Little Darlings privacy policy

Last updated: 31 October 2026

When you ask for a free proof or order from Little Darlings, you trust me with personal details about you and your little one. I take that seriously. This policy explains what information I collect, why, who I share it with, and your rights. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Who I am

Little Darlings is run by me, Catherine, a sole trader based in the UK. I am the "data controller" for your information under UK data protection law (UK GDPR). That means I decide how it is used and I'm responsible for keeping it safe.

The easiest way to reach me is through my contact form.

What information I collect

When you order or get in touch, I may collect:

your name, email address and delivery address
your child's name, and any details you choose for the second line of the print (such as birth date, time, weight and length)
the appearance choices you make for the illustration
confirmation of your payment. You pay securely through PayPal, using a debit or credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or your PayPal account. PayPal handles your card details, and I never see them.
any messages and photos you send me to help create your personalised or fully custom print (for example reference photos of your little one). I use these only to make your artwork. I never share them, post them, or use them for marketing.
photos of your finished print that you send me or tag me in on social media (these are photos you have taken of the completed product in its new home)

Why I use it and the legal reasons

To make and deliver your order. I use your details, and any messages and reference photos you send me, to create your personalised print and illustration, send you your proof and your finished order, and help with any questions or problems. Reference photos you send for creating your print stay private. I never share them. The legal reason is that I need this information to carry out our contract.
To send you a free proof. If you ask for a free proof, I use the details you send me to make and send your proof, and to follow up with you about that order. The legal reason is that you have asked me to do this before placing an order.
To send you offers and updates. I'll only do this if you sign up, either by ticking the "Stay in touch" box on one of my forms or by entering your email in the "Stay in the loop for offers and updates" sign-up box on my website. The box on my forms is never ticked for you. That might include occasional offers, new animals and designs, not a regular newsletter. The legal reason is your consent. See "Marketing emails" below for how to unsubscribe.
To share photos of your finished print. The only photos I may share are ones you have taken of your finished Little Darlings print (for example on a nursery wall), that you send me or tag me in. I never share the reference photos you sent so I could create the artwork. Finished-print photos may show your home or your little one, so I only share them with your consent. If you tag me in a post, I may reshare it. I'll always ask you first by email before using your finished-print photos anywhere else, like my website. The legal reason is your consent, given by email or by tagging me for a reshare. You can ask me to take your photos down at any time by contacting me, and I'll remove them where I can.
To keep business records. I keep order records so I can meet my tax and accounting duties. The legal reason is that I have a legal obligation to keep them.

Marketing emails

I only send offers and news if you tick the "Stay in touch" box on one of my forms or sign up with the sign-up box on my website. The box on my forms is never ticked for you, and you don't need to sign up to order or to get a free proof.
The sign-up box on my website only asks for your email address. Entering it and pressing "Sign me up" is how you give your consent.
For now, the email addresses on my list are stored securely by me, on my website host, Cloudflare. In future, I'll use an email service such as MailerLite to send my emails. It will store the email addresses on my list on my behalf, act under my instructions and only use them to send my emails.
You can unsubscribe any time, using the link in any of my emails or by emailing me at [email protected].
I never share your details with anyone else for their own marketing.
You can ask me to delete your information at any time.

I only share what each service needs to do its job:

My trusted print partner, who prints your order and needs your name and delivery address to send it
Delivery carriers, who deliver your parcel
PayPal, who handles your payment, whether you pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or your PayPal account
JotForm, who provides my free proof, order and contact forms
An email service such as MailerLite, once I start sending emails, which will send my emails and store my mailing list on my behalf, if you sign up
Cloudflare, who hosts my website and currently stores the email addresses of people who sign up to my mailing list
Google, who provides my email and file storage, and my website statistics (Google Analytics) if you press "Accept" on my cookie question
Meta (Facebook and Instagram advertising), who tells me how my ads are doing and helps me show them to people who've visited my order form, or my website if they pressed "Accept" on my cookie question
AI assistants (including Grok Bot), who help me run Little Darlings. They may process personal information you give me, for example order details, emails and delivery addresses, only to help me take and fulfil orders, reply to you, and keep records. They act under my instructions. I do not use them to sell your data.

Some of these services may store or process your information outside the UK. When they do, they use appropriate safeguards to protect it, as required by UK data protection law.

I will never sell your information. I will never share the reference photos you send me to help create your print.

How long I keep it

Order records: I keep these for 6 years, to meet my tax duties.
Artwork files: I may keep your personalised artwork so you can easily reorder in the future. Just ask and I'll delete it.
Reference photos you sent for creating your print: I keep these only as long as needed to make and support your order, then delete them when they are no longer needed. Ask and I'll delete them sooner.
Mailing list: I keep your email address on my list until you unsubscribe. When you unsubscribe, you won't get any more offers or news from me.

Your rights

You have the right to:

ask for a copy of the information I hold about you
ask me to correct anything that's wrong
ask me to delete your information
object to how I use your information
withdraw your consent at any time, for example to stop receiving my emails or to ask me to take down your finished-print photos

To use any of these rights, please contact me. I'll reply as soon as I can, and within one month.

If you're unhappy with how I've handled your information, please tell me first so I can try to put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator, at ico.org.uk.

Cookies

Cookies are small files that a website saves in your browser.

Always on. My free proof and contact forms are provided by JotForm, which may use essential cookies to make the forms work. My website also remembers your cookie choice in your browser, so I don't have to ask you on every page. These don't need your consent, because the forms and your choice can't work without them.

Only if you press "Accept". When you first visit my website, I ask whether it's OK to use cookies. If you press "Accept", my website uses the Meta Pixel, from Meta Platforms, who run Facebook and Instagram. It sets cookies (such as "_fbp") and tells Meta which pages of my website you visit, when you move through my free proof form and how far you get, when you ask for a free proof, and when you sign up to my emails. I use it so I can see how my ads are doing and show my ads to people who've shown an interest in Little Darlings. Meta may link this to your Facebook or Instagram account. The legal reason is your consent. Meta's own privacy policy applies to what they do with this information.

If you press "Accept", my website also uses Google Analytics, from Google, to count visits and see which pages and which parts of my free proof form people use, so I can improve them. It sets cookies (such as "_ga"). I've turned off Google's advertising features, so it isn't used for ads. The legal reason is your consent. Google's own privacy policy applies to what they do with this information.

If you press "Reject", or don't choose, the Meta Pixel and Google Analytics don't load, and my website sends nothing to Meta or Google Analytics.

My separate order form on JotForm also uses the Meta Pixel, and tells Meta when someone visits the form or submits it, for the same reasons.

Changing your mind. You can change your choice at any time by pressing "Cookie settings" at the bottom of any page of my website. If you change to "Reject", my website stops using the Meta Pixel and Google Analytics and removes their cookies. You can also:

block or clear cookies in your browser settings
change your Meta ad preferences

Changes to this policy

I may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available here.

Questions

If you have any questions about your information, please contact me.