I have been admiring Nicole and Candi’s work since I first saw it back in 2011. Over the years, I have been completely inspired by the incredible art they create, and I am so excited to feature them today on Fresno Friday! (Special thanks to Erica Houck for all of the photos used on the blog today! http://ericahouck.com)
Let me introduce you to the talented ladies behind TradeMark Handmade Inspired! I asked them some fun questions this week, and they had some delightful answers! They also stumbled upon a new alternative to the traditional handshake greeting that I think we should all adopt asap! But we’ll get to all of that at the end of the blog!
First, let’s take a look at their beautiful artwork! These two create seriously stunning custom stationary. Their handcrafted wedding invitations feature their original artwork that is uniquely tailored to each couple. You guys. It’s awesome. Check out some of their work here: http://www.trademarkinspired.com/collection
Here are just a few samples of their wedding invitations:
(P.s. They offer a whole list of services for weddings besides invitations! Check it out here: http://www.trademarkinspired.com/service)
If you aren’t in the market for custom invitations, you still have a reason to get excited! They recently launched their hand painted children’s line! Their artwork and cards make the perfect gifts for the little loves in your life! Be sure to see more about their children’s line, Olive and Grace here: http://www.trademarkinspired.com/olive–grace
Inspired? Me, too! Alrighty, let’s get to know more about Candi and Nicole!
When and how did you two meet each other? When did you realize you should start a business together?
We have been friends for a lot of years! Dating all the way back to the Girl Scout days! I was Nicole’s made of honor, going on all the bridal appointments and when it came time to find the perfect invite we struggled! Nicole’s an awesome girl and she wanted to showcase their style as a couple in their wedding invitation. Finally, we looked at each other and said we got this! We had no idea at the time what we were doing or getting ourselves into but they turned out amazing. Soon after friends asked us to do theirs, then friends of friends and it snowballed. Then there was that final, we got this moment when we decided to really go for it and here we are!
Would you rather never use social media sites / apps again or never watch another movie or TV show?
This is an incredibly easy question! Without any hesitation or doubt we’d drop social media like a bad habit! Plus we love movie theater popcorn way to much to ever give up movies!
What is your favorite thing to do in Fresno / Clovis?
Patio! We have actually turned it into a verb lol. We love a good patio. Rain or shine, coffee or cold beer, put us on a patio somewhere and we are happy girls!
What is the most useless talent you have?
We are going to let Nicole have all the glory on this one. She is a sound effects queen! She does a pretty convincing dolphin which comes out to play on lake days, Picalo Pete is a fun eardrum shattering one mimicking a firework and there’s the Morse code which might be my favorite! Wait, I take it back! After we have created an awesome invitation suite there’s the Eeeeeeeee. If we get the Eeeeee we know we’ve made something awesome. I get in on that one!!!
If you could replace the handshake as a greeting, what interesting new greeting would you replace it with?
We talked about this one, such a great question! We thought a peace sign. Why not toss up bunnies when you meet someone showing peace to start with rather than peace out? Or better yet, both! We could use a little more peace in this crazy world don’t you think?
What is a part of your job that people might not realize you have to do?
Probably a few things. With weddings, color is key. Once couples have selected the perfect pallet we want to stay as true to that as possible. We hand paint the original artwork to match, then digitalize, print on our end then finally off to the professional trade printer. We are checking and tweaking at every step to be sure the color is perfection. Also, and possibly most important we listen to the couples we work with. We ask a ton of questions and try to get every detail so we can really get their vision on paper. We have to take what they envision for their big day and bring it to life and getting it right every time is the goal! We aim to get the Eeeeee!
Any advice for others starting a business?
Do what you love or frankly it’s not worth it. It takes a lot of hours to make it work and we love it! If it’s what brings you happiness in this life than we say go for it!
