Alex on this blog is that while her goods are not made 100% from recycled materials she is making determined strides in that direction, and is setting a great example. Her personal ethos is to tread as lightly as possible to reflect her vegan principles. 

There's a sort of deceptive simplicity to Alex's products that is rather beguiling.  The Flutter Book in the main picture above is made from folding and cutting an A3 size piece of paper; the end result could be used for a photo album, love messages or as a notebook. I loved the idea that  it could be re-formed into an A3 poster and that when you stretch it out, it flutters like a butterfly. It retails for a mere £4.00.

Secret Pocket Book

Another that grabbed my imagination was the Secret Pocket Book (£15.00) with a hidden binding and ingenious folding flap for holding/hiding anything you might want! It was a bit dark in the cafe so I have flooded the picture with light to reveal the folding flap.

Birds of a sustainable feather...

                         

Clare Shields is fast making a name for herself and the products she makes which depict what she calls her "friendly little creatures". Clare's hand drawn signature style is perfect for the gift market of greetings cards, gift tags, tea towels, prints and mugs.  The name of her company, Lil3birdy, might suggest that it's all about birds but as you'll see below, sausage dogs and cheeky squirrels also get a look in.

Squirrels Drinking Art Print £29.00

Selection of Gift Tags

I was first alerted to Clare's work through its sheer artistry but was really impressed when I realised she insists on the highest ethical standards in the production process.

Her paper stationery is made from chlorine-free product and sourced from sustainable forests. She also works hard to ensure the same standards are adhered to by the companies involved in the production runs. 

Clare's fashion marketing background has helped her understand how the marketing and PR behind a product is essential to sales. She's selling through a good online agency (Notonthehighstreet.com) and was included in a Mary Portas concession in the House of Fraser on Oxford Street.

Lil3Birdy Mary Portas concession

Clare has a realistic pricing policy aimed at making her work affordable. She says she always considers what her competition is charging and has been forced not to proceed with some products because of the steep set up costs.

She says her Not On The High Street shop brings her “bread and butter” sales and that the best selling product at the moment is the squirrel drinking tea greeting card.

Clockwise from top left, Colourful Eccentric Birds Tea Towel; Cute Birds Postcard Set; Quirkquirk Coasters Set; Dog and Bird Mug.