Step into Spring With Bright & Beautiful

As the days are getting longer and we have (hopefully) waved goodbye to the dark days of Winter I for one am looking for a touch of brightness in my life. As the name of her company suggests Nikki from Bright and Beautiful can oblige by injecting some of that much needed brightness and colour into your life, with the help of her handmade products. Nikki lives with her husband and two children in Burgh -By-Sands here in Cumbria where she uses her love of craft to create unique, handmade pieces from her workshop tucked away at the bottom of her garden.

Nikki has been using her skill to create beautiful items for as long as she can remember and enjoys using a vast array of materials, anything from papier mache to textiles and beads to create them. Prior to having children, she used to sell her wares in a number of local outlets and shops, however the arrival of the little ones meant that her work was put on hold. Now though with a huge amount of encouragement from her family and friends Nikki has decided to set up her own business and rekindle her passion for making – Bright and Beautiful was born!

As I said Nikki enjoys working with a vast number of materials, however as her business is fairly new she has decided to concentrate on making a handful of items and will be introducing new ones as her business grows.  Every item she makes though have one thing guaranteed, they will be colourful with Nikki’s motto being “the brighter the better!”.

Focusing on two different styles of jewellery Bright and Beautiful currently sell a range of items made from Vegetable Ivory as well as statement necklaces made with hand-crafted felted beads. Before chatting to Nikki I hadn’t personally heard of Vegetable Ivory. Made from seeds found on certain palm trees in the Rainforests of South America, when dried out and coloured using vegetable dye they are almost ivory like in their qualities hence the name. Carved and sliced into beautiful beads they make stunning jewellery including necklaces and earrings.  These beads help stimulate the local economies in South America by providing an alternative to cutting down the Rainforest for farming purposes as well as preventing the unnecessary deaths of Elephants for their ivory. This means these stunning pieces are completely ethical which is a real winner for me. Nikki also makes felted beads by hand which she uses to create colourful, bright statement necklaces in a variety of colours and sizes. All jewellery is available in a range of designs; however, Nikki is more than happy to discuss and make custom pieces to her client’s requirements just get in touch. Prices start from £5.50 and items can be shipped worldwide – postage costs will be confirmed when placing an order and are dependent on the parcels destination.

Alongside her jewellery Nikki also makes huge MDF letters which would look stunning in a kid’s bedroom or playroom, although to be honest they are gorgeous, and I would quite happily have one for myself! Standing at 40cm tall each letter is completely unique as they are decorated with carefully hand-torn coloured paper, creating stunning, eye-catching designs. As with the jewellery, custom designs can be discussed just get in touch.

All of these ‘Bright and Beautiful’ items would make wonderful gifts for friends and family or why not treat yourself and bring some colour into your life!

Currently items can only be purchased via the Bright and Beautiful Facebook page, however Nikki is in the process of setting an Etsy shop as well as an Instagram account, details of which will be posted on Facebook once they are up and running. She is also hoping to attend some locally based craft fairs here in Cumbria in the near future and will post details of these on Facebook.

To have a look at all the items available from Bright and Beautiful check out their Facebook page

Have you read our other small business features?

All About Ewe – Personalised Sheep art made in Cumbria

Fairy Day Dreams – Magical handmade gifts

Jellyfish Kids – Original, personalised clothing for kids and adults

SOAPerfect – Handmade bath goodies