It's so nice to be here with you all today! What a great event! I always find it really energizing when a group of women gets together. And wow, what a group!

So, I have a question for you ladies. You didn't think you were going to get to just sit there, did you?

How many of you have dreams? Now, I'm not talking about the bad kind where you're on stage giving a speech and aren't wearing any clothes (ahem, not that I've had that one recently)—that's a whole other presentation! I'm talking about the one that starts like a little flicker of excitement in your belly, a fragment of an idea in your head. The kind that fills you with a sense of incredible hopefulness. How many of you have that kind of dream?

Show of hands?

It feels good, doesn't it?

And thank god we have our dreams—whether secret or shared; pursued in actuality or fantasy—what else would give us the energy to slog through the low points of our days, like sitting in traffic or watching the evening news without losing faith in humanity?!

Here I am getting all woo-woo talking about dreams and I haven't even taken a moment to formally introduce myself. Where are my manners? Hi there! I'm Anna Griffin, and I made my mark in the wedding industry over a decade ago by developing one of the industry's first ‘print it yourself' wedding invitations with a custom look. These days, my signature collection includes, invitations, social stationery, home office products and scrapbooking products. I also license Anna Griffin products in partnership with folks like Lenox, Department 56, C.R. Gibson, Windham Fabrics and Burnes Home Accents. Oh, and I pop in on QVC from time-to-time, where I actually get paid to craft to my heart's content with our new products.

Pretty cool, right? Well, it is now. But in the beginning, I was barely pulling in minimum wage chasing this dream (and running myself ragged in the process), which is what I want to talk to you about today, among other things.

Fifteen years ago, I got it in my head to start a wedding invitation business. Fueled by my passion for creating, a love of antiques, a deep appreciation for family and tradition, and a relentless determination to make beautiful things that help women feel special, honored, and creative themselves, it came to fruition.

Though my vision has morphed over the years (it's not like I knew at the start I wanted to have my designs available in coordinating dinnerware!) the kernel of the idea has always been a constant—to do more than create beautiful things...to create beautiful things that help people celebrate and commemorate life's big and little events. Be that through china that you take out every Thanksgiving or wedding invitations you helped design, or a scrapbook of all your ‘firsts,' which you'll one day share with your children.

I love that my designs are a collaboration with the person who buys them; that there are infinite interpretations.

I'm so excited to talk with you today, not only about how my company came to be, but about how the matriarchs of my family and my southern values have informed who I've become as a person and designer.

So, where to begin? I suppose the beginning is as good a place as any!

The thing all of my designs have in common is...well, a layer of dust—I take old things and reinterpret them for today. It's like repurposing, only with ideas.

I love old things, the older the better. My friends say I like how things look through 3 panes of dirty glass.

Hell, even my ex-husband was an antique—he was 20 years older than me!

Whether I am designing an invitation or a tote bag, I am always inspired by the past in general. But it is my past, in particular my relationship with my mother and grandmother, that really helped inform my design aesthetic and just generally make me the person I am today.

So, to tell you about how my business started, we have to go much further back than my design school graduation and tenure at Vera Wang, much further back, to two houses in a tiny town called Marshville, NC, that were separated by 4 feet and a tall row of boxwoods. One house was my great grandmother's (this was the one I grew up in). The other was my grandmother's, where I unofficially ‘studied' the art of being a proper Southern lady.

You know how little kids muse about what they'll be when they grow up? Fireman...ballerina...what did you want to be—just shout them out—[pause for responses] well, I knew what I wanted to be—an entrepreneur (yeah, try explaining that one to your third grade class!). What I spent my time contemplating was what kind of business I would start. It's only natural, considering my family tree abounded with entrepreneurs...well, entrepreneurs and artists (which answers in part how I came to this "kind" of business). I grew up in a very visual world, my mother was an artist and my aunt is an artist and both of my grandparents majored in art. I was always encouraged to notice my surroundings in a way that most people did not. I see the details first.

Growing up in my Great Grandmother's house, surrounded by all of her things that had been passed down to my father, helped form my love of antiques and collecting. I really appreciated how every little thing had a story behind it. It seemed unnatural visiting friends' houses that lacked the history so imbued in mine. Even as an adult, I find immense comfort in surrounding myself with things that have tales to tell—this has definitely carried over into my business. After I started my company, I kept thinking about the beautiful blue toile curtains that hung so regally in my grandfather's room and was ultimately inspired to create some of my first note cards. When the cards became best sellers, I felt such a sense of pride—like I was paying homage to my roots. Much to my surprise, Scalamondrie had reprinted the antique pattern, so now I have new curtains that hang in a guestroom of my house, reminding me each time I pass them of the best seller my grandparents helped me create.

When I asked my Dad to tell me what he remembers most about me in those formative years, he said he used to tell me, "Stop running in the house!" but that was my normal mode of transportation from one end of the house to the other. Of course I did other things I shouldn't have as well, like practicing dribbling a basketball with such fervor that I knocked the prisms off the chandelier. I even roller-skated in our den to the beat of Disco ‘76. When my mother could corner my sister and I, she had us doing every craft known to man at our kitchen table. We would iron crayons between wax paper to make cool designs, we would bake shrinky dinks in the oven, we made Christmas ornaments and dyed Easter eggs, I learned to cross stitch at the age of 7 and to knit my own sweater at age 17. I made so many macramé owls and planters that I could have been a set designer for That 70's Show. It all paid off in the end.

Living next door to my Grandparents was the best because my Grandmother (who is now 97 and lives in Hilton Head) cooked 3 meals a day from scratch for my Grandad, so if I didn't like what we were having for dinner, I had another choice just through the hedge. As she was the ultimate Southern cook, I could join my Grandmother for fried chicken and the most melt-in-your-mouth delicious corn bread every Sunday. She would make applesauce from fresh picked apples in her yard and let me run to the garden and pick the ear of corn I would have for dinner. Talk about local produce! When she wasn't working in her vegetable garden, or pruning her roses, my Grandmother was schooling me on the decorative arts—from flower arranging to faux finishing. She wasn't just a pretty face and homemaker, though, she was a smart cookie—she even ran the town newspaper. I don't know another soul who knows as many Latin names for plants or who could hold court over a dinner party as effortlessly as my grandmother.

It's from my great-grandmother that I developed my passion for botanical prints. At the base of the stairs, among other places in our house, were the 18th century Lady Lowen prints that I absentmindedly passed thousands of times as a child. It's funny to think that these days I spend so much time searching and collecting prints like those. I suppose I am drawn to their beauty now because I am able to appreciate it on my own.

Oh, and the antiques in her house, I definitely developed a love and respect for antiques at an early age. While most children feared the forbidden antique rugs and upholstered chairs, I had an admiration for them. I slept in a four-poster bed five feet off the ground and stored my cheerleading pompoms on an antique Sheridan breakfront while other kids slept in bunk beds and tossed their clothes with reckless abandon. You would never find clothes strewn about in my room, I knew at an early age the importance of what surrounded me and never dared to obscure their beauty with my clutter and dirty laundry.

My grandmother may not have had her own magazine or line at K-mart, but I think that I lived next to an honest to goodness Martha Stewart. I have to hand it to her, she cultivated my passion for collecting and decorating.

I didn't pay enough attention to the Latin names of all those beautiful plants and shrubs in her yard, nor did I retain every provenance on each antique that she said someday would be mine, but I did develop a love for all things old—the people and things that have come before—and I have turned that love into what I do for a living.

So, there you have it—the heart and soul behind my business. The existential answer to 'how' I started my business. It's only fair that I give you the practical version now.

It was after design school and a brief few years in Atlanta that I moved to New York and worked for designer Vera Wang, selling dresses and designing windows. At the start it was a bit of a detour from my career path, though it ended up being a handy little short cut. Despite all the frenzied brides and clichéd mothers-of-the-bride, there was something irresistible about the business of weddings. I was in love with that "pretty bride moment" and relished the opportunity to be pulled into that exuberance day after day. I knew then that the wedding industry was where I wanted to focus my design talent—in translating that hopefulness and excitement and elegance onto the page.

You know the Nike slogan, Just Do it? Well, starting my business was like that—eventually. Basically, I stopped talking about the business that I was going to have someday and started doing something about it. This motto has served me over and over again.

In the beginning, I was the quintessential jack-of-all-trades, master of none. I mean, god, my first business card really tells it all—Anna Griffin: calligrapher, invitation designer, and wedding planner! I might as well have thrown caterer and dance instructor into the mix! I was determined, that's for sure, taking any project I could get my hands on, often pro-bono. I worked long and hard. The more exhausted I became, the happier I was, convinced that I was throwing my back into it, paying my dues. Yet despite my enthusiasm and my unwavering commitment to handling every conceivable component of wedding design—and I do mean every.conceivable.component, I designed and printed the invitation, tied the bows and addressed the envelopes in calligraphy—but when I crunched the numbers, I was shocked to learn that I was barely making minimum wage. There's paying your dues...and then there's well...self punishment? I loved what I was doing, but love will only take a gal so far when she's eating peanut butter and jelly! There had to be a way to work smarter, even if I was just getting started. So I regrouped and came up with the idea of a wholesale line, which debuted at the 1995 Atlanta Gift Show. I came home with $70,000 in wholesale orders and was a manufacturer over night. And so in a 10x10 booth, my multi-million dollar company was born. Coming home from that show with the orders in hand was absolutely surreal. Up until that point I had been doing what I loved, which is a huge step toward realizing your dreams, but to have that work validated was just the motivation I needed to forge ahead full speed.

I know what you're all thinking: Why did she succeed? Go ahead, admit it! It's okay! I know you don't mean anything catty by it. It's a fair enough question. I'd certainly be asking it if I were in the audience, and I've certainly asked it of myself! What I've come to realize is that there were four main reasons: 1) initially I filled a void, 2) I had a strong perspective, 3) I seized the opportunity to bring my aesthetic and collaborative philosophy from special occasions into everyday, and 4) I recognized that the roles of designer and entrepreneur are not mutually exclusive. Sure, there was a little luck involved, when isn't there? Mostly it was good old-fashioned hard work and strategy.

Working at Vera Wang, I saw first-hand how important it was for Brides to set themselves apart, how they wanted to create an event like no other. As a graphic designer, I recognized this as an opportunity to create a custom look for invitations while encouraging people to participate by printing and assembling them for themselves. I also saw this as a chance to bring a dream of exceptionality within reach financially. Why should the wealthy brides have all the fun?!

All of which is not to underestimate the allure of simple, beautiful, old world designs. But my foothold was a fresh point of view—luxury designer look, with a DIY twist. And trust me, even though the notion of DIY is pervasive these days, it was fresh at the time! When I first started, the order of the day was a traditional engraved invitation —the concept of bringing luxury design to the DIY masses had not yet arrived. Fifteen years ago, if you wanted embellished and layered invitations, you wouldn't be looking for them on the shelves of a big box store, you'd be poring over tomes of binders in an atelier—and paying accordingly.

I was one of the first to make do-it-yourself kits in a box, where the result looked like a custom-made invitation. A new alternative to the traditional engraved invitation was born. Let's be honest, we all want to feel special, especially when it comes to momentous occasions. Feeling and being special comes down to doing things no one else does, having things no one else has, like monogrammed stationery or a custom made invitation for your latest party.

I know this is where I made a difference—I call it what I brought to the party! So, that's how things got started. There was a void and I filled it. Since then, I've strived to stay ahead of the curve.

While the first wholesale order gave me the validation I needed to continue pursuing my dream, coming up with a product like the do-it-yourself- kit in a box—one that really put the creative reigns in the consumer's hands—was a big "a-ha" moment. It was then that I realized I was doing exactly what I wanted to—and was meant to-be doing—which was not only creating something lovely and unique, but starting something that another person would finish, making it unique and their own.

This was the first step toward my crafting lines, though I didn't know it at the time.

My designs all have one thing in common; they're modern interpretations of old things. While there are definitely different moods and personalities exemplified in my lines—be that coastal queen or leopard lady—they are all ‘Anna Griffin' at the core. I attribute that to my design philosophy. Pretty early on, I established that in order to be an Anna Griffin product, it must be: pattern driven, three-dimensional, have amazing color, be large scale (the bigger the better), be embellished in some way, be renovated (meaning that we made a visual difference), but above all, be beautiful—really, what's the point, otherwise?!

It wasn't until about 5 years into it that I embraced the notion of building a brand out of my business. It's not that I wanted to see my name and designs on anything and everything (although an Anna Griffin Hollywood Star has a nice ring to it!), there just came a point where I recognized the natural potential for my designs to reach out beyond occasional celebrations into the realm of everyday. After all, why should we just treat ourselves on special occasions?

I think my interest in balancing business with creative is a huge part of why we've done so well. Most designers simply want to create—and who can blame them! They seek out competent people to be their proxy in the areas of marketing and budgeting and all the thankless non-creative components to running a business in between.

I just happen to find both —creative and business sides—equally interesting and challenging. On the creative side, I deliver the vision, direction and color palette of the products we are going to make. We can have the greatest designs in the world, but if I don't also focus on the business side of finance and logistics, we can't bring them to market. Did I mention that there are a few other sides that I have also had to take part in? The 2 am office break-ins, physically setting up my booth and loading and shrink-wrapping palettes with the product I designed are just a few of the less glamorous tasks.

So, yeah, while there are days when I really would rather be crafting, it's intensely satisfying to know, understand, and partake of the inner machinations of my own business. By maintaining at least some level of involvement in all areas of my company, I can be sure that there are no blind spots.

Nowadays I'm back to being a jack of all trades, though I'd like to think that I've earned the right to claim mastery of most of them now! So, I told you about the concrete business-specific things that I think contributed to the stars aligning for me. But there are some other things that I believe can help you be successful as a person, no matter what you do. These are the eight basic tenets that I think have helped nudge things along in my life:

1. Believe that change is good. Even if you fear it or it doesn't look good at the moment, remember, everything happens for a reason and it is up to you to find the positive reason.

2. Value your time, or no one else will. If someone else can do it, delegate. Ask yourself how much your time is worth—financially and emotionally.

3. Pay yourself first. Just like on an airplane when they say put the oxygen mask on yourself first. If you aren't taking care of yourself, you can't take care of others.

4. Be present to all opportunities. Consider the benefits and drawbacks of all prospects.

5. Take risks. The classic saying, "no risk, no reward" hasn't been around for as long as it has without truth behind it. If you're not taking risks, then you're growing.

6. Use the word AND instead of OR. You can always do more to improve yourself.

7. Be unstoppable. Get out of your own way and get excited.

8. Surround yourself with great people who share your vision to help you.

Now that you have my secrets for becoming a successful stationery mogul and generally productive person, I want to tell you about the fun part—the creating.

A lot of people are curious about where I get the ideas for my designs. I collect antique documents like original paintings for wallpaper or fabric, 18th century engravings and botanicals—I can look at that stuff all day long.

I started collecting fabrics when I was in college, going to flea markets and antique stores to find fabric fragments and antique prints. These days, I still love to prowl the vintage stores and markets, but have added Portobello Road in London to my repertoire since QVC takes me to England pretty regularly. But stateside, I have the best source every month right here in Atlanta, the Scott Antique market. I enjoy the thrill of the hunt! And while so many of my finds get incorporated into my designs, it would take me years to utilize all the goodies (which I fully intend to do!).

So, that's the culling process. Once I have the raw materials, I get to work...well, reworking. I build pattern collections much like you would decorate a room. The collections all have specific themes and color schemes based on marketplace trends. I call myself an interior decorator for paper.

From there, I design the products. I invent ways to receive an invitation, I mix media to provide depth and we layer as much as possible! There is no such thing as too much embellishment. When someone receives an Anna Griffin invitation, I want it to feel like a gift, evoking some emotion—be that surprise, delight, anticipation or all of the above. Whether you are un-wrapping it like a present or untying the ribbon and opening the vellum sleeve, it has to be engaging and, above all else, it has to make you feel special.

So, that tells you a little about the actual design process. But there's also the whole part where I come up with the product ideas. In keeping with that original notion of bringing something special within reach to all who can appreciate it—regardless of their budgets or lack thereof—it was important to me to offer several price points so a variety of women could enjoy my designs.

Just like fashion designers have tiers to their clothing lines, we created sub brands. The sub brands, Anna by Anna Griffin and Always Anna are the perfect marriage of design and affordability, offering a designer twist on traditional stationery and home office products, but in the commodity market. I love that Anna Griffin can be luxurious without being exclusive.

After all, I want to be sure that a socialite in Manhattan and a suburbanite in Marshville can enjoy sending an exquisite invitation out for a soiree and debutante's ball respectively.

"Debutante," does anyone outside of the south even use that word?! Sometimes I forget how much my southern roots shape me. I have to admit, after Southern Lady Magazine invited me to speak at this event, it got me to thinking about the ways in which my Southern upbringing influenced my life and my business. And I am proud to announce that I am, in fact, a southern lady to the core. Any other Southern Ladies in the audience? What? That's all? Get your heads out of the geography of it. It doesn't matter if you grew up in NJ or NC. Being a Southern Lady is a state of mind. It's about really wanting to know how someone's doing when you ask. It's about truly enjoying hosting friends and family. It's about offering a repair man a glass of cold lemonade on a hot day.

For my southern-ness, I once again owe a debt of gratitude to the matriarchs of my family. Not only did they make sure that I know how to properly set a table, that it's good form to send thank you notes before the wrapping paper's fully removed, or how it's the sign of a good hostess to tactfully deflect an awkward conversation at a dinner party, they made sure my childhood was positively brimming with tradition. They made sure that every Sunday after church there was a lunch equivalent to a Thanksgiving feast, that every Christmas involved grandmother's four roses eggnog (for those of you who don't know what that entails, suffice to say there is egg with a lotta nog), and that summer nights often included catching lightning bugs in Mason jars. So, when people hear my accent or witness my gentility and assume that I'm southern, they're right for all the wrong reasons. Much more than accents and an appreciation for good down home food —for me, being Southern is about traditions—building them and honoring them.

Now. Show of hands. How many eggnog drinking, firefly catching Southern Ladies are in the audience? I thought so. You all looked like you might be.

It's fascinating to me how much of the things I create fall in line with Southern sensibilities—not that it should be, only that I never really stopped to really contemplate who I am through a southern lens (speaking at a conference for Southern Lady magazine will definitely get a girl thinking!). But really...entertaining with family, displaying pictures with incredible thoughtfulness in a scrapbook or on a wall...wearing your femininity on your sleeve...stitching a quilt for a new baby...and, of course, finding and sending out lovely invitations, thank you notes, and long "just because" letters to friends on beautiful stationery...these things are so entwined with southern culture.

When I moved to NY, I would have died if I thought anyone could take one look at me and know that I came from anywhere else! I remember people would ask me, "Where are you from?" And I would answer; "I'm from the south...Bronx" It's just a thing about living in NY when you're young. But there was a moment when I worked for Vera Wang that my roots came in real handy.

I made my debut in 1985 in Raleigh, North Carolina. For those unfamiliar with Debutante balls, it's where young ladies of a certain age are introduced to society—pomp, circumstance, and white dresses abound. It was a summer of country club hopping and party dresses. But more than anything, it was a summer for tradition in its most proper form. My mother made her debut and her mother made her debut—that is how it goes. It was my turn in a long line of North Carolina women to be the proper young lady introduced to the "right" people.

I had been working for Vera Wang for two years and things were a bit slow (this was way before she became the Vera Wang!). So, I approached the store manager with the idea that Vera Wang should host a debutante gown fashion show (since the dresses are always wedding dresses, add long white gloves and forget the train). Who knew there were so many debutantes in New York City?! We hosted over fifty girls and their mothers and in one afternoon had sold over one hundred thousand dollars worth of dresses.

You can bet I wasn't ever shy about fessing up to my background after that. No, ma'am. I wore it quite proudly after that!

Also, just like any self-respecting girl who grew up in the South, I grew up with an inherent knowledge of and appreciation for Emily Posts' Rules of Etiquette. Nowadays, many a designer throws tradition to the wind, which is fine, as long as you understand the tradition that you're doing away with. I think brides appreciate that I not only thoroughly understand the wedding traditions; I honor them in my work.

All of which is not to say that being Southern hasn't had any drawbacks (or should I say drawlbacks—sorry, couldn't resist!)... let's face it, I sound like a 15-year-old on the telephone. Close your eyes. Really, I do! Between my accent and my southern soft-spokenness, I sometimes don't get the respect I deserve. But then I just demand it...in as genteel a way as possible!

I want to talk to you for a moment about the allure of stationery—which is simultaneously as obvious as the nose on your face and totally fascinating.

Being in the stationery business, there is a duty to understand the importance of written correspondence. From world leaders to renowned artists and philosophers to all of you—letters are regarded as virtually sacred documents. I mean really, who among us would deign to throw away a beautifully written letter on exquisite stationery? Part historical document, part window into a moment's emotion, letters are a universally appreciated and grossly underused means of communication. I just don't get it. Everyone. Everyone loves to receive a handwritten letter in the mail. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I get butterflies of anticipation in my stomach when I see a personal letter in the mix. I start wondering who thought to send me a letter as lovely as this?

It reminds me of a feeling I used to get in elementary school when I'd open my lunch bag, filled with hope. You see, on some days, my mother used to write, "I love you, mom" on a napkin in with my lunch. Even though she wasn't there with me physically, that note made me feel like she was not far. That's the wonderful power of stationery, if I may be so bold as to call that white napkin stationery—because just that brief sentiment scrawled on the most unassuming of papers, was enough to buoy me on the toughest of pre-adolescent school days.

Over the years, I kept a special hatbox of all those small notes, letters and cards I received. Now that my mother is gone, I'm so very grateful that I did. In a way that photographs and video simply cannot capture, the letters, written in her own handwriting, where I can see the hesitation in the pen stroke, the indentation where she wrote more passionately, the loosening of the script as the thoughts moved faster than her pen...they all embody her, so succinctly...in the page. The last letter she wrote to me is displayed on my desk—a poignant reminder of the ways in which she loved me, even if we didn't always see eye to eye (as mothers and daughters are wont to do).

I can see your minds drifting off, maybe thinking about your own box of letters and cards. Or, perhaps, thinking about a particularly special letter that you need to send. It's kind of amazing to think about how they'll be around long after us—testaments to the fact that we once loved and hurt and celebrated.

Even though I talk to my dad at least twice a week on the phone, I still send him a letter every now and again, on stationery that he immediately recognizes as mine. I love that the letter allows me to ‘speak' to him without any urgency and about subjects that are not temporally bound. I think that what's most extraordinary about stationery, is that it encourages you to take the time and the space to think about something you really want to say—not necessarily something you need to say—to muse ‘aloud' with someone who finds a glimpse into your mind a wonderful treat.

Wow, look at the time! I think we'd better wrap things up so there's enough time for some questions and answers and sharing, if you ladies are up for it. Before I hand over the mic, I just want to say that I truly love what I do—and I know that I'm lucky to be able to say that.

My dream came true just as much when I landed my first client as when I made my first wholesale order as when I inked my first licensing deal as when I walked onto this stage. And I continue to look forward to what's around the corner.

It's been an amazing ride—tough, and filled with sweat and tears—but really, truly amazing and totally worth it.

And I'm not just talking industry recognition or financial success—those are great, but the best part of realizing my dream is understanding the way that it is inextricably tied to the dreams of so many other women. It's deeply comforting to know that things I create are not static, but are rather a dynamic collaboration with the women who purchase them, women like me who could sit for hours at a table creating a narrative through pictures and papers and embellishments, sure to be enjoyed by future generations. Women who can see the beauty in yesteryear's artifacts. Women who treasure family. Women who look to celebrate life and preserve those fond memories. One of my greatest pleasures is envisioning all the ways in which different women are using the things I make to tell their own unique and poignant stories.

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to me today. I'd love to open the floor to anyone who has questions or would like to share the ways in which they've used stationery or scrapbooking to tell a story or preserve a special memory.