5 Years

Hello friends!

You've been warned! This is a long, wordy, photo heavy post!

I thought for this milestone birthday I would take a look back at the last 5 years. Let me say, going through photos and writing this up was very emotional. Neat and Tangled is so deeply intertwined with my family and friendships, and honestly myself, that looking back at photos transports me to different points in my life, professionally and personally.

For those of you who might be new to Neat and Tangled, or old friends who might not be familiar with the inner workings of N&T, I am Danielle, owner and one of the product designers for Neat and Tangled.

For the first 2 years I was a totally one woman show. But as we grew, I needed help, and my husband, Mike, lovingly gave up his free time to pack orders offered to help. Haha! This is us.

After that came Miriam and Elena, our other product designers and design team members. Miriam is also our design team coordinator, and great at keeping me motivated and on task ;)

The ultra organized, Heather Ruwe is our Little Tangles challenge blog organizer!

Next up was Sarah, my sweet friend, and our customer service manager!

We also have Marla, who does 99% of our packaging and is seriously superwoman. But somehow I don't have a picture of her!

I've also been known to recruit our kids...

We've also had a TON of incredibly talented designers share their time with us as part of our design teams over the years, but you'll get to see them all later this month!

As you can see, this is a pretty tight knit crew. I truly believe in surrounding yourself with people who understand your vision, and have the same good energy!

Now buckle up kids, I'm taking you on a ride!

This was me, and our middle child, Miles, in June of 2012 on vacation. I'll never forget working that week on getting the online store set up between beach trips, naps and ice cream. If you look on the table next to me you'll see my laptop, and below it a book about using Adobe Illustrator!

July of that same year I attended the CHA summer show in Chicago! I got to see a card I had published in Paper Crafts magazine on display in their booth. And I got to meet lots of new friends, including one of my very best crafty friends, Chari Moss.

Neat and Tangled was born that August! We released 6 stamp sets.

I can remember the excitement I had packing those first orders in our basement!

We would get products ready on our living room floor and kitchen table (still do sometimes!)

Over the years we have grown so much! Our logo went from this

to this

I started to learn hand lettering

thankfully it got better! 

I even did some pieces for a friend's wedding!

We started the Little Tangles Challenge blog!

We got pregnant with our third baby, a girl!

 She got an Amy Tangerine onesie from Jennifer McGuire, so I'm pretty sure that means she is destined to be a great crafter!

We started the sequin trend when we introduced them  in 2013!

Over the years we have also introduced stencil and die product lines!

We said goodbye to our first home, which was really, really hard.

And built a new one, in a new town, which was so difficult but now I understand was where we were meant to be!

We added a new dog to our pack! Gus, who is a lazy co-worker, but great at cuddling!

Sarah and I took a sweet little trip to meet current design team member, Cheiron Brandon, and craft our hearts out! I also rode the subway which was huge because, well, I hate germy places. 

And this spring we hosted our first in person card making event!

There is so much more I could share, but you'd be reading for days!

I can honestly say that I love making cards, I love making new products, and I love making cards with the awesome products we design. But what I love most is everything I've learned, all the growth I've had, and most importantly the friendships I have formed through this hobby and business.

I think it's important to mention that there have been tough times too, my fair share of tears, frustration and lost sleep.  That time Mike had surgery and insisted on trying to work one armed...

Lots of second guessing,  plenty of personal missteps when it comes to running a business and being a wife/mom/friend/daughter. And more spilled sequins than you can imagine! But with each challenge, I reflect, and I learn, and it has made this adventure even more worthwhile!

So if you are still reading, thank you! Thank you for your excitement and support! Thank you for sharing your creations! Thank you for being a part of this story!

xo

Danielle