Hello, I’m Nicky. I have a very busy and happy life being a Mummy, working part time in marketing for a high street retailer and running my own small stationery business. I live with my husband and our two children, Finlay aged 5 and Ruby aged 2 in North Wales.

We’re lucky enough to be surrounded by countryside and close enough to drive to the beach, so any spare time we get as a family is spent going for walks and picnics. We also love to spend as much time as possible with our families and friends.

What do you make?

I design and print wedding and social stationery incorporating my own graphic designs. My products include note cards, gift/favour boxes, notebooks and gift tags.

How & when did you get started designing & making?

I’ve made my own cards and dabbled in various other crafts for many years, but I first started getting paid for designing and printing wedding stationery at the end of last year. Then in March of this year I opened my Folksy shop selling stationery.

What venues / websites do you sell from?

For my wedding stationery I have been lucky enough to get the majority of my orders through recommendations and I have recently exhibited at my first wedding fayre.

I sell my social stationery through my Folksy shop. I’ve tried Etsy and managed a few sales but with the limited amount of time I have I’ve decided to concentrate on one shop for the time being. I have a blog and a flickr account, and my ‘to do’ list includes setting up a facebook fan page – I’m sure I’ll get round to it one day! I could easily spend the majority of my time social networking and not have much time left to do anything else, and I’d still not know which ones were working better than others. Whereas I know putting effort into great customer service by offering quality products, a friendly service, pretty packaging and prompt delivery works in getting customers to return to my shop.

What / who inspires your work?

My work is all about shapes and colour. Every image I design is based on something I’ve seen, which I then translate into a design using shapes. Inspiration is everywhere from the colour combinations on my children’s clothes to fancy packaging at the supermarket. Most of my inspiration comes when I’m nodding off to sleep. My mind never switches off!

I’m greatly inspired by other Folksy sellers who have great looking shops with a coherent look and feel, especially the ones when I spot a product and know exactly whose it is straight away.

What are your plans for Gooseberrymoon for the next 12 months?

I’ve got stacks of ideas for new designs and new products, including a range of wedding invitation covers ready for customers to add their own inserts – perfect for brides on a budget.

I’m going to spend time improving my product photography to try and achieve my own style and get a consistent look in my Folksy shop.

What marketing tips do you have for other artists, designers, crafters & makers?

Don't underestimate how important product photographs are on your online shop. If you've got half decent images you’ve got more chance of being featured on blogs, the more blogs you’re on the more people get to know about you and your business. It’s all about getting noticed and finding ways to get customers to your shop.