Have you been considering working from home? Each week we feature fabulous Mums who have started up their own business from home. We learn about their products and what they sell and get some inspiration from these lovely ladies.
Catch up on last weeks feature on ‘Mums That Mean Business’.
This week we have the lovely Sam and her business Owl On A Twig.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and yours.
My name is Sam and I run Owl On A Twig. I live in Barnsley with my partner, Chris, our 3 boys Alex, Foley and Harrison, our bouncy springer Eddie and our two cats, William and Twigadee.
2. What made you start a home business?
It kind of all started by accident! Paper cutting was a hobby that went alongside my crochet, I guess I started the page more to showcase what I was making than for selling, but the more people asked the more I wondered why I wasn’t selling!
3. Tell us about your business, when you started, what you make etc.
Owl On A Twig was started officially in March 2016 but before then I spent just over a year practicing and making small pieces for friends and family to gain confidence and find out about the very materials to use. I focus mainly on one off pieces and commissions of hand cut art work but also offer cuts made from commercial templates from some of the best template designers out there. At the moment everything is run from the Facebook page but in the near future I am hoping to set up a web store on Etsy.
4. What is your typical day like?
We’re up as a family between 6.30 and 7am everyday, on weekdays I have to get Alex and Foley ready for school while Chris gets ready for work. After the school drop off me and Harrison usually take a walk to the local shops and post office to post parcels from my crochet business, pick up some fruit and vegetables and maybe grab some treats for everyone. After lunch Harrison will have a nap so I can check my messages and see what orders I have to complete. I’ll probably do a bit of crochet then too. After school pick up I’ll spend a bit of time in the garden with the boys before making dinner, then I’ll finally be able to sit down with my scalpel and get some paper cutting done! It’s something I prefer to do once the boys are in bed as scalpels and children don’t usually mix!
5. What advice would you give to other mums considering working from home?
Don’t give up. Sometimes it feels like a lot of work with not much return but even if you only get 1 order a month that’s 1 more than you would have and not only are you giving yourself the chance to do something you enjoy you’re also creating something beautiful for your customer and they will always remember you for that.
Fab advice Sam and thank you so much for taking part in this feature.
Would you like to feature on ‘Mums That Mean Business’‘? Or perhaps you know somebody who would.
Then please email at stickymudandbellylaughs@gmail.com for more details.
Loving her designs, so creative! 🙂
What an unusual idea for a business! Really fab to read about creative mums making a business from home.
I have one of Sam’s cuts and it is absolutely flawless. She’s so effing patient!
Those pieces are just gorgeous! I have major respect for people who do paper cutting – I can barely manage a rectangular coupon. 😀
Lovely designs! I absolutely adore the one with cats!
Love these designs my cousin does the same thing but as a hobby and they always look amazing.
Woow her designs are amazing so creative and different would love to own one. x
These are beautiful, I love them I am off to stalk her facebook page xx
what a lovely lady…. her designs are fantastic..
these are just gorgeous and I love her hair too 🙂
That looks amazing, paper cutting takes patients and time. She’s such a talented mum
Lovely creative designs. I really like them.
These are so beautiful, what a clever lady. Good luck with your business xx
How pretty are those designs, very creative. they’d make great gifts.
My friend does paper cutting, it is quite a skill to have! Love the pictures
Oh, how wonderful! I love these pieces. I used to craft before my 2nd child was born, and I touched on paper cutting. I found it frustrating yet so incredibly therapeutic!
I definitely need the one which says a House is not a Home without a cat, as ive got three x
Those designs are so gorgeous! Love them all.
These are goregous. So personal and unique x
Whoo these are so pretty, love them. So unique 🙂
What amazing products, they’re so beautiful. A very creative idea and so perfect she could turn it into a business. x
I have one of Sam’s cuttings, the ‘We’re all a little bit broken and that’s ok’ one, and it’s absolutely beautiful, looks great in the picture but absolutely stunning in real life, and it means a lot to me as it was made during a difficult period in my life. Sam’s cuts are beautiful, she’s got a real talent for it, and her prices are so good in comparison to some of the ‘big name’ paper cutters. I’ve already asked Sam to make me one of the cats ones as I love her work so much!
If you guys like her stuff then definitely check her out and buy a piece, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Those design are so beautiful, such a talent. I’ve been running my own business for over four years now so know the amount of work that goes into it, I love hearing of other mums who have businesses too