An Interview With A Paperie Designer

Sopha & Co. have been contributing to the boutique paperie world of Indonesia for more than 3 years! The who's who behind this little studio is a lovable petite young mother called Diana Sopha. When our customers and friends visit our studio, they usually have more questions about Sopha & Co. than their paperie needs :D So, we've decided to do a mini interview with Diana to give us a glimpse of the Happy Go Lucky world of Sopha & Co. Enjoy reading the interview and if you do have any questions about us or paperies, don't hesitate to contact us! We love creating new friends and sharing knowledges!

Diana Sopha in her studio

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Thank you for these questioners,... it makes me stop for a while, looked back and think and hope and dream and,... be thankful to God.

1. Tell us about how you started Sopha & Co.

I have always been strong in the arts & crafts area and have been making hand-made cards along with other nick-nacks since forever. 
Sopha & Co. was started shortly after we had Belle, our first born, because we needed extra money; but more than that I was looking for something I can be proud of that I can call MINE (and HIS..., but my name is on it—that was his idea) hehehehehe...

Back than, I used to have the computer in my bedroom so that I can work back and forth while being close to Belle. To initiate the business my parents agreed to back us up with the initial capital, and so the first Sopha & Co.'s card I designed was created on 23rd December 2008.

2. What are the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?

On the early days, Juan and I used to use our Sundays (the only family day we have) to drive around town (sometime out of town) to distribute our cards. 

Moreover, In the beginning up to recently, everything were mostly done by me. These include: design, marketing, production, distribution, billing, accounting, and many other endless tasks. Of course there are times when I felt like calling it OFF. In fact, I had one of those just a couple of months ago. 

In these past years I have finally found something I'm passionate about and that's important! Maybe that's what keeps me going. After all, nothing great were created in a instant, they can only be achieve with perseverance and love; so I choose to persevere and to love.

3. What are your dreams and hopes for the future of Sopha & Co.?

I'm inspired by smart and strong women such as: Martha Steward and Oprah for their courage to follow the path they believe in.

I hope that Sopha & Co. will always be the creative outlet where I can pour my ideas and bringing them to life.

It is my hope that we keep improving, inventing and perfecting our products that in turn will improve and contribute to the world.

It is my dream that someday soon Sopha & Co.'s products would be distributed and be known across the globe. 

As tiny as we are, I'm thankful to finally being able to be joined by a team and I'm hoping that our team will grow.

Lastly, to the two persons who have invested in me and my dream — I hope to make my parents very proud.

Another Bazaar!

Meet us at The Encore Year End Winter Bazaar!

Dec 2-3 (Friday & Saturday) 11AM-6PM

We will be partnering with 2 vendors: Pansophia & MochaMochi

Sopha & Co Christmas Tags

During this festive season, we also print CHRISTMAS TAGS!

They are useful for presents and even christmas tree decoration

There are 3 sets of designs to choose from

you will receive a pack of dozen 

(4 pcs of 3 designs)

Order Now!

email: info@sophacompany.com

TAG CHRISTMAS 1

TAG CHRISTMAS 2

TAG CHRISTMAS 3

Free Tutorial - Fabric Rosette

We all love freebies! Here's one on how to make fabric rosettes from littlebirdiesecrets.. Happy crafting and stay tuned for more!

Fabric Rosette Flower Tutorial

fom littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com

 

SUPPLIES:

1. Fabric - I like anything from the special occasion section at the fabric store, but you can also use an old t-shirt, quilting cotton, etc.
2. Scissors
3. Fabric glue - my fave is Fabri-Tac by Beacon Adhesives. You can find it at JoAnn and other craft/fabric stores
4. Optional - beads or buttons, plus needle and thread

HOW TO:

1. Cut or tear a strip of fabric 1" wide (tear it for a shabby look). The length of your strip will determine how large or small your flower is. I use about 22" long for smaller flowers, 44" inches (width of fabric) for large, and about 60" for extra large. How loosely or tightly you wrap your fabric will also determine the size.
2. For the center of your rosette, tie a knot in one end of your strip.
3. Dab a little fabric glue on the knot. A little goes a long way.
4. Hold the knot with one hand and twist the strip with the other. As you twist, turn the knot, wrapping the fabric around it. Every 1/4 to 1/2 turn, dab a little more fabric glue to hold it together.
5. Continue twisting, turning, and gluing. Play around with how tightly or loosely you wrap to see what you like best.
6. When you get to the end, leave a short tail.
7. Cover the bottom of the rosette with more fabric glue, then press the tail down on it. This will ensure your rose really stays together.
8. Optional: Using a needle and clear (transparent) thread, sew beads or buttons in the middle.

Christmas Bazaar

It's November already! Time sure flies!

Sopha & Co is participating in a Christmas Bazaar

You can buy our packaged Holiday cards at MochaMochi's stand

For a special Christmas price only available at this bazaar!

Come and grab our cards at:

MOCHAMOCHI STAND

JICC CHRISTMAS BAZAAR

Date: Thursday, 24 November 2011

Time: 10am to 5pm

Venue: Kemang Vilage, Jl. P. Antasari No.36P Jakarta

Free Entrance open to all

For more information and maps, visit:

http://www.jicconline.com/events.html

Home is where the heart is

We love oogling at beautiful pictures for hours and hours browsing the internet.. They are fabulous as inspirations and some of them are surprisingly easy to recreate for your own home.  These compilation from decor 8 blog are just gorgeous! We love muted colors with a dash of bright colors...

When the Dragonfly was United with the Bird

Working together with our partner at Red Envelope we produced this beautiful and modern wedding stationery for Willy & Ellen. The theme were based on the outdoors. It was where the dragonfly and the bird met and united under the big tree.

Freebie — Monster Mouths

Download our party hat template as seen in our "PARTY CRAFTY by Sopha & Co." book at:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/153859523/Sopha-Co-Mouth

You can purchase the book only for USD 5.99 at:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/diana-sopha/crafty-party-by-sopha-co/ebook/product-21107241.html

Enjoy!

 

Freebie — Party Hat

Download our party hat template as seen in our "PARTY CRAFTY by Sopha & Co." book at:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/153857549/Sopha-Co-Hat

You can purchase the book only for USD 5.99 at:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/diana-sopha/crafty-party-by-sopha-co/ebook/product-21107241.html

Enjoy!

 

Baby Manyue (One Month)

This special baby celebration is unique to the Chinese tradition. Where the Westerners throws baby showers before the birth of the baby, the Chinese celebrates one month after the baby is born. The traditional purpose of the celebration is to introduce the newborn to families and friends. Showing off how cute, chubby, wubbly and healthy the baby is :D

Why one month? There are several versions of answers to that question, but I like to think that both the mum and baby needs the rest after birthing and can't accept guests before then, let alone throw a party for the baby. Nowadays, the happy parents usually send out a parcel to friends and families to mark their baby's one month anniversary. 

What's inside the parcels you ask? Again, there are many variations but red-stained eggs and angku (turtle-back shaped rice cake filled with mungbean paste) are the two main stars of the package. These parcels are usually homemade by the celebrating family but thanks to today's convenience, there are many cake shops or catering companies that sells pre-packaged parcels and all we need to do is order.

At Sopha & Co., we like to reinterpret the traditional and take things to the next level. Here's our UNtraditional baby manyue parcel, consisting of: 

Jelly Pudding

Marshmallow

Brownies

Last but not least, of course you can have other items and have the box customized to your liking.

Contact us to discuss your baby's manyue parcel!

International Voyage

Our greetings cards are all wrapped up and ready to go on it's first international voyage to... drum rolls please..

HONG KONG!

We are so excited to have our whole card range exported to the land of the Golden Egg where anyone can try their luck. Sopha & Co's workshop have been working overtime like Santa's workshop nearing Christmas! Cards decked on every surface, the printer going on and on printing paperwork and endless packaging materials strewn on the floor 24/7. Walking around the office is like walking through a maze! 

Oh what a relief to have them counted, packed, stacked and ready for shipping. It has been a steep learning curve, but one that marks the growth of Sopha & Co to becoming an International paperie company. We hope to expand to other nations as well, spreading the Happy Go Lucky philosophy and bright smiles around the world with our cards. We welcome all ideas and inquiries, please direct them to: info(at)sophacompany.com.

Thank you for your support and feedback friends and family! We have come this far because of you. Keep following us for more updates!

Sopha & Co Team