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Today’s spotlight is on the adorable Peanut & Sprout, a handmade gift shop run by the incredibly talented Emma from her cosy craft room in Staffordshire.
Emma agreed to answer some of my questions about how she started her business and how she balances it with being a mum of two.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your business. How did your creative journey begin?
Hi, I’m Emma, the owner of Peanut & Sprout, my small business selling handmade home decor, gifts and celebration items. My shop has been open for just over 18 months now, but I was thinking about it and planning long before I did anything about it. For over 20 years, I worked in pharmacy, a job that made me utterly miserable, up until I had my youngest daughter in February of 2020.
I’d had some issues with my mental health a few years earlier, with anxiety and panic disorder, and having a baby during the pandemic triggered a lot of that off again, so much so that I realised that when my maternity leave ended, I wouldn’t be able to go back and work in that field anymore - the world was a scary place in 2021 and too scary for me.
We decided that for the next few years, I would be a stay-at-home parent, until things in the world calmed down and my daughter started nursery. I’ve always had crafty hobbies and love making things for people, with people often commenting on how I should sell my makes.
With my daughter in nursery, I decided to give it a go, just for a year, and if it didn’t work out, I would go and get a job when she went full-time. I’ve now been running Peanut & Sprout for a year and a half, and it’s honestly just the best. I’ve never been happier!
What inspired you to start offering your current services or products?
I think the love for making celebration items started when I got married in 2017. I made all of the decor for our wedding and had so much fun doing it, that I was really sad when it was all done, which got me thinking about what I could do next! I also made a lot of things for my daughters, such as birthday decorations and items for their rooms, and the products in my shop have all kind of evolved from these.
What does a typical day look like for you in your creative business?
The day starts with me getting the girls off to school, and then tidying up the house. Every day is always different for me, depending on what orders I have - I’ve been so, so lucky this year that I’ve always had some orders to be working on.
Once we’ve done school drop off I usually do some admin stuff first - replying to messages, writing a to-do list for the day and ordering in any materials I need. I also try to post something on Instagram but I am so bad at social media! I didn’t realise before I went into this exactly how much admin would be needed to be done!
I’ll make products up until about 1pm, whilst listening to music or binge-watching something. Everything I make is cut and stitched by hand, so it does take me a while to make an order.
My husband also works from home, so we have lunch together, and then afterwards, I pack orders. My husband is my biggest supporter, and will post my parcels on the way to pick the girls up from school, which gives me a bit of extra working time.
Once they’re all back, I stop P&S work and switch to mum mode whilst my husband works
for a couple more hours. I try to only work on weekdays, but I’ve been so busy lately that I sometimes need to sneak in a few hours at the weekend and a few nights a week, I’ve been having to start work again after the girls are in bed!
Even now, a year and a half in, I’m still figuring out how to manage everything around a busy
family life, and there’s always guilt that I’m spending too much time on one or the other.
What’s your favourite part of the creative process? And what’s the most challenging?
My favourite part is coming up with new ideas and then developing the prototypes for them.
That’s when I feel like I’m being the most creative! But actually finding time to do this is a massive challenge in itself! I think most small business owners would agree that the time they have for the creative part is the smallest amount!
I also really enjoy coming up with colour combinations to match a customer’s room or party theme, and I love it when a customer asks me to make something I’ve not done before - it really scratches the creative itch to come up with something new.
How do you stay inspired or motivated during busy or difficult times?
Honestly, this can sometimes be so hard! When I worked in pharmacy, the days were so busy that we didn’t have time to think, but working under that pressure and learning how to manage my time has definitely helped in how I do things now. I love to write lists and plan out my days - journaling and planning are a big hobby of mine (mostly for the pretty stationery!,) but it helps me to write everything out so I know what I’ve got going on. Cute stickers definitely help with that!
And even though I’m working for myself and only have to go to my craft room, sometimes it feels like I really don’t want to go to ‘work’ and would just rather stay in bed. But I always remember how hard pharmacy was on me, and how lucky I am to be doing this right now. I don’t want to take it for granted!
Do you have a favourite project you’ve worked on recently? What made it special?
I love making all of my items, knowing that they’re going to be used for special occasions. But when people send me photos, I’m absolutely over the moon to see them! I’ve had photos of brides wearing their badges whilst getting ready for their big day, or cake toppers on the cakes at birthday parties, and it always brings me so much joy.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own creative or service-based business?
To go for it, but know that it’s not the easy option. I can choose my own hours, but those hours are often long and at weird times. The actual creative side of the business is the smallest part. I have had to learn so much about actual business - money, tax, policies, safety standards… it’s not just as simple as crafting and selling it.
It’s really tough right now, too, and it feels like the various governments of the world are trying to make it harder for our little shops to survive.
But to be doing something I enjoy, whilst being able to be at home with my children whilst they still need me, and to be doing something that I genuinely think benefits my mental health after years in a job that was destroying it, it’s all worth it.
In what ways do you support the creative community?
I love to buy handmade, but you don’t need to spend money to support creativity - follow their
social media, favourite their items, engage with their social media posts, leave positive reviews if you buy from them, and share their art with your friends.
Our creative community is so important - we need to keep handmade businesses alive in a world of mass-produced everything. Craftwork is always being dismissed as “just a hobby” or “domestic” rather than being thought of as skilled labour or art.
Supporting small businesses and respecting them, shows that creative careers are just as important as anything else.
Are there any upcoming projects, launches, or goals you’re excited about?
Time is definitely an issue for me, but I love making Christmas decorations, so I’m excited to get started on those for this year. I’ve also got some plans to make some felt flowers too, as after I got married, I made some felt flower versions of my wedding flowers, which is where my love for felt started. I’ve been designing some wedding cake toppers as well, which I hope to launch sometime next year.
Where can people find you online and follow your work?
My shop is www.peanutandsprout.co.uk and you can follow me on Instagram
@peanutandsprout. I also have a more personal account @emmas.desk where I share my
hobbies, in particular my love for pretty stationery.
