What do you do when chronic illness forces you to give up the craft you love? If you’re Gillian, you reinvent everything and end up with a jewellery business as unique as the pages it’s made from. 💛

In this heartwarming and inspiring episode, Steph sits down with HBSA student Gillian, the creative mind behind Paper2Pearls, to talk about the unexpected journey from patchwork quilts to paper jewellery, the challenges of crafting with arthritis, and how she’s used the Handmade Business Success Academy to bring structure, strategy, and new energy to her handmade business.

Expect real talk about mindset, planning, SEO, and how to keep going when life throws curveballs. Whether you’re at the start of your handmade journey or deep in the pivot stage, this episode is full of gold.

You’ll hear about:
        •        How Gillian’s business began with origami experiments after a health diagnosis
        •        Why learning to plan ahead changed everything
        •        The challenges of marketing a super-niche product (and how she’s tackled them)
        •        What it’s really like to go through HBSA as a neurodivergent maker
        •        And… how a peanut up the nose started a lifetime of “what if” creativity 😂

This one’s a gem. You’ll leave feeling grounded, inspired, and ready to keep building.

Website - www.paper2pearls.co.uk

Newsletter https://paper2pearls.eo.page/8fywb

Etsy - www.paper2pearls.etsy.com 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Paper2pearlsbyGilli/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Paper2pearlsbyGilli

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