Our Story
My name is Tom and I was born and raised in Northamptonshire in the late eighties / early nineties. In 2004 I met my wife, Nikki and now we have three children, Kyla, Lola and Mylo along with a nutty sprocker spaniel dog called Coco. I left Northampton College in 2006 with a BTEC National Diploma in graphic design and walked straight into a job at my local delivery office in Northampton. This was meant to be a stop gap but like most posties, it ended up being a few decades. As the years have gone on, I have attempted to balance the challenges of parenthood alongside employment. Supporting your family financially as well as being there for them practically is a really difficult thing to achieve. Over the last few years, I’ve learnt to treasure each moment and with that my desire of self-employment has grown and the flexibility that brings drives me so I can be there for my children now and well into the future.
During the two decades I worked at Royal Mail, I watched many small businesses set up and grow. I played my part in collecting and delivering their products and could physically see their businesses growing in front of me. I watched from the outside as these fledgling businesses came to life, and this sparked a vision that I one day could create my very own small business and make it grow. In 2025 I decided to create Certificart as I reached a point where I wished for something more fulfilling and rewarding. I feel now is the right time to start that dream of working for myself and creating a business I can be proud of and to make my family proud of me. This is where my self-employed journey starts…
http://www.certificart.co.uk is a personalised gift business that I have created to provide good quality, unique gifts for births, weddings and anniversaries. The business is currently made up of two brands. Birth Certificart takes the important bits from the birth certificate and blends them with other memorable birth data which is then turned into an illustrated image. Wedding Certificart captures the happy couple’s special day by using all the key information like names, date, and venues and incorporating that into an illustrated gift. This can then be gifted as a wedding present or later on in the marriage for an anniversary. A well-chosen gift brings joy to everyone. However, finding one that is truly personal and not a generic factory-made item is never easy. I aim to create you a gift to celebrate life’s magical moments which can be cherished for a lifetime.
We’re based in a little village in Northamptonshire close to Wellingborough and Kettering. My objective is to create a small business that not only supports me and my family but equally supports other small local businesses where possible. Being based centrally in Great Britain is the perfect starting point.
If you’re looking for a personalised gift, you’ve definitely come to the right place. My aim is clear, to create you a quality gift that is thoughtful, cherished and value for money. I hope you will love your item as much as I will love creating it.
Tom Shone
Certificart Gifts Creator
