The owner of Lollipops and Ladybirds, Ceri Howells 31, based in Cwmbran has recently taken on two members of staff to help the surge in demand for her bespoke keepsakes that capture the hands, feet and fingerprints of children and loved ones, and the memories that go with them.

Ceri has taken on two members of staff to accommodate the high demand for the range of her products. Sara, 30 from Pontypool, the newly appointed marketing manager and Kath, 31, from Cwmbran to help with the production.. Lollipops and Ladybirds was set up in June 2011 after Ceri had an expensive experience getting impressions made of the hand and feet of her own children. Ceri found that there was nowhere local that offered this service at a reasonable price for parents. So she decided to take the plunge and establish Lollipops and Ladybirds and the business has grown from strength to strength.

Ceri says “Pricing is extremely important, and I was determined to offer fantastic, personal products at a price that suits everyone’s budget.”

Ceri’s keepsakes capture the handprints, footprints and fingerprints of babies, children and adults using ceramics and silver. The range has grown with new products being introduced regularly to keep up with customer demand.

Ceri is a mum of two young children and a qualified lawyer. After having her second child, Ceri decided that she could not bear to miss out on the precious early years of her children’s lives. After having her first child, she returned to work full-time and relied on grandparents and private nurseries to care for her daughter. Second time around, and after extensive market research, Ceri made the decision to start her own business. This gave her the flexibility she needed to be able to care for her children, Katie and Harry.

After an exceptionally busy Christmas period, followed by huge demand for Mother’s Day gifts, Ceri still runs the business from home in Cwmbran but is now looking for a suitable premises for her business so that it may naturally expand.

As well as offering appointments at her home studio, Ceri also offers a mobile service where Ceri and her team will travel to customer’s homes for prints parties. Mums can arrange a get together with their children and Lollipops and Ladybirds will visit to display samples and take prints.

Sara is currently visiting local nurseries, schools, playgroups and mother & toddler groups to promote  the business and offer fundraising ideas.

For more information or to book an appointment, call Lollipops & Ladybirds on 01633 406406 or email [email protected]. Lollipops and Ladybirds can be found on Facebook and Twitter.