Oh My! Handmade

Making a good life since 2010

{Interview + Giveaway} Specialty Cards 4U

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specialty cards 4 u, handmade designer gift cardsWhat is a birthday without a beautiful handmade card? Today I am visiting with Julie of Specialty Cards 4U, learning about her growing business and her story. To celebrate July with us, Julie is giving away a $50 gift certificate, so you can get some of her handmade goodness for your very own celebration! 

Hi Julie! I’m happy to have you here to talk about Specialty Cards 4 U, please tell us a bit about you & your business:

Hi Jessika! Specialty Cards 4U is an independent design studio located in Cincinnati, Ohio.  I design & create handmade greeting cards and pocket notes that cover everything from birthdays to anniversaries. I’m so proud that we can offer a truly ‘handmade in the USA’ product to our customers and retailers. Each of our greeting cards and pocket notes are hand cut from heavy weight textured cardstock and embellished with ribbons, gemstones, glitter and more. I like to think that each one is a little piece of art – in fact, many of our customers have framed our cards. Our pocket notes are not only a whimsical way to send a birthday or new baby wish, they’re perfect for tucking little extras into the pocket – like a gift card or a love note.  On the personal side of things, I’m married and have 2 great kids – my son is in high school and my daughter just finished her first year of college. We have also have a mixed-breed pound puppy that can usually be found with a scrap of ribbon stuck to his tail and glitter on his nose.

specialty cards 4 u, handmade designer gift cards

It’s a party here on OMHG this month celebrating my 1 year as editor-how do you celebrate handmade in your own life?
Well, owning a handmade greeting card business means that everything in my life that involves paper is handmade. I also design and create handmade custom holiday cards, party invitations and birth announcements.  I start working on our family Christmas card design in August, mixing and matching papers, ribbons, and embellishments. I volunteer quite a bit at my kids’ school and am always making the coach’s thank you cards, and donating note card sets for charity auctions.  Outside of handmade paper products, I love to cook for family and friends. Last week, I made big batches of strawberry jam and homemade pickles. Both were a big hit!
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What lessons about running a small business/selling handmade can share with our readers?
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Small businesses have ups and downs – it’s a lot like a roller coaster ride. One day you’re so excited about things you want to shout from the rooftops. The next week, you might be wondering why you got into all this in the first place. But in the end, if you’re doing something you truly love, it’s worth every minute.  I can honestly say that I still love sitting in my studio and making 100’s of the same card to ship to retailers. It never gets boring for me and I treat the 99th card the same as the 1st – they’re little bundles of love going out the door to brighten someone’s day.
specialty cards 4 u, handmade designer gift cards
What is in store for Specialty Cards 4 U in the future? Do you have any grand plans or new projects/products in the works?
We just released 15 new designs this spring/summer – and we’ve added a new line of delicate scalloped edge greeting cards. Our new cards feature floating balloons, cupcakes and baby elephants.  Our new individual holiday counter cards are hitting the market this summer as well – traditional holiday images like ornaments, sleighs and snowflakes. The feedback so far has been great and we were excited to see our new designs featured in a few trade magazines this spring. We’ve also just shipped our first order to Australia!We love seeing where/how people create-please share some pictures of your workspace or process:

specialty cards 4 u, handmade designer gift cards
I have a loft in my home dedicated to my business. It has lots of natural light and I have all my supplies organized so it’s easy to find what I need within reach. However, as my business grows, I’m always trying to build a better mouse trap when it comes to organizing things. You can also see my studio here: http://www.specialtycards4u.com/studio.htmlWhere can people find & connect with you? 

Lots of ways! Our website at www.specialtycards4u.com, email me at julie@specialtycards4u.com, twitter is @SpecialtyCards. We’d love to hear from your readers!
specialty cards 4 u, handmade designer gift cards

Enter to win a $50 gift certificate to Specialty Cards 4 U:

Visit www.specialtycards4u.com and leave a comment telling us what you would spend your $50 on!

For extra entries (1 comment=1 entry) leave a separate comment if you:

This giveaway closes next Wednesday, July 27th at midnight EST with the winner announced at the bottom of this post the following day. By entering this giveaway you are agreeing to the oh my! handmade goodness giveaway policies.

This giveaway is now closed! The winner is: