Before joining the Public Service a few years ago, I’d go to work, and then come home to watch TV. I did that everyday for about three years. For those who didn’t know, I also co-hosted a Podcast which led me to get brief radio gigs with the CBC. But once that was over, I didn't have anything waiting for me once I got home. Something I could immerse myself in (other than reading). But all of that changed in April of 2019.
That April, after the Easter long weekend, I finally landed a position with the Public Service (yes, I’d been trying for many years and was so excited for this opportunity). Up until now, in my career they were hands down my favorite team. For most holidays (e.g. Christmas and Halloween), everyone’s spirits were uplifted. Teams were challenged to decorate their sections based on an assigned theme and everyone got creative. It was my first time participating in anything like it. Each pod (grouped cubicles) was responsible for decorating their areas, and thankfully I became friendly with most of them. Some of whom I’m still in touch with today. I would say I owe my current and future success to one actually. She too, is creative and her creativity really inspired me to find my inner creativity. I suddenly found myself being more active on my dormant Pinterest account. Our pod collectively contributed to the purchase, confection and installation of the decorations. It was so much fun! I think it was the camaraderie I enjoyed the most. I also enjoyed seeing what others were able to create, and the final product is always the best. My favorite was for Halloween, we'd done “day of the dead''. The office was decorated so beautifully with paper flowers in vibrant colors! I wish I had a picture to share. I'm never going to forget that specific team.
If you read this far, you're probably wondering, what is the correlation between the above and how I got into making greeting cards. Well, the person who inspired me to do this had mentioned the Cricut machine to me, and so I went with my sister to our Micheals and we split on the machine, and for a while it sat on a table in our basement. I occasionally would open the design space and try some crafts. It wasn’t until the Fall of 2020 that one night my boyfriend called me up asking me to make a greeting card for his godfather‘s birthday. I looked at him and thought “really?”. I had never actually made a greeting card before this. So that same night, I quickly Google searched Montreal Habs (that is the theme he requested). I was so amazed at the final product. Soon after I got a request from my brother-in-law, and an order from my very first customer, who ‘til this day orders from Paper Beau. Since then, I’ve made 192 greeting cards, which is more than I could ever imagine producing in just one year. When I first started I really just ran with the idea of greeting cards but I thought to myself I can’t just stop at greeting cards because realistically you can’t just halt at one thing because it's not profitable. With that being said, if you’ve followed me in the last year, you know that I have also added to our line of products cake toppers, cupcake toppers and I'm now doing celebration banners. My hope is not to become a bulk party shop. But more to continue to provide customers with a space to purchase handmade greeting cards and décor with the possibility of requesting something completely tailored to their needs. It’s more exciting to know that you can plan an event and have some custom décor!
Working on your orders brings me so much joy. I finally have something I look forward to doing everyday after work, and on the weekends! I especially enjoy seeing how happy your custom orders make you. Regardless of our new additions, the core of Paper Beau will remain our greeting cards. And I look forward to continuing to help you capture your memories or positive sentiments that you wish to communicate to your loved ones.