Coincidence or fate…Greenhouse cards and gifts is a collaboration of 3 friends. A friendship spanning over more than 9 years thus far.

We actually met in John Lewis as our daughters both aged 3, were trying on their school uniforms for the very first time. To our surprise they stepped out wearing the same uniform! Then it turned out they were in the same class!! And they have been best buddies ever since and so have we!

The past 9 years have seen our families grow and laugh together, sharing holidays and so many other fun times. The idea to form Greenhouse Cards and Gifts came at a natural point in all of our lives and the timing felt right.

It has been Tracy’s dream to set up Greenhouse Cards and Gifts for over ten years. Just over a year ago Tracy took the plunge to leave full time employment and officially set up the company. It was a natural choice to team up and collaborate with myself and her husband, Scott who runs a successful design agency in South Manchester.

Entering into an already creative working environment gave her the perfect springboard to set up the company she had dreamt about for a very long time, having the ability to join a team of designers, to collaborate and share ideas.

Tracy trained as a textile designer and has over 22 years of experience in the industry. She has a broad range of painting skills and uses Watercolours, Acrylics and Inks.

All her designs start off with initial sketches on paper and then are lovingly painted in various mediums. These are then scanned and manipulated using AVA software, adding various typographic styles – digital or hand rendered. So all our designs are truly hand crafted and individual.

Then there is me – Jo. I do the practical elements of running and growing our business, the glue that binds all this together. I have a true passion for this business and I have such a great admiration for creative talent and I want to push this as far as I can. My career to date has given me an array of business skills and this is what I bring to the table for Greenhouse as well as my energetic personality!

We are three individuals with hugely different skill sets but we have a collective goal to make this business really work.