#shoplocalonline

Lizzie Chancellor

Do you like to shop local?

Do you want to keep your local high street thriving?

BUT...

Are you struggling to get to your local shops at the moment because of work or other commitments?

Are you just not ready to venture out yet, or are you shielding?

We understand that’s why people turn to online shopping & we appreciate how it can make things so much easier for you

That’s where Chirpy can help you to #shoplocalonline

By buying online from a local independent shop you’re still helping us survive & keep your local high street alive. Instead of the usual go-to big online shops then why not try your local shops online?

Our new online shop is becoming an important part of the Chirpy experience & will help us continue to bring new products to our wonderful customers.

You’ll find a great range of Chirpy things at www.chirpystore.co.uk/store & we’re adding new things all the time

So next time your looking for a gift online from the comfort of your sofa please think about if you can #shoplocalonline

Thank you!

Jo X

Focus on .... Dodo from Diedododa

Focus On...

Our third ‘Focus On…’ introduces you to Dodo who is the creative arms behind diedododa. Her Botanical Alphabet cards are our best sellers and watch this space for more of her quirky colourful prints

C: Tell me a little bit about yourself and diedododa

D: My name is Dodo and together with my business partner Stu we run diedododa. I am the artist and designer behind all the artwork, do all the hands-on work and management while he is tech-savvy administrator and organiser. We run our own print studio in Edinburgh with the motto: stare at art not walls. Our main focus are consistently colourful art prints and unexpectedly witty greeting cards.

C: How did you get into doing what you are doing

D: I have drawn and painted and created my entire life so somehow getting into it as a business a few years ago seemed almost inevitable, yet we arrived at figuring out exactly where we wanted to take it fairly recently. Initially I reworked and luxecycled furniture and whatnot with original artwork hanging on the walls. People started to ask about prints and slowly but surely after long months of research we set up our little print studio!

C: What does a ‘normal’ day look like?

D: A normal day starts with me getting just before 7 and doing some exercise, then coffee, shower, and walking to the studio to pack and send orders. After that I often do test prints of new artwork or some product photography. The latter either at the studio or back at home. Afternoon/evening is usually spent working on new designs.

Of course right now I am still limiting trips to the studio and working from home catching up with long overdue content and product descriptions for the website.....and of course more hours to create!

C:What’s been your biggest achievement to date?

D: Having taught myself every creative skill that I have.

 C: What’s been the favourite thing you’ve designed?

D: Usually whatever I am working on right now. I find nothing more exciting than seeing an idea come to life! 

More recently also decorating the flat I moved into last September (first non-rental!)

C: What’s the best thing about running your own business?

D: Being able to choose what to work on when. Being very colour and image focused my head needs to be more in “business mode” for coming up with descriptions and “wordy” things. Not having to force that is delightful.

I also love that work and life fuse and interact effortlessly. I now use my flat for product pics, and some artwork i created for the flat have become a print designs that found their way onto the website.

C: What advice would you give to anyone looking to turn their hobby into a business?

D: While the emotional side is essential for the creative part, learn to turn it off to assess your skill level and product range realistically. Never stop learning and challenging yourself.

 C: Is there a craft / activity you haven’t tried but would like to?

D: I can’t wait to somehow create in VR!

 C: Why should people shop local?

D: For me small (or large), well curated and imaginatively presented local shops are the last proper shopping experiences. The only places that inspire creativity, put a smile on your face and an “oh my goodness this is soo cute/cool/amazing/different” reaction.

 C: Have you had to adapt your business during Covid  - any positives you’ve managed to take from it all?

D: Initially we paused the business entirely for a few weeks. In that time I enjoyed having uninterrupted peace and quiet to focus on creating and taking proper time out...which when running a small business is quite rare. Of course the uncertainty of the whole situation was, and to some extent is, very unsettling. Having said that I do firmly believe in intensely focusing on the positives of any situation that is beyond my immediate control.

Since those early weeks I am still mostly working from home, although going to the studio to send orders about twice a week. As it’s only myself in the space and I have always walked there early with not many people about in the streets, the overall impact on how I can run things has thankfully been very manageable. Stu has worked his magic remotely for quite a while anyway!

Why not give diedododa a follow on Instagram

Focus on .... LOVELY Caz!

Lizzie Chancellor

Focus On...

Our second ‘Focus On…’ introduces you to Caz who runs Lovely Skincare - we love her hand cream, face mask and lip balms in Chirpy. The perfect presents or treat for yourself because everyone wants something LOVELY!

Ch: Tell me a little bit about yourself

C: My name’s Caz, and I live in Sheffield with my husband Tommy. I moved here in 2006 to study German & Music at Sheffield University, and followed it up with a Masters in Psychology of Music. I love it here because it’s so close to the Peak District, and feels more like a town than a city. I’m not a city girl!

Ch: How did you start you business

C:I decided pretty swiftly after I finished my Masters that I wanted to try starting my own business. I’d like to pretend that it was a big lightbulb moment, but it was more like a creeping thought that if other people could do it then I could do it too! I was really interested in skincare and already knew a lot about what ingredients I’d need to use, so it began tentatively as a (very expensive) hobby. From the very beginning of Lovely, I knew that it was going to be as much about the packaging as it was about the formulation. To create something from nothing then hearing that other people love it just as much as you do is the best feeling!

Ch: What does a ‘normal’ day look like?

C: I try not to do the same thing every day, because it gets boring. I generally come into the workshop and check my emails, issue invoices and print off the day’s orders while I’m having a coffee. Then move onto fulfilling orders, and if I need to make stock for any of those orders, pop my apron on and start making. If I have a few big orders at the same time, I might spend a few full days making products. Although I love creating new products and researching and meeting customers and clients at markets and shows, when you run a small business by yourself, most days look the same and aren’t very interesting, because I do everything myself!

Ch: What’s been your biggest achievement?

C: Back when my business was quite small, I had a nationwide contract with Accessorize which was really really exciting for me at the time. Although that was (and is still) a big deal, I've realised since that while that's a big standalone achievement, I'm prouder of the large network of small stockists that I've built up and order time and time again. I love the personal relationship I'm able to have with a lot of them, and it's because of them that my business is where it is today.

Ch: What’s the favourite thing you make?

C: I think my favourite has to be my hand cream, because it was the first formula I developed for my own skin. While I was setting up my business I worked as a chef, and my skin became really dry and itchy from the heat in the kitchen, so it’s a really rich and nourishing cream that I use all over my face and body.

Ch: What the best thing about running your own business?

C: The absolute best thing is the freedom to choose what you do from day to day. But of course the opposite is also true - sometimes you have no choice to do all of the jobs you hate for weeks on end because there's no one else to pick up the slack!

Ch: What advice would you give to anyone wanting to turn their hobby into a business?

C: I always sound like a kill-joy when I talk about this, but I think it's important to remember that once you make your hobby your job, it’s not a hobby anymore. It's your job and you're not going to love doing it as a job just because it used to be your hobby - most people's jobs have good and bad parts and this is no exception! It's really stressful but also really rewarding. You have to be sure that you want the stress as well as the rewards, because it isn't easy.

Ch: Is there a hobby or craft you would love to try?

C: I'm desperate to try needlepunching! I need to order some things and get started ASAP

Ch: Why do you feel people should shop local?

C: People should shop local if they're able because it supports your local economy. It creates jobs and opportunities for people in the local area. Also, in a small business we're able to affect change within our organisations and local communities much quicker and with a more lasting effect than big corporations, so we're often the more ethical choice.

Ch: Have you had to adapt your business during Covid?

C: Actually because I supply a few online gift box companies, I've had a really busy lockdown! It's great to have the extra trade but I can't help being secretly jealous while watching my husband lie in the garden with a gin & tonic...

We hope you enjoy the LOVELY products as much as we do in Chirpy!

Why not give LOVELY a follow on Instagram

Focus on .... Lizzie Chancellor

Lizzie Chancellor

Thursday Focus On...

As a new normal begins I thought it would be nice to introduce you to some of my wonderful indie suppliers who have helped keep Chirpy going over the last few months, whose cards & gifts we have been able to continue to bring to our Chirpy customers through our online shop and now back in store.

So every week I'll be introducing someone for you to find out a little bit more about them and the wonderful products of theirs you can buy from Chirpy.

Starting with Lizzie Chancellor whose cards we love in Chirpy ...

C: Tell me a little bit about yourself & your company

L: Hi, I’m Lizzie, owner and founder of Lizzie Chancellor, a stationery company specialising in original and simple hand drawn designs.

C: How did you get into doing what you are doing?

L: I loved to draw as a child and my mum always asked me to make birthday cards for her friends, whilst my brother and sister would ask me to do their art homework for them causing a lot of confusion for their teachers! I studied Art & Photography at A level and Textiles & Fashion at Leeds University. I then went on to work for a contemporary British artist in London. Seeing the way he worked every day and be creative really inspired me to set up my own business and a few years later when I got engaged, I decided to design my own wedding invitations. I really enjoyed the process and realised that my business could be greetings cards and prints, so I decided to go for it!

C: What does a ‘normal’ day look like?

L: I’ve just finished my maternity leave second time round so my working days are starting to feel more ‘normal’ again.  As soon as my husband leaves the house with the kids to take them to nursery, I make myself a cup of tea and check my emails.  I like to make a list of all the things I need to do that day so I can focus on where to start.  Usually I get the boring jobs out of the way first so I can spend a bit of time in the afternoon being creative.  Running the business by myself means I need to wear a lot of hats and split my time over lots of different areas which can be tricky at times, I find myself doing 5 different things at once so planning the day out always helps!  I break for lunch with my husband (he also works from home) and then I pack my orders for the day.  I spend a bit of time planning my social media content and then any time I have left after that is spent on drawing, designing and being creative – my favourite part of the day! 

C: What’s been your biggest achievement to date?

L:Hmm, that’s tough one! Biggest life achievement is definitely giving birth (twice). It’s a pretty empowering feeling and I’m grateful I had two very straight forward births. As for my business, I still feel so ‘young’ in terms of how far I’ve got to go but I did have my best month of sales EVER last month, which was pretty exciting. I just love the idea of my cards being sent around the world, keeping people connected and making people smile. I make personalised photo cards and this father’s day I sold so many I lost count, the thought of all those daddy’s opening them on the same morning was a lovely feeling.

C: What’s been the favourite thing you’ve designed?

L: Since having children my designs have been more led towards children, I love my children’s cut out age range, the colours are just so bright and paired with the bold shapes, they make such fun cards. I also love my happiness range, which are designed to be sent to your loved ones ‘just because’. I think sending a card to someone for no particular occasion is even more special and unexpected. That feeling of receiving a card or letter from a friend or loved one out of the blue is so heart warming.

C: What’s the best thing about running your own business?

L: Definitely being my own boss and having no one to answer to!!

C: What advice would you give to anyone looking to turn their hobby into a business?

L: I’d say it’s very easy to test the water and see if people would buy your designs with social media. Start with an Instagram account and post pictures of your designs, notice which are causing more of a reaction from your audience and go down that path. Expand that design to a few more similar designs to build your range. You can very easily set up an Etsy account and use that as your online shop to begin with. Just go for it! Learn on the way, listen to feedback and most importantly, be original.

C: Is there a craft you haven’t tried but would like to?

L: Ooh good question! I’d love to try glass blowing, it looks really hard but I’m really intrigued by it. I was lucky enough to go to Murano in Venice with my old boss, I got to watch the guys there blowing beautiful glass pieces, it was incredible.

C: Why do you feel people should shop local?

L: Because it’s a double win! By supporting a small business or shopping locally you are gifting twice, once to the small business and again to the recipient of the gift. It makes you feel good knowing you are supporting a small business and it’s lovely to be able to tell your friend who the gift is for, a bit about the company your bought it from.

C: Have you had to adapt your business during Covid & any positives you’ve managed to take from it all?

L: I’ve been extremely lucky and have actually had a lot more sales during Covid. I sell mostly online, direct to customer and I found that as people were unable to go to brick and mortar shops, they were coming online to buy their cards and prints. I wasn’t quick enough to design products especially for the lockdown period though as I had my two children at home and had to juggle the business with being a mum!

We hope you like Lizzie's designs as much as we do - we stock a wide range of her cards and I think one of my favourite range are the ones that remind me of spirographs from my childhood.

Lizzie also does personalised cards and can be found online at www.lizziechancellor.com

If you'd like to find out more about any of our other suppliers, or you're a supplier you'd like me to do a 'Focus on...' then just let me know

New Artist In Residence - Louise Barlow

Sealines by Louise Barlow

We’re delighted to introduce our new Artist In Residence Louise Barlow

Louise is a Surface Pattern & Print Designer based in Chapel Allerton. Originally from Norther Ireland she studied Printed textiles and Surface Pattern at university in England. She developed a love for crazy, out there designs that stand out from the crown and a love for colour.

Each design is illustrated at a large scale and filled with shapes and fun patterns before being meticulously filled with colour. She hopes her design portray a sense of fun and energy

5 of her colourful geometric prints are now available online at Chirpy

Each prints is available as a high gloss finish, unframed 35cm x 35cm

Price £35

Louise is currently also designing something very special for Chirpy - watch this space…

New Limited Edition Chapel Allerton Print Available

Designed by Richard Locket

We’re delighted to be able to offer you the new limited edition Print by local artist Richard Locket

Richard has designed the print in his infamous sale and there will be only be 92 available, one for every day of retail lockdown.

Prints are 11” x 11” and come unframed for £25, complete with a certificate of authenticity.

£5 of each sale will be donated to St Gemma’s Hospital

Prints available on the Chirpy online shop

Chirpy Re-opening Monday 15th June!

Chirpy will be RE-OPENING on Monday 15th June!!

Great news - in guide with government guidelines we’ll be re-opening on Monday 15th June

Watch this space for more info on new Opening times and how will will be keeping you safe

In the meantime you can shop ONLINE at www’chirpystore.co.uk

When we do Open we will continue to offer Click & Collect through our website and will post out. We’ll also be offering our gift wrap and card service where will will send presents on your behalf

We can’t wait to welcome you back to Chirpy but also hope that you can continue to support us online when you can’t get in store

Thanks and see you soon! Jo x

Our next ONLINE Workshop - Open Terrariums 2nd July

What’s happening with the Chirpy workshops?

Eve Finlay Miller and Chirpy have teamed up as usual to bring you an Open Terrarium workshop! Unusually they have moved the workshop to an online platform (online being our new usual!). 

The workshop will take place using the hosting platform Zoom

To book your place or add yourself to the waiting list as places are limiteds it’ll sell out quickly, the click here

We're making things even Chirpy-er!

What’s happening with the Chirpy workshops?

We’re having a bit of a face lift. Making the most of the current lockdown situation, I’m taking the opportunity to update Chirpy and give it a lick of paint (and much more besides depending on how long the lockdown continues!)

So pleased with the colour I’ve chosen, even matches the new website! The entrance to Chirpy will look clean, fresh and inviting. Lots of other ideas which i’m hoping to be able to do while in lockdown, all dependent on time and a very small budget. Open to any suggestions - if you’ve got any ideas then please let men know. Just pop me an email here There will be a prize for any that I like and implement!

Can’t wait to open the doors again to the new improved, more Chirpy, Chirpy!

Hopefully see you soon!

Collect from Chirpy! Trial starts Monday 27th April!

Collect from Chirpy!

Great news! From Monday 27th April we’ll be trailing Collection from Chirpy

This will be available from Monday - Friday 10am - 12:30pm adhering to all social distancing rules

Available for you to pick up orders & vouchers

So if you’ve ordered something ‘almost online’ via Social Media or email then we will be offering you the opportunity to collect from Chirpy.

This is an option which is being looked at very carefully with regards the exit from lockdown, and being used successfully by other shops in Chapel Allerton so we though it would be good to trail it.

We’ll either have the door open, with a table across it, or if the door is shut we’ll ask you to knock on the door then stand at the bottom of the stairs. We will them put your collection at the top of the stairs for you to pick up.

Of course we’ll still be offering FREE delivery in North Leeds and postage

Thank you for supporting Chirpy and helping us get our wonderful Chirpy products to you

Stay safe! x