KBBF Advent Event - Coastal Path Creations

Coastal Path Creations – How it all started.

Commute, study, commute, work and repeat. That was my life in a nutshell, until I saw those two pink lines on that little white stick! I fell pregnant at the age of 20 whilst in my third year of my degree at Southampton University, studying for my degree in Music. To say I was completely shocked would be an understatement. I had my daughter, Madison, two weeks after I handed in my final dissertation (I cut it a little close, and wouldn’t recommend it to anybody!).

For the first 10 months of my daughter's life, I enjoyed not having to study or work. Maddy kept me on my toes and I had met a fantastic group of friends who kept my schedule busy. When she reached 10 months, I began to get what my partner called ‘itchy feet’. We agreed that I needed to do something for myself and have a bit of ‘me’ back. Maddy was still breastfeeding during the day and I didn’t want to put her into childcare, so finding something to fit was never going to be easy.

The idea hit me at 2.00am one night whilst I was feeding Maddy. One hand was pinching my waist, a leg was prodding my arm, and there was a finger picking my nose! I needed a distraction for her... on went my Grandma’s necklace - a big, chunky necklace that I had borrowed, and it worked. Within seconds, her hands were out of my nose, her legs had calmed down and she was discovering the different textures on the necklace. Much to my amazement she fell straight back to sleep, holding the necklace. My venture was set – baby-friendly nursing necklaces.

The first products I designed for Coastal Path Creations were necklaces made from natural wood products and beautiful crochet beads. I launched on Facebook and the response was absolutely overwhelming. Before I knew it, necklaces and bracelets were being sent to America and New Zealand. From there, I created the ‘Twiddler’. A circular strung set of crochet beads with a clip, to allow the beads to be attached to a sling or carrier whilst babywearing. I also made bracelets with the wording ‘This Side Next’, which were (and still are) very popular gifts for baby showers. I even had two large trade orders within my first 6 weeks. It was all very exciting! The different textures and colours I selected for my product range were well received by my littlest customers – some only a couple of weeks old.

Recently, I released my ‘Gummy Range’. These necklaces are made from BPA/PVC free silicone, the same material used for dummies and teats. They are proving to be a big hit with teething toddlers and toothless tots! There is even one for daddies to wear, in blacks and greys, which is my first design aimed at dads.

Becoming a work at home mum has allowed me to be myself again, as well as being able to spend every day with Madison. I love working for myself and encourage other crafty mums in my position, to give it a try.

**Save 10% until Christmas Eve on all orders with FREE shipping on orders over £15 (after discount)**

Coastal Path Creations have provided some lovely prizes for the Keep Britain Breastfeeding Advent Event 2013.

Enter for a chance to win these lovely prizes by using the Rafflecopter below.  You can also enter by heading over to the Coastal Path Creations Facebook Page, liking the page and commenting on the Giveaway image highlighted there.

Throughout December there will be lots of lovely breastfeeding prizes up for grabs from lots of lovely companies.  Find out about all the prizes up for grabs here and follow Keep Britain Breastfeeding on Facebook for updates..

All competitions will end at Midday on December 24th and winners will be drawn within 14 days

a Rafflecopter giveaway