It is not often that I would offer my services in a wetsuit, but for the awesome team at Sealblades I did not hesitate. Now if I am being honest, I did not hesitate to offer my services when they asked for testers ….. and then I found out I would need to wear a wetsuit in the North Sea ….. hmmm ….. minor (huge) hesitation as I mentally psyched myself up to pour my body into a wetsuit for the first time.
Sealblades are the world’s first retractable hand paddles for water sports and quite frankly one of the coolest inventions that has launched this year. They have just finished a killer Kickstarter fund campaign and 2017 is already heading to be an amazing propulsory year for this innovative Scottish business.
It is very hard to be objective about the Sealblades worldwide success story when you are just brimming with pride about this how 2016 has shaped up for this brand. You see dear reader, a few years ago Sealblades was merely a very clever idea by my best friend’s husband and for the last year or so Alex and Sorcha O’Connor have worked tirelessly to take this idea to market. I am inordinately proud of all they have achieved. To me it seemed fitting that one of my last Fifi Friendly Festive Fast Fives should be dedicated to Sealblades. Ladies and Gentleman ….. #drumroll ….. I present to you Sorcha from Sealblades (www.sealblades.com).
1. What would you love to find under the Christmas Tree this year?
Oooh, the possibilities! I’m so much more into experiences than stuff at the moment. Stuffocation (the feeling of being suffocated by your stuff) was my favourite word of 2016. And so I’d like to find a tiny envelope under the tree this year with a letter describing a lovely experience for our family to enjoy together. While a five star ski trip or an escape to Barbados is on the dream list, a plan for a lovely day trip somewhere with a long beach walk, a pub lunch and a chill out would be just perfection. Anything, as long as I don’t have to organise it!
2. What is your favourite festive food, tradition or way to celebrate the holidays?
My Mother in Law is Danish and she does a full on black tie dinner on the 23rd with games and gifts for all the generations. The kids love it. Traditionally it is done on Christmas Eve but we do it a day earlier to give the kids time to recover between parties! That leaves us with Christmas Eve free. This year we are going to the ballet in the afternoon but after that it will be straight home for the Christmas Eve Pancakes and PJ’s party with just the four of us. We make pancakes and eat them in front of the fire and snuggle down in our new PJs to chill out with a Christmas movie – the cheesier the better.
3. What product are you looking forward to decorating your home with this Christmas?
Being Irish I have a bit of a soft spot for Newbridge Silver. They do beautiful silver ornaments and we treat ourselves to a new one each year.
I also love these two fabby characters sitting on our mantelpiece. I smile each time I focus on them.
4. What is your best bit of 2016 and what are you looking forward to most in 2017?
2016 has been a big year for me. I’ve launched a new business with my husband based on his invention Sealblades. Getting a new idea the whole way through the process from initial random thought through to prototyping, protection, investment, manufacturing and take to market has been at times overwhelming but ultimately super-rewarding. We completed a crowd funding campaign in November on Kickstarter. Receiving the first batch of product and shipping them to customers has been amazing. Such a high! A total dream come true for inventor hubby. 2017 is going to be even bigger for us as we break into more markets. I’m mostly looking forward to getting out there and telling our story. That’s when the magic happens.
5. My new year’s resolution is ….
…….to make time for doing things that bring me joy and give me belly laughs. All work and no play this year has indeed made me feel a tad dull and so 2017 needs to be more of a balanced one. I used to love to sing as a child so am thinking of finding a choir to blast out some tunes with. And I have some great friends to chill out in spas with ….
Thank you Sorcha! Check out www.sealblades.com to find out more about how Sealblades work.
