Our story: A brief history of HappiHello, est. 2022

How HappiHello grew from an Etsy shop to a paper studio featuring paper flowers, bookmarks, and more

HappiHello is a handmade paper goods studio serving the New York and New Jersey area. I'm Eileen, the founder. I opened it in 2022 as an Etsy shop for greeting cards, and it now makes bookmarks and mini prints alongside premium Italian crepe paper flowers for gifts and weddings.

This post is the long version of the About Me carousel pinned on our Instagram page (@happihello). If you followed along this year, thank you. If you just found us, here is how the last five years went.

• Founded: 2022, by Eileen
• Based in: the NYC and New Jersey area
• Makes: handmade greeting cards, bookmarks, mini prints, Italian crepe paper flowers, wedding florals
• Shop: happihello.com

2022: Leaving corporate and opening an Etsy shop

I left my corporate job in 2022 and opened the HappiHello Etsy shop over Memorial Day weekend. I gave myself one month to get the shop open -- no matter what! The photos were bad. I didn't know the right keywords to use. And it was not perfect. It didn't matter, because one of the best lessons I've learned since 2022 is done is better than perfect. 

The shop had about 20 card designs, 12 of which were zodiac cards, a handful of birthday cards, and two wedding cards: a "congratulations on tying the knot" card and an ampersand card that reads "they lived happily ever after."

That July, I put a HappiHello banner on a table at FAD Market on Governors Island -- my very first in-person popup. My first sale was a zodiac card, and I teared up as my first customer walked away from my table! It was a thrilling feeling, and one that I still get nearly four years later.

2023: Trade shows and a kiosk in Bryant Park

In 2023 I exhibited at NY NOW, the wholesale trade show at the Javits Center, in February and again in August. Both times, I was apart of gift & stationery incubators, which meant I had the smallest footprint on the show floor. The experiences really helped me level up my business, from learning wholesale lingo, to refining my brand, to helping practice my pitch over and over again. It worked. By the end of 2023, nine stores were carrying HappiHello cards.

I also taught my first card-making workshop that year, with Crayola colored pencils, washi paper heart cutouts, and glue sticks on the table. WeWork's Brooklyn Navy Yard location graciously welcomed me to host a Mother's Day card making workshop with its coworking members. 

That fall, I was named a 2023 Bank of America Small Business Spotlight winner. The prize was a kiosk at Bryant Park's Winter Village, where HappiHello sold from October 27 to November 12. This was a whirlwind experience! I had only two weeks to prepare. I made hundreds of cards in preparation, and sold them all. I was vastly underprepared and was making cards around the clock. It was exhilarating selling such a high volume of cards to so many shoppers -- both local and from around the world. I am forever grateful for that experience.

2024: Back to a day job and into corporate orders

In 2024 I went back to a corporate job, and HappiHello kept going alongside it. The studio filled corporate orders that year, and in November 2024 the cards landed on a shelf at Pal Mart's holiday popup. Bookmarks tied with twine joined the shop too, including one with the Statue of Liberty.

2025: A move to Jersey City and a new medium

I moved to Jersey City in 2025, and I got engaged to my now loving husband. I spent that year studying flowers, from a single peony bud in a white bowl (as part of a ikebana flower arranging course) to coral crepe paper blooms, and the crepe paper ones are the ones that stuck.

2026: Back to full time, a wedding, paper florals, and newly energized

I left corporate for the second time in 2026, this time to run HappiHello full time. I got married this year and made the paper flowers for my own wedding. Premium Italian crepe paper florals and wedding florals are now a permanent part of the studio.

The cards still travel. I am an active vendor at Grand Bazaar NYC, where you can pick one up and talk to the person who made it.

What HappiHello makes today

Everything is made by hand with archival materials, and Italian crepe paper is the signature medium for the florals.

• Handmade greeting cards for birthdays, thank yous, weddings and love, plus zodiac and nature designs that people buy as gifts.
• Bookmarks and mini prints small enough to slip into an envelope and made to be kept.
• Italian crepe paper flowers that are botanically accurate and built to last, available as custom commissions.
• Wedding florals in packages that run from Essentials to Bespoke, for couples who want flowers that outlast the day.
• Workshops where guests leave with something they made themselves.

You can shop cards and bookmarks at happihello.com, or message me about a floral commission.

Why everything is made by hand

I use archival materials because a card often gets kept. Someone tucks a thank-you note into a drawer and finds it again years later, so the paper has to hold up that long. A bookmark lives inside a book and gets handled every day, which is why I make the small things as carefully as the large ones.

Everything in the shop is made by a real person. A petal is stretched and shaped by fingers, not by a machine. The workshops follow the same idea: guests do not watch a demo, they make a card and take it home.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about HappiHello

What is HappiHello Paper Studio?

HappiHello Paper Studio is a handmade paper art studio founded by Eileen in 2022. It makes greeting cards, bookmarks, mini prints, Italian crepe paper flowers and wedding florals, all by hand.

Where can I buy HappiHello cards?

You can buy them at happihello.com and at Grand Bazaar NYC, where HappiHello is an active vendor. Select stores have carried the cards since 2023.

What are HappiHello's paper flowers made from?

The flowers are made from Italian crepe paper, which is cut, stretched and shaped by hand into botanically accurate petals and leaves. Paper flowers do not wilt, so a bouquet or arrangement can be kept for years.

Does HappiHello make paper flowers for weddings?

Yes. Wedding florals come in packages that run from Essentials to Bespoke, and each one is designed around the couple's colors and flowers. Submit an inquiry to start a conversation.

Does HappiHello offer workshops?

Yes. HappiHello has taught card-making workshops since 2023, and guests leave with something they made themselves.

Come say hello

The cards and bookmarks are in the shop at happihello.com. If you are planning a wedding and want flowers you can keep, send me a message about a floral commission.

I post the making of the cards and flowers on Instagram at @happihello, along with whatever 2027 turns out to be. Thank you for being here!