Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Karen Romero.
Ana Karen, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I first started selling cards when I was 16. I’d stock up at my local scrapbooking store on patterned paper, cardstock, glitter, ribbon, and whip up cards to sell at school. I’m not sure if I made them for Christmas or Valentine’s Day first, but lots of my friends and teachers bought them! I shortly went by the name ana rocks inc. and would write that on the back of my cards in marker. Within the year, I decided to “get serious,” so I switched the name to ana k creations and bought a stamp that went on the back of my cards.
By the time I was a senior in high school, I knew I wanted to grow up and run my own cardmaking company. I envisioned ana k creations cards being mass produced and sold in Papyrus stores. I went to Whittier College to major in business and economics to learn how to make this happen.
I made cards in college for a bit and even set up shop at the local farmer’s market once, but my interests changed. I became focused on my studies. I loved one of my professors who emphasized that a great business does well in its books, and does good in the world. Social responsibility became important to me, and I started volunteering at Bridge of Faith, a 5013© in Whittier that helps women who were in foster care become independent women of worth.
I never stopped loving paper, though. I got an internship working for the purchasing department for a paper merchant. I was being paid to buy paper—how perfect is that?!
After I graduated in 2011, my internship became full time. I’m still there today, but now as the Domestic Purchasing Supervisor. I’ve learned a lot about paper through my professional career. I’ve toured a paper mill and seen wood chips turn into pulp and make its way into a ream of copy paper. It was so cool! I have been introduced to SO MUCH cool paper. Things that Michaels doesn’t stock.
With all the paper I have access to at work, it’d be silly not to do something with it. I scratched my creative itch by designing and making invitations for friends and family. I don’t have a degree in design, all I have is my Cricut software and a lot of determination in Publisher, but I pushed myself to be creative and work with what I know. I learned a lot about my craft during this time, and I saw my style develop.
I did a few paid jobs here and there, but my goal was to have fun and just share my love of paper—so I switched my name to ana karen loves paper. (I really like my name, can you tell? Haha.) The first posts on my Instagram are some of the custom invitations I’ve done. But now I’m strictly focused on greeting cards. Not forever, I have bigger dreams, but for the time being, I’m focused on growing a greeting card business.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s been a long and winding road. I could say it took me 14 years to finally “get serious” about starting my business, but the reality is that I spent those years learning. Learning how to hone my critical thinking skills in college. Learning what the non-profit world looks like during my time volunteering. Learning about the paper industry and how to effectively work in an organization. My cards were always in the back of my mind—sometimes way, way back there—but timing never felt right.
One of the biggest struggles was in 2018. My older brother passed in the summer; Joe, my husband, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the fall; by the end of the year, the winter blues hit really, really hard. I couldn’t find joy, and a few days I couldn’t get out of bed. Thankfully I found a therapist who has helped me tremendously. In the last year, I’ve learned to slow down, set boundaries, and align myself with that I want. As I learned more about myself, I realized I needed this creative outlet. I set a goal to do a pop-up in my hometown of Whittier by the end of 2019. And once I set that goal, everything just fell into place. Timing finally felt right. But honestly, the only thing that really changed is the worth I saw in myself. It had nothing to do with time. Time is just an illusion.
Please tell us about Ana Karen Loves Paper.
Ana Karen Loves Paper sells handcrafted whimsical cards. I pull from my culture, my love for puns, and my knowledge of paper. I geek out over paper, and I carefully select the paper for each card. My best seller for Valentine’s Day was a Lotería inspired greeting. It depicts the heart from the game, so I used a deep red leatherette cardstock to give El Corazón a realistic, fleshy look. For the card itself, I used a light green smooth and pearlescent sheet to add elegance (you are after all telling someone you love them with your whole heart). The card is paired with a red envelope that has a toothy finish. (You know how sketch pad paper is somewhat rough? That’s a toothy finish.) This one card has three different finishes, and it’s shiny! I like to use paper that speaks for itself.
Besides the paper, I like to emphasize how cards help us communicate. After Joe’s diagnosis, I knew it would be so much easier if our family and friends knew, but having the conversation in person, several times with different people, felt scary and exhausting. So, we took a photo with our dog Sushi, and sent out Thanksgiving photo cards with a message going over the diagnosis, and expressing our gratitude for the support system we have in our recipients. For me, cards are an easy way to express how I feel. I hope I can encourage others to express themselves in cards too (and yes, it’s totally OK to be cheesy).
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I hate this question because every point in time is so different. But if I had to start over, I would tell myself to look within a lot sooner and start paying attention to what I really want from life.
Pricing:
- Cards are $6.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/anakarenlovespaper/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @anakarenlovespaper
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anakarenlovespaper/
Image Credit:
James Lee (the photo with me in it)
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
