This week we sit down with Melissa owner of a small paper and creative goods company called
PAGEFIFTYFIVE in beautiful Fort Collins, Colorado. She designs and creates greeting cards, notecards, stationery, gift tags, paper goods and
embroidery hoops! Melissa is such a fun and laid back gal (yet a super savvy creative business woman) I couldn't wait to hear what she had to say!
Hi Melissa! Explain to us your current line of creations and what was it that inspired you to
start?
PAGEFIFTYFIVE is a small greeting card, stationery, papergoods and creative company. We revel in the simple, delight the quirky, and combine these two ideas to produce products that everyone will love! Our wish is that our products will make you smile, make your heart happy, and motivates you to pass that good feeling along! Recently, I have been focusing not only on my paper goods
designs but also on my embroidery hoops. I love, love, love embroidery and am
usually inspired to create a hoop from a card idea, or vice-versa. It’s another
artistic outlet for me and I just absolutely love getting away from the
computer and the hands-on process of taking floss, fabric and a wooden hoop and
making a piece of wall art that someone will love. I am also working on a
custom order for a floral design studio that consists of their marketing
materials, gift tags, business cards, thank you cards, etc. I love it all!
Tell us what makes your process unique?
I’m not sure exactly makes my process unique because graphic
design and embroidery has been around for a long time. But what I bring to the
table…my ideas, my creations and my designs are what brings it a personality
and makes me stand out from the rest. I have also self-taught myself all of
what is now PAGEFIFTYFIVE. From actually learning to design and draw graphics
on the computer, to learning about paper weights and textures and becoming
business savvy. I come to this career with a BA in English and a Masters in
Education…and here I sit loving my life and living the creative dream!
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| colored pencils..the first step in designing a card |
Were you always creative as kid, or did you find it later in life?
As a child, I was ALWAYS creative. Both of my grandparents were
extremely talented and taught me so much that I use today. I can remember sitting
on the kitchen floor at around 3 years old, making Christmas cards for my
family (and a mess I’m sure). As a teenager, my grandpa showed me all there was
to know about painting, woodworking, and card making. In the meantime, my
grandma was teaching me how to sew, quilt and embroider. I was a very creative
child and it really created who I am today!
What is your
favorite style of art and why?
I love simple lines and am definitely a lover of minimalist,
simple, quirky ideas.
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Custom order for a family that moved homes!
I turned it into a card and it's now in the shop! |
How do you come
about your ideas? Is there anything particular that inspires you?
My inspiration seriously comes from all over the place! My
friends, my beautiful surroundings in Colorado, little snippets of conversation
I overhear at the park, what I see while riding my bike, things I notice while
people watching…I draw inspiration from all over the place (and my creased,
folded, drawn on, worn-in notebooks would have to agree) :)
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| Beautiful Colorado! |
What is your
favorite piece you've ever made and why?
I love, love, love the new embroidery that I have been working
on lately. Most of my embroidery starts out as a card design and I love it so
much, I turn it into an embroidery hoop that can be hung in the house and
enjoyed by all! I think my favorite is the “you make me happy when skies are grey”
embroidery that is currently in my Etsy shop. It just makes me smile.
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| One of my favorite embroideries |
What’s the best
compliment you have received about your work?
My day is made and I am stunned every time I get an “out of the
blue” compliment. Since opening my shop in September, I have been lucky to have
a ton of support from my friends and family that purchase my art, love my art
and pass it along to other people. I just recently received an email from
another shop owner on Etsy who just wrote to tell me how much she loved my shop
and said she was “speechless.” I feel so lucky when this sort of thing
happens.
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| Glimpse into my studio |
Describe your
work space.
I love a clean, simple, minimalist workspace. That’s how I do my
best work for sure. Sometimes that’s not always the case and I find myself
buried in paper scraps, fabric, glue, bits of thread and paper corners. My
friend always says when her bedroom is messy, it means she needs to give
herself a time out and readjust some things in her life. I think this goes for me
and my studio. If it’s a mess…odds are, I’m a bit of a mess and I need to chill
out and reassess.
What is a
typical day in your life?
Honestly, when you’re working full time in a creative field like
I am, it seems like no two days are the same. This is a constant struggle for
me. Seriously, would waking up at least in the same span of two hours hurt me?!
haha. Seriously though…this is a day in the life of me.
I wake up and head straight to the kitchen for coffee and
breakfast. With coffee in hand, I head to the studio (aka spare bedroom in our
house) and get to work. Typically, I putz around on FB, Etsy, Twitter, Pinterest,
and blogs for about an hour. My day definitely varies depending on what orders
I am working on, custom designs I have to complete, or designs bouncing around
in my head…but my morning is usually full of work. NPR and podcasts get me
through my morning. Having an iPhone is like having a little friend in the room
with you :) In the afternoon, I always try to make it to the gym and post
office. I think there are times that working alone in a studio all day gets
lonely…it’s like a field trip when I go to the post office and gym. I can
imagine that the people working at the post office may think I’m nuts for all
the conversation I try to jam into the 3 minute transaction haha. Then the rest
of the afternoon into evening is spent working! My goal is to try and end the day
around 5:30/6. It doesn’t always happen…but it’s nice to give myself a little
downtime at night.
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| Craft show setup |
What are your
interests or hobbies other than your work we have been discussing ?
When
I’m not creating new ideas for the shop, I am always consumed with another
creative project. I dream up new DIY projects, I research new juicing recipes,
I decorate our home with repurposed finds, I embroider quirky ideas onto hoops,
I take adventures through novels, I dabble in photography (okay….mostly just
obsess with Instagram), and do a bit of cooking and baking. I also
love to ride my bike! I try to get most of my errands done on my bike as
much as I can. It makes me feel alive!
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| DIY home decor |
Is this your
full time job, or do you have a job out-of-studio?
This is it! It’s my full time job. Scary and exhilarating all at
once! I’m truly living my dream.
That is great! I'm sure lots of creatives reading this are dreaming of going full-time. Do you have any advice to give another artist
to jump in? What is the best part of working for yourself? What
is the worst?
My best advice is, “fake it til you make it.” It can be really
scary to own your own business and cut off the weekly paycheck, paid health
insurance, paid time off things. But if you show that fear, or let it overpower
you…it wins. I think just walk the walk until you own it. And one day, you look
back and realize how amazing it is to truly be living your dream!
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| Gift Tags in the shop |
What goals
are you trying to accomplish right now? Describe any future goals you have.
Oh my gosh…my goals are vast! I am a huge goal setter, have them
posted on my idea board and constantly hold myself accountable to these goals.
And I also love lists…so it’s a win win! Ultimately, I want to live a simple,
healthy, creative life…I’d say so far, so good.
So there is PAGEFIFTYFIVE and a little about its creator Melissa! If you love her work and would like to purchase or want to find our a little more about her click on the following links!
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