Moving to the country in December 2018 was a massive lifestyle choice (and change) for us. We were tired of the never ending pressure and hectic pace of day to day living, stuck in the hamster wheel of working to pay the mortgage and childcare fees but needing the childcare to be able to work and live where we did. The appeal of the countryside, being nearer to the coast and reducing the dependency on two full time jobs finally tipped the balance and so we resigned a job, gave notice to the childcare, said extremely sad goodbyes to our friends and family and upped sticks ... to Rishangles (somewhere we had never heard of!!)
For a long time I had had a dream of setting up my own business selling pre-loved baby and childrenswear but there had always been big blockers that I just could not overcome ... time, energy, and finances to name but a few. Making the big move meant that finally we had the space, the time and the smaller mortgage so that it became a real possibility! As my dream came onto focus it gained some additonal layers ..... I realised that I not only a passion for limiting waste and re-using but also for crafting, recycyling (nearly everything!) and baking muffins (watch out for future pop up sales with some tasty refreshments!)
As ever, a few things (including my own perfectionism and Coronavirus!!) have slowed down the actual getgo and changed some of the reality of what is possible at the moment but, having laboured over logos, pictures, storage (anyone that knows my husband please don't mention the eviction from his man cave or the current mess in the house!!), website building and with stomach churning nerves aplenty .... it is now ready and I am taking the plunge!
I am sure there will be teething problems and so I apologise for these ahead of them happening. My aim really is to 'Relove, Refresh, Recycle' helping people declutter their homes, hopefully make some extra pennies, make the ever more expensive business of keeping children clothed more affordable and do my bit to help save the planet.
One of the core Twinkling Tiger principles is that anything that does not get sold from the stock room is returned to its original owner, upcycled into something new to be loved again or, if neither of those options are possible, donated to one of our charity partners - nothing will be sent to landfill or recycling centres where they can sometimes end up travelling across the world to be 'recycled'.
I will be blogging regularly and letting you know what is happening chez Twinkling Tiger, the ups and downs of country living and sharing my top tips for living more sustainably.
Thanks so much for already supporting my dream and getting this far! Hopefully you have also had time to visit the Facebook shop and take a look at what we already have in stock!
Wish me luck! Kathryn x
