Wowee, it's our 12th birthday! I could write so much about the last 12 years, a thesis in fact but i'm not sure anyone wants that so I shall keep it brief and mainly upbeat!

How it started

Thirteen years ago our youngest child Maggie was born. We had moved out of London and I was keen to try something different career wise. I LOVE interiors and John is a brilliant carpenter and furniture restorer, so it felt obvious to try and combine the two. Being new parents we were struggling to find pieces of furnitures for our daughters bedrooms that were different and stood the test of time. We didn't want their spaces to be an afterthought but an extension of our home. We could therefore see a gap in the market for unique and timeless pieces and so the premise of Blue Ticking was born. We spent the next year whilst I was on maternity leave making plans ready to launch. It's lovely to look back at those early years and reminisce about our first workspace, those first goods, how small our children were, how young we looked and how our own home was over run with stock a lot of the time!!

In the 12 years since launching a lot has happened business wise, personally and in the world generally. There have been so many highs, achievements and special moments, but there have also been some lows and real challenges. The last five years in particular have been a lot for everyone and we now live in a world that feels very different to when we started Blue Ticking. As a business owner it has been challenging, scary and unpredictable. It feels harder to plan with so much uncertainty and we're all at the mercy of world events and world leaders like never before!

In addition, I'm no longer in my early 30s with two small children. I'm mid forties with two teenagers and day to day life has evolved. However, amongst the chaos and change there are always magic moments and lots to feel positive about.

What keeps us motivated?

So after 12 years of this wild ride below are some of the things that still get me out of bed to head to the studio!

• Working with John – How lucky am I to work with someone so talented and my best friend.
• The joy of finding amazing pieces of furniture never gets old. I still love scouring the fairs and unearthing treasures that I think our customers will love.
• Seeing our goods in their new homes always make me super proud. It's pretty special to think that people choose our goods for their homes. Keep sending the pictures because they really do make us happy.
• Reading reviews or lovely emails from customers. On the more challenging days the positive feedback really does give us a huge boost.
• Time in the workshop. I spend the majority of my time at a desk so it's a total pleasure to grab a paint brush or sander and help John with the transformation of goods. It's also the perfect time to de-stress!
• Coming up with new ideas for collections or products to source or make.
• Ultimately I love the business we have created so there is a real desire to keep it going and make it even better even with the current stresses.

Thinking ahead

There is a lot to feel excited about over the next year and there are some key things we would like to focus on.

• Improvements to the website to ensure you are having the best possible experience when you buy from us.
• Growing our bespoke carpentry offering as thus far this has been a huge hit.
• Expand on our story and build our community of loyal customers. We are so lucky to have brilliant customers who come back to us again and again and we want to celebrate them.
• Reaching more customers. We need to find new ways to shout about Blue Ticking, our story and our goods.

Thank you as always for coming along for the ride. Your likes, comments, positive feedback and of course purchases are so appreciated.

Love Helen and John xxx