On a table at Chattanooga’s Arts Friends Market on Feb. 28, Mary Price arranged a small but carefully composed display: rows of handmade greeting cards layered with textured papers, vintage postcards and delicate embellishments. Each one had been assembled piece by piece at her worktable, the result of a creative journey that began with a wedding scrapbook.
Price, the founder of Adorned Cards, did not set out to become a cardmaker. Originally from the Nashville area, she moved to Chattanooga in 2016 with her husband, Aaron. An accountant by profession, Price also pursued graduate studies and earned her MBA in December 2025. For several years, creative work lived mostly on the margins of her busy schedule.
After her wedding in 2021, Price began scrapbooking to preserve memories from the celebration, and as she developed those skills, she started creating handmade cards for friends and family using the same techniques she’d learned through scrapbooking.
Those early cards were meant simply as thoughtful gestures, but the reaction from recipients surprised her.
“I received very positive feedback and was encouraged to try to sell my cards,” she says.
In 2022, Price opened a small Etsy shop under the name Adorned Cards and sold a handful of designs. When she began her MBA program in 2023, the fledgling venture went on pause while she focused on her studies. After graduating late last year, however, Price returned to the idea with renewed energy and decided it was time to take a bigger step.
That step was the Arts Friends Market at Studio Ours, her first experience selling her work face to face with customers.
Price said her background in accounting and business helped ease the leap into entrepreneurship.
“I’ve been involved with the business world for quite a while now, so my knowledge from my accounting job and my degrees helped me feel more confident when launching my own business,” she says.
She also benefited from support through the market’s mentorship program. Assigned mentor Michael Lardizabal, Price received practical guidance on preparing for the event and presenting her work.
The cards themselves reflect the craft techniques that first sparked her interest. Price uses scrapbooking methods and mixed media, layering patterned papers, cardstock, stickers and other decorative elements. Some designs incorporate vintage postcards she finds in antique shops.
“I’ve used postcards from as early as 1910 with actual postage and messages on them,” she says. “They’re beautiful. I feel as if they can be used again to bring others joy.”
Price also uses a Cricut cutting machine to create detailed shapes and designs. And unlike many greeting cards, hers feature decoration inside as well as on the front, adding an extra element of surprise for the recipient.
Her designs range across nearly every occasion – birthdays, holidays and anniversaries – along with simple “just saying hi” notes. One of her personal favorites features the animated character Totoro perched in a tree, waving to a friend. (Totoro is a fictional forest spirit and the central character in the 1988 animated film “My Neighbor Totoro.”)
Looking ahead, Price hopes to continue building Adorned Cards through additional markets and eventually place her work in local shops. She’s already been accepted to the Springtime in Chattanooga Art and Farmers Market on April 11 at the Chattanooga Green (100 Chestnut St.).
For Price, however, the most rewarding part of the journey so far has been the connections.
“I loved my first market because I was able to connect with other vendors and with customers,” she says. “It reminded me that a card can still be something personal – something you choose carefully for someone you care about.”