Welcome to a new Tuesday feature! Once a month, I'll be posting Tuesday Talk - a conversation between me & (usually) another stationery/paper person. We will talk paper. We'll talk life!
It is the first Tuesday in August & therefore time for another installment of Tuesday Talk! Let me introduce you to Rain Folson of
Cheeky Kumquat. Actually, I introduced her in June in
this Paper Porn post leading up to Father's Day. We've been messaging back & forth ever since. She is hilarious, refreshing & I am freakin' pumped to get to know her a little better.
Let's chew the fat!
Rain is an unusual name. Is it short for anything? How did your parents choose it? Did you give your daughter an equally unique name?
It actually is not short for anything; though I get that question a lot. When I introduce myself to people I usually just give them a “Rain, like the weather” to avoid inevitable confusion. No story behind the name (I was born in the winter, not the spring); my mom just wanted something different (though it did lead to some choruses of “rain, rain, go away” as a child).
My husband and I actually could not come to any sort of an agreement on a name for our daughter, so we finally just narrowed it down and picked randomly – the name we selected was Adelaide, which is just different enough I think, but hopefully not make-fun-worthy.
You live in Seattle. Are you from the West Coast?
I am originally from the Midwest; my husband still makes fun of my accent (which I can’t hear at all). I’ve been in the Seattle area for about five years and am just starting to eliminate certain phrases/words from my vocabulary – it was pretty hilarious the looks I got when I first moved here and would ask people where the nearest “Tyme Machine” or “bubbler” was.
Tell us something NOT in your Etsy profile
I have a master’s degree in history and am licensed as a teacher, though prior to having my daughter I worked in the financial industry, go figure.
I didn't see that coming. History degree is definitely not in your profile. When did you start making cards?
I just started making cards after my daughter was born; I had actually never been much of a card person until we started getting requests from family for photos of Adelaide. I didn’t want to just put photos in an envelope, and I’m not a big fan of store-bought cards, so I started making my own cards to house the photos and found that I really enjoyed doing it. I got some nice compliments on them and people started telling me that I should sell them. A few months ago, I finally took their advice and am so happy I did.
Where did your store name come from? I love it by the way. Cheeky Kumquat is hard to forget.
When I was pregnant and we first started telling family, my daughter was apparently the size of a kumquat, so we just started referring to her as “the kumquat.” When trying to pick a name for the shop it just kept popping into my head, and I liked that she would be given a shout out if I used it in some manner.
{ya'll...Rain & her husband MADE THIS!!}
I know that you love create more than cards. What is your latest DIY or craft project? Is there any particular place you get ideas for them?
Which project should I talk about?? Our whole house is under a constant state of renovation. The project we will hopefully be starting soon is building a table for the dining room. That might turn into a total disaster, but it will be fun trying. At least I hope it will be.
I love ana-white.com, shanty-2-chic.com, theletteredcottage.net and thepaintedhive.net; they are the source of much home inspiration from me. Great DIY projects for cheap and beautiful homes to aspire to! Now I just need time…
On the table above:
The DIY photos are a table that my husband and I worked on together - we bought an unfinished butcher block table, I drew the designs, my husband used a wood burner to burn them into the table, and then we added colored stain for the final effect. It was based on a design we saw in a store, but the table was like $6000, so we figured we'd try it ourselves. Cost about $140 in materials and now we can say we did it ourselves!
I laugh out loud when I read your cards. They are hilarious. Can you tell us about your creative process? What do you do when you’re creatively stuck?
Not much of a process… a lot of the cards came directly from things my husband says to me or I say to him: “Thanks for putting up with me” is one I hear from him all the time, whereas he likes to remind me that I am nicer when I am not hungry (hence, “I’m sorry I snapped at you when I had low blood sugar” and “I love you, but I like you better on a full stomach.” What can I say? An empty stomach makes me cranky).
I have ongoing lists of new ideas everywhere – the phone, computer, notepads, etc. I usually write ideas down and then wait a few weeks before I post them online to see if I still think they’re funny. If I’m feeling stuck in a rut I will usually watch movies or read books and try to glean some humor from them.
Other than your own stash, where do you go for greeting cards?
I haven’t bought a card from a store in years, but I actually have a few favorite shops on Etsy, with a mix of pretty and funny cards:
Where do you like to shop online?
Etsy, of course! And then it’s typically only for gifts. I honestly don’t do much shopping at all, except for necessity. That’s what happens when you’re basically a single-income family with a toddler in preschool and a home in constant need of repair… I will usually set aside money each month with the intention of finally buying myself a couple new items of clothing, but usually end up spending it on a light fixture or plants for the garden. My husband thinks I dress like a hobo, but there is nothing better than a well-worn-in pair of jeans.
A hobo?? Haha! Plans for the remainder of 2013? Beyond? Any new cards coming out soon??
No grand plans for the remainder of the year – I opened a Cheeky booth at a farmer’s market a few weeks ago and am having a great time doing that. It’s such a fun way to spend a Saturday and all of the other vendors are so friendly and supportive of one another. I hope to join up with a couple other markets over the next several months now that I know what to expect and have all of the supplies to set up a tent.
As for new cards, I actually have about 15 drafts that I just need a chance to finalize and post. I’m hoping to have the new cards up in the next several weeks if preparations for my daughter’s fourth birthday don’t take over my life…
Sounds like some party! Thank you so much for participating in my tiny corner of the internet! As I said, you are hilarious, refreshing, down to earth & all of that comes across in your card shop. I really appreciate your relaxed approach to the creative process. So refreshing! Wait I think I already said that...
