Made by Girl {fabulous stationary}
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008
Designer Jennifer Ramos of Made by Girl brings such a fresh, fun, creative, and artistic value to the art of stationary. Her use of color, wit, typography, and illustration is fantastic and makes for a lovely way to jot down those special notes for that special someone and also some “expressive” words for those not so special anymore like this card! To top it all off, her company also donates a percentage of their sales to StopGlobalwarming.org, which she encourages other businesses to make donations as well to help the cause.
Jennifer is also popularly known by creative enthusiasts through her blog “Made By Girl”, where she dishes out not only her current projects but also some fabulous design inspiration. I love her style and I’m totally stoked to have her grace the pages of JuBella. Jennifer took some time to share some of her entrepreneurial spirit as well as all things creatively inspiring in her world. Enjoy and thanks Jen for such a lovely interview!
JuBella: What do you love most about being an entrepreneur and what are the top 3 most important things you would tell another designer/crafter about starting their own company?
Jennifer: I love the sense of creative freedom I have. The fact that I could just design whatever inspires me and release it into the world for others to see. The ability to choose what I want as my logo, what I want to wear to work, and what I want to say. Important things to tell an entrepreneur before starting their own business? Don’t spread yourself too thin by taking on too many things at once. Stop dreaming about what you want and act on it, its the only way to realize your dream. Don’t be discouraged because you think other people’s work is better than yours. There is a market for almost everything in life, so if you love your product so will others.
JuBella: You recently attended the National Stationary Show, what was it like preparing your collections to showcase to potential buyers…learn anything new?
Jennifer: It was a lot of work and I’m so grateful for the help I had at the show. It was such an exciting feeling to be exhibiting for the first time in my own booth. I remember when I was younger and used to do some modeling for clients at their booths. I knew one day that would be me talking to clients, showing them my work and selling my products. I learned and accepted that I am not going to be able to sell to everyone and that some people are just not going to like my work.
JuBella: Please share with us your favorites of the following:
Dessert: Tiramisu
Magazines: Domino
Books: “The Hottest State” by Ethan Hawke
Color Combinations: Pink and Orange
Rooms: See image below
JuBella: If you could meet 5 other bloggers that you have never met before, who would they be?
Jennifer: Super duper lady from Liberty Post Editor, Holly from Decor8, Belinda from Renovate & Decorate, Kathryn from Kathy’s Little World.
JuBella: Tell us more about your design process and work schedule…how do you keep it all together and organized?
Jennifer: I get up at whatever time I want…just kidding! Well, I get up early and start my day answering emails and doing some online marketing. Do some cleaning at home in between emails etc. I don’t create designs everyday, so its not really a part of my day. But when I do create, I sit and concentrate after surfing the web or having come from a book store and feeling inspired by other designers or situations in life. So many things have inspired my work and if you really knew, you would know what each design means to me.
Keeping it together isn’t easy, but I’m pretty good at handling more than one thing at a time. Thankfully these days I have help from my production manager, as well as my sister and a rep. I also get help from friends who give me suggestions about my product and advice on what to do next when I feel lost.
JuBella: So, what are some of your future goals with your stationary line and any other endeavors?
Jennifer: I hope to pick up as many stores as possible so that my product can be out there and available to those who haven’t come across it via my online shop. The line is just cards and prints right now and I’d love to perhaps create another line of prints perhaps using a silkscreen method. MadeByGirl will also be looking to do more fairs/shows locally.
JuBella: Something new you would like to learn?
Jennifer: Even though I probably wouldn’t have the patience for it, I’d like to learn how to make a card on a letterpress machine!
JuBella: What do you like to do when you are not making stationary?
Jennifer: I love to read, watch CNN, take my dogs for rides in my car, and travel.
