The Beginning
For a long time, I've made art and wanted to have my own business that was based on what I make. It's funny, I adore mail and cards - I have a huge stash on hand all the time from other designers - and I never would have guessed this is how it would all begin! It makes SO much sense, though. Really. I also adore stickers and I still have my entire childhood sticker collection. I'm looking forward to expanding into stickers and other stationery goods like wrapping paper and gift tags. Oh, I adore a well wrapped present (or a WILDLY wrapped present!!), too! So the art and my own handwriting are something I've always practiced and enjoyed. I'm sure there's products I haven't even fathomed yet that I will branch out to include in the coming years.
In the pandemic lockdown, I realized we need to write more cards and letters to stay in touch. It's so much more personal and delightful when you get a card in the mail. I started making these wild, messy abstract artworks just for the cards. I love a good glam touch and harmonious juxtaposition - so I got some embossing powder and pulled out my heat gun to add the words! Sometimes the stars align. When I developed enough to print my first, early collection, in November 2020, I used hot stamped gold foil on some. The foil, my friend, is a very expensive upfront cost for a small fledgling business! More will be added as we grow!
On the technical side, I've known (& taught myself) Photoshop for a while (I'm sure I am not utilizing it's full potential!) and I relearned Illustrator and other programs on the fly as I made new designs this year. I have an MFA, and years of working in project management and design.
I started by ingesting almost all of the posts on the generous blog Oh So Beautiful Paper; an amazing resource not currently active by Nole Garey. I couldn't have done it without the amazing community and industry insight that I learned from Paper Camp and Proof to Product. Katie Hunt is an amazing leader in helping product based businesses present themselves professionally and grow sustainably. If this is something YOU love to do, too - I absolutely recommend you check it out! The paper world is an amazing community & I'm continuing to meet more and more fellow paper nerds* (the name of Sarah Schwartz's awesome website!).
I also just so happened to manage and operate a small retail store and art gallery for almost 9 years! This was with my parents, my sister owns it now, and they were my first wholesale account and where I sold my first handmade cards in fall 2020. I learned SO MUCH through running the gallery! I went to wholesale trade shows as a buyer - and quickly realized I want to be a seller there! I worked with product reps, small artist run businesses, and major wholesale companies, too. I saw how people shopped, and why. I saw how seasonal products need to be released earlier for stores to display and sell it. All of this informed the decision I made to start this company.