Feature Friday: Lilacs 'n Wood

What do your greeting cards look like? Probably paper, right? Masha, the entrepreneur behind Lilacs 'n Wood decided that her greeting cards needed to be something, well, different. Introducing the wooden greeting card. Handlettered with love and care, these greeting cards are unique and absolutely gorgeous. I sat down with Masha to get a bit more of her story. Here's how Lilacs 'n Wood started and what inspires Masha. Also, be on the lookout for a fun collaboration  happening on Instagram! (There may be some presents!)

Tell me a little bit about yourself and your work. Where are you from? What do you do?

Originally, I’m from Russia, but moved to Calgary when I was 7, and have been here ever since. I’m a chemical engineering student at the UofC and have lots of hobbies mostly all focused on art – nail designs, henna and of course, my greeting cards. We hand make each card, which is why no two cards will ever be the same. By making a wood collection, we hope to refresh the greeting card stereotype by reusing natural Canadian materials.

What inspires you to do what you do? How did you start doing this work?

We had the idea of starting this company completely out of the blue. We thought that greeting cards were getting too boring and that it’s so hard to find a nice, simple greeting card which doesn’t have silly drawings. That’s why we slowly started coming up with the company. Inspiration comes from people and their wants and their lifestyles and of course, the Canadian nature.

What inspires you most about your community?

Community is what inspires our cards. By seeing what people want and what they find appealing gives us ideas that we think the public will like. We can make anything customizable just to please our customers.

If you could give anyone who is starting out in your field (business, non-profit, etc.) one piece of advice, what would it be?

Know where you will be selling your products and make sure you have the right products and suppliers for the materials you need. Know your target audience and believe in your product. Do something unique and creative and know why your product stands out.

Tell me three fun facts about yourself or your organization.

• I like to write my notes on blank paper because that way you are not constricted by lines or grids that you need to stay in.
• I colour code, but most of my writing is done in black ink.
• I absolutely love calligraphy, and love learning new techniques in writing it.

How can people get in touch?

Website: www.lilacsnwood.ca

Facebook: lilacsnwood

Instagram: @lilacsnwood

Do you know of a person, business, non-profit or other organization doing amazing work in Calgary? Tell me about it! Visit the Feature Friday page for more information!