About Us
How it all began...
Running my own creative business wasn’t part of the plan. But looking back, the seeds were probably sown early in my childhood. My parents were dairy farmers, so were self employed and both have oodles of creativity. Maybe it was just a matter of time, even though I didn’t see it back then.
Our Story
Bell and Walsh is a rather sentimental name – based on my maiden name ‘Bell’ and then meeting my future husband and becoming ‘Walsh’. The name represents the start of a shared new journey – one I love and which continues to grow and evolve.
When Bell met Walsh
My path originally took me in a completely different direction – academic research. My first job landed me in Birmingham, a complete stranger to the city. Luckily, a local pub quiz (fuelled by my questionable knowledge and a love for 70s music!) led me to meet my future husband, Terry. My dodgy trivia skills didn’t deter him and two years later, we traded inner city life for my rural roots back in Northumberland. Fast forward – a house, two cats, marriage, and two children later – I found myself re-evaluating my career.
Terry was and still is a multi-media designer, setting up and running his own design company since 2000. With his encouragement, I made our first Framed Name for my daughter to celebrate her birth. Friends and family were impressed and so I made a few and took them along to a local craft fair and it all took off from there.
Framed Names
In 2007 I went part time and my side hobby of personalised prints was ticking along. I loved the creativity and this contrasted with my growing disillusionment of my academic career. After a lot of thought and a good dose of courage, I left the day job and started Bell and Walsh back in 2012.
It’s not been easy, I’ve made mistakes and missed opportunities -plus a house move and global pandemic nearly called time on it all. However, I never gave up and we’re back with more enthusiasm than ever!
New Designs
An unexpected result of lockdown was not only perfecting banana bread and sourdough with the rest of the country but the acquisition of a heat press – I admit, it’s not the usual thing to buy in a crisis.
However, it allowed me to experiment with designs and new products. I still make our personalised prints, but also have a range of non-personalised gifts. Some items are based on our graphic designs whilst others are from textile artwork I’ve made using scraps of fabric and my trusty sewing machine. The textile pieces are then photographed and digitally reproduced through sublimation printing and a heat press.
The future
Our story comes full circle as we now work from our studio right here on the Northumberland dairy farm where I grew up. I work with Terry on his multi-media business alongside my small business.
I have quite modest aims (I’d love to take the family on holiday!) and I absolutely love the process of making something and feeling proud of what I produce but I also love the joy and smile a gift can bring to others. Witnessing reactions at craft fairs – the giggles over my “I love chickens more than people” coaster or the heartfelt messages from online customers – that fuels my passion too.
As a small business, each gift is made to order with love, care and attention from our studio and isn’t mass produced. We want to ensure you give and receive a wonderful gift.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need any help and advice – we’ll try and go that extra mile to help out. You can contact me at sarah@bellandwalsh.co.uk.
Thank you for taking the time to browse our work and happy shopping!
Looking for Inspiration?
Head over to our blog at www.bellandwalsh.co.uk/news! It’s brimming with ideas, from heartfelt christening card messages to unique gift-giving inspiration.