An Interview with Renee of TadpoleCreations

I’m sticking to the same theme…another store, Tadpole Creations to be affected by the CPSIA Law….

Tell me a little bit about your background in arts and crafts.

A child of the seventies, the daughter of a ceramist and woodworker turned into successful interior designers. Fast forward 30 years, I am the mother of 3 growing kids, a former elementary art teacher turned decorative painter. I specialize in painting art and murals for children’s rooms. Since I was a small child, I have always sewn for pleasure. Tadpolecreations was begun to satisfy my need to paint with fabric.

When did you first start creating things?

My parents have tape deck recording of myself as a two year old asking Santa for a sewing machine. My mother would let my older sister and I work with clay in her studio. My high school graduation gift was a sewing machine.

What were the first things you created? and how did your creativity progress from there?I have always had a gift for creating big messes. Still do to this day. I look at every past creative experience in my life as teaching me something about how to approach future challenges. Even my biggest challenges have provided invaluable gems of wisdom to learn from.

Is this your only business or do you do other things as well?I have 2 other online stores that I sell my custom hand painted wall hangings for babies and children http://hotchpotch.etsy.com/ and http://stores.ebay.com/Art-for-Baby-and-Kids. My original art is also sold via a select number of online boutiques.

Oh yes, but one of the wonderful things about selling custom work is that the design challenges I take on satisfy the artistic desire to create. I am happy to attempt to balance the challenges of running a full time business with the daily household needs of raising a family.

How will the new law by CPSIA affect you and your shop?