Let's start off with an introduction...

Many of you may not know the story behind my little Etsy shop, Paper Love Stationery, so I decided I would take time today to tell you a little bit about it, and I guess a little bit about me as well!

You can read the condensed version of my Shop's story Here, or you can continued to read the adventure-in-the-making after the jump!

College student + aspiring graphic designer, who opened this shop to share her Modern Paper Goods that she designs, assembles, prints & ships from her {tiny} home studio in New Jersey.

That is pretty much the most condensed version of my Shop's story. It's nothing too crazy, but it's my own story and that alone makes me soo happy that I finally found the courage to pursue something I truly love, even if it's still a work in progress.

Ever since I was little, I had a quiet love for art and creating pretty things. I say 'quiet' because I never really expressed my creativity to anyone because I was always afraid of people, mostly my family, not approving of me. My family places school very high on our list of priorities, and although I do value school, the standard 9-5 is not my dream. I want a job that leads to a more creative path, where I'll be able to use my creativity every day. What's better than working everyday doing exactly what you love to do? As I said, I always had a love for creating pretty things, but I never gravitated to one specific interest... until I discovered my love for graphic design and paper goods. I opened this shop in May of 2012 to share the items I create with others in hopes that they love them as much as I loved making them. I started 'paper crafting' in November of last year, making my family handmade cards and ornaments as gifts. My love for crafting grew so much after that, and so I began to design note cards and stationery, which inevitably lead to designing invitations!

My shop is going to be 5 months old tomorrow [October 9th!]. I've had some pretty great success so far, that I never thought would happen so quickly. 

            My Ombre Chevron Thank You Cards 

             were featured in a Treasury List on Etsy!! 

I made my first sale in August, just 3 months after I opened my shop, and from there they just kept coming! Which makes me so, so, so happy that others love my items so much they are willing to purchase them! Every customer I've had the opportunity to work with so far has been absolutely fantastic; such lovely people, who were absolute joys to work with. 

Such lovely feedback from 
one of my first customers!

I believe I owe a lot to Meredith of One Sheepish Knit, for my first Etsy Sales. I reached out to her in May or June, when my shop was brand new, in the hopes that she might be willing to accept some of my cards as a gift for graduating college {Congrats again, lady!!} and much to my delight, she did!! I sent her a mixed set of my 'Keep Calm and Carry Yarn' Cards, being that she is a badass knitter! Upon receiving them, Meredith emailed me with the best email I've ever received! She wanted to offer my 'Keep Calm and Carry Yarn' Cards in a giveaway on her blog! I was beyond flattered/shocked/excited/nervous!!! I quickly accepted and from that gained many followers/supporters of my shop + it was great opportunity for my to promote my Shop! She really is an awesome gal, who helped my shop out a lot, and I don't even think she realizes that!


[To Meredith: Seriously, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for the truly amazing opportunity you gave to me!!! I hope to work with you again in the future!]

Thanks to my first sales, I've gained a lot of confidence in my little shop and the items I've been creating, which I questioned in the beginning because I'm actually self taught at the moment.. All my items are created by me from the idea in my mind to the finished product that arrives at your door. I design, print, assemble and ship each product from my {tiny} home studio in New Jersey. There's a lot of love and care that goes into designing each item! My most favorite part of the whole creation process, has been creating my 'brand.' I'm having a lot of fun choosing colors and patterns that I want people to identify my shop with. 

My current packaging/branding for my Shop! 

I'm really loving coral lately, so it's kind of the main color theme.

Of course the most fun part of running my shop, as side from the truly amazing people I've encountered so far, is designing items for my Shop. My inspiration for my designs comes from things that I love, be it colors, patterns, places or objects.. even phrases inspire my designs. I really love color & whimsy & all things modern, which you will see reflected in all of my designs. I'm beginning to prepare for the Holiday Season, with lots of modern note card gift sets, which are the perfect little gift for the Holidays! 

Well, that's all I have for now; hopefully there will be more stories and successes to share with you all! Thanks for taking the time to read more about my shop! 

I really do love hearing from you all, so if you have a feedback or questions, regarding me, my shop, a product, or anything at all, let me know:

comment below

tweet me: @PaperLoveStnery

comment on Fb: facebook.com/PaperLoveStationery

shoot me a quick email to: hello@paper-love-stationery.com

xxoo

Ardiana

Owner/Designer of PAPER LOVE STATIONERY