From Britain with Love

As a young child, I so enjoyed creating pictures to be shared with others. I found inspiration in nature and sought out beauty in everyday places. It was then that I began to think about sharing these designs with others. My personal light bulb moment was when I left university and realised that I could do what I wanted to do and what I loved, every single day, and I've not looked back since. 

My physical environment is very important to me and the right place makes me even more creative. My studio is located in leafy Hampshire, where the local environment truly inspires me – there are gardens, rivers and country walks just outside my door and I gather up the sights, sounds and ideas and breath life into them as my designs spring from the page.

I undertake all of the design work myself. Often I get an idea and then think about the best medium for it. Usually I give a product range a title such as ‘These Wishes Are All For You’ and before I know it there are matching gift tags, little badges, greetings cards and accessories. I think long and hard about what motivates the gift giver, and I think about what they will need to make their wrapping experience special.

I believe that the wrapping shows the recipient just how much the giver cares about the gift they are giving. All of my designs are hand-drawn in the studio and then I work with a small number of brilliant suppliers and craftspeople who bring the products to life. Our main supplier hand screen-prints each sheet of gift wrap here in Britain using 100% recycled paper and eco friendly inks. 

The most popular product is the hand screen-printed gift wrap set, which gives the customer everything they need to create a fantastic looking gift. My original hand-crafted designs are very different to the mass-produced gift wraps you find on the high street, and really allow the giver to show that they care.

As all of my products are about gifts and giving, this in turn gives me a great deal of satisfaction to be part of those special moments when people open their presents. Recently, after dispatching a days worth of postal sacks I walked home thinking about the recipients and the excitement  they'll feel when opening their gifts on Christmas day!

I love Britain and British traditions, and I also like to support small businesses. I make sure that I get to know both my suppliers and my customers, and I like to connect with those who have a great story behind their business. It's inspirational to work with people who, like me have a passion for their work. It’s also very important to me that Sophia Victoria Joy is an eco-friendly business. We are not shipping large quantities of products from overseas - why would we when it’s all available here, and in such good quality, right on our doorstep?

Now is my proudest moment... I'm talking to the press regularly and have had lots of interest from larger companies. Shops telephone me every day to say that they love the products and can they have some as soon as possible to sell in their shop. Also the number of sales is astonishing at present and I've never been happier to know that so very many presents under Christmas trees this year will be wrapped in SVJ... it’s just an amazing feeling! I've also just hit a personal target which was to see the Sophia Victoria Joy range selling in Liberty this Christmas. I'd love to reach out across the world with my work, and being chosen by an internationally renowned brand such as Liberty can only open up new horizons.

Sophia Victoria Joy can be found in over 80 high quality independent shops across the UK. I like to get to know these shops and I have close relationships with a number of them. It’s really great to have our products sold by others who appreciate quality and run gorgeous shops! Our website is also key and this year has become significantly more important as brand awareness has increased. You can find the full collection on www.sophiavictoriajoy.com.

Two of my favourite British designer makers have to be ceramicist Julia Davey and textile designer Caroline Cox of Warbeck & Cox. Both of these designers are passionate about what they do and as a result  their products really show it! 

Yes, I always check the label. I'm passionate about what matters to me and carry this over into my personal life whenever possible. 

I love St Ives in Cornwall but I have visited only once. I look forward to visiting again soon as I loved every moment, from the sandy beaches to the quaint streets and pretty shops.

I love baking, country walks and chatting with friends and family over a cup of tea. However my best ideas come to me when I'm most relaxed, so I always have a notebook handy as I never know where my next collection will come from.