I’m thankful for…

I have so much to be thankful for.  If I had to list all of the blessings God has given me, they would easily fill up numerous pages of this silly blog.  But as I take time to reflect on the past 12 years of my life, I’d like to thank some very special people who have helped make this little company what it is today.

Okay… what college guy do you know that would give up most of his weekends to travel around Michigan doing art fairs with his girlfriend?  Steve unfailingly was there in good weather and bad, great shows and sleepers, early morning set-ups and late night crafting sessions. 

People often ask, "How is it working with your husband everyday?"  Doing the art show circuit together is some of the best pre-marital counseling out there.  After that, the rest is truly a breeze.

Today he’s still helping out with the ‘grunt work’, now it’s just behind a desk dealing with the everyday business that needs to be taken care of (including lugging goods to and from the stores – some things never change)

Danielle first joined the a.i. paper design crew in 2002 to help make our frames and albums… but in the matter of 6 months, we knew she had the moxie to help catching fireflies take flight.  As our very first store manager, she set the bar for the level of customer service you’ve come to expect at our whimsical gift gallery. In fact, I believe she is one of the big reasons we were voted Best Gift Shop by the Hour Detroit readers this year.

It’s very evident that Danielle cares about catching fireflies as much as Steve and I do.  That is a rare thing in today’s world of business and we are truly grateful for her enduring loyalty and dedication. 

Another question I often get asked is, "How do you have time to make all your own products?"  Well… I don’t – and that’s where our wonderful studio manager, Todd comes into the picture.  He came on board in 2003 and makes sure all our handmade wares look their very best.

It’s definitely a full time job keeping track of over 200 designs, 20 eaves troughs of ribbon spools, 16 large shelves of handmade paper, numerous stacks of stained wood bases and countless drawers of various beads, buttons, charms and findings… not to mention making sure all the orders from our 800+ wholesale accounts are filled on a daily basis.

Todd is a true pro when it comes to juggling all these responsibilities and takes pride in every a.i. paper design product as if it was his own.

Dena rejoined our family in 2006 as our Rochester catching fireflies manager and we’re so happy to have her back.  Believe it or not, she is the one who encouraged me to start doing craft shows back when we worked together in the Ann Arbor Public Schools.

Throughout the years she has helped us make our goods from time to time while also maintaining her very own handmade business.  Her creative flair and eye for looking at things in a different light can definitely be seen throughout the Rochester store.

Dena’s zest for life, caring attitude and love for all things fun and unique couldn’t be a better match for our whimsical gift gallery.

Sara is our most recent addition, coming on board in the fall of 2006.  We still haven’t officially given her ‘title’ yet because she does so many different things like… answering our phones, updating data bases, mailing out catalogs, photographing and writing descriptions for the products on the website, pulling web orders, writing press releases, designing advertisements-labels-postcards and this beautiful new a.i. paper design wholesale catalog -I could go on…

Needless to say, she has been an amazing asset to a.i. paper design and catching fireflies.  Steve affectionatley calls her ‘little April’, because like me, when given and idea or project – she immediately runs with it and always gives it her all.

Thanks to these wonderful five faces and the rest of our hard working staff, our company continues to thrive and grow every year.