Born out of a love for all things creative, Dearest Jackdaw was set up as a hub for all my creative endeavours. I wanted to reach out to people and share my knowledge, creations and inspire others to try new things.
The name derives from an old business card I found whilst frustratingly trying to think of a name for my new little business. The card belonged to my late Grandmother and referred to her old antique store from years gone by - "The Jackdaw Antiques". Right away it felt so special and so, Dearest Jackdaw was born.
Predominantly I make books, inspired again by my late Grandmother. I remember when she passed away I was given the job of finding the perfect book to allow people to write their thoughts and memories of her part in their life within it's pages.
I spent days wandering my home town, searching each and every shop, finding it so so hard to find something fitting and worthy of holding such thoughtful words. I thought I'd failed, until finally arriving at the very last shop, a tiny art store who had for sale these beautiful hand-bound books containing wonderful quality paper. I'd never seen anything so lovely - It was perfect.
This really made me think about how important it was to find the perfect product. Something that will last a lifetime and more, to be handed down, to contain special memories about your children, your wedding day, your life journey. I began researching and experimenting with bookbinding and absolutely adored it. I spent a long time perfecting my technique before listing my first books on Etsy, made from leather reclaimed once again from my Grandmother's worn furniture. These books went down incredibly well and so I continued creating, introducing new colours and papers into my shop growing each day to what it is today.
I love what I do and wouldn't change it for the world.