Monday Meet & Greet :: Jennifer Yamzon
Well, it's MONDAY!
That means it's time for this week's Meet & Greet!
So, if you saw our Friday Friend Post, you know you're about to meet the lovely, Jen Yamzon of Parcel + Paper.
Let's sit back and get to know a little more about Mrs. Yamzon ~ ENJOY!
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Tell us a little about parcel + paper and how you got started.
I opened parcel + paper in April of 2010. It started off as a place for me to sell some of my left over paper products from my other store (The Stationery Boutique). When I opened parcel + paper I had a variety of different colored and kraft envelopes, a little bit of red and white baker’s twine, and a few other odds and ends from a few weddings I had been working on over the year. My very first sale was a pack of white butterfly confetti for $3.00.
Honestly, in the beginning I wasn’t sure if it was going to be worth it for me to keep the shop open if I was only going to have a few $3.00 sales here and there. I started to add a couple more colors of twine to see what would happen. The sales slowly started to come in, especially as I started adding more items like tags, bags, boxes and colorful tapes.
Now, not even a full year later I am approaching my 1,000th sale! I’m hoping to make it by parcel + paper’s one year anniversary!
{woo hoo, way to go Jen!!!}
What's a typical "Jen Day" like?
There is never a dull moment in a typical Jen day! I have three small boys that keep my very busy. The morning usually starts at about 6:30 when my youngest wakes up. Then it’s time to make sure my oldest is up, dressed and fed to head off to kindergarten. Then from about 8:30 to noon it’s play time with my 3 year old and the baby. On a good day the two little boys will nap at the same time and I can get some orders filled. If synchronized naps aren’t in the cards, the order filling has to wait. At 3:00 we pile into the car to pick up the kindergartner. I take this opportunity, while I’m out and about, to run to the post office to drop off any orders I may have for that day. I usually start dinner at about 4:30 or 5:00. Baths at 7:00, bed (for the kids) at 8:00. This is usually when I’ll start working on orders. Baker’s twine seems to be the top seller in my shop, and also happens to be the most time consuming to fill. I’ll usually grab my basket o’ twine and get comfy on the couch with my husband and “twine” (ideally with wine)as we watch TV. Sometimes he’ll even help!
Being a Mom of THREE, how do you balance work and family?
Without a doubt, my family always has and always will come first. I try not to do anything work related while I could be spending time with my family. Don’t get me wrong though, if the boys are playing together quietly without fighting, I’m sure going to take advantage of that time and get a few things done. Weekends are definitely a no-work time for me. This was never meant to be “work” for me, just a way to keep myself busy and make a little extra spending cash. I love doing what I do, but I love the time I have with my family more.
{And what a beautiful family she has too...look at those darling little faces!}
What do you like more...designing for paper or pretty packaging?
Gosh, I think I love them both equally. Designing stationery was my first love. Packaging it all up is just as fun! I don’t have the time I wish I had for The Stationery Boutique these days; hopefully, once the boys are a little older I can get back in the swing of things. Many of my customers are stationery designers. I think the two definitely go hand in hand.
Can you share any cute packaging ideas...we all want to use your fabulous twines & wrappings?
Every once in a while I update my blog with some creative packaging ideas…
What's one thing you couldn't live without?
Well, I don’t really want to say that I couldn’t LIVE without my iPhone, but I do have to say I spend a large amount of time on it! Especially since I’m still nursing, it’s usually what I do when I can’t do anything else. You’d be surprised how much business can get done from a rocking chair in your baby’s room!
How do you end your day?
These days the end of my day usually consists of exercising, believe it or not. I am training for my first triathlon (which is this May) so I will go for a run on the treadmill or do some P90X with my husband. It’s not ideal for me to work out at night, but as you can see, I don’t really have time otherwise!
I love my busy life!
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A big Thank You to Jen for sharing a bit about what goes on behind the scenes at Parcel + Paper!
You can check out more of what Jen has to offer here ::
I love this!
ReplyDelete<3 Jen's sissy.