SYW293 – Making Art for Joy and Profit

[00:00:17] Jennifer Wilson: Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a memory keeper today. I'm your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking. This is episode 293. In this episode, I'm chatting with Cecily Moore, whose business, The Paper Curator, is rooted in her love of memory keeping.

[00:00:58] We discuss the products she creates for scrapbookers, as well as how her joy of making provided the base for expansion into new markets.

[00:01:06] Hey Cecily, welcome to Scrapbook Your Way.

[00:01:09] Cecily Moore: Hey, I'm so excited to be here.

[00:01:11] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, I'm looking forward to our conversation and getting to know you better. Can you share a little bit about yourself to kind of introduce you to our audience?

[00:01:20] Cecily Moore: Absolutely. I'm Cecily. I'm based in Queens, New York, where I live with my partner and our beloved cat June. Um, she's a black rescue and we love her. Um, but I actually grew up in Kansas city, Missouri. So a bit of a transplant in New York, but have been here for the past. Oh, geez. Over 10 years.

[00:01:40] Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes. It seems like a long time. Was it always your, like, your dream to move to New York or did it kind of happen?

[00:01:48] Cecily Moore: Um, it kind of happened during high school. My family moved from Missouri to Rhode Island. So I ended up being an East Coast transplant kind of midway through my life. And I think that turned into leading me to New York for art school for college. So that kind of happened naturally once I was on the East Coast.

[00:02:08] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, that makes sense. And of course I have to ask, is your black cat a long hair or short hair?

[00:02:12] Cecily Moore: Short. Thank goodness. I have enough hair flying around.

[00:02:16] Jennifer Wilson: Okay. I have a long hair black cat.

[00:02:18] Cecily Moore: Yeah.

[00:02:19] Jennifer Wilson: Um, all right. So I love to just kind of do some icebreaker questions, poking a little bit behind the scenes with our guests. So do you have a recent scrapbook layout? Like, this is one of my questions for you too, is if you're still scrapbooking or even just a recent creative project, um, what was it about? What was, uh, what was the medium and why do you love it?

[00:02:41] Cecily Moore: Yeah, so I will divulge later that I have not been a good scrapbooker lately, but I do still consider myself very much a scrapbooker at heart. Um, says the hoarding of all the albums and page protectors. But my latest project that I love is actually, uh, I put together kind of like a 2025 bingo card vision board situation. And I used an Instax frame stamp for my latest stamp set titled Captured.

[00:03:10] And the idea really for me was to kind of outline a few goals or visions I had for this year. And then as I do these activities, I can kind of hold myself a bit more accountable and fill the frames that are just now the words with photos of me doing the thing. So it's kind of an in progress project, but something that I'm really excited to kind of keep going throughout this year.

[00:03:32] Jennifer Wilson: I love that. And I love that it shows how kind of memory keeping can be a smaller, simple project. It doesn't have to be the full extent of what you might see on social media. We all have to pick based on what's going on in our lives, what, what fits your life right now.

[00:03:52] Cecily Moore: Absolutely.

[00:03:53] Jennifer Wilson: And so is there something that you are excited to do, use, or try? Either in your creativity or in your everyday life?

[00:04:02] Cecily Moore: Yeah, I'm excited, I think one of my kind of items on that bingo card is really to lean back into hobbies that I sometimes use as a part of growing my business. But don't actually treat as hobbies anymore. And one of those things is crocheting. And so I crochet some of my products. But I saw this photo recently of this like scarf shawl combo thing. And I don't know who the maker was.

[00:04:27] I don't know where it was from. I just saw like a finished photo of it and was like, Ooh, I want to make that at some point. So I think just kind of leaning back into hobbies and trying to make some things this year will be kind of one thing I'm trying to try.

[00:04:41] Jennifer Wilson: Sure. Do you, have you tried a reverse image search for that particular item to see if you could find the pattern?

[00:04:49] Cecily Moore: I haven't yet because I'm very, like, I just like testing things out. So that would be smart, but I think it was probably like a mass produced thing. And I'm like, no, I want to make it myself. So.

[00:05:01] Jennifer Wilson: No, that makes sense for sure. All right, so let's, we're going to kind of jump around here a little bit in time. Um, but you go by Cecily the Paper Curator. Uh, and one of the products you have is a scrapbook kit subscription. Um, can you tell us about what kind of themes and types of products are included in the kit? Is it just paper or is it digital too? So tell us all about that.

[00:05:25] Cecily Moore: Yeah, absolutely. Our Scrapbook kit subscription releases monthly. So there's kind of always a new theme happening. But the goal with it is really to feature themes that feel modern and timely, but that also invite you and inspire you to kind of tell a wide range of stories. So they don't typically follow things that are tied to specific days like holidays, but are more so kind of snippets or themes of your daily life.

[00:05:50] So, kits about things like your hobbies, reading or watching TV. Documenting your feelings and emotions, whether those are good days or bad days. Your relationships, the environment around you or your travels. And kind of memories in general, things that you're loving or have noticed currently. So, if you have an interest, the chances are we have a kit for that.

[00:06:15] And it really is primarily paper. Um, each kit comes with a 9x12 paper and a variety of different card sizes for pocket page style scrapbooking or documenting in mini albums or traveler's notebooks. As well as some ephemera and, um, a 4x6 stamp set. So, it's kind of a good mix to help you start to tell your stories each month. And as a subscriber, you do get a digital version of the kit. So that's more of a bonus. And it can help you kind of tell stories even further, but it's not sold separately that way on our site.

[00:06:51] Jennifer Wilson: Okay. Okay. Good to know. Yeah. And I know there's a lot of folks, particularly those who do, um, Project Life or, you know, smaller format memory keeping where they want to print on their smaller products that having the digital version can make it so much easier to get things set up. So they can, um, run it through their printer or print a label to put on it,

[00:07:11] that's the exact right size. And so that can be really handy.

[00:07:14] Cecily Moore: Absolutely. Hybrid scrapbookers are a love language of mine cause I very much have like a digital skillset, obviously as an artist. Um, but I know that not everyone does. So that's why I really wanted to have that physical products that someone can just purchase if they aren't tech savvy. But I agree.

[00:07:29] It's a nice bonus. And gives a little bit of longevity, like if you're a subscriber to get that digital kit.

[00:07:36] Jennifer Wilson: Oh yeah. Good point on that too. I'm curious if there was a particular kit or theme like that, you just, like, you really remember. Like, this is, like, this was so fun, this was one of my favorites, I'm so proud of it. Or, like, it was, this was asked for so much, and so we just had to do it. Um, is there, is there a particular kit that really stands out like that?

[00:07:55] Cecily Moore: Oh man, it's funny because they're all kind of like my children and I love all of the kits. I think like really early on, um, in I think it was like my fifth kit release or something. I did this kit called Art School. And it was really about just like being creative and unleashing and trying new things, um, your creativity.

[00:08:17] And, and that to this day is really one of my favorites. I think that is just really a part of who I am. But, um, ever since then, I think, you know, each theme is kind of really special. And I love all of them.

[00:08:32] Jennifer Wilson: No, that's fair, that's fair. I get it. So, I would love to hear about how you came to be a scrapbooker. So I scrolled all the way back on your Instagram to when you launched your account. And I could figure out that you launched your blog in December of 2014. And at that point, it looked like you were already a Studio Calico subscriber.

[00:08:50] So I assume you were scrapbooking even before then. So tell us about it.

[00:08:55] Cecily Moore: Yeah. Oh, I've had a long journey with scrapbooking. I started as a kid really like more of collage style scrapbooking. I actually like fussy cut myself out of all of our family photos. Um, much to the displeasure of my sister. Because at that point we didn't have digital versions. And so a lot of our early childhood photos are just like, things I cut up and made into other things. And collaged into like my school binders or notebooks or in high school, my mom even let me collage my wall, the wall of my bedroom.

[00:09:25] So that sort of memory keeping really was something essential as a kid. But I also did more like what you think of as traditional scrapbooking, um, with my mom. You know, we kind of did some scrapbooks for my sister when she had big life events. Like starring in a musical theater production or traveling, um, and myself.

[00:09:47] So I kind of kept random memories for myself through college. And I documented my life and relationships that way. Um, but, as far as the blog went, it was really something that like, as you heard earlier on, I'm not so great at keeping myself accountable to making time for my hobbies. And I felt like scrapbooking was one of those things where it's like, you get older, you get busy, and you forget to do it. Or like, you live in a small apartment, and you don't have space, or you don't make space for your hobbies. So, I kind of saw the blog as a way to like share my passion and crafts with more people. Um, because none of my in real life friends scrapbooked.

[00:10:25] So it was kind of a way for me to reignite this hobby that I loved and hadn't been making enough time for. Um, in a way to kind of connect with others who shared this love of paper. Um, and that's kind of how all of that became entangled. It was really more so that I could keep scrapbooking at the volume that I felt was, you know, a good creative outlet for me.

[00:10:48] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, I mean, there's something so powerful about putting yourself out in the world to create accountability for the things that you want to do. And of course, that's how sometimes some of these things end up as our businesses do. Um, but I think, yeah, anything that you can do, even on a smaller scale to say, to publicly declare, I'm going to, this is where I'm sharing. Uh, it kind of creates that more of the internal expectation that you're going to actually do it. So.

[00:11:13] Cecily Moore: Absolutely. Yeah, it was my safe space for like experimenting and trying new things and saying like, Hey, I'm going to do this. Um, and I don't know that anyone at the beginning was really reading. But like, for me, I set a schedule and I'm very much an accountable person. So I was like, if I say I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it.

[00:11:29] And I, you know, kept up with that pretty regularly. Which was really helpful for building that, that muscle memory of like doing the thing.

[00:11:39] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes, yes. I wanna touch back on what you said about your mom letting you collage your wall. Um, I, I grew up also with very supportive parents in terms of my creativity. I was able to, like, paint a mural on one of my walls, basically do whatever I wanted to like, express my creativity in my room. Um, And I'm just curious, like, if you've ever, like, if you've thought about that, if you've had conversations with others. Because I didn't realize that it was unusual, perhaps until I was older. And I told others and I'm like, wow, like, I wasn't even allowed to put anything on my walls is what I hear.

[00:12:14] So.

[00:12:15] Cecily Moore: Oh, wow. I guess I haven't talked to people because yeah, I mean, yeah, I don't think most people would let people in Mod Podge straight onto their walls. But I, I guess I always saw friends rooms as like, maybe more commercial versions. Like it wasn't as artsy fartsy or like DIY. But my mom was also a very, uh, handy person.

[00:12:38] So, you know, she always helps me build things. Like I wanted a loft bed and we kind of figured out how to build that together. And so I think a can do attitude has always kind of run in my family. Um, and just trying. Trying to learn new things and do new things. Um, but I think there are artists in my family as well, my extended family. And so creativity and being open to creative career paths was never really in question. Just because we always had those examples, uh, prominently around us. Which I think was really helpful.

[00:13:13] Jennifer Wilson: For sure. Yeah, that's wonderful. Now. Okay. So you have this blog and you are growing. You are like, you're still in school, it sounds like. Um, were the scrapbook kits actually the first offering of your business?

[00:13:26] Cecily Moore: Yeah, so, um, I actually started the blog after I had graduated college. But it was something that, um, I was job searching at the time, so I wasn't like fully employed yet. But I was very much in this kind of in between, like wanting that creative outlet. Um, sitting at a day job, a desk job, you know, for the time being. And the scrapbook kits kind of came about as a product because I was obviously using all of these other people's products. And it kind of got me thinking like how cool would it be to create products to tell the stories that I find valuable that I think are important.

[00:14:08] I think a lot of times younger people feel somewhat excluded from scrapbooking in some regard. Because a lot of traditional scrapbooking was like scrapbook your kids, scrapbook your life events. And I was like I'm scrapbooking what I'm eating on Tuesday night because that's like a cool story. And so I think I wanted to highlight a different perspective and creating my own products was a way to do that.

[00:14:33] Um, and it wasn't necessarily that no one else was doing that. But I did still think that like there was room in the space for my unique voice. And, um, so scrapbook kits were the first product that I developed. And, um, and then it kind of grew from there.

[00:14:48] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes, yes. So you mentioned earlier that maybe you have not been as consistent as a scrapbooker, and I always tell everyone, it doesn't matter how long it's been, you're still a scrapbooker. And it sounds like you agree with that. When did you find that kind of, I don't know, maybe putting, being put on the back burner?

[00:15:06] Cecily Moore: Yeah, I think like life and hobbies in general kind of get put on the back burner because I was growing the Paper Curator. I was also working a full time job and it's just kind of like you have to choose, right? So I am really close with my family and my partner and like I leaned into spending time with them maybe instead of like spending time on hobbies. Because a lot of my free time was spent on a business.

[00:15:29] Um, and so I think for me it was just kind of you know, a throttle of time limit, um, being implemented. And so it really is making time for those things. And, and, um, it's been quite a few years now, to be honest, that I haven't been practicing as regularly as I should. Um, But.

[00:15:55] Jennifer Wilson: Not put shoulds on it. You know, maybe as much as you want to.

[00:15:58] Cecily Moore: Would like to. Yes. I think would like to is, is definitely, and the should is more just my own premonition of like what I think I should be doing. But you're right, it's a would like to.

[00:16:11] Jennifer Wilson: Well, and I think that scrapbooking as just one form of creative outlet, um, if you are getting the creative aspect elsewhere, then maybe the more kind of memory legacy documentation aspect maybe is what weighs on you. Because you are still being creative in other ways, but you have, you know, stories of your life that maybe are waiting to, to get on a page.

[00:16:38] Cecily Moore: Absolutely, I think when you flip back through old books, you're like, wow, I'm so glad I wrote that down. Or like, I'm so glad that I, like, captured that memory. And I think so much of life, especially since COVID has just flown by that I'm like, I don't want to look back in 10 years and be like, Oh, what was I doing? Or what was I watching or into or enjoying? And so I do think like, there's going to be a tipping point where either I just start and move forward. Or I like kind of try and piece together some of the past. But I think, it's such a valuable piece of just capturing who we are and the lives around us. Yeah.

[00:17:15] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes. I've definitely had to kind of turn more towards my multiple planners. Better for worse, there's multiple. But to, to, to get some of that documentation, uh, and even reflection, elsewhere. Because I don't feel like I have the, the bandwidth to scrapbook in the full traditional sense as much as I would like. So I still feel like I'm getting some of that and saving it for later. Um, even though maybe my volume of pages is, is not what it has been in the past.

[00:17:47] Cecily Moore: Yeah, I love that. And then that makes it a really easy blueprint that you could pick back up and say, Oh, I remember this story that I kind of jotted down and you can build it out if you have time or if it's a really special moment that you kind of want to get into the books. But.

[00:18:00] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, and there's a lot of folks that kind of use social media for that. So, um, one of my recent guests, Tracy Fox, she said that her whole process is linked to her personal Instagram and posting like carousels of photos from her life. And then eventually she makes a page and it shows up on her scrapbooking Instagram. And so like that has kind of, that's just part of her process. But allows that that period of time in between the memories, they don't get lost.

[00:18:27] Cecily Moore: I love that. I should start doing that.

[00:18:30] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Particularly if you like, if you enjoy Instagram and like, that's part, that's already part of what you're doing on a regular basis anyway.

[00:18:37] Cecily Moore: Yeah.

[00:18:38] Jennifer Wilson: Or maybe you want to, you know, create a, a secret side one just for your personal stuff too. So. We've touched on this a little bit, but you went to FIT, so you went to school for fashion. Was there a defining moment that led you more towards graphic design?

[00:18:53] Cecily Moore: Yeah, I have probably shared this story before in some snippets. But really like I was job searching for a fashion job. And it was taking longer than I would have liked. I kept coming across jobs that like I didn't really want. And I was reading job descriptions pretty regularly to see like, Oh, do I want to apply for this?

[00:19:14] You know, et cetera. And I somehow was getting served some graphic design jobs that I absolutely was not qualified for at the time. But I read through those job descriptions and I got really excited. Like I was buzzing with like, I want to do or learn like every single item on this job description. And when I was reading some fashion jobs, a lot of it was like, Oh, you know, I'm technically able to do that.

[00:19:39] I don't love doing that. Like, I can do that. I don't really want to do that. And like, it felt draining reading some of those. And I was like, that's probably not a good sign. Like, just listening to myself. I was like, I'm not as excited about this. And so that was really a moment where I confided in my family. And I was like, look, I know I just spent four years of my life learning this skill, but I don't think this is what I want to spend the next 50 years doing. And so I started researching like what I could do to kind of get the skills I needed. And having been through an art school program I had a really good basis of you know design fundamentals and colors and the programs and that sort of thing. But it was really like the application of typography and uh functional graphic design that I felt I didn't have. And so I found this um, program called Shillington, which was a three month intensive program.

[00:20:38] And it was kind of expensive. But I was like, mom, like, should I do this? Um, and she was like, I will pay for this because of how excited you are. And that was like the backing I needed to kind of jump full in on graphic design. And one month after graduating that program, I was in a full time graphic design role and absolutely loving like every moment of it. So I think that kind of was just the crux of like, realizing that what I had thought I wanted was maybe not what I wanted in practice. And leaning into a different path.

[00:21:15] Jennifer Wilson: It seems like, I mean, I'm just trying to imagine this not really being in either field and really having no exposure to fashion besides what I've watched on less reputable television. Um, but it seems like there's like a lifestyle difference. I always feel like everyone in the fashion industry is on such like a fast pace.

[00:21:36] There's more like going from place to place. And like more of like, there's a physicality to the day to day of the job. I mean, I'm sure there's some people that are sitting at a computer all day, but was that part of it in terms of what sounded interesting or not?

[00:21:53] Cecily Moore: I think that is part of it. I think like my internship, I was literally running around New York City carrying samples everywhere.

[00:22:00] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, That's what I'm imagining.

[00:22:02] Cecily Moore: Yeah, that was like the intern's job. And like the designers got to sit at the desks and sketch and do whatever. I think what it kind of came down to was that there are not as many creative design roles as there are people flooding the industry.

[00:22:15] And a lot of fashion design is actually quite marketing driven. So a lot of the feedback that I was like seeing and hearing from my friends that were in roles was like, Oh, this shirt did well last season. Let's drop the neckline half an inch. And that's our new design for this season. And like, that's what mass market is.

[00:22:35] And a lot of the jobs are in mass market. So not everyone is getting to be, you know, um. A super creative designer. And I think what I wanted out of it was just not like what the actual job is. And I felt like to kind of keep my passion for what I loved about fashion design like that would be fine for me to carry on as a hobby. Like I had all of these amazing skills in pattern making and sewing and design that I could kind of use in different ways.

[00:23:07] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, certainly, yeah. The, the, what, all that you just described, uh, reminds me that this morning I was, browsing Old Navy as one does. And, uh, they had this new drop and I was like, yet another, they had kind of steered away from doing any Taylor Swift things. But now there's this like, um, I don't know, like, uh, the football style shirt that has the stripes on the sleeves. And it says like in my sports era. And I'm like, I'm imagining the designer who had to like, do that, like rolling their eyes about like jumping on that bandwagon because they know it will sell.

[00:23:43] Cecily Moore: Yeah, absolutely. It was kind of like a cog in a machine type vibe. And I actually, what's fascinating to me is that all of the jobs that I was getting interviews for and like getting offers for was in children's wear. And not that I expect you to know this, but my bachelor's was in women's wear. And women's wear and children's wear are actually different degrees.

[00:24:03] And so I was like, why is this happening to me? And at the time, like I didn't have a nephew at the time and I like didn't. Or like, I didn't have any children and I like, wanted to run away from children's wear. It was not something that I was like interested in at all. And I was like, why do I keep getting these jobs in children's wear?

[00:24:21] And I had this like hard conversation with my professor who I was still in conversation with. And I was like, if I take a children's wear job, like, will I be in children's wear for the next 50 years? And she was like, honestly, probably yes. Because every role after your first one, it's kind of like, well, you have experience in that, like, and you kind of get pigeonholed.

[00:24:42] And so, then job searching became this daunting like life decision, which was why I kind of was reading these job descriptions in the first place. And like, I'm a very type A person. So I was like, Oh my God, my entire life is depending on this one decision, which of course it's not like you can absolutely change paths. But at the time it felt like my entire future was riding on like this important decision.

[00:25:09] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, I mean, my daughter's only 13, and I feel like we're already getting to the place of some of those decisions. And I'm like, this is so hard and not fair. And, you know, you might change your mind a million times between now and then. But the decisions get more and more important, particularly in that, uh, the, the younger years of your life. And then by the time you're my age, they don't feel as important anymore.

[00:25:32] Cecily Moore: Yeah, I think there's, A real lack of education around what an actual job looks like. Because I think a lot of people pick a path on like, oh, I like this thing, right? In theory, I like this direction or this thing, or this subject. And then it's like, no, your day to day is actually sitting in an Excel spreadsheet. Or like, you know, I think it would be really cool to have more education on what true jobs and careers look like. But that's a soapbox for another day.

[00:26:03] Laughter.

[00:26:04] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah. And I think they're, I think they, they're trying. I, you know, I've had a lot of different conversations with people about bringing in various professionals to schools at all levels. From you know, from middle school through college. To talk about what are the jobs in this industry actually like. And what opportunities are out there. Because, you know, you don't know, and you don't even really know what you don't know.

[00:26:29] Like it's, it's, it's, it's really hard. But as you said, just because you like a subject doesn't mean that you're going to like all the different aspects of how people work in that subject. Like I was really into environment and water and all that, but it turns out I'm not a very good scientist.

[00:26:44] Um, you know, for example, when I cook, I'm more of a, like, here's the ingredients, let's make something. And I've done it so much. I can make it taste good. Well, that's not really how you do it in science. You need to have some precision and patience and making sure you're following things and verifying. And I'm like, Oh, I, I don't like that as much. So I'd rather do things in communication about science. Because I can let others have that discipline and patience for it. So yeah, no, I totally get that for sure. So you went back to school to the Shillington program. I have Googled that and we'll definitely include a link to that in the show notes for the episode. And it said that you, you know, you led to Um, a full time job pretty quickly. That's awesome. Um, do you still have that job or is there a certain point where you have gone full time on your own business?

[00:27:33] Cecily Moore: So that first job I got was at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and it was really kind of a dream first step. Um, and that was in a print position. So I was really doing a lot of material design. Which fed my love of paper in kind of a whole new way. Um, I switched from that role into a different full time graphic design role, um, in 2022. Um, I think 2021. Oh, geez. Time is evading me.

[00:28:05] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, well, the time in that area of life was hard too with the exit of the pandemic ish.

[00:28:13] Cecily Moore: Yeah, it was really kind of a blip. So I, it was, it definitely was 2021. Um, and then I went to more of an agency style graphic design. Where I was doing content creation and I left that role last year, late last year. So September of last year. And I have been kind of pursuing the paper curator full time since then.

[00:28:33] So, just a couple months, um, since I've departed, graphic design is a full time role. But I am still, you know, doing freelance here and there.

[00:28:43] Jennifer Wilson: Well, it's an exciting transition. Like, I'm sure it's both exciting and maybe a little nerve wracking. Um, how has that felt over the past, um, few months?

[00:28:52] Cecily Moore: Exciting and terrifying. I think you kind of nailed it there. It's, you know, it's amazing. It's also a very different way of budgeting, and, uh, like setting up your lifestyle and planning your time. And, um, it's been really fun to kind of have more freedom. Which I think is why I'm starting to percolate on getting back to all of my hobbies. Because I can actually carve out a bit of time on the weekend for for some things besides growing the business.

[00:29:19] Jennifer Wilson: And when you were working for others, were you primarily working from home or did you have to go somewhere in the city to, to do that job?

[00:29:27] Cecily Moore: Yeah, my first role was in the office and at the time that was pretty normal. I don't think anyone even blinked twice.

[00:29:35] Um, when the pandemic hit we all began working from home just due to the fact that no one was commuting to the city. Um, and then my last role was fully remote. The entire company didn't have any offices or anything.

[00:29:50] So, um, I've been, working from home for yeah, about five years now. Um, which is pretty incredible. And I think kind of solidified the type of worker that I am. And I don't think an office really is for me any longer, which is crazy to say.

[00:30:08] Jennifer Wilson: I understand that. I like going in for like a meeting and then I feel energized, but I don't want to be there all day. So.

[00:30:15] Cecily Moore: Yeah, I think for me, it also depends on the type of work. So in my first job, it was very much design and layout and that I could do with interruptions. It was less brain intensive. It was more obviously visual. Um, my last role was a lot of copywriting and like heavy thinking, um, and that I absolutely can't do with a lot of people around me.

[00:30:37] So I think, you know, depending on the role, I could probably get back into an office, but don't really want to.

[00:30:43] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah, no, and I'm, yeah, I'm excited to see how things evolve for you. Um, before we dig more into the rest of your business, can you talk a little bit about your creative process? Um, from what I can tell, it sounds like some of your designs are starting out as, um, in particular, I'm thinking of things that are like pattern designs are painted. And some you're starting on the computer.

[00:31:07] And then you also mentioned that some of your products you crochet, so you are doing some like hand craftsmanship as well. So can you talk about the things that you're doing and creating, um, more generally?

[00:31:18] Cecily Moore: Yeah, I really love experimenting and trying new things. I've never been an artist that kind of stops at one medium. And so a lot of my work does begin traditionally. Because it's really like, Oh, I want to try this new method or this new material or this new style. And so it's kind of seeking inspiration around like new methods and then just trying those things and seeing how it turns out.

[00:31:43] Um, and not everything turns into a product, but it really kind of does begin there. Um, I always like how traditional materials kind of give that texture and that handmade element to it. So I try to keep that at the core of, you know, a lot of my products launches, but in the end, everything does get digitized.

[00:32:05] Um, so I'm always kind of experimenting with both. I got an iPad a few years ago and trying Procreate for the first time was really magical. And I kind of, I do a mix of both at this point. So it's kind of more so dependent on the outcome that I'm looking for. Um, what the product is and what I kind of need out of it.

[00:32:25] So when I'm developing a kit, for instance, it starts with a mood board and I define the colors and the themes and the possible patterns and sentiments that I want to portray. And then I define what medium is going to give that feel. And whether that's digital or traditional. And then I mix and match and play around 'til I'm happy with how everything is kind of fitting together. Um, and then for product development, that's more so, like you said, crocheting, it's really about a longer process. So I have to make the patterns, I have to see what the material is, I have to source the materials, um, I have to make samples, and a lot of my line is handmade.

[00:33:10] Um, that fashion background was really helpful in In some of those elements. So all of our gift items are handmade and our notebooks are hand stitched. And, um, for me, that's a really good way to balance the computer work with the craftsmanship and, uh, being hands on with materials. So I think that also has kind of replaced some of the hands on aspects of scrapbooking that I loved so much. Um, so I just do it for a business now.

[00:33:39] Jennifer Wilson: Well, and I would guess that, as you said, that said like that some of your education has been, uh, giving you a huge advantage over someone who just was coming in and wanting to create similar products. Because you've like you've learned about different materials and and sourcing of those materials and like you've you've learned kind of the business of things, if you will.

[00:34:03] Cecily Moore: Yeah, and the resources. Like I already had an, you know, an entire list of where to get these things and what I needed and the types of names of the things I needed. And yeah, absolutely. It's really interesting because I think of myself, you know, a lot as a stationary business. But having a lot of gift items as well has really distinguished me, um, in that space of people who primarily do greeting cards.

[00:34:28] And to really have this kind of lifestyle approach of a creative person that wants the lifestyle stuff but they also want the scrapbooking craft stuff and they want the paper stuff. So it really is who I am. That is what led to this product assortment. But I think it also is is a fun way of thinking about you know my skill sets and what led to developing all of these things.

[00:34:54] Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes. Like having, having all this context from talking to you, I can see how that has, I can see how that's illustrated in the products that you have. So you have both retail products beyond the, even beyond the scrapbook kits, as well as the wholesale line. Which, um, and you mentioned before, it includes both, you know, gift items and cards and, and a variety of different things. So can you talk more specifically now about what listeners can find in your shop?

[00:35:22] Cecily Moore: Yeah, so as I kind of said, I think of it in three buckets. So it's like the craft items, the stationery items, and the gift items. Um, in stationery, I have things like notebooks, greeting cards, wrapping paper, and tags. Um, and then in the craft, I have, you know, stamps, stickers, and scrapbook kits. And then in the gift, I have, uh, pencil cases, zipper pouches, coasters, art prints.

[00:35:50] So it really is for creative living, like whether you're at home and you want an art print or you're out and about and you want a pencil case to carry all your crafty things with you. Um, that's kind of the range of products that I have.

[00:36:03] Jennifer Wilson: How does being kind of like in different buckets impact, uh, you know, trade associations and getting exposure? Um, I'm imagining like it feels more segmented. I mean, not necessarily a bad way, it's opportunities. But how do you make sure that you are talking to all the right people?

[00:36:22] Cecily Moore: Yeah, absolutely. I think it's really interesting, um, because I found that there are pockets that perform well in different avenues of my business. So a lot of the trade shows that I've attended for wholesale have been primarily gift shows. And a lot of that kind of serves the stationery and the gift market.

[00:36:42] And then the scrapbooking kind of, I think I've carved out more of a well known space online. So that's more of my direct to consumer market. And I think more Google able in a sense, like I think that's more what I'm known for in the interweb. Um, so like sometimes retailers will find me that way. Um, just by way of searching. Um, but I think like having that variety kind of gives me different areas to lean into for different markets. Which I think is helpful. And just kind of knowing what performs where and where I need to lean into in terms of marketing for those areas.

[00:37:22] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, certainly. Um, cause I mean, there's, there's, there's obviously a lot of people in the gift and stationery market that I don't know about at all. But I know about you because of scrapbooking. And now I know that, you know, I have this option of, of where to buy some of those other things. So, um, yeah, it's just more opportunities for people to, to find you based on what they're interested in.

[00:37:42] Cecily Moore: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

[00:37:43] Jennifer Wilson: So what would you say is your most popular product?

[00:37:47] Cecily Moore: So as I mentioned, things do well on different markets. But I think like what I'm going to peg as my most popular product, um, is our rainy day stamp set. And it's all about the weather, not just rain, of course. And it's kind of been a surprising big hit, both in direct to consumer retail as well as wholesale. Um, it got picked up by Blick, uh, Art Materials last year and, um, that was kind of a really exciting moment for me, so.

[00:38:14] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, very cool. We'll definitely link that one up. Now, is there a new product or even a new line of products that you're most excited about?

[00:38:21] Cecily Moore: So, I am just releasing a brand new Valentine's or love themed collection of products, which, um, is, um, exciting. I haven't done a lot of new products over the past year in terms of wholesale. Um, so one item from that collection that I'm really excited about are some new confetti cards. And they're going to be great all year round because they're general love sharing. So I think like what's more special than a little love note that has some confetti, um, included for your friends all year round.

[00:38:55] Jennifer Wilson: Very fun. Very cool. Yes, I noticed your confetti pouches and I'm like, Oh, those are so, those are so fun. I like it.

[00:39:01] Cecily Moore: Yeah. I think joy is like a big part of why I create products and confetti just screams like joyousness to me.

[00:39:10] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, for sure. And, you know, we were, gosh, we were, we were in Gulf Shores, Alabama on vacation. And since my daughter has, has been getting older, we have not been able to take very many trips, especially in, because of the pandemic too. And there was just like this little, like it was, it was more like a, they specialize more in party goods. Uh, it seems like leaning more towards even sororities, but it had all kinds of gift items and stationery. And I'm like, this store just gives me so much joy. I just want to be in here. And, you know, I was talking with the, the gal working there about, you know, one particular artist they, they carried stuff on and it, yeah.

[00:39:47] As you said, it just, it brings me so much joy to see these things out in the world. To see them online and be able to then bring them into my home. And also, you know, support others creativity along the way.

[00:40:00] Cecily Moore: Yeah, there's been the trend of like dopamine decor over the past like few months. And that's kind of my life motto at this point. Does it bring you a little bit of dopamine? Like you should do it. So that's kind of what I want my products to be for other people.

[00:40:17] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, I need to remember that when I buy another beige thing. So, we've talked a lot about some of your lessons learned already. But has there been a particular top lesson learned from, from running your business over the past decade?

[00:40:33] Cecily Moore: Yeah, I actually have two things, but I'll keep them kind of quick. The first is to never stop learning. And that really comes from my mother. She instilled a love of learning in me. And I believe this in life and especially in business, that it's imperative to always be learning and trying new things.

[00:40:51] Um, and the second more businessy thing is diversify, diversify, diversify. I think as a multi passionate creative, it's kind of in my nature to be interested in a lot of different things, but in business, that has also served me really well. Um, I have obviously a multitude of streams of revenue. So I have retail, wholesale.

[00:41:10] I also do art licensing and graphic design as kind of a service. So having that variety of income streams is really going to make you and has made me more resilient against outside factors. And at least for me, it kind of really helps ward off burnout as well. Because I'm always able to learn and try new things and lean into markets that are kind of differentiated.

[00:41:34] Jennifer Wilson: Has there ever been something where you're like, I really want to do this, but It's not going to sell. So you have to like, I don't know, turn your brain off or, uh, reroute it or just do it for fun. Um, or yeah, because I'm sure there's ideas that you've had like, Oh, well, that's fun for me. And like three people, but.

[00:41:53] Cecily Moore: Yeah, sometimes that gets the better of me. Sometimes I release things and I'm like, this is going to be great. And then it isn't. But there are some things where I'm like, that's a me project. That's a hobby project. Um, and that's okay too. I think I also, because my products are handmade, I have to think about the feasibility of the manufacturing side as well.

[00:42:11] And so there was one time, a few years ago where I was like, I want to try, um, resin products. I'm like resin confetti trays would be so fun. And I like spent a weekend making a singular resin confetti tray. And I was like, absolutely fun for me. Absolutely not going to work as a product that I want to make all the time.

[00:42:32] So I think there are things where I'm like, I'm going to try this, but it may not actually turn into anything.

[00:42:38] Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes. There's, there's an artist here who, um, who lives locally, who did like poured paintings, um, on a very large scale. And then she had a baby and she's like, I can't just have all this out in my house anymore. And so I don't know, I'm not sure exactly what she's doing today. But she had to have a major shift because of the, the space and complexity of the things that she was doing. Um, and just the hazard to others of it being like in the middle of her dining room. So.

[00:43:12] Cecily Moore: Absolutely. That's where a studio space could be helpful, but it's not always possible, so definitely challenging.

[00:43:19] Jennifer Wilson: Well this has been so delightful. I can't wait to see how things evolve. I'm so excited for you. Can you share where our listeners can find you online and, you know, if you have anything to tease about what might be new or coming up, um, on the direct to consumer side?

[00:43:36] Cecily Moore: Yeah, so you can find me at The Paper Curator on most social platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok. Um, and at thepapercurator. com to check out all of our products. As well as our blog, where hopefully you'll be seeing some new inspiring projects from me as well on there. Um, and then, you know, each month we have a new kit.

[00:43:58] So this next kit coming out in January will be an exciting one. I can't quite share what it is yet, but stay tuned on the 21st for some sneaks of what the next theme is.

[00:44:09] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, fun, fun, fun. Awesome. Thank you so much. We'll definitely include all the links that you've mentioned in the show notes for the episode, and I appreciate you spending time with me.

[00:44:18] Cecily Moore: Yes. Thank you so much. It's such a joy to chat with you.

[00:44:21] Jennifer Wilson: And to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to scrapbook your way.