Hi, I'm Romy 👋

I'm the hands, the heart, and the slightly ink-stained fingers behind Unique by Romy. But let me tell you how this all started — because it's not the story you might expect.

It started with one card

A few years ago, I was looking for a special card for a friend. Not just any card — something colourful, funny, and genuinely unique. Something that would make her smile the moment she opened it.

But every card I found felt the same. The colourful ones had messages I didn't love. The ones with the right message looked like every other card on the shelf. I couldn't find anything that felt truly special.

So I thought — why not make it myself?

The moment everything changed

I made that first card by hand, drew it myself, and gave it to my friend. Her reaction? She absolutely loved it. And then she asked me — "Where did you get this? It's so unique!"

That question changed everything. She told me I should start making more, that people would love them. And something clicked. I thought — maybe she's right.

From one card to an obsession

What started as one card quickly became an obsession. I started learning new lettering styles, playing with colours and layouts, taking courses, watching tutorials, and constantly pushing myself to get better. Every card I made taught me something new.

I was hooked. Here is My very first collection - Thank You Cards.

The sardine tin moment 🐟

As an artist, keeping up with trends is a huge part of the creative process — knowing what's resonating, what's capturing people's imaginations, what's going to feel fresh and exciting. So there I was, scrolling through a long trend report, when I spotted it: sardine illustrations were having a moment.

Something about it made me pick up my pen. I started sketching a sardine — just as a funny birthday card idea. And as I drew, a bigger thought hit me: what if the card itself was shaped like a sardine tin?

I made one. Just to see.

Down the rabbit hole

One sardine card turned into many. I took a course on sardine postcards, fell completely in love with the style, and a whole new obsession — and collection — was born. I started experimenting with shapes, colours, and designs, each one more playful than the last.

That first sardine tin card became the heart of my brand — hand-drawn, hand-cut, and completely unlike anything else out there. I gave one to a friend's daughter, and the very first thing she said was: "Wow, this is so unique."

That's when I knew I was onto something.

Where I'm now?

My sardine tin cards are now selling, my collection is expanding every single day, and — if you thought that was it — some of my cards have even turned into wall art, which I'm selling in local shops. And I'm currently working on bringing them into my online shop too, because this journey is far from over.

My process — from sketch to sardine tin ✂️

Every card starts with sketches in Procreate — sometimes just one, sometimes many — until the idea feels right. No AI, no templates, just me and my Apple Pencil working through ideas digitally before bringing them to life by hand.

1. The Sketch ✏️ It all starts in Procreate — sometimes one sketch, sometimes many

2. The Ink 🖊️ The design is carefully inked by hand

3. The Finished Card 🐟 Hand-cut into the signature sardine tin shape

What people are saying ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Real words from real customers — their kindness keeps me going every single day.

This page is part of the story too

I want this to be a place you come back to. Not just to shop, but to follow along — to see what's new, what I'm working on, and where this adventure takes me next. Every card, every design, every new idea is another chapter.

Thank you for being here and for supporting a one-person handmade business. It genuinely means the world to me.

I hope my cards make your people smile as much as making them makes me smile. 🐟

— Romy x