If you follow me on Instagram you will know that I recently ran a giveaway with The Handmade Favour, a London based brand whose lovely botanical copper frames beautifully finish off table settings for gatherings, weddings as well as simple dinner parties. The brand was founded by Roxana Gutila, shortly after she married the love of her life in her home country Romania last year. Roxana and her now husband Alex had handed out botanical copper frames to their wedding guests and were struck by their positive response. They soon realised that the favours would probably appeal to a wider audience and therefore decided to build a business around them. In the interview below Roxana (who has been one of my closest friends since university) and I chat about the production process, why The Handmade Favour is unique and things to keep calm as a creative business owner.

Hi Roxana, thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me today! I adore your botanical copper frames, I still have the one from your wedding! Can you tell me a little bit about the production process?

Of course. All our copper frames are handmade, from start to finish. We cut sheets of copper and make the frames out of them, and then we cut the glass. We collect and press all flowers and plants, it takes about two weeks until they are completely pressed and dry. The next step is to place the pressed botanicals between the panes of glass and add some finishing touches. Although it sounds easy, there is a lot of work and time involved in the production process. A lot of care and love to detail go into our products, something which I believe you can feel once you hold a frame in your hands. We offer two different sizes of frames, smaller ones that can be handed out as favours but also bigger ones that can be used to decorate the home.

What sets The Handmade Favour apart from other businesses?

We value and are inspired by other creative businesses but do believe that our approach and our focus on weddings and gatherings in one of a kind. We want our audience to see The Handmade Favour as something that adds emotional value to their celebrations. The frames are lovely keepsakes, not the kind that are being forgotten or left in a drawer but the ones that can actually be used to decorate the home and thus, constantly remind one of a special event.

We both work in the fashion industry during the day and run our creative businesses on the side. I fully understand how stressful that can be sometimes. What are your tips or tricks for keeping calm and level-headed as a creative business owner?

Agree, when you have a full-time job and run a business on the side, is not easy at all, however if you are passionate about what you do, the extra hours spent on your business always pay off. To keep calm and level-headed I would recommend the following:

1. Try to find opportunities that help you make your business grow but at the same time make you happy, for example, an Instagram account. I post photos of my favours every day. Styling the images gives me pleasure and calms me down. It is also a chance to get more creative.

2. No matter what kind of creative business you run, you still have to be organized, especially the accounting part. I know, it sounds a bit dull but collecting and storing all the paperwork together from the beginning will help you tremendously at the end of the year – and it will keep you calm.

3. When I feel overwhelmed by time and situations, I go for a walk. This helps me to reconnect with myself and focus on my objectives. Never let go, everything will fall into place if you believe in you and your goals strongly enough!

What’s next for you and The Handmade Favour?

I constantly think about how I could extend our range and turn The Handmade Favour into a beautiful and calming place where people can enjoy natural, handmade products. In fact, we recently introduced hand rolled beeswax candles that come in three sizes. They smell amazing!

Where can people find you and your business?

People can find us on our website, on Facebook and Instagram. Feel free to email us (contact@thehandmadefavour.com) or drop by Backyard Market on Brick Lane, where we sell our favours every Sunday.

How would you describe your perfect heiter (cheerful) moment?

It’s quite hard to choose only one. My husband, family and friends are very important to me and make me cheerful every time I'm with them. I also find joy and peace in nature. I love standing in the grass barefoot, eating cherries from the tree and listening to the sound of the summer rain falling.

I hope you enjoyed this little interview with Roxana from The Handmade Favour as much as I did! The giveaway on Instagram is now closed. You can still check out @heitermagazine and @thehandmadefavour though.

Interview & images: Katharina Geissler-Evans, heiter magazine

With the recent launch of our heiter mini publication and the first heiter event round the corner, it felt important to talk about the idea behind heiter magazine again. In the interview below Katharina, the founder and editor-in-chief of the publication, chats to her husband & heiter sub-editor Ben about how it all started, what heiter (the German word for cheerful) stands for and why we need to take the time to find joy in the simpler things in life.

Can you briefly introduce yourself to everyone who doesn’t know you.

My name is Katharina. I am Austrian but would call the UK my home from home. I lived in England for most of my twenties and feel like it is still a very big part of who I am. You, our border collie Rock and I relocated to Germany two years ago due to work. During the day I manage a team of editors for a fashion company and most of my time outside the office is dedicated to my passion project, heiter magazine (a bilingual magazine based on finding cheerful moments in life).

How did it all start with heiter magazine?

When I worked on my final project (for my BA Fashion Media course at London College of Fashion) back in 2016, I developed the concept for heiter magazine. I always wanted my own publication and saw my project as chance to create one. As a German-speaker who spent years in the UK and is married to a British man both German and English are part of my everyday life. It felt natural to produce a bilingual publication.

For someone who's only come across heiter magazine now, how would you explain it stands for?

Over the last two years, heiter has transformed from a magazine concept to a cheerful Instagram feed with loyal followers and a blog accompanied by heiter events. The content produced for all those heiter channels is based on three main categories. Finding heiter moments for yourself (My Heiter Moments), community (The Heiter Community) and creativity (Creative Life Heiter Life). I truly believe that everyone can find cheerfulness in their lives if they focus on those main areas; and I want to assist them in finding it.

What made you want to help other people find joy?

When I studied at university I always had a full-time job too. Going to work during the day, attending classes in the evening and on weekends, and doing exams on top of that was definitely not easy. I often found myself tired and without any energy. Only when I decided to enjoy the little windows of time I had between my duties and only when I consciously started looking for small things that brought me joy could I feel happier and cheerful again! I am certain that there are other people out there who experience the same. Life can be full on and at times overwhelming. I want to help my audience to find heiter moments in their every day and so enjoy the time they have left here on earth.

Why do you think it is the case that joy can more often be found in the simpler things?

We live in a fast paced world. Several hours are spent in front of computers or on our phones. One trend follows the next one, wherever we look we find products we should purchase. We’re overwhelmed by the sensory overload and crave for simpler things. I even find that with myself. After a long day at work I don’t want to be in front of another screen. I find joy in a calming cup of tea and a book. On weekends I prefer spending time in the garden or going for a bike ride. I simply want my brain to relax and you know, it works. I always feel much better after doing something I can simply enjoy.

What’s next for heiter?

As you know, we recently launched the mini magazine and are hoping to publish a bigger publication next Autumn/Winter. The first heiter event is going to take place in Munich. Depending on how it goes we will arrange events in other European cities, perhaps even worldwide. There are some wild ideas regarding a heiter podcast too. I definitely want to continue sharing posts on social media and the heiter blog - and collaborate more with likeminded people and brands.

Let’s finish this off with the interview question you usually ask at the end of all your interviews. How would you describe your perfect heiter moment?

Ha, that’s easy. Having coffee in the sun, being surrounded by plants and our dog whilst chatting away to you about new heiter ideas and upcoming trips.

Interview & image: Benjamin Carr Geissler-Evans

Let Roxana do you a (wedding) favour: interview with the founder of The Handmade Favour

Who and what is heiter magazine?