Whittington Tump, Worcester, a money-spinner for artist Helen

In 2020, like so many others, Helen was furloughed for a short time from her office job with a Worcestershire manufacturing company.

She said: “I am an anxious person anyway and this was a very difficult and uncertain time as it was for so many people, but it ultimately led me to reassess my whole purpose in life which resulted in a huge life change for me.”

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In her cupboard she had a small selection of beautiful sea glass she had collected from Seaham in the north east of England.

Sea glass and driftwood soldered with wire to make a unique and quirky ornament.

“Seaham is considered to be one of the best beaches in the UK for unique and beautiful glass and towards the end of 2019, I visited and spent a few happy days just collecting it up with the aim of eventually doing something with it.”

However, when she returned it was boxed up and forgotten about for the next six months until she was looking for ways to keep her anxious mind occupied and brought it back out.

Helen used her down time to experiment with small pieces of art which she initially sold to raise money for charity.

“I was meant to be running the London Marathon in April 2020 but it was cancelled like so many events and the charities appealed to runners to use the time they would have been running to do something else for charity.

“I made six little sea glass pictures and was amazed when they all sold really quickly.”

Collecting glass from the beach at Seaham in the north east of England.

Helen had found her audience and from there she grew from strength to strength: “I take inspiration from being outside as that is where I feel most calm, whether that’s beachcombing or running up hills, it’s my happy place.”

Her designs are appreciated by many… she has sent artwork as far afield as Ohio and Canada with requests regularly coming in for keepsakes and mementos.

“I have found within myself an ability to create pieces that people connect with emotionally which is so rewarding.”

In fact, Helen finds her new line of work so fulfilling that in September 2021 she made the decision to leave her office job to work for herself and since then she hasn’t looked back.

A beautiful commission for a romantic couple made from sea glass and driftwood.

“This was probably one of the toughest decisions in my life but I think the pandemic taught me that life is so very short and if you can make an opportunity for yourself then you should.

“Working for yourself is no mean feat, but I also think it’s been the making of me in a lot of ways. I am much stronger now and more resilient, because I have no choice, I either make a success of this or I quit altogether and that’s not an option for me.”

Recently Helen has been celebrating success courtesy of one of Worcester’s well-loved landmarks, the Whittington Tump, visible from junction 7 of the M5, or the ‘Nearly Home Tree’ as it is known locally.

“I’ve lived in Worcestershire for 20 years, yet I had never heard of the term Nearly Home associated with this tree. A few months ago, I was asked by a customer to create a version of this tree using sea glass and write the words ‘Nearly Home’ underneath, which was where I first heard about it.”

After selling the piece, she shared a story about it on her social media pages and was amazed at how many other people got in touch to tell her how much they love the tree and to ask for their own versions.

Since commissioning that first one in February, Helen has made and sold over 60 individual trees.

“Obviously I use natural materials in all of my designs so each one is unique in its own right and so many people have got in touch to tell me how much they love it. My design is such a simple design yet it means so much to so many.”

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Helen is part of a Facebook group called Worcester Virtual High Street.

The ‘Worcester Virtual High Street’ group is free to join and allows independent shops, services, tradespeople, crafters, e-sellers and entrepreneurs of all kinds to promote their wares to customers free of charge.

Shoppers in turn have the chance to discover hundreds of exciting products, service providers, special offers and one-off buys on their doorstep – more details at https://worcestervirtualhighstreet.co.uk

BUSINESS DETAILS

Helen Carlisle’s work is available to buy in the Worcester Art Gallery shop, at the Upton Emporium and the Pershore Crafters stall in Pershore Market.

You can also buy her work online at folksy.com/shops/Crafthappy or by contacting her directly at hc.crafthappy@gmail.com.

Follow Helen on her social media channels

Ffacebook.com/crafthappyuk

Instagram.com/crafthappyuk/