All in the Famiglia: An Interview with Rain's Embellishments

Family. There is nothing quite like family, that is unless it's crafty famiglia, and we are so lucky to have Lorrain Garcia , aka, "Rains Embellishments" as a fellow crafty sister in this big crafty famiglia called the "Craft Mafia."

I first met Rain when she joined us for the Petaluma Craft Mafia's first show, "Craftaluma."
Rain is part of our big extended crafty famiglia, and she is part of the extraordinarily talented Sacramento Craft Mafia.

We love our Capitol City Crafty gals! Here is what I know about Lorrain, not only is she a kick-ass talented jewelry and bauble maker, she also has a fine sense of humor, is an accomplished cupcake baker and one of the best dressers I know. She and I share a deep fondness for owls, (you've all seen my owl necklace she made). Lorrain has a generous heart and not one mean bone in her body. She's also an Aquarius for those of you who were wondering. And oh, psst...she's also baaack! We are thrilled because she and some her crafty Sacramento Craft Mafia sisters are joining us for "Mafia Made Holiday Craftacular." Nope, there is nothing like famiglia. And we are thrilled to have them with us!

C: Okay Ms. Rain, please tell us how you came up with the name of your crafty enterprise.
L: Hey there! My name is Lorrain Garcia, my business is Rain's Embellishments. My business name just sort of came into being because it's my nickname Rain: I use to hang out all the time at my bf's house in grade school. She had a little brother who had a hard time saying Lorrain. Whenever he would talk to me he would call out "My Rain" it was so cute it stuck! And Embellishments because my jewelry is my embellishment!

C: Where are you located?
L: Sacramento, CA

C: Hometown?
L: Sactown!


C: Yay Sactown!! Home of Merlino's Orange Freeze and the Sacramento Craft Mafia!! Tell the folks what it is that you make.
L: Currently I've been working with enameled flower pieces, (sugar)skulls & owls!
My three favorite things of the moment. I take a variety of different beads an mold them into
necklace pendants, earrings and bracelets.


C: What is your favorite and least favorite thing about what you do?
L: I love making things with my hands! It really gives me a sense of accomplishment to take different random elements and make them into something to wear! Sometimes it's heart-breaking to sell a piece that I've fallen in love with. Other times I just think I'm making items to add to my ever-growing collection! I'll stay up many a night on a creative binge and then wake up in the morning with sore wrists & hands! I'd have to say that over-working my hands is a major draw-back. Over the summer I was actually having a real hard time with my wrists hurting, so I wasn't able to create that much. I've had to train myself to stretch before I work. Sometimes I forget, but my joints always remind me when I do!

C: Oh boy. Do I know that feeling. I used to ignore it - until one day it refused to be ignored! The pain and numbness started shooting up my shoulder and neck. Still, the pain is worth the creative binges. Speaking of which, what brings you creative inspiration?
L: Sometimes it's as easy as visiting a bead store or fabric store. Other times it's from walking through a gallery or museum...being influenced by other peoples art. Sometimes it's a minor suggestion that someone gives me. I've actually dreamt a piece of jewelry into being! I know it kinda sounds hokey, but I have definitely dreamt about placing certain colors together or various beads.

C: It's not "hokey." I'm a dreamer myself, and trust dreams and intuition. Anytime I've gone against my intuition is when things tend to go awry! Clearly, your dreams are working for you Rain. I sense an extra dimension at play when I look at your work. You have a richness and depth in your color palette as well as the design elements in your pieces. You are fearless, and I tend to admire courage and kindness in all aspects of life. What advice would you give to a designer who wanted to start a business such as yours?
L: For one thing, I have found that there are A LOT of jewelry designers out there! So I definitely recommend that you find your niche! Figure out what makes your pieces yours...figure out your "signature"!
Try something different that sets you apart! That's what your audience will notice!

C: Do you have any exciting news or future business plans you'd like to
share?
L: Shh... it's a secret!

C: Gotcha. We gotta keep it on the "down-low" in the Mafia. LOL! Do you have any favorite crafty haunts?
L: Geez! Where do I start? I love bead stores, fabric stores, scrapbook shops....I loved the bead store I use to work at with all my heart! Sadly, BeadWorks closed two years ago! I do love visiting The Bead Fetish & Piece of Mind, Beverly's Fabric & Crafts, Rumpelstiltskin, The Scrapbook Station, Fire & Rain, Art Gallery, The Crocker...funny enough, Empire Comics, craft night at a friends house - and for that matter, my mom's sewing room!

C: Curve ball question: Sean Connery or Roger Moore?
L: Man, are you kidding, Sean Connery! He's still sexy!

C; It's that Scottish brogue, you can't figure out what the devil he's saying! Tres sexy in it's confusion! What is your favorite midnight snack?
L: Cookies & ice cream!

C: Nummy! Hard question now, Favorite book and movie?
L: Lordy, ya know... there are just too many wonderful ones to name! Empire Records, Reality Bites, Sex and the City, Anam Cara, Love Story, Harry Potter 1-7, if there is ever a Buffy movie based off the TV show, that would most definitely be on top! High Fidelity, gosh, Frida, practically anything by Michele Gondry or Sophia Coppola, the early works of V.C. Andrews...dude, I know I'm missing some other great material! Most any art book
with Frida Khalo, Gustav Klimt or Alphonse Mucha!

C: Le sigh. All excellent choices. Love Story, even the theme song to the movie makes me get a big 'ol painful lump in my throat. I can't handle it. Harry P. rocks. I'm a huge John Cusack fan. I wanna marry him when I grow up and together we shall have fifteen crafty children and a purple-painted picket fence with an orange Karman Ghia parked in front. Someday, Rain, we are just going to have to have a big 'ol sister city movie and dinner craftalong in each of our fair towns. Let's make it happen! Okay, the dinner party question, your throwing a dinner party, who would you invite and why?
L: My Grandma Carmen because I miss her laughter! My mom, sis, niece, dad, bf Chris, and my other bffs Amanda & Erin all because they are all the people I depend on the most! And when I close my eyes, they are the people I see sitting around the table! I could probably name other "famous" people, but really, I think I would just be too nervous to eat and I'd rather be enjoying the delicious meal full of warmth and laughter!

C: Now that is a typical Rain response, and why we love you so much! Thank you darlin' and we can't wait to see you and your sisters next Saturday in Petaluma!

You can find more Rain Goodness here at her blog and more about our crafty cool sisters in Sacramento right over here.

Twin Crow Studios

Courtney Cerruti of Twin Crow Studios was one of our amazing vendors at Craftaluma. I was thrilled to have her join us again for our upcoming show, as her world of bell jars, re-purposed tea cups, mushrooms, and other assorted flora and fauna of beauty and kitsch; all drew me. I wouldn't mind living in a Courtney Cerruti made world!

C: Hi Courtney, what's the name of your business and how did you come up with it?
CC: Twin Crow Studios was created out of a brainstorm between me and my boyfriend. I love birds and bird imagery and I have a bit of a bird nature in my collection of seemingly random bits of things, paper, string, objects etc. I use twin imagery in my drawings and ATCs and it also

C: Where are you located?
CC: the Bay Area

C: Hometown?
CC: Oakland, CA

C: What is it that you make?
CC: I make all things paper. Currently I'm into making miniature paper shoes and miniature worlds in teacups or inside of cloches.

C: What is your favorite and least favorite thing about what you do?
CC: I love making things, its just what I do. My boyfriend's 6 year old says her dad is a good reader and I am a good "maker." She thinks I can make anything!
What I like least about making things is that I don't make enough money in crafts to do just that and nothing else.

C: Where do you find creative inspiration?
CC: Objects, images, beautiful things inspire me. I love saturated color, antique and vintage objects, the beauty in things used, things that have a history. I also like materials, often a discarded piece of metal, a broken nutshell or a piece of moss is enough to get me going on a whole series of work.

C: Any favorite crafty haunts around the bay area you like to visit?
CC: The Alameda Antique Market on the 1st Sunday of the month is a good place to find unusual and old things. But usually just a trip to the thrift store will suffice.

C: Have been wanting to make it out to the Alameda Market. Bless those Thrift stores for their crafty inspiration and goodness! Courtney, what advice would you give to a designer who wanted to start a business such as yours?
CC: Make stuff and see what happens.

C: Mmmhmm... Do you have any exciting news or future business plans you'd like to share?
CC:Visit my blog to see what's new!

C: Sure will. Now what the folks really wanna know is, Sean Connery or Roger Moore?
CC: Sean Connery.

C: LOL! You were expecting that one. Finally Sean stands a chance in this Roger Moore biased blog! :) What is your favorite midnight snack?
CC: Tea and chocolate chips with Mila (my boyfriend's 3 year old)

C: That could certainly lead me astray in the midnight-hour for sure. Favorite book and movie?
CC: Anything by Toni Morrison, and Bleu with Juliet Binoche

C: I'm a huge Juliet Binoche fan, in my minds eye, I had cast her in "Chocolat" years before the film came out! Okay Courtney, If you were throwing a dinner party, who would you invite (living or not living) and why?
CC: Other than my boyfriend, I would invite Frida Kahlo, Maria Janosko, Marilyn Manson, Nathalie Cheung, da Vinci, and Morgan Freeman. I was in love with MM when I was in high school and how often do you get to live out a high school fantasy? Maria because she's hilarious and a good friend, Nathalie because she lives in France and I miss her, Frida because I love her work, da Vinci because he was my first favorite artist and Morgan Freeman because I want him to be my friend.

C: Morgan is the man, would love to have him as my friend and neighbor. He's a cool cat with a big heart. I just might crash that dinner party. Maria Janosko...hmmm, she sounds like one of our crafty vendors! You have great taste in dinner partners Courtney. We will see you both soon at Mafia Made Holiday Crafacular!