I live in a tiny village in Leicestershire with my husband and three kids, surrounded by our ever increasing menagerie of animals, including chickens, ducks, guinea fowl and my dogs Digby and Bilbo, my faithful companions and business partners!

IN THE BEGINNING…

I’ve been passionate about drawing from a very young age. I was never happier than when I had a pencil or crayon in my hand and, during my school days, just used to live for my art lessons. I was extremely lucky to have the most wonderful, patient art teacher who could see how much I enjoyed drawing. She encouraged me and nurtured my enthusiasm, and even gave me her drawing board when she retired. I have her to thank for believing in me and teaching me that anything is possible.

On leaving school I had no clue of what to do with my future. My poor father persuaded me to apply for a Btec Business studies course at Loughborough Technical College and I was packed off to live with my grandparents.

As I stood in the courtyard with the technical college on one side and the art college on the other, I suddenly realised that I was going through the wrong door. I immediately rushed around to Reception and asked how I could get a place at the art college. I was given a prospectus and told I should do a foundation course. I then spent night after night putting my portfolio together. I handed my application in and was invited for interview. This was one of the most terrifying days of my life. I wanted this so badly and the panel of tutors interviewing me had my future in their hands.

I have to thank those tutors, because it was obvious that I was not up there with the best, but they could see my enthusiasm and offered me a place. I spent the following year constantly battling with my tutor who kept telling me to play. I didn’t understand what he meant, until one day I had a lightbulb moment. I didn’t try to control everything and suddenly it became apparent that I could develop my own style and that I didn’t have to try to be anybody else but myself. Luckily, this was just before I needed to submit my portfolio for my fashion and textiles degree course application.

After graduating from Leicester’s De Montfort University, I trained as a knitwear designer and enjoyed a career in fashion. The various positions I held enabled me to travel the world and I also lived in Jersey for a while before returning to Leicestershire when I got married.

After the birth of our first daughter in 1994, I set up my own greeting card company The Skinny Card Company, which over the years has slowly evolved culminating in my Camilla and Rose collection which is now licensed to Peartree Heybridge. The collection is based on two friends and covers a multitude of fun topics, e.g. chocolate, shoes, handbags, diets, wine and men, which I hope other people find amusing.

With Peartree licensing these characters, I had more time to get the creative juices flowing, hence the birth of Fowl and Wacky. I love chickens and find my own small flock a huge inspiration … I think of them as moving sculpture and could sit and watch them about their busy day (digging up my garden!) for hours. I have tried to capture the essence of them in this collection.

I launched Sarah Boddy in September 2016. and hope that you enjoy the range as much as I have enjoyed designing it.

Hand on heart, no two days at Sarah Boddy are the same. I look after our digital marketing, so work on our website content, emails and blog, and also manage our social media channels. You can also find me keeping our affiliate sites in order, liaising with our PR agency and web techie gurus and, on one memorable occasion, rounding up chickens when Mr Fox paid a visit.

I get to work with a creative team who inspire me and make me smile every day, and love hanging out (and eating biscuits) with Digby and Billy.  Our customers are brilliant, too. We love how you support our charity partner, Hope House Haiti, enter our fun competitions, leave great reviews and chat with us on social media.

Away from work, I live in a small village with my husband and our own menagerie of kids and kittens.

Firstly, as Girl Friday, I like to think I have the best job title in town.   I’ve had quite a varied career; my background is consumer marketing and branding – so lots of commercially creative activities centred around brand management.  

Our little girl helped us make a lifestyle change and move to Leicestershire.  So my partner and I, young daughter and two small spaniels enjoy the country-town life, along with a healthy helping of fizz and friends.

Working at Sarah Boddy is non-stop busy; this combined with the atmosphere, two moderately well-behaved office dogs, our countryside surroundings and all-round HQ spirit means my job doesn’t really feel like work.  Plus I get to see first hand and help shape lots of lovely things for our homes. 

Meet Billy and Digby, Office Dogs-boddies and Directors of Biscuits.

We like: arguing over who looks best on a Greeting Card, dozing in our comfy office beds, seeing what’s in everyone’s lunch boxes, and, of course, muddy cuddles.

We couldn’t do it without them! Meet the Medbourne Post Office team who get your Sarah Boddy packages to you quickly, wherever you are in the world.