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 counter tops. (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-the-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.

I began MakingFriends.com in 1997 as a learning experience when my clients started asking for websites. It has been a meandering journey that mirrors the last 25 years of my life. This website 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.

The Frolicers

And I didn’t frolic alone; I made crafts for the website with my daughters, nieces and nephews. My husband kept the books and took care of our home (and me). My mother edited and proofread. My friends gave me emotional support to get through the tough times. And, there were many employees and associates along the way who provided invaluable assistance and expertise. Without these people, it wouldn’t have been as successful or as fun. Thank you everyone.

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