Giveaway: Paper Creations by Mayla Studios

TWB is so excited to introduce a giveaway here on the blog! Barbara, the creative force behind Mayla Studios, has offered up 25 customized save the dates OR 25 personalized thank you cards to the lucky winner. How amazing is that?








Mayla Studios provides a little bit of everything in terms of pretty paper goods. The shop specializes in entire invitation suites, baby shower invites, wedding and event paper goods including escort cards and seating charts, wine labels, cake and cupcake toppers, high chair banners, door decorations...the list goes on and on. And she's always up for new and challenging ideas! She's been keeping busy with weddings, getting ready for the Fall 2011 season and has tons of save the dates for 2012. In Barbara's own words, she describes how she got started in this business below.

"I went to college for Communications and have been taking graphic design since high school. I've had administrative jobs in Washington, DC that required my design skills but my designing really took off when my best friend joined a shoe club called 'Hello Stiletto' {a nationwide shoe club, but she started the Tampa, Florida sector}. She would hold events and happy hours and asked if I could design banners, invites, and business cards for her. I was happy to because there wasn't much pressure there and it was fun!

But then...she got engaged. She completely blindsided me one day and asked me if I could design her wedding invitations. I said 'no', flat out. I would not, under any circumstance touch something as important and once-in-a-lifetime as wedding invitations! Anyhow, if you know my BFF, then you know she doesn't give up. Ever. So just to shut her up, I finally agreed. She took a trip up to DC to visit me one weekend and we ventured over to a local stationery shop that specializes in wedding & event invitations. After surfing the 100's up 100's of books they had, it dawned on me. This is something I could totally do! This isn't so hard. And with the help of the most supportive and amazing friends and family, here I am! What started as a hobby has turned into a full out business!

I'm still learning the ins and outs of the bridal business, but a general rule I've learned is that motto "A bride {client} is always right". I've also had to learn that people have many different tastes. What I may find beautiful isn't necessarily what another person may find fit for their event. It's a lot of back and forth with design. I don't expect to get a design or idea perfect in the first shot, it's a process. One that I hope to keep doing for a long, long time."








To enter for the chance to win 25 save the dates OR 25 thank you cards, just visit Mayla Studios' Etsy shop and come back here to tell us in the comments how you would use an item designed by Barbara for an upcoming event. Be sure to leave your email address in the comment. Only one entry per person for this one.

The giveaway will end at 5PM Eastern time Friday July 22nd. The winner will be announced on the blog on Monday July 25th. Good luck!