On A Personal Note

I  was wandering around one of our many interesting neighbourhoods here in Toronto the other day. One that has great little shops and restaurants that are filled in the summer months, when I realized that one of my favourite paper shops had disappeared. It was one that I would find pretty cards and beautiful papery that to the touch, felt as soft as cotton with fibres that gave texture to say, wedding invitations. They also had really sweet note cards in equally pretty boxes that I used to be addicted to as much as I am to wine gums. But that was just it… I USED TO BE always collecting boxes of cards and such. I had a drawer full of blank cards ready for any occasion. What ever happened to the “personal note”?

It’s been too easy to just send a quick “Happy Birthday” by email or on social media to friends and family. My mother-in-law is great at sending handwritten notes for special occasions or just a simple “we’re thinking of you”. I know, I know, that sounds too old-school. But you know what? That’s the best kind of mail. Knowing that someone took the effort and time to send you a thought. It is a nice feeling.

Enter the dynamic duo of Meredith Shaw and Nicole Clark aka muffymade! If Meredith’s name sounds a bit familiar, that’s because she’s a radio personality, model and singer/songwriter. Together with the highly successful retail and online marketing guru Nicole Clark, they’ve created a fun-loving and personalized stationery company. They understand the importance of writing a letter, not typing one! They’ve reminded me of the simple pleasures of writing and receiving hand written notes.

Why did you start this collection and how were you inspired to develop these characters?

Meredith: I started muffymade because after years of making cards for everyone in my life, they said “you should sell these, they are really cute!” and so I did! Muffymade was inspired by the real thing — making someone you love feel special.  Every design I do now in the studio, whether it’s custom or collection, comes from a card giving experience I’ve had in my real life. Detail, humour, bright colours and sass is what distinguishes a muffy card from the rest.

In this age of digital evites and virtual birthday cards, it’s nice to get a handwritten card once in a while, right?

Meredith: It IS what we’re all about. It’s so easy to pop a card in the mail for someone — if you’ve got the right cards on hand it’s almost as easy as sending a text message — but I can’t tell you how much more it means. For just a little bit more effort you stand out and that is worth it personally and professionally. Muffymade wants to make it really easy for you to stand out with signature style.

What do you love most about creating stationary?

Meredith: I love to see the reaction when people get a muffymade card for the first time. They see themselves in my little stick people and that tickles my heart. I also really love making cards that include everyone — no matter who you love, what your religious beliefs or skin colour… happiness and love is universal and deserved by everyone.

Can you customize cards for someone’s specific needs?

Meredith: We can! That’s the best part. I like to design from photos — so people email me photos of their family, pets, wedding party, company logo, school uniform or summer camp reunion and we do it up just right! Once we have the design we can put it on note cards, chocolates (nut free & delicious!), mugs, notepads even t-shirts! The options are endless in the muffymade custom shop.

What do you want people to know about you and your work?

Meredith: That’s a hard question! I hope people like my work and get in touch because muffymade loves being a little part of your big moments. As for more about me, I’m a Toronto girl born and raised, I’m a natural strawberry blonde, I’m tall but I wear heels anyway, if you offer me bread pudding — I will eat all of it and I have a mega crush on Ryan Gosling.

We understand you’re a singer and an entrepreneur. So how do you manage to juggle all your roles without dropping the ball?

Meredith: I am! I guess I’m a creative creature at heart. There is a lot of juggling going on in my life because along with my music and muffymade, I also host a radio show on Toronto’s Boom 97.3 and I model with B&M Model Management. There’s never a dull moment! My biggest tip is to nudge… everyday just push everything a little bit further than it was the day before. It’s amazing how things that seem daunting at first — after a year’s worth of nudges — are just happening. So nudge on my friends, nudge on.