I recently had an email chat with Danielle the owner of Neat and Tangled to get a bit of insight into the company. Sit back, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy what Danielle has to tell us all about the Neat and Tangled company.
Q: Can you share the story of how Neat and Tangled was born?
A: Neat and Tangled was actually my husband’s idea! After our second child was born, I had gotten pretty big into stamping and cardmaking. Over dinner one night we were talking about our financial situation, I was a stay at home mom, and I would probably need to return to work. I had said that I wished there was some way to turn the hobby I loved so much, into a business so I could continue to stay home with the kids and do something that really excited me. He very casually suggested, “Well, why don’t you try to make your own stamps?”. I took his suggestion and immediately got to work! It is so hard to believe it has already been 5 years!
Q: Is there a back story behind your companies name?
A: Yes! Neat and Tangled was originally my Etsy shop. I had opened it to sell little stuffed amigurumi toys I crocheted. I found it so beautiful how crochet was really a series of creating loops and tangles, but the end result could be so precise and neat. So Neat and Tangled seemed like a great way to describe what I was doing! It also perfectly describes life, which can sometimes be a little crazy, and other times really together! It was the name of my blog too, so I just carried it into the business.
Q: What is your favorite type of craft?
A: I love paper crafting, particularly cardmaking, since it is small scale and I can complete a project relatively quickly. Although I can be a slow cardmaker so sometimes a single card can easily take me a few hours. I also love to crochet, although I have trouble finding the time for it lately!
Q:Who is the designer of the stamps for your company?
A: There are three of us that design products. Myself, Miriam Prantner, and Elena Roussakis. It’s really wonderful to work with them, as we all have our own styles and that allows us to provide a great variety of products!
Q:Is there a stamp in your collection that is your favorite? Why?
A: It’s so hard to pick a favorite! But I think I would have to say currently it’s a tie between our Awesome and Bloom stamp sets. Awesome is one that has a great mix of sentiments that work for all occasions! It also has coordinating dies to make it even more fun! And I love the flowers and message of the sentiments in Bloom. This will surely be changing as I know we’ve got some really fun designs coming out soon!
Q:Where does the inspiration come from for the stamp designs?
A: For myself, I find inspiration in clothing, especially children’s clothing, Probably because with 3 kids I look at it so much when I’m doing never ending piles of laundry! I also look to fabric a lot for patterns. And I LOVE hand lettering, so artists that I follow are always a great source!
Q:Are there any new items you can let us in on…maybe something no one else knows?
A: We have some really amazing new products coming down the line this year! Here are a few peeks of what’s coming to you for September!
Q: How large is the Neat and Tangled family (company)?
A: Neat and Tangled is still a very tight knit operation. It started with just myself doing it all from stamp design, to order fulfillment and everything in between! But as it grew I needed some help. That is when I brought on Miriam as another product designer, and my husband took over order fulfillment. He works full-time by day, and is packer extraordinaire by night! I really hit the jackpot with him! Since then Elena has joined us as a product designer, Sarah who handles all of our customer service, and Marla that helps with product. We also have our incredibly talented design team that make our products shine! And our kids also love to lend a hand anyway they can! I am so grateful to be surrounded by a truly wonderful group of people!
Q:Can you let our customers know what your release schedule is so we can all be on top of when to expect new goodies from Neat and Tangled?
A: We have a new release the first full week of every month with the exception of December. We like to give ourselves, and the design team the month off to relax, and enjoy the holiday season!
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