Creativity has been a big part of both Angelica and Lillemors' lives since they were children. Angelica drew characters in the school book to such an extent that she was told by her teacher to stop, and Lillemor designed clothes for her cutting dolls. Ice princess dresses were the order of the day. Over the years, creativity has taken other forms, in Angelica's case as a pastry chef at the family bakery and for Lillemor as an optician in her own business, where a sense of colour and shape is an essential part of helping customers find the right frame for them.  

Both applied to the programme to finally get to grips with some of their ideas. 

I've always had ideas and I'm always getting new ones, but I haven't known how to go about making them a reality. Taking the first step and starting a project can be quite easy, but following through is more difficult. I haven't known who could produce my ideas, for example, so I think it's been nice to have deadlines in the programme, to have dates to work towards. It teaches you to think ahead," says Angelica. 

For Lillemor, the timing was right, her children have grown up and now there is more time for her creativity and ideas alongside her job as an optician. 

For over ten years I've had an idea about how to display my glasses at home and thanks to eXpression design I've been able to make it a reality.  

Frame is a modern spike viewer for today's needs. On one side you can hang your glasses, sunglasses or jewellery and on the other side you can mirror yourself or put a glass plate to decorate it with photos, for example. The box is perfect for storing spectacle cases. Lillemor has developed her product together with carpenter Anders Hörnblad at AH Träprodukter in Örnsköldsvik. 

Anders is great to work with! He is so good at seeing details and I really appreciate that. I feel like he understands exactly what I mean and then he does what I have in mind, and sometimes he doesn't do what I had in mind but even better," says Lillemor with a laugh. 

Angelica's company is called Happinest and her product is created with the same happiness theme, a wall lamp in the shape of a lucky clover to spread light. It is made of sheet metal at Örnsköldsvik's Skärcentra, a collaboration that Angelica thinks has worked well.  

They have such knowledge about what can and cannot be done. Both in terms of their machines and the material. They have been really helpful and accommodating. 

What future do you see for your creativity? 

Now that I'm up and running with my website and webshop, I hope it will trigger me to fill it with even more stuff. After all, this is the most fun there is! I dream of being able to do this full-time through my own business one day," says Angelica. 

Lillemor says she is glad she took the plunge and applied for the programme: 

I have learned now that it pays to dare!