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!
Mattie Tiegreen of Puddleduck Paper Co. is a Southern kindred spirit. Design-wise, especially. I love her use of color, type, envelopes as part of the design & not an after thought...
So! Let's chat...
Puddleduck Paper Co is such a fun name! Where does it come from?
My favorite question! As I’m sure you can imagine, I get it
a lot. My mom used to call me “Puddleduck” after the character Jemima
Puddle-Duck in the Beatrix Potter stories – favorite childhood books of mine.
When I needed a business name, mom suggested the obvious. I thought it was
silly at first, but it stuck! It’s definitely memorable.
We are heavy into wedding season! What kinds of choices are
you seeing brides make this season? Any similar themes or colors this year?
Yellow is a wildly common color scheme in my recent designs
– which I am loving. It’s my favorite color and can be seen in some of my
favorite designs, Puddleduck’s branding, and in our own wedding a few years
ago.
Did you design your wedding invitations? Can we see??
I did! However - if you can believe it - we have NO pictures
of any paper from the wedding. I guess I had other things on my mind that
day..? :)
I LOVE your envelope choices. Tell me about how you choose
your colors.
Yellow! Just kidding. I think the envelope can make or break
the wedding suite. The most beautiful card can get lost in a plain envelope if
you’re not careful. I choose and suggest envelope colors based on the bride’s
color scheme but tend to suggest a complimentary color as opposed to going the ‘matchy-matchy’
route. I like an unexpected pop of color.
Is that your calligraphy on your blog? If yes, when did you
learn? If not, do tell where it came from!
That’s my handwriting. I am self-taught (and still learning!)
and have such an appreciation for the craft of hand lettering.
How did the National Stationery Show go for you this year?
This was your first year! Congrats! How did you prepare?
Thank you! It. was. amazing. I have been toiling over
attending for two years and came very close in 2011. It just wasn’t in the
cards for me then, but I’m a firm believer in a greater plan. 2013 was the year
for me, I suppose.
It’s so much planning, organization, and – um – money. I
worked non-stop from December until May printing samples, measuring and
designing the booth, calling vendors, creating a catalog and pricing structure,
and reaching out to other exhibitors for advice.
I still kind of can’t believe I did it. I am so, so grateful
for those who believed in me and humbled by the response I received at the
show. It was incredible to meet some of my greatest inspirations, make new
friends in the industry and grow this little paper adventure of mine. I’m
already planning for 2014!
Tell me your favorite/most memorable/funniest greeting card
you’ve received.
My sister’s mail tends to make me cry – happy tears. She is
my biggest cheerleader and seems to always know when I need snail mail. It’s
almost always a Quotable Card or letterpress ditty that says just what I needed
to hear. Sisters are good like that, huh?
Do you have personalized stationery & what do you use it
for?
I do! I send way too much mail. Our mailman is a rock star, bless
him. I use my stationery for thank you’s, of course, but also for pick-me-up and
just-because cards for friends and family. They can tell you, though, the
designs change constantly. I get inspired and make new designs for myself
before I debut them in the shop.
Who are a few of your favorite Etsy shops?
Oh, so many!
Should I stop? One More.
You are a fellow Southerner. How do you stay cool in the hot Georgia summer?
We love hiking, so we tend to escape especially hot Georgia
weekends with a trip to the mountains. The lake is another favorite of ours -
nothing beats the water. If we’re in town, we tend to post up on the porch with
the ceiling fan going and sip cold beer while our pups play in the yard. To us,
that’s the good life.
Oooooh...I miss a porch. We have a screened in porch at our place in North Carolina with a ceiling fan. I know exactly where you are coming from.
Mattie! Thank you!! Keep up the amazing work :)
If you like Mattie's work, check her out at the following:
