Interview; Resin And Be Thankful

June’s Escape To The Country boxes included the most gorgeous custom made magnetic needle minder from Resin And Be Thankful. Sarah creates all her resin products using upcycled shredded plastics that would otherwise have gone into landfill, helping to keep our countryside clean and beautiful. Each needle minder is completely unique and includes a dried flower alongside the colourful plastics. Use it to keep your needle safe when hand sewing – saving the arm of your sofa!

Hi Sarah, thank you so much for creating these stunning needle minders for June’s boxes. How and when did you decide to start your own business?
Everyone knows that we have a huge plastic problem in the world. Pollution in our oceans, forests, even cities! There are many artists and makers out there trying to find solutions by repurposing single-use/recyclable plastics to make useful products and beautiful art. I was inspired by them and one day, had an epiphany… “Why don’t I combine resin with upcycled waste materials?!”. I started doing my research, read a lot about waste products and resin, then early this year I realised how passionate I was about the subject, finally took the plunge and decided that this is what I wanted to do!
You know the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”? Well I LOVE that phrase and I’m obsessed with the idea behind bringing life to “trash”. It’s a healthy habit to think about how you can repair or transform things rather than chucking them into the bin. For me, utilising waste materials that would otherwise end up in landfills or polluting our oceans is a practice I hope to champion!

What drew you to using resin to make your products?
I like the flexibility of resin. You can literally create ANYTHING with it and be creative with what you encapsulate in it too. My whole direction is to find ways to create joyful products by combining resin with upcycled waste materials like shredded plastics, plastic bags, scrap tiles, scrap craft materials and so much more, the possibilities are endless!

What does a typical day look like for you?
Each day changes depending on what’s on my calendar. I’m also a freelance digital designer so my days are constantly jam-packed 😂 I usually start at 11am (I’m not an early bird), I have my breakfast, answer emails and write my to-do lists. After lunch, I have short Zoom chats with clients and then I’ll move onto some resin work for 2-3 hours. After that, I either continue freelance work or pack orders until around 7pm. I then try my best to fit some form of exercise into my day and then start dinner. Occasionally, I’ll have to work longer hours depending on deadlines but most of the time, I manage to fit in proper rest!

What are the best and worst parts of running your business?
The best part of my business would be designing and creating! I haven’t been this creatively challenged in years and it brings so much excitement and joy to my day whenever my creative juices are flowing. Especially when I get new waste materials to experiment with. The worst part is juggling admin and book-keeping 😂 I honestly didn’t know how much work was put into understanding the financial side of things. It drives me crazy every month when I have to reflect upon profit margins and sale targets like whaaaaa? #sendhelp

You just launched your online shop a couple of months ago so what’s next for Resin & Be Thankful?
Well in the next few months, I’ve got a few exciting markets that I’ll be participating in which will definitely help with the growth of my business, and honestly I’m open to all the opportunities the world has to offer! I’d love to collaborate with more indie businesses to come up with beautiful items, like I did with SewHayleyJane and the needle minders (Hit me up on Instagram @resinbethankful if you want to collab!). The world is my oyster and I’m ready to go go go!