Hochanda

We are so thrilled that one of our very talented guests, Sara Davies, founder of Crafter’s Companion has been appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Her Majesty’s Birthday 2016 Honors List as a result of her contribution and achievements in the craft industry. This is the latest and greatest achievement for the 32 year old Durham born entrepreneur who has taken her craft supplies company from a university bedroom start-up to an international market leading business in just 11 years. Sara says: “ I am thrilled, honoured and so genuinely humbled by this recognition. I’m also still a bit shocked, to be honest “ This is nice recognition for the industry as well, as this just doesn’t happen to people in our industry . “ I’m quite excited that it might hopefully raise the profile of the industry as well as the business. “ I also hope it inspires others entrepreneurs in craft to believe, innovate and put our industry firmly on the map. ”...

1. We love your creations. How did you get into crafts and can you remember the very first thing you made? Like most crafters I always loved making things. When I was little my Grandmother came to live with us, she taught me to knit and sew, I made miniature pictures and pieces for my dolls house. She was a wonderful knitter. She was my ‘crafting inspiration’, for many years and making things was always my sanctuary away from school and a very annoying younger brother! 2. Your shows have been a massive hit with our customers, where do you get all your ideas from? I love seeing how many ways I can use one product, and one of my favourite parts of my job is developing products. To do this, I work with artists from all over the country to ensure that our images are original and inspirational. Together we develop stencils, stamps, papers, paints and mediums that will give other crafters inspiration. Then when I have the samples in front of me, I go out into my studio in the garden...

You will definitely recognise the talented, and very lovely, Katie. She demonstrates for Sizzix, and manages to inspire us, whilst juggling a hectic life - and has even managed to find time to answer some questions: Hi Katie, thank you for taking time out to answer a few questions for us. You are such a busy lady, with your family, designing, and being on the motorway so much - how do you manage to fit it all in!!  Thank you for asking me! It’s an absolute pleasure. To be totally honest I don’t have a clue how I do it! So many people ask me how I manage to make it all work and keep the children happy, the business running smoothly and everything just so! In all honesty I don’t! Things are always chaotic in our house and sometimes I feel guilty that I have dragged my family into this crazy rollercoaster of a life I seem to have! In fact just as I am writing this my husband is mumbling something under his breath about everyone in this house being insane!! I suppose really we ha...

Hochanda doesn't just give you talented and inspirational guests in front of the camera, but we also have a team behind the camera's, who are creative and amazing - and not just in their day to day jobs. We will be introducing you to some of our guests throughout the lifetime of this blog, but I thought it was really important to get you familiar with some of the people you don't normally hear anything about. The first lady I wanted you to "meet", had to be the lovely Michelle.  She is such a nice person, and has been a buyer for many years now.  She worked at Ideal World/Create and Craft, before joining the Hochanda team.  She is already respected and loved within the industry, but wait until you see what else she can do.  She's not just a brilliant senior buyer! Hi Michelle,   Tell us a little bit about what you do at Hochanda  I am the Senior Buyer which means I get to meet all the lovely craft suppliers and buy products that go to...