Interview with Twenty.Two.Designs
We recently interviewed Designer & Owner – Kelly Gabor of Twenty.Two.Designs. Kelly creates printable cards, invitations, and paper crafts for all sorts of parties and special occasions, which are available on her Etsy shop.
Kelly has even used some of our PrintWorks Paper and Cardstock in her designs. We love seeing how her printable cards turn out!
Learn more about Kelly and her work below!
Tell us about yourself.
“I’m Kelly, a coffee aficionado, eager adventurer and a crafting fanatic. I graduated with degrees in both Fine Arts – Painting and Graphic Design from a college in Erie, PA. For the last several years I’ve been working full time as a graphics designer for a small firm. I love making things, anything really! My interests range from painting, embroidery, paper crafting to cooking. I live with my husband in a rural area outside of Pittsburgh, with our dalmatian, Dozer. Aside from arts and crafts, my husband and I really enjoy watching movies, being outside, traveling to new places and scuba diving.”
How did you begin making party invitations?
“It all began when I was helping friends and family members plan their own special days. Then when I was engaged, planning my own bridal shower and wedding. I really enjoyed picking a direction or theme for the event and creating a look for the printable cards and invitations. This was one of the reasons I started Twenty.Two.Designs.”
What inspired you to start Twenty.Two.Designs? What is it about?
“I work full time as a graphic designer at a small boutique studio in Pittsburgh. Most of my design work there is really content-heavy and sometimes is creatively draining. Quite a few of my clients are in the medical or legal fields, so I don’t really get the chance to do many concept driven pieces or illustrations. I loved creating invitations and other decorations for my special days and helping friends/family, so I decided to expand and start my Etsy shop.”
Where do you get your inspiration to create your designs?
“Cute things I see while out, something on tv, magazines, just about anything really.”
With so many types of papers and cardstocks available, how do you choose the right paper for your creations?
“It depends on what I’m working on. I really enjoy papers that have a unique texture or features like a speckletone, or a glittery shine. If I’m working on a project that has a solid color background or is a one-color design, instead of printing full color ink on white paper, I like to use a colored stock. Papers come in a wide variety of colors and offer a more vibrant selection than what most home printers can accommodate. Using a colored stock really makes the piece pop!”
Kelly made these with our Valentine’s and Glitter Cardstocks!
Do you have a favorite holiday/life event to create invitations for?
“I love designing for kids parties because of the unique themes they often request. Plus they are always full of excitement to see the decorations on their big day.”
Any advice for someone interested in learning how to make personalized invitations?
“I use Adobe Illustrator for designing invitations. While this program might seem intimidating, there are a bunch of really great tutorials out there to help. I usually start designing an invitation to gather my ideas and then branch into matching items like favor tags, party signs and banners.”
What other projects/endeavors are you working on for Twenty.Two.Designs?
“My husband and I moved over the summer, and I finally have ample space to set up my studio. Currently with my Etsy shop I just sell digital downloads of all my invitations and cards. In the new year, I’m hoping to branch out, selling actual printed pieces as well other party items like banners and cake toppers. I’d also like to include items for Valentine’s and Christmas.”
Follow us @printworksdiy on social media for more craft inspiration, and visit our Store to check out the rest of our product line.
