Military wife has business making bespoke jewellery
Mum Charlene discovers talent for handcraft during lockdown
A BUSY mum-of-three who discovered her talent for making handcrafted gifts such as jewellery from breast milk in lockdown is hoping to inspire others through a business network set up specifically for mums.
Military wife Charlene Minifie, from Lee-on-theSolent, said she was struggling when the pandemic first started, juggling her children and their health conditions, her desire to return to work and trying to keep her mental health on track.
The 37-year-old said: ‘In February 2020, I began making plans to return to work. As a qualified eyelash technician, I was planning to build a business, take further training, and work hard to improve our prospects.
‘Things very quickly changed as the reality of the pandemic became clear.
‘Everyday life became increasingly difficult. Like many others, my anxiety and PTSD were triggered, by the relentless messages of fear.
‘In between home schooling I began to watch videos of people creating, and it made me happy to see what they were achieving.
‘I started to think about all the things I had made over the years and shared some photos on social media.
‘I began to receive requests to make things, which gave me a great sense of pride.’
Charlene was commissioned to make gifts for charity Portsmouth Abuse and Rape Counselling Service and 80 pieces of work were distributed.
Charlene’s work was listed for sale by Jen Creates in Gosport and then she asked to work for MAKE Gosport, a non-profit organisation, to pass on her skill.
She now runs Compass of the Heart Keepsakes, creating bespoke breastmilk celebration jewellery and memorial keepsakes, and Irregular Artistry, a hand-crafted gifts and homeware business.
Charlene has also joined business network group Mums in Business Int. Networking Portsmouth as a leader - and she hopes to inspire other mums to set up their own businesses.
She said: ‘Our community now has over 300 female entrepreneurs from the local area supporting each other, collaborating and sharing tips.’
For more of Charlene’s work go to facebook.com/ irregularartistry.