CharlyBeeDesigns

Being an 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 as a kid, some of the things I liked to be adorned with, along with hats, bags and scarves - were cord necklaces and bracelets. One waxed cotton necklace I really loved held a heart-shaped glass pendant of a deep blue Turkish Eye, bought back from a family holiday.

My favourite cord bracelet was a Disney’s ‘Little Mermaid’ dangly charm bracelet in turquoise, which also doubled up as a hair elastic. This was bought back for me from Florida by my auntie Sandra. I 𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐃 it! And loved how pieces like this could reflect aspects of my personality.

Not only was I wearing the wears, but inspiration struck to create and sell! My neighbour Steph’s nan one day took us to Beatties in Solihull. In the haberdashery section there was a whole 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐰 of embroidery threads! We bought what we could with all our pocket money there and got to work on our little street-corner business.

We made knotted friendship bracelets and hair braids from those colourful strands of thread. I think our families thought it was cute that we set up a stall at the end of the road. My dad ended up wearing a bracelet at least… A pink one that I picked out for him. I don’t think we had 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 many more customers though.

Fast forward into adult life and a BA(hons) Textile Design degree later… Always needing a creative outlet, I’ve chosen to make cord jewellery for nearly 6 years now. What got this going again, was walking into the stylish ‘Goldsmiths Boutique’, with my partner Paddy, to pick out an Olivia Burton watch (the accessories addiction continues).

Being an upmarket jewellery shop, the staff there had an eye for design, and they noticed Paddy’s paracord bracelet handmade for him by his cousin, and enthusiastically asked where it was from. At this point in time, I was selling handmade velvet chokers and beaded bracelets at a shop called ‘The Handmade Boutique’, so in this interaction, I spotted an exciting niche.

Enthusiastically, I ordered 4 different colours of paracord, and got to work on creating a bracelet style. Around this time, Christmas was fast approaching, and I’d quit my full-time job to pursue a Handmade business career. Loved ones still deserved special Christmas presents, but I wasn’t in a position to pay the Earth.

So, I made the men in my life a unique paracord bracelet to reflect their style, and packaged them with tons of love and attention. They were extremely well received! Which may be the same reason why you’ve come across my shop. Perhaps you’re after a special, unique and affordable gift for your favourite people.

I started Etsy shop, because of the worldwide audience of like-minded people like you who love handmade, and share similar sentiments.

On 23rd July 2017, the shop received its first 5 star review for a set of corkscrew paracord bracelets!

“𝑨𝒃𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓. 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎. 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉!”

Many of my products are made from paracord, which is very durable, long lasting, and doesn’t lose its colour. High quality materials make for a special piece for you to treasure. Being able to personalise your pieces with lettering, is a great way to individualise every piece.

The aim is to help the receiver of these gifts feel 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 and thought about. Charly Bee Designs celebrates 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞. I create made to order, personalised pieces to help you express affection, mark a particular occasion, or maybe even just treat yourself on a glum day. I'm here for both the ups and the downs life brings. I'm here to help you and work with you to create little pieces of joy, and strive to create every piece with love, pride, and high regards.

Running this Etsy shop has allowed me to move out of my family home with my partner, and has provided me with both financial and spiritual support through some incredibly tough life events in recent years. Thank you for making this dream possible. Plans for the future are going full time in this venture.

I hope to work with you for years to come.

Best Wishes,
Charly

Head over to my Instagram page to keep up with my story as it unfolds:
www.instagram.com/charlybeedesigns