Today, personalized stationery is becoming more and more scarce.

Fairhope resident Diane Holdsambeck took the downturn of the economy in 2009, gave it a positive spin and opened her own handcrafted wedding and event stationery business.

“I really fell into this business,” Diane says. “I was originally a landscape designer for a firm. When the economy tanked in 2009, most of the company was laid off. For that period, I was in limbo and didn’t know what to do; no one was hiring.”

A good friend in Boston suggested Diane try to sell on Etsy, a website that sells handmade goods.

“I opened up a shop, gave it a try and it worked out,” Diane says. “From landscape to stationery is a little odd, but the design part is the glue that helped me meld into that.”

Diane and husband Mark moved from Franklin, Tennessee, outside of Nashville.

“My husband requested a job transfer somewhere warmer than Nashville and closer to the beach … around this area,” she says.

And that transfer landed them in Fairhope.

“We waited a year for the transfer to go through,” Diane says. “We were getting really antsy then when it happened, we were like, ‘No way!’ Once we got word, we were down here in three weeks. It all worked out for a reason. I love what I do.”

My Lady Dye is a handcrafted, wedding and event stationery company. The company specializes in custom orders and personalized paper products.

“If you see something on the website, we can personalize it,” Diane says. “Or if you don’t see something or have an idea, we can work together to create something you like or want.”

When My Lady Dye first opened, Diane mainly did stationery. As business has grown, she’s delved into dessert tables and rentals.

“Pretty much everything you see in photos, with the exception of personalized items, are rentals,” she says. “The customer keeps the personalized items which are factored in to the rental cost. We install, deliver and pickup.”

Every year the collections grow with the birthdays of her three children: Briella, Brooklyn and Brick.

“A majority of the business is wedding related, but we do everything from birthdays to holidays, like Christmas cards,” Diane says.

It's that simple. Bringing back a lost art that was found accidentally.

BUSINESS PROFILE:

NAME: My Lady Dye

OWNER: Diane Holdsambeck

WEBSITE: MyLadyDye.com

PHONE: 615-541-9174

EMAIL: Info@MyLadyDye.com

My Lady Dye on social media:

Facebook.com/myladydye

Twitter.com/myladydye

Instagram.com/myladydye

Pinterest.com/myladydye

My Lady Dye designs

Favor bags

Favor tags

Thank you note cards

Toppers

Banners

Personalized straws

Signage

Water bottle labels

Flag stick

Place cards

Christmas cards

Invitations

Menus

Itinerary

Social stationery