The concept of Sonni Lou was born way back in 1974 when I attended kindergarten and discovered a love of craft. Being an only child I didn’t have siblings to play games with and my parents weren’t overly flush with cash (or affection, but thats a story for another day), so I needed an activity to relieve the boredom and to channel my inner creative goddess.
Fast forward 31 years when I suddenly found myself stressed from working in the corporate world, plus diagnosed with depression and anxiety, I needed something therapeutic to occupy my frazzled mind. I knew it was time to get reacquainted with my trusty craft box.
I started off making jewellery; earrings, bracelets, necklaces and if I say so myself, they looked pretty damn good. Id always had a flair for colour and design and I really got a kick out of seeing a box of beads, buttons and other random bits being turned into something wearable. After much nagging from work colleagues I took a stash of my wares and set up a mini stall in the lunch room. By morning tea I had sold out and made $300. As Oprah would say, this was my ˜light bulb moment. I quit my job that day and decided to take the plunge into being a craft-entrepreneur.
Nearly 10 years later youll still find me regularly selling my wares at craft markets, arts festivals, country shows, school fetes, pop up shops and online.
As the saying goes, find a job you love and youll never work a day in your life. That might not be entirely true as working for yourself is hard yakka. The hours are long, theres no sick leave or lunch breaks but the rewards and possibilities are endless.
Introducing: Sonni Lou
