Telford woman's handmade artworks that aim to lift people’s spirits

Artist Charlotte Wade specialises in creating gifts which are inspired by positivity and nature, with the aim of making the world a happier place.

Everything is handmade, painted, illustrated or designed by the 31-year-old in her home workshop in Telford using her original artwork.

"I've been doing arts and crafts since I was a kid. I would make my own Christmas cards and I was always drawing," explains Charlotte, who lives in Madeley.

She honed her skills at Telford Collage of Arts and Technology (TCAT) before studying photography at the University of Wolverhampton.

Through her business, CharlotteWade Photography&Artwork, she sells illustrated cards and gifts, including hand-painted trinket dishes and keyrings as well as decorative wall hangings made from clay.

Many of her products feature uplifting phrases such as "You Make The World A Better Place", "Be Happy" and "You've Got This". There are also elements from nature such as rainbows, flowers, toadstools and bees, and she offers a wide range of greetings cards for all occasions.

"I opened my Etsy shop at the end of 2019 and then lockdown happened," says Charlotte.

"But because I could work from home, I was able to carry on making and selling. It kept me really busy through lockdown because people were sending gifts to family and friends.

"That's when I started making positivity-inspired items because people wanted cheering up and it brought a little bit of happiness to them."

Since then her handmade products have travelled across the world to destinations such as Hawaii, Alaska, Japan and Australia.

"It's amazing," says Charlotte, who also enjoys working on custom orders incorporating her designs.

Alongside running the business, she is also the assistant manager of Ironbridge's Wild Iris boutique, which stocks a lot of her products. This enables her to see first-hand how people respond to her creations.

"It's really fun seeing people pick up one of my designs. Sometimes I will tell them that I made it. It's good to listen to the feedback," says Charlotte.

Always by her side is her cocker spaniel Sully, who also accompanies her on the days she is working in the shop and has proven a huge hit with customers.

"A lot of people know Sully's name but they don't know my name!" she laughs.

Charlotte's business has also received a boost from retail entrepreneur and Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis, who likes to champion entrepreneurs.

She tweeted Theo about her business during his small Small Business Sunday initiative on Twitter and was one of six weekly winners to gain a retweet and repost by Theo to his over half a million Twitter and Instagram followers.

Charlotte, who is also profiled on the #SBS website that is exclusive to all Small Business Sunday winners, attended an exclusive small business winners event in Birmingham where she collected her winning certificate, met Theo and other winners and attended inspiring talks.

"I won during a Small Business Sunday in 2020 but this was the first event I was able to attend because of Covid and moving house," she says.

“It’s fantastic to be recognised for all the hard work that goes into the running my handmade business. It was great to meet Theo and attend the event to meet so many like-minded small business owners it has given me and my small business such a great motivational boost," says Charlotte.

Theo was full of praise for her business, saying: "My vision is that everyone who has ever won an #SBS re-tweet from me becomes part of a friendly club; like-minded individuals who can share successes and learnings. The website will also give a valuable profile to the winners chosen and I wish CharlotteWade Photography&Artwork every success."

For Charlotte one of the most rewarding aspects of the work is being able to create items that bring people joy.

"I love making items that make people smile. No day is ever the same. I rarely make the same thing twice. I love being creative and being my own boss," she says.

*For further information about Charlotte’s handmade gifts, visit CWPhotoArt.etsy.com, search CW Happy Handmade Gifts on Facebook, or pop into Wild Iris boutique on Tontine Hill, Ironbridge.