Meet Our Brands...The Jam Tart

We've gone totally nuts for typography this Autumn at Our Kid! With a whole new edit of design-led pieces for kids (and adults) we thought it would be fun to meet one of our makers, the oh so lovely Emma from The Jam Tart. Creator of amazingness in the form of Flash Cards, Wall Banners, Colouring Books and Wall Stickers. Read on for a peek into her technicolor life...

Please introduce yourself and your brand…

E is for Emma, a creative thinker and doer, I design to engage and excite others. I am fiance to the very patient, very wonderful Jonathan, Mammy to our delightful, always smiling Orla and daily walking companion to our flighty springer spaniel, Raisin. Our home is in County Durham where we enjoy sharing storybooks and taking long walks in the great outdoors.

The Jam Tart is my guilty pleasure, a graphic-led children’s brand where I share my love of good design with design conscious parents and their little ones. My obsession for geometric pattern and typography gives our brand its own distinctive style.

Our custom prints, wall art, stickers and banner kits help to create colourful, engaging spaces for children to play, grow and thrive in. I am passionate about learning through play, with our ever expanding range of flash cards and colouring books.

What inspired you to launch your brand…?
I’m a self confessed ‘typ-o-holic’ and since becoming a Mama thought it was time I combined my love for type with the world of children’s design. As a Mama I set about designing colourful and educational interiors for my daughter that were an extension of our contemporary home. These have since grown into The Jam Tart typographical delights for design loving parents everywhere.

How did you get started and can you give our readers a piece of advice for getting an idea off the ground?
Stay true to your brand and it will reward you.

How do you juggle being a working mum and business owner?
Work hard, play hard. I play all day and work all night. Grandparents… what would I do without them.

What’s the proudest moment for your business to date…?
When my daughter introduced our flash cards to her nursery teacher as ‘Mummy’s work’… I thought I designed those, yes I did. I still do a little dance every time an order lands in my inbox.

Looking to the future, what are your brand dreams and aspirations…?
I’d love to work on collaborations with others, just imagine our designs on baby grows, backpacks, breakfast sets, bedding. 

And a bit more about what inspires you…
Children’s books, I have a vast collection and I’m a massive fan of American illustrator J. Otto Siebold. His work inspired my submission to The Macmillan Children’s Book Illustration Prize, which was highly commended and subsequently published within Education winning numerous awards.

How do you switch off…?
I spend lots of my spare time with family and close friends. Gym time is my time. I enjoy tea by day and prosecco by night.

What product could you not live without as a parent?
Baby carriers, I have selection and have carried Orla from birth, I love the closeness and the adventure… oh and baby wipes!

We love holidays at Our Kid, can you recommend a brilliant family-friendly destination/hotel or experience?
We just LOVE The Swan Hotel and Spa, Newby Bridge. A rural getaway in the beautiful Lake District, think stylish interiors, log burners, chips in a bucket and cookies and milk before bedtime, family time at its very best.

Shop The Jam Tart at Our Kid online and at our Chorlton shop, 9a Oswald Road M21 9LP