About Us

My name is Terri and I'm the creator of MakingFriends.com. As a child, I was a strange combination of overachieving first-born and creative rebel. I was hard working and industrious but hated structure and control. Not only did I color inside the lines but all my strokes went in the same direction with uniform pressure and perfect coverage. Yep, I filled my Disney coloring book with beautifully colored purple-faced Cinderella's and lime green Dumbos. As I got older, I spent a lot of time in Mom's kitchen -- but not cooking. Salt dough, candle making and batik projects littered and stained her countertops. (Good thing Mom didn't like to cook either.) The more time I spent on craft projects, the less time I spent on school projects. As an overachiever, I continued getting "A"s but hated every minute of it. Nothing we learned in school was interesting. Of course, this was "back-in-day". We had no computer graphics or web design classes.
	After graduating, I ignored an academic scholarship (Mom and Dad are still mad at me) and I accepted a trainee art position in a print shop; then later went into advertising art. Started as a learning experience in 1997, MakingFriends.com has been a meandering journey that mirrors the last 12 years of my life. The web site just evolved based on what I felt like doing at the time. I guess it has been more of a frolic than a journey. Fortunately, my overachieving side came along for the ride and a dabble with new skills became a successful business.	These days, I'm not coloring any more (and still not cooking) but I continue to make things including web sites. Take a browse around my other sites: FreeKidsCrafts.com MakingEnemies.com BadgeinaBag.com ScoutSwaps.com PatchFun.com Facebook.com/MakingfriendsCrafts Pinterest.com/makingfriends/ Facebook.com/gsleader411 Pinterest.com/gsleader411/

No one likes to frolic alone and these are some of the wonderful people who have joined me along the way. Without their help and support this would have been a very boring adventure.

My husband, Jim, is not only my partner in life but also in business. He is very good at managing the day-to-day details of our house and our business. Under his watchful eye, no receipt goes unposted, no invoice goes unpaid and no bed goes unmade. As a child, Jim didn't color much but he always, always colored inside the lines. Black is his favorite color. My daughter, Jamie, is now officially part of the team. She's the social media editor for our facebook page and does all the image editing. She also has a talent for designing patches and helping with new craft ideas. Jamie even came up with the web site name when she was 2 years old. She would ask to "make friends" when referring to the paper dolls that eventually became the spark for developing this web site. My Mother, Betty, is the editor for FreeKidsCrafts.com. She recently retired from her career as an administrative assistant to care for her disabled husband. But Betty still manages to to grow the web site, tweet and post on facebook from her home office. Mom taught me how to "silly color". She would point to a spot on the page, close her eyes, and pick a color. That's how it all began. I have Mom to thank for lime green Dumbos.	As shop manager and purchasing director, Teri keeps things running smoothly. Fashion is her real passion but Teri put her career in Manhattan aside for family life in the 'burbs. Because of her city purchasing skills, you have Teri to thank for the great prices you find on MakingFriends.com. Faster then a speeding credit card processor, more powerful than a rotary cutter, able to leap tall fed ex boxes in a single bound. Yes, its' Stephanie! Fearless Stephanie will take on any job and do it with a smile on her face. She is webmaster for ScoutSwaps.com, pinmaster for our pinterest boards, and has 100 other duties at our warehouse. She has evened volunteer to became a Girl Scout leader to learn more about program! Previously a Dental Hygienist, Valerie is all smiles when she comes in to work. That's because packing orders is easy compared to keeping up with her three young kids. You can see their photos all around MakingFriends. Brittnay, Jake and Amanda have been doing a lot of posing for me lately.	At less than 5' and weighing in at 95 lbs, Linda manages some mighty big boxes in quality control. But it's not a problem for her because when she's not checking orders, Linda is pumping iron and managing her household. We have Linda to thank for making sure that all the order go out accurately. Zolanye works monday to friday and then heads straight to school, studying for a career in the medical field. She's so quiet that you barely know she there except for the huge pile of finished kits that she makes every day. Along with Stephanie, Zolanye is leading a Girl Scout troop to help us give back to the community. Jodi is our Girl Scout expert. She runs a multi-level troop of 40 girls. Her experience helps us to make your time as a leader easier. Read her Girl Scout Leader 411 blog for ideas, like us on facebook and follow us on twitter and pinterest for everything Girl Scout. She may not work at our location but Melanie of FullthoughtCC.com is an important member of our team. She's a rock star when it comes to writing code and troubleshooting problems with our web sites.

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