Chunks<\/a>, the hair clips, they\u2019re another brand that looks to break that stigma around what it\u2019s like to make products in other countries. I think a lot of people don\u2019t understand how many products come from other countries, or even made in small businesses in other countries. There are small businesses that are making your stuff! We choose to do that because I think they make really great quality products and that\u2019s always what I want to deliver to our customers.<\/p>\nTMD<\/strong>: <\/strong>Absolutely. I really love how you\u2019re keeping sustainability at the root of what you\u2019re doing, making sure it\u2019s all ethically sourced. That\u2019s a great thing to keep in mind.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\nMF: <\/strong>Yeah, I try to keep plastic out of our packaging whenever I can. Even if that\u2019s just telling the manufacturer that we want them to reduce plastic in shipping it to us. Sometimes if you order things, everything will come shipped in plastic, so I\u2019ll just tell them, \u201cPlease ship it in something else. This is not a product that\u2019s going to go bad, so we don\u2019t need it shipped in plastic.\u201d (We also do) things that kind of stray away from having too much plastic (inherently). We do buttons, sticker sheets, metal safety pins, things like that that I know can be reused for many years to come. Every product that you make, you have to think about how many years it\u2019s probably going to be on the earth after you\u2019ve created it. I want to spend the time to make something good that doesn\u2019t feel like junk.<\/p>\nTMD<\/strong>: <\/strong>I noticed there\u2019s a scrapbooking vibe to your brand. Is that something important to you? Making memories through stationary?<\/p>\nMF:<\/strong> Absolutely. Back when I developed the brand, over a year ago now, I really thought about what kind of brand that I would want to create. Because it\u2019s so accessible to do things like create your own website, start your own fashion brand, create your own products, I was really turned off by the idea of making clothing, because there\u2019s already so much clothing out there. \u2026 So I wanted to deviate from that. I took time to think about it and I was like, \u201cWow, every other industry has merch. There\u2019s things for fashion lovers, there\u2019s things for girls who like makeup, there\u2019s things for sports teams. Why is it that crafty girls don\u2019t have their own merch or brands or things they can wear that they feel can represent them and their hobbies?\u201d Obviously you can go and shop at a Michaels or a Joann or a Hobby Lobby, but it\u2019s not the same as saying, \u201cI really love this brand and they make these items specifically designed in mind for someone like me who loves to scrapbook and craft or sew.\u201d To put a bow on that and deliver it as a micro-brand.<\/p>\nTMD<\/strong>: <\/strong>It also offers a more original take on crafty stuff. Hobby Lobby is such a mass, broad, public thing. I think it\u2019s really neat for a smaller, more independent business to cater to somebody who might want something more original or handmade, so that\u2019s awesome.<\/p>\nMF:<\/strong> I take a lot of influence from real-life things that I would actually use. My favorite product we have right now is this collapsible pair of scissors. It fits on your keychain and I used to carry one of those with me everywhere I went for two years. Every day I would use it to open my boxes or cut up a little craft, so I was like, \u201cOk, let\u2019s make this for Unlucky Wishes.\u201d It\u2019s been one of our bestsellers, actually! So I think I just try to mimic things that I find really helpful or useful that I haven\u2019t seen on the market already.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\nTMD<\/strong>: <\/strong>For those curious about joining your mailing list, or your \u201cjunk journal\u201d as you put on the website, what is the sign up process and what do they receive?<\/p>\nMF:<\/strong> The Postcard Club is a monthly subscription. We recently just updated to new terms. There\u2019s two colors, silver and gold. So some months you might receive a piece of jewelry \u2014 that\u2019s where the distinction comes in, if you like silver or gold jewelry, so that if we send a little accessory in the mail, you can expect the right color! But other than that, you get a postcard, a sticker of some sort, sometimes a sticker sheet. Other examples of what we might send are air fresheners or a magnet. We\u2019ve also done temporary tattoos. All sorts of different goodies that all center around a theme. Once you sign up it\u2019s just like any other subscription. You\u2019ll be auto-charged on that same day every single month. And you can expect the letters at your door.<\/p>\nMD: <\/strong>All that stuff sounds cute!<\/p>\nMF: We try to keep the variety each month and change everything out. It\u2019s definitely never boring, I know that! Every time we do a new theme, everyone\u2019s like, \u201cI didn\u2019t expect that but I love it!\u201d It\u2019s kind of funny how many people tell us, \u201cI thought last month was my favorite, but now this month is my favorite!\u201d I try to put in items they can use in their junk journals or in a scrapbook. A lot of people just like to put them up on their wall and look at them, and I think that\u2019s really cute.<\/p>\n
TMD<\/strong>: <\/strong>What\u2019s next for Unlucky Wishes?<\/p>\n