Bernice Ma on Building a Brand That Feels Like a Gift

Bernice Ma did not just build Made of Honour, she made it sparkle, quite literally. What started with wedding invitations, and a wax seal kit has grown into a thriving stationery and gift brand with a devoted online following and more than 150,000 Instagram fans. Her videos are warm, funny, and real, often filmed at home with a little chaos in the background, and her products connect with customers in ways that are both personal and joyful. In this 6Qs with Christine, Bernice shares how she found her niche, what fuels her creativity, and why embracing the unpolished side of the creative process works.

1. Your videos are beautiful and full of personality. How did you get into stationery design, and what made you want to build a whole brand around it?

   Art was always my favourite subject in high school. I earned top marks and even received the highest achievement award in ceramics. But like many creatives, I was encouraged to “be practical,” so I chose to study sciences in university instead.

   
   

   It wasn’t until one of my co-op terms that a fellow student (now husband) taught me how to use Illustrator and Photoshop. That moment reignited my love for the arts, and I began exploring different creative paths to start my own business. I designed greeting cards, went back to ceramics, and even got into sewing but nothing really worked. When it came time for our wedding, I designed our invitations and that's when I thought, maybe this could be something more.

   
   

   My husband, Ryan came up with the name Made of Honour – a spin on Maid of Honour, someone who supports you through wedding planning and the big day. I loved the name, so I created a website, designed different invitations, and started dreaming.

   
   

   One night, I pulled out the wax seal kit from our wedding and started playing around with it. I remembered how tricky it was to make the wax seals directly on my wedding invitations and it led me to think, what if I made wax seals that worked like stickers?

   
   

   I started filming the process, posted it, and within hours, it had 1,000 views – that little spark gave me hope. I started posting every day and when a few videos went viral, orders started coming in consistently. That's when I realized I might be onto something.

   Since then, I’ve poured my heart into building Made of Honour. It’s been a wild but fulfilling journey so far!

   
   

2. You've grown a huge following while also working full time. What keeps you creatively fuelled when your plate's already full?

   Being creative is the fuel. I'm lucky to have a full-time job that also lets me be creative, which helps keep the ideas flowing. When I get home, I press pause to spend time with my kids but when they go to bed, I switch back into creative mode – designing, making wax seals, or packing orders. It's a full plate but I am so grateful that I get to work on something that I've built.

   
   

3. There's such warmth and humour in your content. What shapes the tone of your brand, and how much of yourself do you intentionally bring into it?

   Thank you! I try to bring my full self into my content, whether it’s a funny caption, a little chaos in the background, or just showing up on camera without overthinking it. I want people to know that it's just me behind the scenes filming, designing, packing, and doing a happy dance when an order comes in. It's not a polished studio or a big team. It's my husband and I, our basement, and a lot of late nights. If I can be that little moment of joy, calm, or inspiration for someone else, then I've done something right.

   
   

4. Do you remember the first time someone bought your work and loved it? What did that moment mean to you?

   Yes! My first few orders came from friends and family, which meant so much but when someone who didn't know me chose to support my work, I was ecstatic. There's no better feeling than someone loving something you made with your own hands, and it gave me the motivation I needed to grow the business.

   
   

5. What do you do when you're feeling uninspired or creatively stretched thin? How do you find your way back to flow?

   This one's tough. There are definitely days when I feel burnt out, but I still feel the pressure to keep creating and launching new products. This is when I feel the least creative. It's also hard not to compare myself to others so I try to remind myself that we're all in different seasons, and growth doesn't look the same for everyone.

   
   

   I’ve found that creativity flows best when I take the pressure off. The moment I stop forcing it and give myself room to just enjoy the process, the ideas start coming back. I also draw a lot of inspiration from other artists! There’s something so energizing about watching someone else create.

   
   

6. Your designs strike such a great balance between fun and thoughtful. How do you know when something's working?

   Honestly…I usually don't. When I first started, I ordered small batches of each stamp design. If a design sold out, I'd reorder. Once I was able to invest in a CNC and laser machine, I could engrave designs in-house and that gave me the freedom to test ideas without the pressure of keeping stock.

   
   

   Now I engrave just one stamp of each design for photos and videos. Everything is made to order, which helps me learn what people actually want. Some designs take off and others don't, but each one teaches me something for the next launch. I'm still learning what "works" but I've learned to trust the process.

   
   

Bonus Q: What's a behind-the-scenes moment (funny, chaotic, or just totally real) that didn't make it into your feed-but really captures what your creative life is like?

There's a reason I don't post a lot of ASMR or talking videos! Most of the time, you'll hear my kids asking questions in the background, the TV playing, or our dogs barking. We run the business entirely from home. I shoot product photos on our living room floor, film videos at the dining table, and make wax seals in the basement. Our garage is the "engraving workshop".

It's not glamorous but it's real, and it works for us (with some chaos sprinkled in).

Bernice has built a brand on sparks of joy and connection. You can see (and shop) more of her creations at madeofhonour.ca.

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Know someone creative or curious, or doing something cool in their own way? That’s exactly who I love talking to. I’d love to hear about them or from them.

Did a line or moment from this interview stick with you? Leave a comment, send a message, or tag someone who might want to be part of this series. You never know whose story will show up next. I read every one.