Welcome to Ilex Creation

You found me! Welcome – I’m delighted to welcome you to my 1^st blog as Ilex Creations

Based on my market research (i.e. talking to people), I’m predicting the pressing question most of you want to know the answer to is: Why “Ilex Creations”?

Well, I’ve learnt not to give everything away at the very beginning, so let’s begin simply, and personally:

My name is Holly and I am the owner and Crafty Creator of Ilex Creations. Now this isn’t “my first rodeo” when it comes to one-woman businesses as I have previously tried my hand at a Singing and Gluten-Free Baking Business, called “Timeless & Tasty” – Timeless was for the timeless classics that I was covering with my singing, Tasty – well, surely that’s obvious – my tasty baked creations!

I’m not one to 100% throw my hat into the ring so this was very much an “in my spare time” business which quickly filled my spare time as I needed to find paid employment to subsidise my business. A tale-as-old as time for start-up-businesses (well, unless you are in the wonderfully fortunate position of having hundreds of thousands of pounds and can focus every ounce of energy into your exceedingly successful Small Business Enterprise); so I worked as a Caregiver, an office-hand, a fill-in stall-holder for my friend’s fabulously delicious Chocolate business, a dog-walker / sitter and pair of hands to hold the fort at another friend’s bookshop. I was lucky enough to have massive support from my family, but despite all of this, after many years spent building my skills and supplies, I knew it was not going to be financially viable to run as a fully-sufficient business – not without a magic wand and the accompanying cash injection. Gluten-free has a rough ride attracting people to sample it’s wares, and as I insisted I wanted to be “inclusive not exclusive” it was nigh on impossible to swing a profit let alone break even.

Other things happened that inevitably told me the days were numbered for “Timeless and Tasty” but I shall always be glad I ‘gave it a go’ and to this day, my baking reputation has not gone away (only the other month I was baking a Graduation cake and cupcakes for a friend) though I won’t be attempting to sell it as a business anytime soon.

So how DID I end up with Ilex Creations?

Well, when you’re a creative person, it’s hard to let it go; there’s always a little niggle of creativity burning to get out and finally in 2022, after completing my walking/exploring/photographing the Wales Coastal Path for most of the year (that’s a story for another day) I found myself slumped in front of the TV, channel hopping and discovered 2 channels – Hobby Maker and Create & Craft – I also discovered my somewhat addictive personality trait and within a very short space of time was spending every spare second (between working restaurant/bar shifts) avidly watching my crafting TV and trying to sit on my hands so as not to buy all the paper-crafting magic I was witnessing.

After some months (or a year) it became apparent I was going to need to fund my new passion with more than just my bill-paying work and start to think about selling my beautiful hand-made wares; knowing I couldn’t rely on the parents bank balance alone, late in 2023 I decided it was time to think about selling to the wider public but what name would I use for my “hand-made business”?

With an over-saturated market of artisans and passionate crafters, trying to come up with an appropriate and original business name, let along trying to design my own business card, was not going to be an overnight success. My business, my passion, me, me, me… believe it or not, I actually don’t have a big ego (quite the opposite) but when you are your brand, and your name has a link (however tenuous) to the products you’ll be selling, It seemed only right to include “holly” somehow. Research done, every reiteration of “Holly Makes” that I could think of was taken; then in stepped my brilliant linguist mother, whose every word I wisely hang upon and she suggested “Ilex” – the Latin for “Holly”, and there you have it (in the briefest-possible version an over thinker, rambler like myself can manage) Ilex Creations was born.

Ilex – Holly – Evergreen shrub / bush / tree – wood – paper craft – cards / creations!

For more tenuous wittering, or a little light entertainment, please check back in soon or better still, contact me via my website for a creation your loved one will be truly delighted with.