Hello. My Very First Blog!

Hi there!

My name is Fiona and I'm the owner of Storybook Children's Art, a store in Crows Nest Sydney.

I thought I would start a blog due to requests from family and friends to keep them I'm to date with what I'm doing these days. And partly because I work so much that I don't always get to catch up with everyone.

I'm a wife and a mum of two gorgeous boys and live on Sydney's Northern Beaches. It is my favourite place in the whole world! I love art, fashion, travelling and interior design. However Art is my passion and I was lucky to be able to pursue it and end up the owner of my own business.

HOW IT ALL STARTED...

My idea for my business started the way most small businesses do, from being frustrated that you want something that you can not find. I was pregnant with my first son and was busying myself getting his nursery ready. I had painted the walls, I had bought all his clothes, the furniture was all in place and the only thing left was to decorate. Which is always the fun part. So I decided to go out and find some cute artworks for his walls. That is when my problems began.

I was dismayed at not being able to find anything I liked. I didn't like the art that was out there. It lacked the vibrancy and colour of what I wanted. I wanted art that you could stare at for hours, that had more detail and you could enjoy over and over again. And I wanted it to reflect what children loved today. Most of all, I wanted it to be totally different from what was out there.

When my artworks were ready, I started off selling them casually in shopping centres and the reception that I received from the public confirmed that I was on the right track. They loved them and I had customers ringing me to find out where I would be next. I then started an online store but my customers would ask where my store was. I then realised I needed to open a store. I opened my Crows Nest store and I guess as they say, the rest is history!

I couldn't have done it without the support of my family and friends. I may be run off my feet but when you do something you are passionate about it doesn't feel like work at all. To see a child come in and be so excited about art as if it were a toy is amazing. My art is now in homes all around the world and the feedback I've received makes me realise it was all worth it. If my art makes children and adults happy then so am I.

Fiona