A month to remember... Hello July, and thank you June

Welcome to the new By Leahy series, where I will be sharing a little more of what goes on behind the scenes with me, Laoise.

Building a brand and balancing family life with a 2 year old and a soon-to-be 4 year old is a fun juggle. This email was started on the 1st, and it has taken until today to send... but we get there in the end!

Catching spare hours often means waking early and sometimes Sadie joins me - sitting on my lap drawing while I work on bespoke engravings... Those are the moments I love the most. Other times I'm grabbing extra time on the bench after their bed-time, if I'm not too exhausted myself! While crazy at times, these are also precious times. They are passing by too quickly but I am thoroughly enjoying the journey.

As a way of trying to slow down and take stock, as each month wraps up, I've started to reflect back on all that has happened. Alongside jewellery, so many of my memories are captured in photos.

I hope you enjoy seeing more of what goes on in the background, while building By Leahy.

June... Another month full of creating beautiful memories.

Taking advantage of the rare sunny summer days we started the month with a day-trip to the beautiful island of Inis Oírr. I had the great fortune of attending the Gaeltacht (summer school in Irish) on the island, but I won’t think about how many years ago that was, for fear of frightening myself. This is where my love for the Irish language really grew.

Some gorgeous pieces exited the bench in June, each one capturing precious memories and creating connections to loved ones.

One design proved to be a firm favourite - the Landscape Slip Necklace. It has a masculine edge with a longer length chain, making it suitable for both men and women. It was gifted to a husband-to-be, a friend to mark a special birthday, a sister to mark her 40th, a gift to oneself, and a gift for a friend to remember her mother gone before her.

Some photo highlights of the month, below.

L-R: A gorgeous trip to Inis Oírr, the smallest of the Aran Islands. Lovely feedback from Linda after receiving her winning item from the Irish Visual Artists for Gaza prize draw. See her daughters beautiful birth flowers that were engraved, here. Small Features isn't so small any more – Sadie finished her first year of Montessori and this is the last drawing she brought home before the Summer holidays started. I just adore her stick-figures. Sadie in her element in Charlie Byrne's Bookshop. A delightful Instagram story from Imogen Cotter about her personalised 'Home Is Where The Heart Is' Slip Necklace (you might need to zoom in to read it). Another gorgeous weekend morning in our happy place, Coole Park Nature Reserve. Making an 18ct yellow gold Story Ring on a vintage ring sizer, a gift from my dad. A gift for a younger sister's 21st birthday – a Slip Necklace engraved with the meaning behind her name, 'Beautiful loved one'.

From the bench... the Connect Bracelet was another popular design. Chosen in the vibrant lime green, multiple baby blues, berry red, and coal black. Paired with 18ct yellow gold, 9ct yellow gold, and sterling silver, Slips, they were delivered to county Clare, Galway, Dublin, and Australia. I love that people are beginning to order them in multiple colours for friends, family, and layering themselves. Some are captured below.

A pair of Slip Shortie Drop Earrings were purchased from a customer in the US and gifted to a friend in Clare. They were kept free of engraving for the birthday lady to choose what she would like best. The perfect day-night earrings, I wear mine every single day.

Some more pieces that exited the bench in June are highlighted below… and a few more pieces we will keep personal to the gift-giver and recipient.

A Slip Necklace engraved with the beautiful symbol of the Celtic Sisters Knot. There was an easter egg of sorts engraved on the back. See it, here.

A purchase from New York for a friend, collected in-person by them both on their annual trip to Galway. It turned out they had roots, just two doors down from where we met. Read more about that and their bespoke engraving, here.

A personalised Landscape Slip Bracelet chosen in solid 18ct yellow gold to celebrate their daughter’s graduation.

A buttery yellow 18ct gold Signature Envelope Necklace gifted to his wife. Engraved with their children’s names.

Precious hearts, representing precious loves. A solid 9ct yellow gold Slip Duo Necklace.

A gift for her soon-to-be husband, a Landscape Slip Necklace engraved with 'Anam Cara' meaning 'Soul Friend' or soulmate.

As for what is ahead in July, I am steadily working towards a new design. It’s something that a few customers have enquired about. A way of capturing more memories… It will be an exciting step change, and I think it would be beautiful to add this offering to the collection. It’s at second sample stage so let’s hope for sign off by the end of July.

Thanks for spending some time with me here. I hope you enjoyed it. Feedback, as always, is most welcome.

And a special 'thank you' to everyone who chose By Leahy last month. It was our best month yet this year. As always, I am so grateful.

Here’s to making happy memories during the summer holidays, and hopefully we'll get a bit more sun!

Laoise x