I'm Michelle - Shelly to those who love me dearly. Welcome to the story behind my dream. I live and work in an idyllic market town in Northamptonshire where Feather and Thistle - the home of handmade wooden box framed typography signs and hand made and framed wall art - was born. I began trading in the summer of 2017 as a part-time hobby/side business, working evenings and weekends alongside my ot
her full-time business as a childminder. Not being tech savvy, I spent every waking moment learning new skills, teaching myself graphic design and navigating my way around woodworking tools to create what is now my dream and passion. In the summer of 2019, my whole life circumstances changed, as I found myself a single parent to my then 13 year old daughter and had to move our entire lives from the family home and start over. At the same time, the demand for my signs was increasing every week, making it harder and harder to juggle as a side business. So, with the support and encouragement of my family, friends and local community in Thrapston, who were my main customers and biggest cheerleaders at the time, I took the biggest leap of faith of my life so far and decided to go solo, end my 20+ year childminding career and focus full-time on Feather and Thistle. A huge risk and one which, I'm pleased to say, has certainly paid off, having designed and made a countless number of signs that are proudly displayed in homes all around the world! So here we are in 2021, my business is 4 years old and survived the global pandemic, where I took on an additional job as a supermarket keyworker to help my local community and support my family, and Feather & Thistle is entering an incredibly exciting new phase with the launch of this brand new website - https://featherandthistle.uk/ - something I've worked every spare hour to learn how to build and design on my own, in order to take my business to the next level. When creating my signs I pride myself on designing unique pieces for any occasion with a classic monochrome colour base and rustic charm to ensure they feel at home within any style decor from contemporary modern to farmhouse chic. I choose words that inspire kindness and love and that can spark joy and happiness, whether a handmade gift with words to treasure or a decorative piece to add to your home. I spend my days having fun, creating and making. I love to create and my mind is constantly buzzing with new ideas. My original slogan when I started in 2017, and one that has stood the test of time and still sums Feather & Thistle up is this:
YOU DREAM IT, I MAKE IT
Thank you for reading my story, and for supporting my dream. There is a saying that when you buy from a small business, a real person does a happy dance. I can tell you that this is absolutely true! Feather & Thistle is just me, myself and I. Every single order is entirely handmade with love, care and attention and sent with the sincere hope that owning or gifting one of my pieces makes you as happy as it made me to create it for you. https://featherandthistle.uk/
