Let me introduce you to Macaroni and Glue.  She’s super awesome and so easy to work with.  Actually when I placed my custom order with her, she was thinking along the same lines as I was and that made for a super team.  I ordered some pink and white thank you cards for my Mary Kay business.  She customized them with the word thank you on the outside.  My customers love them.  They are perfect!  So I encourage you to read on and learn more about macaroni and Glue and please visit all her links and see what other types of cards she carries in her etsy shop.

1. What is your business name?
Macaroni and Glue

2. What is your business about?
Macaroni and Glue offers exquisite invitations and announcements, handcrafted greeting cards, unique and special holiday card sets, and vintage-inspired blank notes.

3. How did you start selling on etsy?
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 my little “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 after discovering Etsy and spending a month or so in design heaven getting my notecard line ready.

4. Where do your inspirations come from?
I’m inspired by all things vintage and girly. My current obsession is turn-of-the-century illustrations and greeting cards from the 30s – 50s. I love to find beautiful vintage imagery, and then take it completely out of context to create something fun and modern. My 3-year-old daughter is also a huge source of inspiration – she teaches me how to look at the world in unique and quirky ways, which helps to keep the creative juices flowing.

5. Is your family supportive of your etsy business?
Largely, although I’m sure it’s annoying when the laundry doesn’t get done or we get takeout AGAIN when Mommy’s working on a big order. But I know I’m an easier person to live with now that I have my own business. I’ve always been very independent and driven, and the business is allowing me to feel like I can (eventually) contribute to the family financially and keeps me balanced in a way that housework and kid-wrangling can’t. Happy Mommy = happy house.

6. What was the strangest/weirdest experience you’ve ever had when being inspired with a new card design?
Hmmmm…. My design process is actually an “autopilot” kind of thing – like painting the future on “Heroes” (without the crazy white eyes). I just put a bunch of stuff on a table and stare at it until it tells me how it wants to be used.

7. What is the most rewarding aspect of the etsy community for you and your business?
I adore the Etsy community. There are so many amazingly talented artists and designers out there. I’m encouraged, inspired, and challenged by them on a daily basis.

8. Anything else you would like to share?
I’m doing my best to navigate the brave new world of social media, despite my age and inherent shyness (yep, it’s true). I have a blog (http://macaroniandglue.com) that I update (almost) daily, a MySpace page (http://myspace.com/macaroniandglue), a Facebook page (http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Macaroni-and-Glue-on-Etsy/18333326699), and my newest obsession is Twitter (http://twitter.com/macaroniandglue). I’m also very proud to be a member of the Trunkt community. My full portfolio can be found at http://www.trunkt.org/macaroniandglue

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