Hi and thanks for stopping by. We’re Frankie and Tom, AKA You’ve Got Pen On Your Face. We wanted to take a little moment out from the chaos to introduce the friendly faces behind our small, family run brand.
Read on as we give you a little peek into our world, and share what it’s really like running a brand together from home, around the ever evolving needs of raising a wild and wonderful young family.
How it Started
You’ve Got Pen On Your Face (YGPOYF) was born out of a love for design and a desire to be free from the constraints of corporate life. A deep rooted passion, ignited from school days and a happy union of creative talent, somehow turned into a love story (more on that a bit later) and eventually a business.
Essentially, we are a husband and wife power team, doing it all whilst riding the highs and lows. YGPOYF are just us, Frankie and Tom. A creative and a writer, sharing a dream of living by the stunning Welsh coast, running a busy greeting card business and raising our two spirited children, ‘S’ who has just turned 6 and ‘P’, a toddling 2 year old.
We initially met in a band, way back at the beginning of 2010, a singer and a drummer who connected over an obsession for rock/pop music - a crazy cliché but completely true. When the band went their separate ways, we made a controversial decision to move to Moscow together on a bit of a whim. We were there for just over 6 years, but the jobs we had were pretty crazy, working for wealthy Russian families, which sounds a lot more glamorous than it actually was. After a brief stint back in the UK studying a masters in art psychotherapy, our passion for art and design was firmly re-ignited.
Living the Dream
Back in Moscow, our creative energy started to manifest, we began drawing all sorts of weird and wonderful designs. But, what to do with all of this art? The idea for putting our designs on greeting cards initially came from a conversation with a friend and immediately made sense. With our combined skills, we made quite the duo thinking up unique, ‘never been done before’ designs alongside catchy phrases combined with clever word play. Initially we went from door to door, selling our designs to little Indie shops in Russia – a pretty stand out moment will always be seeing our very first greetings cards for sale in those tiny back alley stores of Moscow.
The move back to the UK happened organically. By 2017 we felt ready to put down some roots, get married and start a family. A wedding and 2 kids later and we were ready and raring to get our little business back up and running, but on a bigger scale.
Visiting stores in London selling our designs was the starting point and even today, it’s still a bit of a thrill to spot our wacky designs in well-known independent stores up and down the country. Oliver Bonas, Anthropologie, Liberty’s and Selfridges are now stockists and we hope to add more as we continue to grow.
We launched our very first online collection, our now iconic “Retro” range in 2019 which, to our surprise and delight, was an instant success. This nostalgic collection, featuring all those ‘vintage’ icons from yesteryear, firmly cemented our belief that people still crave those human connections through meaningful moments and exchanges.
How it’s Going
In fact, some of those very first designs are still up there on our best sellers list today. The Cassette birthday card is a perfect choice for a child of the 80’s. The hand drawn illustration of a cassette tape is delivered with a witty one liner that reads ‘Happy Birthday to an endangered species”. Collectors of vinyl will appreciate our Record greeting card which bares the slogan “Old but still cool”.
Our Space Hoppers collection is another goodie that we can’t keep on the shelves. Inspired by toys and trends from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s they are ideal to send a real ‘blast from the past’ someone’s way. Our personal fave’s include the ever popular Glow Worm card and the super fun Troll Hug Me card. Check out the full collection here.
From birthdays to anniversaries, weddings, declarations of love, new baby, sympathy and just a big old well done. Our heartfelt cards cater for every occasion and deliver something meaningful that’s just that little bit different too.
What Work/Life Balance?
As parents juggling it all, we often take our kids along to trade shows with us, which can be an interesting experience at times. A real family affair, ‘S’ really enjoys getting hands on, taking orders and talking to suppliers, which often makes for a comical albeit also largely stressful experience.
Our decision to work with kids in tow tends to be a great conversation starter, though one that can receive a mixed reaction at times. From entertaining baby ‘P’ in a bouncy chair at a major trade event, to changing nappies on the stand, we’ve done it all and somehow come out of the other side, with new connections made and orders secured. Don’t be disheartened or put off by taking things out of your comfort zone and always be your authentic self – even if that means taking the baby along for the ride – quite literally. After all, we are a family business and sometimes that’s exactly what you get.
Living and working in the same space can also be challenging. The blurred lines of home and work often intertwine, which means everything has to be fluid. So, when ‘P’ insists on donning her princess dress for an impromptu rendition of “Let it Go”, it’s all hands on deck. When things get too crazy, it’s wellies on and down to the beach. The fresh air is a tonic for us, whatever the season, and our coastal location is another bonus, and a driver for why we do what we do.
If you are thinking of starting your own business whilst raising a family, then don’t be put off. As cheesy as it may sound, our advice looking back would be, if you really passionately believe in something and you have a good business idea, then go for it. What do you have to lose? Is it easy? No. Is it worth it? Absolutely. Our kids are only little for a small part of their, and our lives. Being present is everything. Being your own boss has its downsides for sure, but the good stuff outweighs it in bucketloads. Pursue your dreams, take a chance and strap yourselves in for one heck of an adventure.
What’s Next?
Our ethos as a brand is to stay true to ourselves. We definitely try not to take life too seriously, a sentiment that flows through every element of our designs.
We hope that in doing so, our wares reflect the authenticity of our lives, capturing the real moments, the laughter and above all love that make each day, and every occasion, unique.
Our latest collection ‘I Don’t Like Mundane’s’ aims to ditch those drab greeting card designs in favour of authentic, original and slightly wacky creations that push the boundaries and inject a little ‘extra’ joy and humour to those milestone moments.
Follow Us
We hope this little read has inspired you in some small way. For the latest news and offers (plus 15% off your first order) you can sign up to our newsletter from our online shop and be sure to follow along on Instagram too.
You can shop our full range of wonderfully witty greetings cards, gift wrap and art prints for every occasion at our online store. Do also look out for our glorious greetings cards, sold in selected independent stores around the UK.
We will be exhibiting at this year’s Top Drawer event in London between the 8th and 10th of September 2024. So, if you are a wholesaler or retailer, come and stop by to say hello and check out our latest designs - we’ll be the ones with the kids!
