Tag: small business

We’re A Kindpreneur!

Posted on by thesmileparcel

Hello!

I want to share something brand new with you today.

We’ve recently been accepted to become part of a new exciting venture – Kindpreneurs …the UK’s Kind marketplace!

Kindpreneurs was founded by Karen Thomas to showcase purposeful kind businesses and the unsung entrepreneurs behind the brands, while helping shoppers to connect with mission focused businesses.

Kindpreneurs focuses on small businesses, all with the same mission of wanting to make the world a better place!

These may include:

  • Earth Friendly – Eco friendly, recycled, compostable, biodegradable, plastic free, carbon reduced, energy efficient, zero waste or sustainable,

  • Animal Welfare – Free from animal cruelty throughout the development and manufacturing process or supports animal welfare,

  • Ethical or Fair – Ethically sourced or Fair Trade standards throughout the manufacturing process ensuring workers rights are looked after,

  • Reduce Poverty – Enabling the poor or homeless to create wealth for themselves as a means of ending poverty forever,

  • Giving Back – Helping those in need via voluntary time, pay it forward or buy one gift one campaigns (rather than just charity donations),

  • Kindness – Sharing compassion and acts of kindness to bring joy to others and make the world a better place by spreading ripple of kindness,

  • Communities – Engaging in community projects to create a sense of belonging and lasting change for those involved,

  • Diversity – Protecting those at most risk of prejudice and discrimination due to ethnic minority, race, sex, gender or disability,

  • Mental Health – Supporting those who experience mental health difficulties. Helping to prevent suicide or introducing mindfulness practices.

This platform is a brand new venture for Karen, but I have to add, that she is also a really lovely person, inside and out, and we wish her all the best of luck with such an inspiring project – we’re sure it’s going to be a great success!

If you’re looking to buy from, and support small independent businesses this Christmas, Kindpreneurs is a fantastic starting point!

If you’d like to have a browse, you can find our Kindpreneurs shop here: https://www.kindpreneurs.com/shop/the-smile-parcel/

 

June 2019 – Parcel Contents

Posted on by thesmileparcel

We’re quickly approaching the end of June, and although Summer is supposedly going to make a return later this week, it’s currently pouring down with rain out of my office window!

Fingers crossed, Summer will be back soon, and we can all venture back outside. The theme for our parcels this month was “Step Outside”, and they contained products all connected with encouraging the recipient to get outside, into the fresh air…and simply take a moment, to breathe.

June Contents:

Sunglasses Case –

Being outside in the fresh air is brilliant for our mental health and overall well-being, and fingers crossed, the British weather will be kind to us, and make it a little easier too! We all know that protecting ourselves while outside is important, so if we’re going to wear sunglasses – it’s also important that they have a stylish home!

We loved the quote on these cases too “Always Bee Yourself” – so true.

Rainbow Pin & Filigree Heart –

Pins and badges are a great way to add a little personality to clothing and bags. There are so many inspirational designs available, but this rainbow was a great fit for this month’s theme.

The filigree heart decoration is so pretty and delicate, and looks lovely hanging, well, anywhere…

Bee Pebble –

At TSP HQ, we are a big fan of bumble bees – after all, they practically keep us all alive! These cute pebbles look perfect as decorations, sitting on top of flower pots, or simply on the window sill. We discovered these on eBay, created by a lovely lady called Emma, who also makes a similar design with ladybirds, and paints lovely plant pots too. You can find her eBay shop here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/emsi2110

Clay Sunshine & Rainbow Drops –

This happy clay dough sunshine made us smile from ear to ear as soon as we first saw it, and we knew they were a must for this month’s parcels. It now just needs a lovely bright sunny window to hang in, to do it’s shimmering and twinkling in full!

Umm, tasty Rainbow Drops remind us so much of childhood, sitting on the grass in the playground, without a care in the world – I’ll take a bit of that!

 “Every Lovely Word…” –

We’ve got a slightly different postcard for you this month. “You are every lovely word I could possibly think of” – we may not have ever met in person, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t true. These cards have been made by Cara over at “Red Fox Design” – you can find their shop on Etsy here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/weareredfoxdesign

Smile Cards –

As always, there should be a couple of these little cards in your parcel, I’ve written one for you, and the blank one, is for you to write a short inspirational or positive message, and give to someone you know, or leave somewhere for a complete stranger to find – but this is of course optional, there’s absolutely no pressure to do this if you don’t want to.

Parcel Assistant –

Your *Parcel Assistant for June is Colin. Now, Colin is overwhelmingly excited about the arrival of Summer – he loves a refreshing dip in a pool, so if you have a pond – please remind him that he can’t swim!!

Karen x

*Parcel Assistants are cheeky little pompom chaps who help (or hinder!) us with packing your monthly parcels!

 

Mindfulness & Christmas Cards!

Posted on by thesmileparcel

It’s time to give another big shout out to two lovely crafters who have contributed their fabulous products to our parcels!

We are lucky to work with amazingly talented crafters and handmade businesses, so today, I’m going to showcase a couple more of them – this time it’s the turn of “Claire Craft at Little Gestures” and “Kirsty’s Kreative Krafts”.

We asked the business owners to write a short description telling us a little about why they started their small business, and what it means to them.

Claire Holstead from “Claire Craft at Little Gestures” –

“Claire Craft at Little Gestures is absolutely delighted that the wonderful Smile Parcel have used my cards with one of my poems.

I have been creating little items with poems for several years now. The very first item I sold, was on eBay, and was a Rolo in a box, with a little poem.

I had to leave a full-time job after having a breakdown, and then after my husband had some cardiac issues, I decided to try and create a Facebook page to bring in a little extra cash.

I love trying to come up with unique items that can’t be bought from the High Street. Whatever time of the day (or night), an idea comes to me, it HAS to be tried there and then!

Fortunately, I have a very patient husband who is happy enough to take over the housework, while I sit ‘playing’ with my craft bits!”

You can find Claire’s products here: https://www.facebook.com/Littlegestures/

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Kirsty Trathen from “Kirsty’s Kreative Krafts” –

“Hi everyone, I’m Kirsty from Kirsty’s Kreative Krafts, I’m 21 and I live in Cornwall.

I have been crafting for 5 to 6 years and I first found my passion for papercrafts, when I did Fundraising for my school, and it all blossomed from there.

A few years later, I was diagnosed with Autism, and I also have dyslexia and learning difficulties, which means I can never have a full-time job. Crafting is my creative outlet and what makes me happy, and puts a smile on my face every day.

I love to be able to create and set myself new challenges to broaden my horizon.

Flower pencils are my most popular item I have sold, I make a variety of items from cards, sticky tape floral shoes, gift bags and many other things. I’m now experimenting with vinyl, which is very exciting for me.

I would like to build my business up, this is happening slowly thanks to the people supporting me and sharing my page on social media.”

You can find Kirsty’s products here: https://www.facebook.com/kirstyskreativekrafts/

Karen x

Our ‘Select’ Range Has Arrived!

Posted on by thesmileparcel

Hello!

I hope you are enjoying your Monday – the TSP HQ is a little chilly today…sadly no snow for us yet though!

You may remember, back in December, that we mentioned having some big plans for 2019, and one of them was to introduce a select range of ‘ready-to-go’ parcels, with pre-selected themed contents.

We’ve been asked to create one-off parcels for customers since we launched, whether these be for occasion gifts, or to treat yourself, and they are great for those of you who aren’t so keen on the surprise element of our monthly parcels, as you can see exactly what will be inside this range (don’t worry, if you love our monthly surprise parcels, these won’t be changing!).

These parcels will contain carefully hand-selected items, and will all be limited in quantity, so if there’s one you like, grab it, as we will most likely not be able to create another identical parcel again.

As with all our parcels, they will include handmade products from small independent businesses within the UK, so we can continue supporting hard working crafters, cottage industries, and families too, as this is a huge part of what we do.

Our range currently includes themes such as: ‘Time To Relax’, ‘Warm & Cosy’, ‘A New Beginning’, ‘Take A Break’ & ‘You Got This!’.

We wanted to make them as affordable as possible, and set a price bracket, so you know exactly what you’ll be paying, so all ‘Select’ parcels are £24, with free UK delivery.

‘The Smile Parcel Select’ range are currently available to order over on our brand new Etsy account, which you can find here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheSmileParcel

Or, by searching for ‘The Smile Parcel’ in the search box on the Etsy app.

Karen x

Autumnal Thank You…

Posted on by thesmileparcel

Good Morning!

It’s about time I gave a big shout out to another two lovely crafters who have contributed to our parcels – we are so grateful and lucky to work with the best handmade businesses!

In this post, I’m going to showcase ‘JaJo Gifts’ and ‘Sarah’s Crafty House’.

We asked the business owners to write a short description and tell us a little about why they started and what their small business means to them.

Amanda Gilchrist from ‘JaJo Gifts’ –

‘JaJo Gifts started in 2013 while I was on maternity leave with my second child. I’ve always enjoyed making things and needed a hobby while away from the 9-5.  I started making a few items and people asked me to make them for them too, so my little business was born.

It is named after my children Jasmine and Joseph, and the products on offer have changed over the years, but have always had a handmade, self-designed element at their heart.

Starting at my dining table while working another job, things have moved on, I have a designated work area and we are currently a team of 4, and it is what I now do full time.

It gives me time with my family and the flexibility to work around them, and it brings me great joy doing something I love’.

You can find Amanda’s products here: http://www.jajogifts.com

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Sarah Williams from ‘Sarah’s Crafty House’ –

‘Sarah’s Crafty House started 3 years ago now, I’ve always been quite crafty and creative, making gifts for family and friends, so picking a name was easy, as that’s how my house is!

While in my previous job, we’d always have a giggle making light of things not going to plan, or at colleagues and their funny ways, and most days ‘that should be on a plaque’ would get said, so I did put them on a plaque as gifts, and everyone loved them. After about a year of doing stalls and orders for friends, I decided to do it full time, so now I get to do what I love, and get to spend more time with my kids.

Plaques are my best sellers by far, but I also make jewellery, some pyrography, printed bags, candles, the list goes on, I’m basically a craft addict!

I’ve been delighted to have my plaques included in the brilliant Smile Parcel, and hope they added an extra touch to everyone’s Halloween décor’.

You can find Sarah’s products here: https://www.facebook.com/sarahscraftyhouse

Karen x

Bunting & Bath Bombs!

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A great part of working at The Smile Parcel, is being able to work alongside so many fabulous handmade small businesses and crafters. I’m going to showcase another two of them in this post, and this time, it’s the turn of ‘Beadies by Jo’, and ‘Bathing Beauties’.

We asked the business owners to write a short description and tell us a little about why they started and what their small business means to them.

Joanne Collis from ‘Beadies by Jo’ …

‘My name is Jo Collis, I am the owner, designer and ‘Maker of Things Beautiful” at Beadies by Jo. I started my sewing business in 2013. My sewing room is at home, just 100 metres from the sea in wonderful Ayr, on the west coast of Scotland.

Sewing and making gifts has always been a passion, and due to time restraints, remained simply for family and close friends. When the opportunity to expand my ‘customer base’ came along, I started my own business and grabbed the chance to do so.

My passion for beautiful quality fabrics governs my approach. The philosophy is simple and old-fashioned, by paying a little more, the enjoyment of an item lasts for ages after purchase.

One of my first popular ranges are my reversible dresses, having sold over 500 worldwide.

November 2013 saw a favourite addition – the ‘Table-Tent’…Beadies by Jo can now claim to have Table-Tents in houses from the UK to New Zealand!

I always have a note book and pen available at hand 24/7, to collect the ideas for new looks and lines’.

You can find Jo’s products here: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/beadiesbyjo

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Trishell Gill from ‘Bathing Beauties’ …

‘At Bathing Beauties, we have an indulgent range of bath and shower treats which have all been handcrafted using the finest quality ingredients. We are very happy and proud that all of our products are cruelty-free and vegan friendly.

None of our products (or ingredients) have ever been tested on animals, and never will be!

We are trying to do our bit for the environment too, so we limit the plastic packaging as much as possible’.

You can find Trishell’s products here: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/bathingbeautiesuk

Karen x

Calendars & Bunny Prints!

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At the beginning of the year, I mentioned wanting to include some details from our lovely contributors in this blog. We have had the pleasure of working with some amazingly talented crafters and creators, and in this post, I’m going to showcase two of them – ‘Katie’s Cabin’ and ‘The Leaf Press’.

We asked the business owners to write a short description and tell us a little about why they started and what their small business means to them.

Katie Houghton from ‘Katie’s Cabin’ …

‘I have always loved to create and spent most of my childhood drawing, writing and making, so I’ve always had it in me naturally to be creative.

Katie’s Cabin started as, although I had always done various craft projects, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and suffered from other health conditions, meaning I couldn’t work the regular 9-5 and so, I decided to use my creativity to make some extra money, and from there I have built my products and my etsy shop, and continue to build on this daily.

Creativity is part of who I am and I wouldn’t be me without it, so it makes me happy doing something I love, and I always get a buzz coming up with new ideas. It’s my anxiety buster and gives me a focus that I need in my life, and it’s a bonus when people seem to love my items as much as I love to make them’.

You can find Katie’s products here: Www.etsy.com/shop/katiescabinhandmade

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Suzy Dobson from ‘The Leaf Press’ …

‘The Leaf Press was thrilled to contribute a Quotes calendar to the January 2018 edition of the brilliant Smile Parcel.  It was my best-selling calendar for 2018 and I hope everyone who received it in their Smile Parcel liked it too!

The Leaf Press is run by myself – Suzy – from a garden studio in Suffolk, UK.  I’ve been creating both wedding stationery and gifts since 2010.  In the gifts range, as well as calendars there are personalised notebooks (for all sorts of occasions and hobbies), hand-bound journals, bespoke prints and quirky note cards.

Each gift and piece of wedding stationery is designed by me.  The majority – like the Quotes calendar – are printed and hand finished in-house.  I love having control of the whole process and chatting with customers along the way!

Designing makes me happy, and I like to think that my designs are fun and bring people joy – as well as having a functional purpose.  I hope the Quotes calendar made those who received it smile and I look forward to working with the Smile Parcel again soon!’

You can find Suzy’s products here: www.theleafpress.co.uk

Karen x

A Quarter-Way Through Already!

Posted on by thesmileparcel

Hello Lovelies!

This week I’m going to do a little catch-up or ‘update’ on what’s been happening at TSP HQ over the last few months – as we are over a quarter-way through 2018 already!

We’ve had a great start to the year, and packed lots of Smile Parcel’s, and more importantly, gained lots of amazing loyal repeat customers – which means we must be doing something right! We are loving putting together your parcels and have loads of plans in place for your future parcels.

We‘re now in the second week of April, and after a very long soggy Winter in the UK, we may actually be heading for Spring next week (Shh, the weather man said that, not me!).

I’m looking forward to sitting outside on the patio table, topping up my vitamin D, while ordering your May contents from the suppliers – sounds like bliss…I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

We’ve been keeping to our weekly blog posts since the beginning of March and are planning to keep that going with sharing tips, mental health related posts, updates, and showing you parcel contents at the end of each month.

We are also looking to include some posts from our wonderful contributors. As you know, we like to support cottage industries and artisans where we can, by including handmade products from independent small businesses and crafters, and we’re super happy that we are managing to do this most months.

We have now built up quite a list of amazing talented people who have contributed to our monthly parcels and we would love to showcase their businesses. If you have contributed, you may receive an email from us soon, asking if you’d like to talk about your business in our blog, so keep a look out for it.

As it is ‘that’ time of the year, I had a (very overdue!) Spring clean of the office over the Easter weekend, and unearthed my Customer Service NVQ coursework and certificates from 2009!

The Smile Parcel was just a distant dream, or even unknown, at that time, but I was obviously unconsciously planning for it (if you believe in that) – I think I’ll pop those certificates in a frame, why not?!

I think I’ll finish this post with a very important birthday celebration, that would of course, be our youngest canine office helper (I use that word lightly!), who turned 5 years old in March.

Max is a very cheeky, and sometimes very naughty, Standard Schnauzer, who enjoys annoying his smaller, but older brother, Marley – who is a much better-behaved Miniature Schnauzer.

…Of course Max didn’t share his birthday toys – don’t be ridiculous!!

Karen x