Field Interview:
Amanda Blazka, MandaCards
Today's interview is with Amanda of MandaCards. With an affinity for celebrating the moment, Amanda offers original card designs with three dimensional, textural, and customizable (made-to-order only) elements for birthdays, holidays, and every occasion in-between.
1. When did you start MandaCards? What prompted you to start a card business?
Cardmaking has been a hobby of mine for over 15 years. It all started when I received a Klutz cardmaking kit for my birthday. From then on, my interest in cardmaking began and developed into creating my own original designs. I craved building the perfect card for a loved one, and the rush of happiness I would feel in seeing their reactions to their special card. It also didn't help that I had a minor addiction to scouring the scrapbook paper and sticker aisles of craft stores! Once my loved ones informed me (in particular, my best guy friends that are not the type to save things!) that they had preserved my handmade cards in a memory box for years on end, I realized that this was a meaningful hobby that I wanted to share with the world.
MandaCards' roots as a business go back to the Golf Pro Shop at Saucon Valley Country Club in Pennsylvania where I worked seasonally when home from college. The Golf Director at the time discovered my hobby and asked me to make small batches of cards to sell in the shop. With the support from the club community, family, and friends, my first batch of cards would grow into more batches, more designs, and eventually into what it is today.
2. MandaCards consists of handmade greeting cards, many of which are 3D and pop-up. Do you have core pieces or collections that you are always creating and have readily available?
When selling my cards at in-person shopping events, I have a display that is filled with standard designs that are available on my Etsy shop. Something that I take pride in, is creating designs that are very versatile for a variety of different occasions; for example, I have a collection of several floral designs that are perfect for weddings, birthdays, mother's day, bridal showers, or any other general greeting. I also have card designs that are more representative of certain occasions and themes (e.g., Christmas collections) for those who want a card that more specifically represents a special occasion. I try to ensure that my card displays encompass a variety of designs represented in my shop!
My Etsy shop is exclusively custom, made to order cards. Every card design listed in my online shop allows the customer to customize some element of their final product - whether it be the color(s) of the 3D flower, or the geographic location of a pop-up map. It is a special experience being able to create a card that matches a client's vision.
3. How many steps and hours go into your intricate 3D cards?
Each card varies in the steps and hours that go into making it. I tend to have 4 price points in my shop that are aligned with the time that it takes for me to produce the card design. Cards listed at $12 or $15 take me anywhere from 45 minutes to 1.25 hours to make. Custom cards are $18 as they require more pre-work in designing something that is new and original for the client. Finally, explosion boxes are priced at $28 as they take 2.5-3 hours to make.
4. Can you explain a bit about your "Explosion Boxes"?! What's the perfect occasion for an "Explosion Box"?
An explosion box is a 3-dimensional box that is fitted with a lid. Upon lifting the lid, the base of the box opens up and flattens into a 12 x 12 sheet of cardstock with a variety of beautiful 2D and 3D designs on the perimeter of the interior. The box represents both a gift and a card all in one and is the perfect surprise for anyone who loves to gift something that is completely unique and handmade. Explosion boxes also make fantastic decorations!
My Etsy shop features standardized designs for a Wedding, Birthday, and Graduation themed explosion box. Despite the decorations on the inside being standard, clients are still given the freedom to customize their box's color theme, interior centerpiece, and any notes they would like me to write. There are times when a client will want a box that is completely unique and original. Perhaps they are celebrating an event that my existing box designs don't cover (e.g., Father's Day, Birth Announcement, Bridal Shower, Retirement), or perhaps they want to create a totally different themed box (e.g., Drink-themed 21st birthday, Themed Birthday). In these instances, clients may purchase the "Custom Explosion Box" item listing, and we will collaborate to create an explosion box to match your vision.
5. Do you create your cards to be frameable? Each is a work of art, so I'm sure people on the receiving end want to frame them or preserve them.
Some of my 3D cards are too bulky to fit in an envelope, so I have invested in clear card boxes to accompany the card. These boxes may be gift wrapped like a present, or may be used to display the card like a frame (or both!). Some clients who have purchased cards from my table at Field of Artisans events have indicated interest in buying a design for themselves and framing it. I think that this is a very special and unique option to preserving something special for years to come for either the buyer or the recipient. Perhaps I will need to invest in shadow boxes!
6. Are custom cards an offering? Singles, Sets and/or Invitations?
Yes, I offer a "Custom Card - Made to Order" listing on my Etsy. All of my cards are sold individually; however, clients may order multiple of a card and receive a free shipping incentive for doing so. Custom cards tend to take two forms - sometimes a client likes a design but would like to alter it a bit beyond the typical customization scope (e.g., they like the interior of the design but want a totally new exterior). Other times, a client wants to collaborate on something totally original (e.g., a hot air balloon themed birth announcement explosion box). Either way, I collaborate with all clients on a design that meets their vision.
7. Do your cards have messages inside or are they blank?
All of my cards are automatically blank because I do not have a way with words. That said, clients have the ability to send the written sentiment that they would like me to include inside the card and I will write it in script.
8. How does a physical card compete with a digital one?
I often think of the quote, "Live moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it," from Ferris Bueller. In a time when materialism and the consumption of digital media is at an all-time high, a physical card offers recipients a unique pause to savor the purity of a tangible, handmade product that has sentimentality and longevity. There is something to be said about receiving a special note, saving it, and accessing it in times when you need to read the note the most. Digital cards tend to have less of a sentimental element to them and may pass unnoticed.
9. You share great insight and business analytics on Instagram. What would your advice be to an artisan who has been in business for about a year and wants to take the next step towards growth?
I would encourage an artisan to map out all of the types of data that they would like to collect on their business, and then ensure that their record keeping and analysis process aligns with these goals. For MandaCards, it was important for me to understand how many repeat clients I had, the card designs that received the most and least traction, and the ways that new clients discovered my business. Some of this information I gathered in my personal spreadsheet, and other information I gathered through Etsy's analytics and data reports
10. Dream collaboration? Can be a specific person, general person, company, etc. What would you create together?!
I would love to have more involvement in the wedding industry. I am itching to make a proposal themed explosion box, or cards for wedding showers, groomsmen/bridal parties and more. I do not have the capacity to create entire wedding invitation suites; however, I am interested in thinking about other ways that my designs could play a role in celebrating these special moments!