10 Questions with Pink Paislee

It's fun, it's pink, and it's yummy! What could this be? Why, a brand new scrapbook manufacturer called Pink Paislee! At the 2008 Winter Craft and Hobby Association a new company opened its doors and found itself thrust into the limelight. Owners Rebecca Cross and Holly McCaig introduced the scrapbooking world to their Office Lingo and Spring Fling lines along with alphabet stickers and oh-so-cool clear stamps.

Here's a further peek into Pink Paislee!

1. Rebecca, for years you owned a very successful online store, Create My Keepsake. What made you decide to change from a store owner to manufacturer?
   
   I loved being a retail store owner; however my work experience has always been in brand marketing and direct marketing so I had a very strong desire to develop and launch a new brand within the scrapbooking industry. In addition to that, my husband (and business partner) has over 20 years of experience in product packaging and manufacturing. It just seemed natural for us to form a company that would allow us to combine our previous work experience.
   
   
2. Holly, you come from such a creative background: digital design work, photography and much more. How did you get your start in digital design work? How did your business grow?
   
   I was always creative as a child, constantly drawing! I didn't want to embrace that first love and thought I'd become a high school teacher, until I realized that I loved art again. So, I chose to pursue my education in graphic design and printing where I learned photography as well. I spent time working for others in various types of jobs in the industry anywhere from putting together training manuals to screen-printing t-shirts. You name it, I've done it! I knew in my heart that the only way to make me happy would be to pursue my own business and with dedication and hard work, it's paying off. I always have felt that referrals are a business owner's best friend. If you don't have to pay for advertising then you're doing something right. And, I enjoy meeting new people and seeing where it takes me.
   
   
3. How did the two of you meet?
   
   We were actually introduced via email through a mutual friend. At the time I was looking for someone to integrate our online community into the online store for createmykeepsake.com and Holly agreed to "take on" my project. It didn't take long for us to form a business relationship that later progressed into a friendship.
   
   
4. Holly, your Pink Sugar Pop . stamps are so fun and are now a part of the Pink Paislee product line. What prompted you to move into designing clear stamps?
   
   I really love to doodle and sketch - so I had introduced a few things of that nature to the digital scrapbooking market. They were well received and that's when I decided to look into the costs of producing my own stamps. It was affordable for me and a way to get my designs out there to the traditional crafter. I feel pretty blessed that we can grow those designs now through production at Pink Paislee.
   
   
5. I know Holly is a fan of pink. How did you come up with the concept for the Pink Paislee name?
   
   Actually, I had selected the name Pink Paislee before I knew about Holly's other pink-themed companies. In fact my original inspiration for the company name came after reading a business article about a frozen yogurt company called PinkBerry. I fell in love with that name instantly and spent an entire day trying to come up with my own fun "pink" name! When I finally told Holly about the company name we got a big kick out of it because she had just launched Pink Ink Studios and Pink Gnome Photo. It was pure coincidence but it does fit the overall pink theme.
   
   We are so passionate about pink that we just went live with our "Live Pink" social network over at www.pinkpaislee.com. This area of our website is dedicated to our fans, our retailers and our friends. It is a very dynamic network of members that allows the end user to add friends, view videos, share project photos, and more! It is "The Facebook of Scrapbooking" or as we are calling it, "A Creative Lifestyle."
   
   
6. You just recently returned from the CHA show in Anaheim. What was the response to Pink Paislee and the products?
   
   The response has been amazing! We are beyond thrilled with the enthusiasm from the retailers, the media, and the "scrappers" thus far. The show went well beyond our expectations.
   
   
7. Holly, where do you find your design inspiration? And I love your color combinations. Does anything in particular influence the colors you chosen?
   
   Inspiration is everywhere. You just have to open your eyes. For me, color is like a "high." There are movies I see that make my heart beat fast and engage my senses - and then, there's shopping! Oh yeah, shopping gets me going. I don't even have to spend money. I see prints and patterns and color combos and instantly think about how I can bring those things into the scrapbooking world. It drives my mother crazy when we go to Target.
   
   
8. I have to ask, what is the process like from creating a paper to printing it to holding in your hands? Could you share with us the steps involved and timeframe?
   
   It varies probably with each design. Sometimes actual paper is involved, sometimes it's straight out of Adobe Illustrator and other times it goes in the recycle bin. I can spend hours on something and trash it. My ideas don't always look like what I thought they would when I'm done. But, I will say this - the end result is exciting! Feeling the papers in your hands and smelling the fresh smells of your stamps off the production line. Way cool - but even more so amazing is the feedback we get from the users. We're fortunate to work with a local printer that allows us to avoid delays that can become involved if there is a problem. You certainly need to understand the printing side of things before designing and I'm glad I have that background. (Yes, I've run a printing press before!)
   
   
9. What do you think makes Pink Paislee different from other manufacturers?
   
   Oh...this is a tough question. I love that there are so many different manufacturers in this industry. Consumers as a whole need product variety and choices.
   
   Our major difference at this stage is our technical advances and dedication to keeping the retailers and consumers informed and involved. We offer our retailers quick and easy online ordering and order tracking which surprisingly isn't offered by every manufacturer.
   
   We are also the first manufacturer to offer an interactive "Facebook" type of community for our fans and retailers. Our Live Pink community is a destination for consumers, retailers, and media personnel to learn more about Pink Paislee while they interact with other members on the site.
   
   
10. And last what do you both visualize for the future of Pink Paislee? what products would you like to offer?
    
    Rebecca: Our vision was to create products that have a shabby chic feel while using color combinations that go beyond the norm. That will continue to be our vision for future product releases as well. We are currently working on adding new product categories to our line so you will definitely see some fun new products from us this year!
    
    Holly: Engaging our users. We want to create from our vision, but also meet their needs too. We love receiving feedback from crafters and have even started to incorporate some of those ideas in the future. Now, to step up our game and bring you an amazing summer release - WOOHOO!

Thanks so much to Rebecca and Holly for a peek into Pink Paislee! I wish them continued success and cannot wait to see their next release!