I love this question! My name is Kelly, I'm originally from a very small town in Indiana and I've always been a bit of a drama queen. I started singing and acting when I was about four and eventually got a degree in theatre from Indiana University. After graduation I moved to Seattle to be a grungy hippie (it was the 90s after all) and do fringe theatre. I quickly realized that I didn't want to act professionally. It felt too much like being a professional deadbeat - I was always looking for jobs and so rarely doing the work. I got a job working in the medical ethics field and stayed with the same organization for about eight years until my daughter was born.
2)Why do you do what you do? You also have another job in addition to creating stationery, correct? What is it, if you don't mind sharing.
Yes, in addition to Macaroni & Glue Handmade (which includes my Freshly Crafted and Retrocrafted Paper Goods lines), I'm a freelance copywriter. I primarily do write-for-hire stuff - web site copy, research articles, press releases, ebooks and that sort of thing. I love it! It's nice to have multiple income streams and this is the first time in my life that I'm getting paid exclusively for creative work. Stationery design provides my "visual" outlet and writing takes care of my need to express myself verbally. It's been years since I've felt so well-rounded and I'm thrilled that I'm still able to stay home with my little one.
3)When did you start your craft?
I’ve been in the stationery business for about a year and a half. I’ve actually never been particularly “artsy-craftsy,” but I started making cards and gifts after my daughter was born and money was tight without a second income. I was surprisingly ambitious with projects (looking for a creative outlet, I suppose), and I tried lots of different mediums and techniques. For my sister’s baby shower, rather than buy an expensive gift from the registry, I created some fairly elaborate thank you cards and put them together as a set for her. People seemed to love them, and I started getting orders for more custom cards – announcements, holiday cards, cards for political fundraisers… you name it. I spent the last half of 2007 filling custom orders, and once the holidays were over, I realized that paper had become a bit of an obsession. I decided to open the shop in February 2008 after discovering Etsy.
4) Coffee or tea?
Coffee. Black.
5)What is your favorite item in your shop?
I love making these mini envelopes and I'm big on black & white, so I'll go with these cool mini thank you cards:
I'm also very fond of this little birthday card - I think it's the roller skates.
6)How do you feel about the phrase “Handmade Revolution”?
I don't know that I'd go with "revolution," but certainly it's a movement. And I'm proud to be a part of it. It feels good to buy and use something that was made by a person you've made a one-on-one connection with. It's become such a weirdly impersonal world... I think making things with our own hands and sharing our creations with one another is a great way to counteract the isolation so many of us feel.
7) Macaroni and Glue is a great store name....easy to remember, catchy...How did you come up with it?
I'd been making cards and invitations for a while, and kept remarking to people that my design instincts were pretty much like my then-2-year-old daughter's - I'd just look at a heap of things and decide how to glue them together in order to make something I thought was pretty. I still feel that way, by the way, even though a lot of my projects now involve digital design rather than physical assembly - it's all really just a pile of macaroni and some Photoshop glue. Anyway, it had been raining for weeks here in Texas (which never happens) and I ran into another mommy who was losing her mind trying to come up with indoor activities for her little ones. She said, "I mean, there's only so much you can do with macaroni and glue, right?" And there it was!
7a) I would be remiss if I did not mention how much I enjoy reading about what your daughter says. She is very funny with her childhood innocence type of humor. Has she ever embarrassed you in public, and can you share, because I need a laugh.
She's a trip, isn't she? She's actually fairly mature for her age, so I can't really think of a time she's embarrassed me by saying something inappropriate (although we did recently have a pretty hilarious discussion about tampons in an airport bathroom - yikes!). She largely knows how to conduct herself appropriately when it matters. She loves to tell on me, though - particularly when it comes to traffic violations. I'm in trouble if I ever get pulled over. She'll just bat her little eyelashes and say, "I told Mommy she was going too fast!"
She does amaze me constantly with the things she thinks about and the way she sees the world. Lately she's preoccupied with love and marriage. She told me recently that she couldn't wait to fall in love (she's three!) and that true love is "very very important to find." So sweet. She asks very pointed questions about interpersonal relationships like "How do you and Daddy know you're in love?" and "Am I allowed to fall in love and marry anybody I want?" I love that she's so curious and I try really hard to give meaningful answers to her (endless) questions. I figure that's why I'm a stay-at-home mom after all.
8) Where can we find you? Please list online venues, brick and mortar, blogs...etc.
Freshly Crafted Paper Goods: http://freshlycrafted.com/
Retrocrafted Paper Goods: http://retrocrafted.com/
Macaroni & Glue (my blog): http://macaroniandglue.com/
Orange & Blossom (the cutest little wedding boutique ever!): http://orangeandblossom.com/
The Pear Project (artisan goods for everyday life): http://thepearproject.com/
Flourish Boutique & Gallery: (http://www.flourishboutique.com/)
Here are my three favorites: I love the little girl. She reminds me of a Mother Goose illustration. Victorian/Gothic hands are so cool, and I love the font on those cards. As for the corsets...vavoom. Just awesome: gothic, yet girly, and great title "The Ties that Bind". Perfect for writing notes to family members.
Thank you so much Kelly! You create such beautiful stationery.
2 comments:
Great interview! Love her cards!!
You rock! Thanks so much for featuring me.
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