mae made’s background
Hey! I’m Carly Shafer - owner & designer here at Mae Made. My background in art and weddings was a winding path. From growing up an hour north of Detroit and graduating high school with no idea what I wanted to do.
I took life step-by-step and started trying jobs that truly interested me and actually sounded fun. After many jobs I figured out that each step was leading me to creating Mae Made.
FIRST JOB:
WEDDING FLORIST
During a few summers in college I had my first taste of Northern Michigan and the wedding world. This job opened up my eyes to the beauty of the area, the love of weddings and how fun a job you really love can be.
SECOND JOB:
PAPER STORE
During the school year I’d come back downstate. Between college classes I worked in a colorful paper store and learned the difference between A7 and A2 envelopes. As well as how to properly attach envelope liners.
EDUCATION:
GRAPHIC DESIGN
I started taking a few art classes in college and quickly knew this was the right choice. By the end I finished school with a degree in graphic design.
BIG MOVE:
WILD WEST
My life was lacking adventure so after graduating I closed my laptop, packed up my car and moved out to Colorado.
THIRD JOB:
PRINT SHOP
In the mountains I found adventure and I also found a little print shop that was hiring. Here I learn the ins and outs of printing. Taking digital files and turning them into tangible pieces was a whole new world to me and I fell in love with the process.
ANOTHER MOVE:
BACK TO MICHIGAN
The only thing Colorado didn’t have was Michigan summers. So I packed everything back up and drove straight to Northern Michigan - and didn’t look back.
NEXT JOB:
WEDDING PLANNER
A local Northern Michigan wedding planning company was hiring and jumped right in. I’ve helped many couples navigate the overwhelming process of planning a wedding. So with Mae Made, I’ve created a stress-free invitation design process.
FINALLY:
MAE MADE
After being in charge of countless weddings, I looked back at all the things I had learned since college. Everything was leading me to open up Mae Made and design wedding invitations. So here we are, and welcome.
