She Had Us at Bert-Day

Well, she had us all at Bert-day banners!

Meet Lydia, a mum, a wife, a Christian, a sister, a teacher, a creator and a loyal friend to many.

Call her on any given day and you’ll either find her at her sewing machine sipping some Coke Zero, or playing cars with her son, or on a walk with her mum or one of her sisters. She could quite possibly be listening to worship music or the Shameless podcast. There isn’t an in between.

Berts Handmade was starting to form even from when she was very young. She grew up with 4 sisters and a very crafty mum. They were always encouraged to use their hands to explore their creativity. You could say, it’s in her blood.

As a mum herself now, she loved the creative freedom that maternity leave gave her. She was able to let herself wander into creativity and hobbies she hadn’t touched for a while. Like every capable founder, she made in the margins of motherhood, during naps and when others supported her looking after her son. As time passed, she developed a desire to share her creativity with others. She started making pants, name garlands and then this February Berts evolved to making the iconic birthday banner. She documented the process of making, and well, understandably, Berts gained traction. She finds great enjoyment in creating tradition, one that families do for years and years, and hence the idea for these banners was formed as an outpouring of that desire.

It truly does take a village to make it all work. Her family’s support is everything, a husband that takes over looking after their son as soon as he gets home. He has and always will be her number one fan. Her mum and sisters also help her out, so much so that her mum overlocks and sews the edges of all the banners, allowing Lydia to focus on the creative techniques of colour selecting and sewing the letters down. Her sisters trace letters and cut them out. These banners really carry a story of family, how to rise up together and support each other.

If you are thinking of starting anything, Lydia has some really motivating advice:

“Shoot your shot, message the creators you want to work with. It might feel awkward, but at the end of the day, the worst thing they can do is say no, or not reply. There is really nothing lost. If I hadn’t taken the leap and promoted my business to a prominent Australian influencer who bought a banner from me, I wouldn’t have the business I have today. So take the risk, and back yourself.”

And when a child finds their BERT-day banner years from now:

“I hope they feel nostalgic for the birthday past, and hopeful for the birthdays to come. My banners are made to celebrate, year after year, and I hope when they see their banner, they see not only a beautifully hand-crafted piece, but see the love and effort that the people who love them have put into making their birthday special every year.”