SURREY resident Anna Swan was delighted to have her annual sight test in the comfort of her own home. Mrs Swan is house bound so unable to visit her local Specsavers store, and as a diabetic it is important that she has regular sight tests, in addition to her hospital visit once a year.
Fortunately Specsavers provide a domiciliary care service for people who are unable to attend the store in person. This is an NHS service especially tailored for those who cannot leave home unaccompanied, due to self-isolating, a physical or mental illness or disability.
Struggling a little with her eye sight, Mrs Swan was given a routine eye examination by Optometrist, Tanya Ilyas from the Specsavers Domiciliary South West London team on 11th July 2022. As Mrs Swan does a lot of close work, it is important that her eye sight is as clear as possible. As a result of the sight test her prescription had changed, so she decided to buy a new pair of frames and invested in a lightweight style from the £99 selection, with its light weight lenses, which is ideal for her day to day activities.
Some thirty years ago, Mrs Swan’s hobby of making greetings cards became a small business, so having the correct prescription lenses is important to her being able to continue with her passion. Specialising in the ‘découpage’ style of craft making, Mrs Swan gains a lot of joy from crafting bespoke cards for special occasions, such as anniversaries, weddings, the birth of a child and birthdays.
This unique style of craft creates a 3D image, and has a highly interesting and unique history. Dating as far back as the 12th Century, Chinese peasants decorated their lanterns, gift boxes and windows with vivid coloured paper. In Eastern Siberia, the Nomadic Tribes used felt to decorate the tombs of loved ones with decorative designs, figures and shapes.
Originating in the 20th Century the word ‘découpage’ comes from the French word, ‘découpeur’, meaning ‘to cut out’. Many hours of work are involved in creating a découpage card, as a variety of coloured papers are cut out into different shapes, and applied with glue and paint to the base material, thus creating the finished design.
This intricate skill gained popularity during the 19th Century Victorian era, where the advent of Valentine’s cards, and decorative, detailed designs were applied to various objects, including greetings cards and trinket boxes. This decorative style has been popular for many centuries, and has attracted a host of famous practitioners who include Lord Byron, Matisse and Picasso.
Promoted as ‘Handmade by Anna’ Mrs Swan’s cards are so beautifully crafted that during an artisan event where she previously lived in Bletchley, a tourist on holiday from Wisconsin, bought all of the greetings cards she had on her stand, took them back to the States and sold them in her shop. Subsequently she became a key customer for over fifteen years, and it was only recently that Mrs Swan stopped supplying her American customer with the hand-made découpage cards, due to being unable to manage the volumes.
A brief foray into selling them online proved so successful, that again Mrs Swan was unable to meet the demand. So today she creates beautiful, hand-made greetings cards for friends and family, and her favourite charities, the RSPCA and McDonald House Charities UK in Bletchley which holds sentimental value to her.
Discussing the hobby that took over her life, Mrs Swan said; ‘It keeps me motivated, I love creating cards for people and seeing the joy they bring to them. I think it’s really important to keep busy, to not give up, even when life and health can be challenging. There are lots of pastimes, especially if you are less mobile, including reading and jigsaw puzzles. I also have twelve grandchildren and six great-grand children, so they keep me busy too!’
Tanya Ilyas, optometrist for South West London Specsavers Home Visits Team said; ‘It was delightful to meet Anna, her greetings cards are simply stunning. So much work goes into creating them, they are like a work of art.
Tanya Ilyas continued; ‘We are so fortunate that our Home Visits Team can carry out sight tests for patients and customers in their home. It is so important to keep that eye test appointment as it can reveal the general health of the person, plus reveal any potential underlying health issues too, so are patients can remain assured they are receiving the best care and service.’
