We simply adore these indie made cards designed by Abigail de Jesus. The unique designs are ideal for letting your loved ones know just how much you care! Join us for our interview with the creative mind behind Completely Gail.
Can you tell us how Completely Gail got started?
Ever since college, the dream of having my own greeting card / stationery business was always brewing in my mind. I would always make cards for friends out of any kind of paper I could find and they seemed to like them. Completely Gail, however, was officially born in 2009, after a friend of mine recruited me to make her cousin’s wedding programs. Since then, I’ve been doing wedding invitations, greeting cards, and the like.
Describe a typical day for you.
I usually start my day by going to church. Two reasons – it forces me to wake up (mass is at 8am) and gives me a clear head. After mass, I go back to my home office and dream away. =) Most days I work on filling orders, but I am trying to spend more ‘working’ days out of the house and do more designing.
When you left your previous job to pursure Completely Gail full time, did you face any challenges in the transition?
The biggest challenge I faced (and am still facing) is being my own boss. There’s no one around to tell me what to do and when I should be doing it. I work from home and there are so many things that distract me…the tv, my bed, chores…you’ve got to be self-disciplined and self-motivated to do this kind of thing.
When you’re not busy creating cute new designs or fulfilling orders, what can we find you doing?
There are usually a few places where you’ll find me when I’m not at home…
Church – My husband, Mark, and I are the youth ministers at Holy Family Church in Artesia, so that keeps us busy. We love being able to share our experiences with God & ministry to the youth.
Disneyland - We love to take walks around Disneyland (it’s great to have annual passes!). Whenever either of us is stressed out, we’ll usually make our way over there to loosen up.
Costco – We wander dangerously through the aisles of Costco and love to eat all the samples!
A National Park - Mark and I are starting to fall in love with the national parks. We plan to visit some this year – Grand Canyon, Zion, etc. He’s forcing me to hike more! Just kidding, I love it.
With Family & Friends – They’re my biggest supporters so the least I could do is hang out with them as much as I can!
Tell us about your latest collection! What were your inspirations for these designs?
The Toujours (French for ‘always’) 2012 Collection is one of my favorite collections so far. I did a collection for Valentine’s Day last year, but this one had more focus. I started with a soft, romantic color scheme and from there it blossomed. I was inspired by the French and little quirky things that remind me of my hubby. I love it because you can give them any time of the year!
Coming soon to Ruche! (See here: http://bit.ly/wu89QU)
You also make personalized invitations. Can you tell us more about them? What sort of events do you make invitations for?
I actually started by making personalized wedding invitations & programs. I’ve also made invitations for baby showers, birthdays, baptisms, graduations…anything worth celebrating! The idea behind Completely Gail is making things ‘completely you’ – using what you love and adding that into the design. My inspiration when I design usually comes from personal things and experiences, so I figured why not share that concept with others.
Do you have any advice for people who have hopes to pursuing more creative careers like you did?
It’s never too late to do what you love. I have plenty of friends that don’t figure out their passion until after they’ve spent years in their careers. I feel so blessed to be able to do what I do at this time in my life and best of all, my family and friends support me in it!
♥
Do you adore Completely Gail as much as we do? Follow more of her work here:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/completelygail
Contact: info@completelygail.com
xo,
Ruche
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