A couple who make handmade greeting cards have celebrated a sales milestone.

Jo Kirby and Jeremy Corner, who run Blue Eyed Sun, based on the Sussex House Business Park in Old Shoreham Road, Hove, have now sold one million cards.

The pair, who are expecting their first child, started the business from a bedsit in 2000. They now employ ten people and sells thousands of cards to shops every week.

Customers include department stores such as John Lewis, Fortnum and Mason and Fenwicks and dozens of independent retailers across Brighton and the South East. The manufacturing company also exports to shops in the US, France and Australia.

The millionth card sold was part of a Valentine order by gift shop Malarkey in Bond Street, Brighton, which, coincidentally, was Blue Eyed Boy's first customer.

The sales milestone was passed shortly after Greeting Card Group, which has hundreds of shops across the country, went into administration after a sales dip.

Blue Eyed Sun, named after a lyric in a Bob Dylan song, has been buoyed by the growing demand for individually crafted cards, as opposed to factoryproduced ones.

Managing director Jeremy, 33, said: "Our products are upmarket, high-end cards so we tend to be stocked in the best design-led card and gift shops across the country."

Artist Jo, 35, added: "In 2000 we were thrilled to receive our first order from Malarkey and it has been a loyal customer ever since.

"This is significant milestone for us, so it is fitting it was our first customer who bought our millionth card."

Blue Eyed Sun has three product lines: Suncatchers - hand-painted cards, Kaleidoscope - hand-glittered cards and Glass Enamels - hand fired in kilns.

In 2003 the Suncatchers range won the best cards for design-led shops category at the prestigious Gift of the Year Awards, organised by the Giftware Association.