Today we feature an online interview with the Owners of Ruby Rock-It & Bella. You can see their fabulous collections in the shop here - and be sure to look below to see some of the work the DT have done creating with the products.

Sandy, Lisa, Betsy, Christine

Describe yourself and how long you have been acting on the Crafting Stage?
We’ve been in papercraft for about 12 years starting in stationery and children’s craft paper and activity pads and moving into scrapbooking and cardmaking around 7 years ago. Prior to that the company also sold ribbons.

Please share with us a brief synopsis of the Ruby Rock-It story and don’t forget to tell us anything that sets you apart.
Ruby Rock-it came to life in 2008 and she’s my baby. We also have two other brands BELLA and Fundamentals for Cardmaking. However the products under these brands are more mainstream and everyday. I wanted to create a brand that showcased the styles that I really loved and that’s what Ruby Rock-it does. The designs take more time as they are more layered and complex. The embellishments are more interesting and creative. We’ll try embellishments under the Ruby Rock-it brand that we would never range under our other brands just because we can. The brand was inspired by my two grandmothers who always drank tea and coffee out of bone china cups. I loved the china they had in their house and both of them had very unique styles. They were a huge influence on my life and I use my memories of them and their photos, their china and their books to draw inspiration for the collections we create. What sets us apart – we create an abundance of interesting with Ruby – that’s how I like to think about it.

As owner, what part of your job gives you the most joy?
Creating new product firstly. But I do like demonstrating it and seeing people use it – it’s very rewarding to see all that hard work being put to good use and I love to see people enjoy using the craft and using our products.


 Sandy, Lindsay, Betsy, Christine

Where do you think the papercraft industry is heading and what major trends do you see developing for 2012?
Our business continues to grow and we haven’t had any downturn in spite of the global economy so we think the papercraft industry is in good shape. The key is to have new products to delight and surprise customers every month and to keep them interested in papercrafting. Mixed media is a major trend right now – it’s all about craft fusion – what can you re-invent, re-purpose or re-create? There’s always something new and interesting going on – this is what keeps papercraft fresh and relevant and keeps people scrapbooking.

How do you use Social Media to keep your audience clapping?
Social Media is KEY to our success in this new world of staying active online for our industry. We make sure that we link our blog to Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc each and every day. This keeps us active in our industry as we work to stay fresh, fun and innovative. Our blog is filled with daily inspiration of our new and ongoing ranges as we work to bring the public all the new things we are working on. Cheers to Social Media!

Stay tuned later in the week for more insight into Ruby Rock-It from their design and management team.