About Us

TL;DR
Used to be a teacher but not now. Always a craft person so set up shop. Love it. Now a mum and want to be able to work from home because of my health and being a single parent. I’m disabled and autistic and love everything paper and pen.

Who is The Little Stationery Shop?

Hi! I’m the person behind The Little Stationery Shop. I’m a mum, disabled, autistic, and absolutely love everything paper and pen related. I used to be a teacher working in an autism specialist setting (I am also autistic but had been working with SEND children long before I was diagnosed at the age of 31), but I’ve found my true calling in creating beautiful, handmade stationery that brings joy to people’s everyday lives.

When did The Little Stationery Shop open?

I first opened my business in December 2020, though it didn’t start life as The Little Stationery Shop! When I got that very first order, I didn’t really know where it would go (if anywhere) or if anyone would even want the things I made. I also didn’t know how my own life would completely turn upside down in the years following.

Why did The Little Stationery Shop start?

In October 2020 I was signed off from work as a teacher. For various reasons I just couldn’t stay in the job and was signed off work. To try and help me, my GP suggested I keep doing my “craft stuff” as it was clearly helping and we talked about having a purpose in my day. She suggested selling things just as a thing to do, not really pushing it in any way.

Then in December 2022 I was no longer employed as a teacher, having never returned to the classroom (I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my class and that will always be a regret but the school wouldn’t allow me to see them). At this point I had two options – consider a whole new career or see if this “stationery malarkey” could go somewhere.

How did The Little Stationery Shop develop?

Initially I focused just on planners and planner sheets. It was what I made for myself and so it was a natural way to try to promote things I already used and enjoyed making.

Somewhere along the way this evolved into what you see today. I had started to venture away from planners and discovered the rabbit hole of sticker making, then came greeting cards, then came bookmarks and memo pads. The business name went through changes too as I expanded what I offered – it needed to be something that covered it all. Since my life revolved around paper it seemed to make sense to eventually settle on ‘The Little Stationery Shop’.

What does The Little Stationery Shop specialise in?

My everyday favourite has to be memo pads – I love designing different designs and for different purposes (plus using the boards and clamps to glue it all together is fun even if it gets a little messy at times). My big product love though has to be planners. There’s so much scope for them being personalised and unique without looking like another planner on the market, yet ultimately the core principle is writing down what we’re doing – but the format has a long list of possibilities. My arty side will always love stickers because they’re simple to make yet can give that quick burst of serotonin from a giggle at a silly pun.

Where is The Little Stationery Shop based?

I work from home in Lancashire, which allows me to be there for my little girl, Lulu. This setup is perfect for me as a single parent with health considerations – I can work around her schedule so that my time with her is just us.

What drives The Little Stationery Shop today?

2024 was definitely a roller coaster year that turned my life upside down, inside out and back to front. My grandparents who were my biggest supporters, venturing to the local market I would be at monthly and would without fail purchase something every time, had both passed away and even now I don’t think it has truly sunk in they aren’t with me. Then in April 2024 my Dad suddenly and without warning had a cardiac episode. He became a PDOC patient (Prolonged Disorder of Consciousness) and passed away in December that year, without ever regaining consciousness. This brings mixed emotions because I also got pregnant during this time, and my little girl was born just two months after Dad passed away. So for every excited moment during pregnancy I had, I was met with a sadness of not being able to share it with my Dad.

That has sort of what has led me to keep pushing though. I know that my Grandparents and Dad were so proud of me for finding a way out of the state I was in when I left teaching and were proud of me being a woman in charge of my own business. They saw how happy it made me. Now that I am a mum I want to make sure I spend all the time I can with Lulu. She’s currently asleep as I type this page which is how we make it work.

What is The Little Stationery Shop’s philosophy?

I want Lulu to see that life isn’t about a single plan and that being the only way your life should pan out. You can have a plan, or no plan and just see where life takes you. Just earn enough to cover the bills, avoid debt as best you can, and if possible have an emergency cash fund. Be happy in what you do and do what makes you happy. If that’s university and a high paid career great, go for it. I just know as someone with a music degree, then a teaching qualification, then 15 years later having nothing to do with either of them it isn’t the end of the world to put a full stop and change direction in that plan.