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 And watch for the launch of new ones on the way: PatchFun.com ThinkingDayIdeas.com Craft411.com

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, helps out also. She's a whiz when we need a CD burned or have a question about Photoshop. She also has a talent for designing patches and helping with new craft ideas. Jamie actually came up with the web site name when she was 2 years old. Unfortunately for me, she would much rather be wearing a tutu then a smock; and coloring is boring. My Mother, Betty, somehow manages to juggle her job as an editor for FreeKidsCrafts.com and her "real" job as an administrative assistant. 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.	Although she put her career as a nurse on hold to raise a family and took a job in our packing department, Denise's real talent is her mechanical ability. Copy machine jammed? We call Denise. Printer malfunction? We call Denise. Basement flooding? That's right, we call Denise. Packer by day, but food connoisseur extrodinaire by night, Diane is our favorite chef; and she's very generous with sharing her delectable delights. From tasting nibbles to full meals, Diane is always ready to feed us and share her yummy recipes. Kerri's job is customer service but chances are that someone else may answer the phone when you call. Why? Because Kerri is probably outside feeding the feral cats. She even wears "crazy cat lady" clothes; pajama pants and hats are her daily uniform. Recently promoted to shop manager, 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! She may be our youngest team member but fearless Stephanie will take on every job with a smile on her face. Michelle is our shipping manager and she's also responsible for quality control. It's a stressful job but she takes it all in stride. She calls herself "anti-social" but we call her funny. Michelle has more one-liners than Groucho Marx. Previously a Dental Hygienist, Valerie is all smiles when she comes in to work. That's because keeping up with the "Badge in a Bag" workload 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. 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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