Today we’d like to introduce you to Sigrid Wade.
Hi Sigrid, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My name is Sigrid and I am a French woman living in Jacksonville, Florida (USA). I have always been crafty and DIY-leaning with handmade cards, gifts, knitted accessories, and even pacifier clips after becoming a mom.
I work full time and I run this little stationery business Sweet Undertone from home single-handed in my “free” time.
Sweet Undertone began when I met my now-husband and was always on the hunt for cards that would fit our special situation as he is incarcerated. After seeing my cards, other fellow visitors and friends asked if I was selling them, so I did and launched a little shop in 2015.
This is why I started making my own cards and it is important to me to have a growing card collection dedicated to people and families impacted by incarceration.
I hope to bring smiles and sweet sentiments during a difficult time.
In 2019, I joined efforts with my friend Elodie to create a prison pen pal program called Wire of Hope that we have now been running since January 2019.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Obviously, when you run a business dedicated to making incarcerated people smile, you get a lot of frowns and even threats. I usually elevate myself above that because I know in my heart I am in the right, that everyone deserves a second chance and we shouldn’t be cruel to people already going through a difficult time. It is more important to support and uplift them to reduce the chances of recidivism. I often have to face the stigma of having an incarcerated loved one, which is why I want to help the families who end up doing time with their loved ones and should never feel ashamed of it.
As you know, we’re big fans of Sweet Undertone and Wire of Hope. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Sweet Undertone is a small stationery boutique selling handmade greeting cards, planner stickers, bookmarks, notepads, and printables, specializing in cards for families impacted by incarceration.
Wire of Hope is a prison pen pal program whose goal is to connect incarcerated people with volunteer pen pals from all over the world for a meaningful experience.
The owners are two prison rights/criminal justice reform activist women who deeply believe in what they do.
We are the most modern, 100% ad-free, best quality pen pal site while still being affordable. We are known for our excellent customer service.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I personally feel like I have quite some bad luck in general, I had to overcome a lot, but this taught me to be stronger, resilient, and the power of hard work.
Pricing:
- All my greeting cards are $5
- Our Standard profile for an incarcerated person on Wire of Hope is $40/year
- It is completely free to write an incarcerated individual.
Contact Info:
- Website: sweetundertone.com, https://wireofhope.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetundertone/, https://www.instagram.com/wireofhope/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetundertone, https://www.facebook.com/wireofhope.LLC/
- Others: etsy.com/shop/sweetundertone
