Crafting a Revolution: Recent Episodes
Katie Freeman
A maker is someone who has a passion for creating something where formerly there was nothing. Making and being creative may be their full time job, a part-time hustle, or a hobby that brings them joy. Every week I will bring you two interviews of female and nonbinary makers of all kinds from all over the world.
About Kayden:
I'm Kayden! I'm a coffee-fueled and dad-joke-filled creative. I'm a fan of spreadsheets, climbing the occasional mountain, iced coffee (year round!), anything wood-related, and don't even get me STARTED on sushi.
I graduated from the nationally accredited Graphic Design program at the College of Saint Rose with a BFA. Throughout my career as a Graphic Designer, I worked in an agency, a newsroom, and on marketing teams for global companies, which gives me a strong sense of designing for a wide variety of industries.
Throughout my career as a craftsman, I have worked in flooring production, construction, a cabinet shop, and a countertop/table production shop. These experiences give me the skills and problem-solving capabilities that allow me to bring your vision to life with tangible materials.
My wide breadth of experience has given me the foundation to methodically apply what I have learned to my design, woodworking and signmaking processes. Attention to detail, problem-solving, and considering how people will interact with the final product are a few things I take into account when working on projects.
Follow along with Kayden on his Website or Instagram.
About Leah Houghtaling My woodworking and art have always grown out of functional needs combined with my desire to be in motion. Each piece I create explores the natural lines and contours of the wood, allowing it to come alive with textures, lines, colors, and shadows.
I use sustainably harvested local wood and non-toxic finishes to make art and custom furniture for homes and businesses.
You may find her on her Website and on Instagram.
About Joy:
I am honored to participate in the long history of creativity in the community of Santa Ana, California. From my shop downtown, I make commissioned pieces for my clients and forge objects that are entirely my own.
While blacksmithing is my foundational practice, I also incorporate other mediums. Film photography, cinefilm, and stained glass, are all mediums I have explored to complement and support my work at the forge. I am also a teacher and consider that part of my work as an artist as well.
I am a Certified Instructor with the California Blacksmith Association, a Certified Welder with the American Welding Society, a Community Education Instructor in blacksmithing and bronze casting, and a Welding Instructor at Orange Coast College. Also, I am also on the Governance Committee for the nonprofit Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths which provides opportunities, visibility, and economic support for marginalized communities in the field of blacksmithing.
You can follow along with Joy on Instagram.
Laura Kishimoto is a designer/maker living in Denver and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. She was initially drawn to furniture design because it occupies a unique position between the fields of fine art and design. Furniture can both exist as a product, addressing a specific need, or as a stand alone sculptural object. And in both cases, a user/viewer is necessary to complete the piece of furniture: whether to give it function by physically engaging with it or to give it meaning by imbuing it with their emotional narrative.
Laura's creative process is defined by a constant balancing act between her intentions as a designer and the will of the material. With each piece, Laura strives to create a spatially complex, cohesive object that appears to have formed organically without human intervention.
You can see her Yumi chair at the Denver Art Museum.
You can follow along with her on Instagram.
TINA TANG, CO-FOUNDER & CEO Tina is a systems engineer with graduate training in machine learning and computer vision from the University of Virginia. Prior to graduate school, she was an associate manager at Accenture focused on software product design and delivery. She has a background in art and generally loves visualization - from data viz to design to drawing and painting.
ABOUT US
Bristles, Inc. is a startup based in Durham, North Carolina. Our mission is to build creativity-enabling products that harness the insight of artificial intelligence to deliver powerful functionality as delightful, easy-to-use tools for visualizing ideas. Because sometimes, words aren't enough.
We’re inspired by a classic creative tool: the paintbrush. It enables the artist to focus on illustrating their creative vision. All the while, thousands of tiny bristles are working to apply paint evenly and smoothly. In our products, we pack the power into the bristles, so you can focus on the rewarding, creative bits of your work.
Our first product is a mobile app for designing home DIY & upcycling projects. These transformations are massive creative undertakings, so we're empowering DIYers and Upcyclers to visualize, build on, and share their ideas.
You can find Bristles AI in the Apple store and Google Play store, or directly HERE.
Become a patron of the podcast HERE.
Born and raised in Tennessee, Elizabeth showed great promise in both the arts and mathematics. She first specialized in engineering, earning an M.S. in civil engineering from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and working in several engineering jobs. In 2012, she moved to Seattle, WA, and in 2015 decided to nurture her artistic side through woodworking. Her first creations included several pieces of furniture in the Arts & Crafts style, but she eventually turned to smaller objects and now specializes in bowls, spoons, and boxes. Her skills range from natural finish and simple forms to highly carved and painted forms that emulate natural motifs. She is the AAW's 2023 POP Artist Showcase recipient, and teaches woodturning at the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle, WA and the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. She serves as program director and Women in Turning liaison for the Seattle Woodturners Club.
You can follow along with Elizabeth on Instagram.
Become a patron of the podcast HERE.
Tanya Nixon-Silberg (she/her) is a Black mother, native Bostonian, educator, puppeteer and founder of Little Uprisings- an organization focused on centering artivism, racial justice, and liberation with kids. Her primary artistic identities lie in puppetry and storytelling and her work moves through the lens of liberation in Black identities focusing on body remembrances of childhood and joy. Her puppetry productions and creative research have been funded by The Jim Henson Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts,Puppet Showplace Theater, Boston Cultural Council and The Boston Foundation.
Tanya’s large-scale community-driven artistry has been exhibited at many Greater Boston institutions including the ICA, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Peabody Essex Museum, and Fuller Craft Museum. She is currently in a multi-year partnership with Boston and Brookline Public Schools leading anti-bias/anti-racism professional learning and curriculum development. Tanya is also the co-leader of the Un-ADULT-erated Black Joy Collective with other Black mothers in Boston, and co-producer of Play for Change with the Gottabees. You will mostly find Tanya playing and learning from her 10-year-old, groaning from her husband's puns and imagining how we all get free together.
You may find information on Tanya's upcoming public art installation here.
You can follow along with Tanya on Instagram.
Katrice Kelly is an interdisciplinary artist, MFA Painting and Drawing student attending the University of Iowa. She has been making art her entire life. Katrice’s more realistic works have been influenced by dream studies and rest ministries. Fibers are the main materials used to create tactile and comforting paintings. Her goal is to create work that feels familiar for everyone.
You can follow Katrice and her work on Instagram.
You can follow along with the podcast on Instagram.
Olivia Jade Juarez is a multi-disciplinary artist, designer, and fabricator located in Chicago. She recently managed the Metalworking and Forging Department at Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center in Rogers Park, with past experience at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado and Vivian Beer Studio Works in New Hampshire. Juarez attended high school at the Waldorf School in Rogers Park, and earned her BFA from Alfred University in New York. Her current studio practice ranges from digital design, sewing, felting, forging and metal fabrication.
You can follow along with Olivia and her work on Instagram.
You can follow along with the podcast on Instagram.
Gabs Conway is a sculptural ceramic artist based in Missoula Montana. Having grown up in Missoula, she was excited to return - as she relentlessly considers it home - after earning her BFA at the University of Wisconsin – Stout. Her work stems from the playful, mundane experiences of living. She explores relationships, such as that of siblings, friends, and lovers. Interested in creating forms for the reflection of human experience; asking the viewer to consider their appreciation of life, and to humble the adornment of our physicality. She remains curious of the inherent biological responses of living, and what it means to exist together in an ever changing world.
You can follow Gabs and her work on Instagram and her Website.
Follow along with the podcast on Instagram.
Ellie Richards is a furniture designer and sculptor interested in the role the furniture and domestic objects play in creating opportunities for a deeper connection between people and their sense of place. Ellie looks to the tradition of both woodworking and the readymade to create eclectic assemblage, installation, and objects exploring intersections of labor, leisure, community, and culture. She has traveled extensively to investigate the role play and improvisation have on the artistic process. Her work, both furniture and sculpture, has been included in exhibitions at the Mint Museum; Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design; SOFA Chicago; and the Society of Contemporary Craft. Most recently Richards was awarded Windgate residencies at the Center for Art in Wood, and in the wood/furniture design programs at San Diego State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Additionally, she maintains an active teaching schedule sharing the fundamentals of woodworking and artistic practice with a breadth of audience including appointments at Yestermorrow Design/Build School, Appalachian Center for Craft, and Haystack Mountain School of Craft. She is currently a resident artist at Penland School of Craft 2020-2023.
You may follow along with Ellie on Instagram and her website.
Follow along with the Podcast on Instagram.
Chelsea Van Voorhis is a woodworker, designer, and veneer artist focused on creating fashion forward pieces with social and political commentary. She uses traditional woodworking materials and techniques to make non-traditional pieces.
You can follow along with Chelsea on her Instagram and her website.
Follow along with the podcast on Instagram.
Ashley is the furniture maker behind Shallow Creek Woodcraft, based in Southern PA. Ashley is a wife and Mom of four, balancing a passionate pursuit of the craft with family time. A self-professed woodworking book nerd, lover of laughter, and deep appreciator of her maker/woodworking/artist peers. She is currently enrolled in the Northwest Woodworking Studio Online Mastery program and takes private commissions.
You can follow her growth into the fine side of woodworking on Instagram.
Erin Irber and Hanneke Lourens of Coast Collective join co-host Katie Thompson for a chat about their new business, their experiences as individual artists and business owners, and much more.
Coast launched in July 2022, representing 12 Artisans with a collection of finely crafted furniture. Ready to ship at the click of a button. Collection No2 launched October 5, 2022 with an additional 12 new pieces.
Be sure to follow Coast Collective on Instagram at @coastcollective.us and their website, coastcollective.us.
Image credit - Hubbard M. Jones
Estrapala Woodworking is owned by wife and wife team, Sara & Marika. Sara has a position as a research faculty at Mizzou and Marika currently stays at home with their toddler. When they are not occupied with life they love to spend their time in the woodshop. While they both have separate interests in different types of woodworking their styles compliment each other when they chose to work together on projects. Sara is fascinated with the beauty of natural wood specifically burls. Sara also has a love for ornate boxes. Marika is sharpening her skills on the lathe and also enjoys making cutting boards and scroll saw projects.
Most of the pieces made are custom orders but they do have a small inventory on hand from time to time.
You can follow along with Sara and Marika on Instagram and their Website.
Based in Canada, Pooja Pawaskar is the Indian-born artist behind Whirl & Whittle. Crafting wooden and ceramic pieces which celebrate the inherent beauty in each object’s peculiarities, Pooja chooses to embrace blemish in her works and herself in a world which relies heavily on flawlessness and statics. Her work is grounded in the belief that the world around us and the things within it are unique rather than imperfect.
Growing up in a multigenerational home in Mumbai, India, Pawaskar was introduced to woodworking at a young age by her grandfather, a formally trained carpenter and model maker. She spent many of her days observing him make furniture and hand-carved pieces. His love for design and grasp of technique captivated her and bled into her own practice. Driven by a fascination with design and art, Pooja studied architecture at Mumbai University; however, it wasn’t until her final year her passion for building furniture was unearthed. This realization inspired her to shift gears and apply for a furniture design program at the Savannah College of Art and Design. In 2014, she relocated to Savannah, Georgia, USA, to pursue her passion for woodworking and furniture. After the initial cultural shock, Pawaskar recognized that this was what she was waiting for. Surrounded by avant-garde technology and excellent collaborators, she used the following two years learning and exploring her passion for the handmade.
Upon graduating in 2016, Pawaskar began her career as a furniture designer at Stylex Seating in New Jersey—an opportunity that brought her incredible growth but left her craving for handmade pieces. On weekends she would work on honing her woodworking skill at a communal workshop in New York City. In 2019, Pawaskar relocated to Canada and decided to pursue her passion of becoming an artist. In late 2019, she registered her business, and Whirl & Whittle was born.
You can follow along with Pooja on Instagram and her Website.
Des is a wife, Mom of two, and sports masseuse as well as woodworker. She was introduced to woodworking by her father at a young age. She learned the value of being able to make something you needed or wanted with your own hands and that was carried into adulthood. Now she makes a wide variety of things from signs to furniture.
Follow Des on Instagram.
Follow guest host Bonnie on Instagram.
Andrea Gordon, MFA is a categorical career leaping nerd that has gone from aspiring musician, to sound design, to kitchen work, and settled on woodworking and art in the last 3 years. She has been wood turning for the last year and started a tiny business in April 2022 selling pens and other little wood trinkets. She is 1st generation USA born Colombian on one side and 3rd generation Jewish from Brooklyn on the other. She married Carla, a Puerto Rican zaddy two years ago and they have Stella, a sassy mini-schnauzer. Together, they bought a 70 year old house (in this economy!?) last year and have been slowly bringing it, and her new garage into the 21st century.
You can follow along with Andrea on Instagram and Etsy.
Monique Livingston is a wife, mom, and artist creating works of art and food from her home in Utica, New York. Monique has a degree in fine art and is using what she learned in school to create her own art business. As she creates and builds up skills she also ventures into new crafts, such as woodworking.
You can follow along with Monique on Instagram.
Soo Joo is an artist and designer currently based out of Seoul, Korea. She is a bright, emerging voice in craft and works in a variety of mediums from wood to ceramics. Her strong, minimalist forms honor Korean aesthetics and evoke a sense of calm and purposeful movement. She is a graduate of RISD and has completed residencies at Anderson Ranch and Penland, and recently had her work featured in the RISD Korea Alumni Exhibition. You can follow Soo on Instagram at @soo_joo_studio and visit her website at http://www.soojoo-studio.com/
Tyler Hill started crafting her first project in 2010 when she was pregnant with her daughter. A few paints, brushes and wooden letters later she was home crafting a sign for her nursery. It was after completing the sign to match her Hello Kitty nursery that she decided she loved it and wanted to do more. Friends who came over to her home and saw her handmade sign wanted to know where they could get one, so she started making signs for their babies as well. In 2013, Tyler decided to create an online website, Facebook and Instagram and share her work with others. Crafting signs, crosses, painting, lettering and even learning to re-decorate furniture has brought her a bigger love than she ever imagined. It is her peace, bringing her calm and releases after a tough day. Creating something from scratch is a humble feeling and sharing it with others is even more comforting than anything. Tyler looks forward to sharing her tips, tricks, videos, laughs and more during DIY journeys and crafting fun. You can follow along with Tyler on Instagram.
Boun Loun is a Cambodian woodworker based out of San Diego, who has been woodworking since 2021. She specializes in epoxy & live edge projects, and looking forward to growing & learning all skills related to woodworking, especially joinery and CNC fabrication. Boun enjoys working on a variety of projects that allows her to gain knowledge & skills, especially with tools. Boun is also looking to learn and add welding to her resume.
You can follow along with Boun on Instagram.
One thing that Rebecca De Groot loves about life is having limitless opportunities to create. She works with many different materials including graphite, colored pencil, paint, metal, ceramic, paper, plastic, cloth, and wood. And while she believes that all of these materials are wonderful in their own respect, it is working with the natural beauty of wood, which gives her the creative outlet that she thrives on. Rebecca’s recent wooden pieces primarily consist of lathe work and box making, but she has been known to make different items like decorative wall pieces and craft items such as hairpieces and broaches. She is well practiced in most ways of woodworking, but still enjoys branching out and experimenting with many new and different processes and techniques. She try's to incorporate life into her work, whether it is through the natural form and highly refined surface of the wood grain, or through alterations to the natural order of the domestic object. Rebecca loves what she does and has no plans on stopping.
You can follow along with Rebecca on Instagram.
Laura Mays has a degree in Architecture from University College Dublin and a Higher Certificate in Furniture Design and Manufacture from GMIT Letterfrack. She followed that with two years on the Fine Woodworking program in College of the Redwoods in California. Laura completed an MA in Industrial Design at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin in 2010. Since 2011 Laura has been the Program Director of the Fine Woodworking program at The Krenov School in northern California. She is the founding President of The Krenov Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to support the craft of fine woodworking in northern California, by conducting educational programs and providing material and financial support to individuals and institutions in that field.
You can follow along with Laura on Instagram and her Website.
Chelsea Cates is an upholsterer and furniture maker in Austin, TX. Chelsea was an upholsterer first, then found a love for woodworking when she became interested in constructing the pieces she was upholstering. In this episode Chelsea shares perspectives on access and experiences as a minority in the field, and also as a maker on a sort of personal “pit stop” on her journey, and why those moments are so important to the process. For more from Chelsea you can follow her on Instagram at @ladygarage512.
Mia Anika is a visual artist, cartographer, and mental health advocate based in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned her Bachelor of Art in Visual Arts from Agnes Scott College in 2014. Her work centers around discovering and exploring inner worlds, the intersections of color theory and mindfulness, drawing inspiration from Julie Mehretu, Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Michi Meko, Radcliffe Bailey and Sam Gilliam. She advocates for holistic approaches to mental health and wellness and invites others to facilitate their healing by participating in the creative process, through journaling and workshops. She recently led a workshop at the 2019 Yale Black Solidarity Conference on fine arts and resilience. Her work has appeared at Decatur Arts Alliance, HOBI Studios, TILA Studios, and currently at Art of Touch Massage & Health Center in Midtown Atlanta. Art Heals the Broken! You can follow along with Mia on her Website and Instagram.
Emily Joyce creates nostalgic and sentimental works of wearable art and sculpture about her love of all things related to the school experience. Her pieces are unique, one of a kind, and all made by Emily in her home studio. Many sources of inspiration are from visiting playgrounds, reminiscing about teaching and learning, and found tools and documents at Antique stores. She gets warm and fuzzy over "kid writing." She collects tools, and school supplies. Emily realizes that her work is different from the ordinary. She wants her work to speak to people on a personal level, and evoke a feeling or a memory. Many of the themes revolve around the subject of school. She realizes school may bring people feelings of joy or pain, or anxiety, and she is here for it. Emily struggled in school herself, and thinks about school a lot as her kids are all of elementary school age. The materials Emily uses to create are metal and enamel. Enamel has a rich history that dates back to the early 9th century. Many times, she recommends people check out the reliquaries from the Byzantine Era at their own Art Museum to see some pieces that inspired her to learn the art. Enamel is powdered glass fused to metal. It is finicky and fragile, and comes in a variety of colors and techniques. Although she knows many processes in enamel, Emily is always drawn to champlevé, drawing and exploring unique ways to apply enamel. You can follow along with Emily on her Website and Instagram.
A was taught at a young age how to work with tools and how to think creatively as well as resourcefully. While they decided to foster their passion for photography and the arts throughout college and into a career, the 2020 pandemic led to a revived passion for woodworking. Thus started Slightly Acute.
The name Slightly Acute stems from the idea that the goal is not absolute perfection but to honor and enjoy the process of making and embracing the mistakes.
A is now based in Columbia, SC with their partner and furry family. They are providing handyperson services to the local community while also continuing their custom woodworking business.
You can follow along with A on Instagram.
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Meera is a wife, mother, and former opera singer turned woodworker. Meera's first passion was singing and opera. However, after becoming a mother she realized that the life of an opera singer and one of a mom do not always fit well together. After leaving opera, she soon discovered woodworking after tackling her first project doing an ikea hack. She found a woman owned workshop in Los Angeles and started taking classes, and the rest as they say is HERstory.
You can follow along with Meera on Instagram.
Vote for Crafting a Revolution for Podcast Award - Categories Art and People's Choice.
Daej knew from a young age that she wanted to make things. After watching her mom study Interior Design, Daej was completely intrigued by furniture. From the grain on table tops, to how a chair can be the center of attention in any room, she was mesmerized.
She started woodworking in the sixth grade, then continued her education in woodworking throughout the rest of middle school and all four years of high school. Daej’s first year of post-secondary education began at Sheridan College in their Craft and Design: Furniture program. She later went to Humber College to immerse herself in their Industrial Woodworking Program. In December 2016, Daej graduated and receiving a diploma as an Industrial Woodworking Technician.
Not having any examples of furniture makers/designers that looked like her, put her in a position to be that example for others. Daej finds that a lot of the time, people need to be shown that their goals and aspirations are valid; they need to know that they can succeed in a field that may not look like it’s ‘for them’. With that being said, her goal is to inspire.
You can follow along with Daej on her Website and Instagram.
Remember to nominate the podcast for a podcast award under the category of art.
Jenna Pilant is a rainbow-obsessed designer in Southern California; doing her part to spread happiness into the world one colorful interior project at a time.
Jenna has an unusual design style = “polychromatic whimsy,” and over the past few years, her work has been featured in Darling Magazine, San Diego Home & Garden Lifestyle and Origin Magazine. She was born and raised in Nebraska and believes that through hard work and determination, anything is possible . . . even “banning the beige” in interior design.
In a past life, Jenna was also a farm girl, musical theatre performer and television host, but now saves those talents for Instagram and YouTube.
When not bringing delightful color into the world, she spends her time keeping her mental health in check, making her handsome hubby laugh, or just being a damn good dogmom to their random four.
Vote for Crafting a Revolution for Podcast Awards – Peoples Choice under the category of art.
In this episode co-hosts Katie Freeman and Katie Thomspon discuss the current state of equity within the craft and art profession. Talking specifically about organizations that are working hard to bring positive change and grow equity across the country.
Ava Foster grew up in rural Manitoba and started carving when she got her first jackknife sometime before the age of 10. Two of the first things she can remember carving were a candle stick with a flame on top and a shrew sized canoe that she later sent down the brook at her aunt’s farm.
Ava has carved on and off since then but only started pursuing it more seriously in late 2017 when she wanted to produce wares for a market and the power supply at her shop was failing on a regular basis. She decided it was best to rely mostly on hand tools instead of the machines.
She started creating and selling spoons because they are a simple, practical product for the public. When Ava began to hear people saying the spoons and carved serving boards were too nice to use, she saw the potential to take more creative risks in her work.
Ava continues to learn, growing both her mental and physical carving toolbox. 2020 marked the shift of her carving turning fully into an art form.
You can find Ava’s work on her Website and Instagram.
Anne Taggart is originally from the Northeast US and the mountains of Vermont. She currently calls the mountains of West Virgina Home. Anne loves to make and fix things. She studied the traditional Japanese Kintsugi with a third-generation urushi lacquer artist from Kyoto, Japan. The traditional Japanese ceramics repair practice of kintsugi is associated with the aesthetic tradition of wabi-sabi, or the acceptance of transience and imperfection. Anne uses traditional materials and brings deep respect for the history and origins of kintsugi and urushi lacquer art forms to her work. Every attempt is made to honor the history and cultural importance of this traditional art form while sharing it with the world.
You may follow along with Anne on her Website and Instagram.
You may also follow your hosts Katie Freeman and Katie Thomspon on Instagram.
SaraBeth Post just completed her time at Penland School of Craft in the Core Fellowship program. Therefore, she is in a big transition! It’s exciting to venture back out into the world and she is looking very forward to the opportunities ahead. SaraBeth's primary medium is Glass but she is a bit of a metalsmith, and is quite interested in printmaking techniques right now. In 2015, she earned her BFA in 3D Studios concentrating in Glass with a Creative Writing minor at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Reiki energy healing and meditation are non-material practices that she appreciates.
You can follow along with SaraBeth on Instagram.
D'ondra creates custom designs for your space so that you can enjoy what you envisioned for your home. She always had a passion for flipping furniture but was afraid of the power tools needed to really get into it. One evening she was watching someone on Instagram share about how they were self-taught, and she thought if they can do it, so can she. God’s given her the next piece of the puzzle He saw for her life when Workboots & Glasses was born. Today, she's created over a dozen pieces and sold some of the ones she was building for fun. Now, D'ondra take custom orders for those who have something in mind, but can’t seem to find the right piece at a furniture store. You can follow along with D'ondra on Instagram.
Lee is queer, nonbinary woodworker and digital promoter from the UK. Lee has been on a journey with their woodworking for many years now. They started with a workshop, being able to make larger things, and then when they lost their workshop someone suggested carving since not much space is needed for that. Now Lee is a master carver of especially small things with inlays and you can see their creations all across social under The Rainbow Carver. During the pandemic Lee started another journey, this one around their gender identity. Lee has always been open on social media about not only their gender journey, but also topics such as mental health, and is seen as a cornerstone of the online making community.
You can follow Lee and all their journeys on Instagram and TikTok primarily.
A Tribe Called Queer is a Los Angeles based multidisciplinary community organization dedicated to the everlasting empowering of BIPOC & LGBTQIA2S+ communities through mental health, wellness, art, education and more!
We provide accessible community programs, incredible resources, free virtual offerings, an archival podcast, gender neutral clothing line, wellness zine, and more to come!
Our Founder is Sabine Maxine Lopez (she/they). A Queer BIPOC Non-Binary Femme from Los Angeles, California. A natural born multi-hyphenate, you can find Sabine expressing herself through design, writing, photography, fashion, and much more. Most recently her essay ‘My Journey to Design’ was included in the book ‘The Black Experience in Design: Identity, Reflection & Expression!’
You can follow A Tribe Called Queer on Instagram.
Also, follow along with your hosts, Katie Freeman and Katie Thompson on Instagram.
Carla Mendoza, also known as Untidy Maker on social media, is a jane of all trades. Growing up she was introduced to making through sewing and cooking. As an adult, she got into making with power tools, starting with concrete projects and working her way into welding. Pinterest and YouTube have opened the world of makers and her desire to continue to grow and learn. During the pandemic, she decided to take the leap and leave her job as a pharmacist technician and go full time as a maker and carpenter. Now she travels where she is needed, whether that is to help work on remodeling a space or help make some sort of object.
You can follow along with Carla on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest.
You can also find and follow your hosts, Katie Freeman and Katie Thompson on Instagram.
Hello fellow makers, artists, and craftspeople. Today I should be releasing episode 248 of the podcast. Yet, I cannot. On May 2nd of this week, we found out, through a leaked draft from the Supreme Court, that it is every intention of that Supreme Court to overrule Roe V. Wade. Roe V. Wade, which was decided on January 22, 1973 is the decision that gave everybody with a uterus full, legal, and safe access to ALL forms of reproductive health care.
The last, and ONLY time I have made a statement rather then releasing an episode was on June 4th, 2020, in solidarity for the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Since that time, we have watched in this country as hundreds of thousands of people died in the US alone from a global pandemic, as black and brown people are still being murdered at alarming numbers by those who say they just want to protect us, as transgender youth are being villainized and their parents being taken to jail just for providing medical care to them, as gay AND transgender youth are being told they cannot exist in schools, as so many schools work tirelessly to erase history and views they do not agree with, and now, as safe and legal access to reproductive health care for 50% of the population is taken away.
Cristina Cordova received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Puerto Rico and continued to earn a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. In 2002 she entered a three-year artists residency program at Penland School of Crafts where she later served on the board of trustees from 2006 to 2010.
Recognitions included a USA Artist Fellowship, and American Crafts Council Emerging Artist Grant, a North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship, a Virginia Groot Foundation Recognition Grant and several International Association of Art Critics Awards. Her work is part of the permanent collections of the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Fuller Craft Museum, the Mint Museum of Craft and Design, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico, the Everson Museum and the Mobile Museum, among others. She currently lives and works at Penland.
You can follow along with her work on Instagram.
Find and follow your hosts Katie Freeman and Katie Thompson on Instagram.
Join us for an exciting discussion with Leah Woods who is an artist, woodworker, sculptor, educator and community organizer in New Hampshire. She is an Associate Professor of Art at the University of New Hampshire where she teaches woodworking, and also works with the Women’s POP program teaching incarcerated women the craft of woodworking. Leah also maintains a studio practice and is a member of the New Hampshire Furniture Masters Association.
You can find Leah on Instagram @leahkathleenwoods
You can see more of her work and information on her website http://leahkwoods.com
Follow Katie Thompson and the Women of Woodworking project on Instagram at @womenofwoodworking.
Follow Katie Freeman on Instagram.
Sarah is the creator, author, and voice of Ugly Duckling House™. She started blogging in 2010 with a few crazy stories about what she found as she was renovating her home (the press-on fingernails she found in the fridge still give her chills). She went from your typical 9-6 software job to a full career that is never the same and reaches millions of people each year! For many years, Sarah was a single chick in the power tool aisle. Life kept going, and now she shares her DIY adventures alongside her partner Kyle (who is often refer to as “K” on the site), their dogs Stella and Charlie (RIP), and their son Ellis in Atlanta, GA.
You can follow along with Sarah and her adventures on her Website and Instagram.
You can find your hosts Katie Freeman and Katie Thomspon on Instagram as well.
Illustrator Jacqui C. Smith creates unique artwork that showcases diversity amongst women of color. After graduating from Columbia College of Chicago with a B.A. in Traditional Animation, Jacqui headed to Burbank California to begin her journey as a freelance artist.
In the last ten years, Jacqui’s created children’s books and illustrations for self-publishers, publishing companies, and businesses including Duck Studios Animation, Disney, YWCA, and more. When she’s not working on commissions, you can find Jacqui at festivals and conventions throughout Los Angeles and selling her artwork at boutiques and galleries across the U.S. Also, Jacqui’s created four coloring books, “Know Yourself: A Coloring Book for Girls (& Women)”, that focus on positive self-identity and relaxation for women and girls of color.
Find Jacqui’s work on Instagram and her Website.
Sondra Elder is a self-taught artist, who was not able to truly devote time to her creative journey until after retiring from her life in the business world. With pottery, Sondra’s chosen medium is porcelain because its strength and delicacy learn to live in harmony. It is the perfect canvas to display the beautiful zinc-silicate crystals that can only be created through normally destructive fire. These naturally occurring phenomena inspire her never-ending desire to artistically harness their capability on the backdrop of her forms - which equally exude capability and femininity.
Sondra creates her forms on the potter’s wheel with a vision to move the observer’s eye from one end of the piece fluidly around the work without interruption. On this canvas, she applies glazes that she developed using rare earth elements and oxides that create dramatic backdrops for the crystal formations.
You can follow her journey and work on Instagram.
Please also visit your hosts Katie Freeman and Katie Thompson.
Rogelio Rendon is a nonbinary maker that does woodcarving, furniture making, and all sorts of other woodworking. Perhaps the deepest love though is for carving characters that are influenced by Native American and Japanese cultures in addition to Rogelio’s lived experiences. In addition to carving characters for themselves and occasionally selling their work, Rogelio also works for a furniture maker in the San Diego area.
You can follow along with Rogelio and their work on Instagram.
Rogelio Rendon is a nonbinary maker that does woodcarving, furniture making, and all sorts of other woodworking. Perhaps the deepest love though is for carving characters that are influenced by Native American and Japanese cultures in addition to Rogelio’s lived experiences. In addition to carving characters for themselves and occasionally selling their work, Rogelio also works for a furniture maker in the San Diego area.
You can follow along with Rogelio and their work on Instagram.
Robyn’s woodworking journey began in 2017, soon after stepping foot into his first wood shop. Since then, they have spent countless hours of hard work following his woodworking and artistic passions. He is a self-taught woodwork and exploring different mediums has helped him develop his creativity and craftsmanship skills. Since starting their small business, they have taken on many commissions. He continues to work to grow his business not just with woodworking, but also with other art mediums such as photography, painting, resin, and more.
You can find Robyn and his work on Instagram.
Thelma is a lover of all projects. She is a self-described small town, part-time woodworker that hates sanding and is always looking for ways to improve her skillset. It all started with a needed drawer which turned into what I will call power tool creep instead of project creep. Now she takes on commission work to fit into her day job schedule and is really enjoying working with her hands.
You can follow along with Thelma on Instagram.
Thelma is a lover of all projects. She is a self-described small town, part-time woodworker that hates sanding and is always looking for ways to improve her skillset. It all started with a needed drawer which turned into what I will call power tool creep instead of project creep. Now she takes on commission work to fit into her day job schedule and is really enjoying working with her hands.
You can follow along with Thelma on Instagram.
Valerie Berlage is a woodworker, artist, and owner of Lauraine Lillie Studios based out of Western North Carolina. She developed her craft and business name from her grandparents who taught her how to make. Tune in as we discuss the early days in the woodshop with her grandfather, to what is inspiring Valerie to create her contemporary jewelry designs, intricate wall hangings and other works now.
You can find Valerie on Instagram @laurainelilliestudios.
You can see more of Valerie’s’s work and information on her website https://www.laurainelilliestudios.com/
Nicole Crowder Upholstery is a Black-owned furniture and upholstery studio creating commissioned, generational, one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture and home furnishings like meditation pillows, poufs and more. Nicole’s work has been commissioned by the leading hotel chains, restaurants, and spaces. She also has created bespoke pieces for private clients and has been featured in design publications, including Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, and Martha Stewart Living. Nicole began her journey into upholstery design after spending her childhood traveling and often moving with her family.
You can follow along with Nicole and her work on Instagram and her Website.
Rosi and Annikki work together as Polilla Cooperative, an artisanal carpentry business in Mexico. They have found in carpentry, a trade traditionally viewed as a male practice, that as queer women their access to the profession is limited. They have also faced things like sexualization, harassment, and being treated as less capable, restricted to a secondary status.
Through their experiences of trying to learn while being treated as outsiders, they decided they wanted to build a collaborative learning space in which women and members of the queer community feel safe and can create a kinder working environment of equity between all participants.
You can follow along with Polilla on Instagram and you can support the cooperative here.
Rachel David, raised in Maryland and resident of North Carolina, is a blacksmith, sculptor, designer and maker. Her metalwork practice is holistic, encompassing art, furniture, architectural elements, activism, collaborations and gardening. The work focuses on social and environmental justice, community, and communication, analyzing the many layers of colonization, restraints and expectations across bodies and landscapes.
You can find Rachel and her work on Instagram and her Website.
You may also follow along with her project, Inclusive Blacksmiths, on Instagram.
Sieng, Crafty at Heart, is a nurse, wife, Mom, and maker. Her maker journey started when she made a teeter-totter for her kids with the help of a local woodworker. After that, she started gathering tools to fill up her garage and started seeing what she can make. She has enjoyed making everything from furniture, to home projects, and recently resin.
You can follow along with Sieng and her maker journey on Instagram.
Allie Katz is a classically trained fine artist with a passion for 3D and digital art, which translates to never being good at doing just one thing. They created Geeky Faye Art to showcase their need for adventure. With Geeky Faye Art you will find a variety of projects across multiple styles, approaches, and mediums. Allie is constantly in search of new artistic expression. Everything with Geeky Faye Art is the work of one person, Allie. There is no team behind them, and as such every bit of photography, copywriting, filming, and video editing that you see in addition to the projects themselves are created by their hands.
You can follow along with Allie on Instagram, YouTube, and their Website.
Jean Gray Mohs is an abstract artist that uses inter-disciplinary techniques to create dynamic and colorful sculptures using materials such as wood, threads, cardboard and more. She is based out of North Carolina, is a homeschooling mom, as well as a double lung transplant recipient. In our chat Jean Gray shared her approach to balancing life and work in isolation for the past few years, while still appearing in a staggering and impressive 12 exhibitions in 2021 alone.
Be sure to Jean Gray on Instagram @jg.fourdots, and you can see more of Jean Gray’s work and information on her website https://www.myfourdots.com/
Stephanie of Uncommon Outpost is an artist, maker, and general collector of hobbies. She has tackled pretty much everything between car mechanics to sewing, pushing herself to always take her projects outside the box. Stephanie grew up with two parents who did everything themselves way before being DIY was cool, and she was included in that from the very start. You can be sure she always has at least one project in the works.
Be sure to follow her on Instagram and YouTube.
Find your hosts at Freeman Furnishings and Women of Woodworking.
Joy, laughter, and the unexpected are at the heart of Annie Evelyn's work. Employing a range of materials (handmade paper flowers to Swarovski Crystals) and processes (tessellating metal pieces to create soft upholstered seating or embedding fresh cut flowers to add aroma), Evelyn uses furniture’s inherent interactive qualities and relationships to the human body to create new and surprising experiences.
From 2014-2017 Evelyn was resident artist at the Penland School of Craft in North Carolina and in 2016 was awarded The John D. Mineck Furniture Fellowship. She received both her BFA and MFA from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Evelyn has taught at RISD, California College of the Arts, Parsons - The New School, Haystack Mountain School, Penland School of Craft, and others. Her work has been featured on the cover of American Craft Magazine and published in Agata Toromanoff’s book, Impossible Design. She has been awarded Windgate Furniture residencies at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2011), the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2018), and San Diego State University (2020). Evelyn had a solo show at the Houston Center for Craft and in 2018 was a finalist for the Burke Prize for contemporary craft and her work was included in an exhibition at the Museum of Art and Design (MAD). In 2019, Evelyn co-founded Crafting the Future, a collective of artists working together to provide equitable opportunities in the arts.
You may follow along with Annie's work on her Website and Instagram.
Alex is a queer sparkle queen, ceramic artist, Jewnicorn, community enthusiast, rhinestoner, dog-mom, and extroverted-Aries who is currently making magic and art in Portland, OR. Everything she makes is about her unique experience in this world as a multifaceted extravagant being. After graduating from Bennington College with a concentration in Visual Arts, she followed her heart and adventurous soul westward, landing in Oregon. Before starting her own business, she worked in multiple production pottery studios as a mold-maker and slip-caster. When Alex is not covered in clay, she is tending to her secret alley garden, bedazzling everything within reach, salting everything she can't glitter, obsessing over her perfect dog, and probably looking at rainbow sequin outfits on the internet.
You can find Alex's work on Instagram and her Website.
Don't miss her most recent studio music video.
Born in New York City and currently residing in St. Louis, Uruba is a professional artist whose focus is abstractions. Her use of custom and unique textures and acrylic colors enables her to portray visions with commanding depth. Her passion for becoming an artist was put on hold for over 20 years as she was completely engrossed with her role as wife and mother of four. Now with an empty nest, she has found the time and attention to focus her spirit and energy into her creative works.
You can find Uruba and her work on Instagram and her Website.
Christina is a Maine native, now living on North Haven, an unabridged island in Maine's archipelago. Her mission is to create innovative pieces coupled with artistic applications while highlighting the beauty of natural wood. Christina intends for each piece to be versatile; useful and lasting, while intriguing interest and engagement. Every piece is designed and crafted beautifully to live beautifully.
You can find her work on Instagram and her Website.
Christina is a Maine native, now living on North Haven, an unabridged island in Maine's archipelago. Her mission is to create innovative pieces coupled with artistic applications while highlighting the beauty of natural wood. Christina intends for each piece to be versatile; useful and lasting, while intriguing interest and engagement. Every piece is designed and crafted beautifully to live beautifully.
You can find her work on Instagram and her Website.
Sadie Mae is a woodworker, DIYer, maker, wife and fur mama. It all started when she tagged along with a friend to go get some barn wood. She ended up buying some wood herself and making her first dining room table. This was during a time where she left a job that had become exhausting and was looking to see what she would do next. She started making more pieces for herself and for others. Eventually she started a blog and learned about how to make money as a content creator which includes making and selling plans for her projects.
You can follow along with Sadie Mae on Instagram and her Website.
We are a group of queer and racially diverse craft artists who work in each of the traditional mediums (clay, glass, metals, wood, and textiles). With Craft Equity, we want to provide a space of healing and support and sharing. This account is for people who have been harmed: people who have never spoken of how they were mistreated and people who have spoken out only to be disbelieved or dismissed. It is also for people who have been sheltered from harm, so that they can see all facets of the craft community (good and bad), and for people who have (knowingly or unwittingly) perpetrated harm, so that they can learn from these shared stories of trauma.
Please visit Craft Equity on Instagram and the Website.
Pam Robinson is a metalsmith, goldsmith, jewelry maker and designer based out of Chicago, IL. She is the owner of Garnet Studios and is the Education Director for national non-profit The Furniture Society. In this episode we sit down to hear Pam’s background and journey as a maker and artisan, and how she balances the duties of being an education director, business and studio owner, and artist.
You can find Pam on Instagram and Garnet Studios.
You can see more of Pam’s work and information on her website.
Sherry has always loved to draw and create. While in high school became a strong mentor for her. She then went to college and studies Business. Many years later, she met a quilter and she fell in love with the medium. The quilter offered to teach her traditional quilting. She then attended a lecture on the dyeing of fabrics and how to make the fabric an art quilt. Her creativity and curiosity were ignited and her passion for art quilts was formed. During the pandemic she has been able to create full time.
You can follow Sherry and see her work on Instagram.
Joanie is a carpenter, maker, DIY expert, and handy ma'am. She went from America's Next Top Model to being a carpenter on TV. Perhaps not the traditional path, yet she loves working with her hands and creating. She still does work with TV shows, in fact she has one on Discovery Plus now, Remix my space, releasing on January 12th. When not showing off her skills on TV though, she does a wide array of work for clients in California, from building out closets to making furniture.
You can follow along with Joanie on Instagram.
Ann Johnson is a mixed media artist and a professor at Prairie View A&M University in Texas. Her passion for exploring issues particularly in the Black community has led her to create series of works that are evocative and engaging. Ann's work has been exhibited nationally in solo, group and juried exhibitions. Most recently she has focused on experimental printmaking, and in 2015 she was acknowledged as an "Artist to Watch" in the International Review of African American Art. Ann aspires to leave a legacy of challenging and thought-provoking work that will entice the viewer and inspire younger artists.
You can find Ann and her work on Instagram and her Website.
Brandy is a self-proclaimed chair nerd. She loves chairs and has learned so much about them. She feels compelled to share her knowledge and encourage others to learn chair caning. Chair caning is a skill that is on the verge of becoming lost. Brandy actually comes from a long line of chair caners. It has allowed her to meet people from all over the world, letting her learn more as well as share her knowledge.
You can follow along with Brandy and her husband Dave on their Youtube channel, Instagram, and their website.
Jocelyn is a lover of all home DIYs. When her and her husband closed on their home in 2019, she automatically knew that there were updates going to be made. After getting painting out of the way she began to tackle some more difficult tasks leading her to use power tools for the first time. She admits that it can be scary, so that is why she takes you along on her journey. You can see her build confidence as she progresses in her woodworking and carpentry skills - leading others to overcome their fears.
You can follow along with Jocelyn on Instagram and her Blog.
Laura started making soap as a hobby, something to do for fun, with no intention of ever starting a business. After sharing her creations on social media, friends started asking if they could buy the soap. Once more and more friends bought soap, she realized she had a business on her hands and decided to go legit. Laura's soaps start with a fun name, usually something referencing pop culture, and then she designs the soap from there.
You can follow along with Laura and her one-of-a-kind soaps on Instagram and her Website.
Tania lives in Southern California, slowly building out her workshop one tool at a time. After a series of traumatic life events, and finding herself in a depression, she found her way to woodworking. It started with just a few tools her father had, and then it continued to grow. Learning all she can from YouTube, Tania spends as much time as she can in her workshop. She continues to grow her skills in wood carving especially.
You can follow along with Tania on Instagram.
Becky is a Cuban American living her best life with her wife in their new to them home. She found herself looking to fill her time with something that brings her joy and came into power tools and DIY home projects. At first, she was all about sharing her journey on social media and then found the community and came to love the community.
You can follow along with Becky and all of her shenanigans on Instagram.
To furniture maker and artist Aspen Golann it’s more than just a tenon - seemingly simple details have a vast backstory and implications within a larger social narrative that Golann can’t help but see with every joint she makes. She is also an instructor and educator, and is currently traveling and launching The Chairmaker’s Toolbox, an equity initiative to get the tools and knowledge of Windsor chairmaking into the hands, minds and hearts of those who have been historically excluded from the practice. She launched the initiative with the support as recipient of the 2020 John D. Mincek Foundation Fellowship, is a member of the Board at A Workshop of Our Own and continues to be a welcoming voice for all at the woodworking table.
You can follow Aspen's work on her Website, Instagram and Chairmakers Toolbox.
Beth is an artist, a teacher, and a bench jointer. While in art school, she actually started her informal education in the construction and carpentry trade as well. She used these informal skills to do a complete van renovation that she then travelled and lived in for a year. During her travels, she worked in make shift maker spaces, helping to build things for refugees and others in need. Though she graduated with an art degree, and spent some years as an art teacher, I would say her passion is in constructing spaces.
You can follow along with her on Instagram.
Morgan is a woodworker and artist living just outside the twin cities in Minnesota. Morgan has always been creative, yet after graduating college she went the corporate route. She was doing well in work, but found it unfulfilling and eventually started a creative side hustle. She started with photography and video and then found her way to wood and wood art. During the pandemic she decided to take the leap and turn her wood art side hustle business into her full-time business.
You can follow along with Morgan on Instagram.
Morgan is a woodworker and artist living just outside the twin cities in Minnesota. Morgan has always been creative, yet after graduating college she went the corporate route. She was doing well in work, but found it unfulfilling and eventually started a creative side hustle. She started with photography and video and then found her way to wood and wood art. During the pandemic she decided to take the leap and turn her wood art side hustle business into her full-time business.
You can follow along with Morgan on Instagram.
Molly is a wife and Mom and is a general contractor in Santa Fe building designer homes. On the weekends, Molly and her husband do projects in their own home. She graduated college with a degree in sculpture and dance. In order to chase her dream of being an artist, she started working in construction and as a welder. Eventually she bought her first house that she flipped. From there, she became a construction manager for a company and used the skills gained there to launch her own design and build company.
You can follow along with Molly and her adventures on Instagram.
Laun is a collaborative design firm marrying glamour and delight with the built world. In 2018, friends Rachel Bullock and Molly Purnell brought together their backgrounds in woodworking, metal working and architecture to build a practice of enduring spaces and products. Laun's object-line harnesses the unique talents of Los Angeles-based manufacturers to craft timeless, heirloom quality furniture suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
You can follow along with Laun on Instagram and their Website.
Christy is a woodworker and digital fabricator. She runs her business, Wilkerson Handmade, where she designs home goods and then crafts them using predominately her CNC and laser. She sells these goods online and at craft markets all across Ohio. She learned a love of woodworking and her woodworking skills from her Father who still helps her in the shop as her business continues to take off.
You can follow along with Christy on Instagram and her Website.
Andrea is a Mexican-American artist based in Texas. She obtained her BFA in Studio Arts from the University of Texas and has received multiple awards, including residencies at Ox Bow School of Art and Penland School of Crafts. She has worked and exhibited internationally and currently teaches metalsmithing in several institutions in Texas. With metalsmithing she creates sculptural pieces as well as knives. She is also pursuing a passion in scientific glass blowing.
You can follow along with Andrea on Instagram and her Website.
Scout is a multidisciplinary artist, practicing crafts such as printmaking, glass, and audio and video work. She draws from mental health and her personal narrative as a queer black woman to create a strong thread of representation in larger compositions and forms of installation. Her work reflects on family, memory, mental health and chronic illness. In her early 20's she was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disorder. With each year, she loses parts of her memory and mobility, all increasing the urgency to create work that is tangible.
You can follow Scout's work on Instagram and her Website.
Kirtan is a woodworker and furniture designer based in Los Angeles. She fell in love with woodworking in Brooklyn, New York, and promptly quit her day job to focus on it full-time. She spent as much time as possible practicing the craft and taking classes to learn from others. Her only rule while building is that each new project has to include a new technique she has never tried before. Today, she continues to learn from the wonderful community at Allied Woodshop, of which she owns and directs.
You can follow along with Kirtan on her Instagram and Website, as well as check out Allied online as well.
I am excited to learn more about Katie Thompson, founder of the Women of Woodworking project in addition to editor and chief of the monthly online journal, Pen and Chisel. I first chatted with Katie a while back when she was a guest on the podcast, then called Maker Mom. Since then, we have continued to orbit in similar spaces. We have a shared passion for growing the accessibility of craft and learning, sharing, and elevating the stories of women and non-binary folks in that space. Please join me in welcoming Katie as the new co-host of the podcast.
You can find her project, Women of Woodworking here.
You can check out and subscribe to Pen and Chisel here.
Marite is a wife, mom, and all around DIYer. Marite went the college route and then into the corporate world. She really found herself though working to make her house feel like a home through all sorts of projects. Rather recently, she has left the corporate world and is at home with her kiddos, making, baking and DIYing.
You can follow along with Marite on Instagram.
Delia Dante is an award winning metal art and glass enamel artist currently living and working in Idaho. Her fine art gallery, Enamel and Welding studio is in the heart of downtown Boise. Delia discovered her artistic passion in the creation of metal and enamel sculptures, wall pieces and jewelry. She works with copper and steel. The popularity and demand for her fine art enameling and welding classes are a result of her outstanding reputation as an art teacher for 12 years and working as a professional enamel artist since 2004.
You can follow along with Delia on Instagram and her Website.
In 2015, Brittany and Heather started Beautiful Fight Woodworking after Brittany wasn't able to maintain her job due to complications in her fight with a rare blood cancer. They had just enough money to buy a discounted miter saw, three 8-ft boards and only one design in mind. They slowly built one table at a time as they could afford to. Years later, they have filled hundreds of orders from small yard games to large dining sets, and furnishing full homes. They just celebrated their 1 year anniversary of owning their own brick and mortar space.
You can follow along with Brittany and Heather on Instagram, Facebook, and their Website.
Tamar is a former Olympic figure skater, coach, and recent Wharton MBA graduate. As an athlete, she sustained multiple overuse injuries which forced her out of the sport sooner than she would have liked. That experience spurred her desire to help others have long and healthy careers in their desired profession. Woodworkers are a lot like professional athletes: they do repetitive movements for hours daily while striving for perfection, making them susceptible to overuse injuries. Tamar's mission is to help woodworkers and trade professionals integrate prevention routines into their lives so they can have long and healthy careers doing what they love.
You can follow along with Tamar and Woodworkers Rehab on Instagram and their website.
You can check out a some of their content on YouTube.
Leilany is a maker with a passion for both woodworking and mental health. She started woodworking about two years ago and it came very unexpectedly, sort of as something the help work through time as she figured out how she was going to find work in the pandemic. It has been the biggest blessing in her life. It very quickly turned into a business. Now she wants to use her business to help people regain their confidence and be able to see their true potential. There's something about building a project of your own that shows you how wildly capable you are. That is the feeling she wants others to have.
You can follow along with Leilany on Instagram and her Website.
Seven is a welder, fabricator, and weld inspector living and working in the twin cities. Seven has been in love with welding since they saw the movie Flash Dance as a young child. Though they started out in college, life ended up taking them out to California and then back to the midwest, learning to weld and fabricate along the way. Now they work at the Fire Art Center, leading the fabrication effort for several large metal sculpture pieces. Recently they competed in the Metal Shop Masters on Netflix.
You can find and follow along with Seven on Instagram.
Stacy is a California native who lives and works in Pennsylvania currently. She received her Bachelor's degree in Photography and Furniture Design at California College of the Arts and her MFA at the University of Wisconsin. Her work has explored vulnerability as it relates to the female body, normative behavior, and hygiene. She is currently exploring the historical erasure of women from craft in her collaboration with Eleanor Rose as the Ladies Who Wood.
You can follow along with Stacy on Instagram.
Eleanor is a woodworker, sculpture artist and tool maker. From a small rural town in California, with no real exposure to art, to going to art school in New York, Eleanor enjoyed creating. It took losing access to a shop and realizing that she could make her own tools to start her on the journey into tool making. She grew her experience through working at different schools and running different shops, learning to machine and to cast. All through this her art reflected the very real internal struggle she was having with her identity.
You can follow along with her own tool making work here and her collaborative work as the Ladies Who Wood here, both on Instagram.
Taylor, or Tay, is a degreed architect and designer who found her way to woodworking and turning during the pandemic. She has really always enjoyed working with her hands, perhaps why she pivoted into construction and project management after college instead of going further with architecture. She found herself during the pandemic needing to keep her hands busy. A neighbor offered to teach her some woodworking skills in his workshop. Now she owns her own lathe and is excited to be making small things.
You can follow along with Tay on Instagram.
Ruth Amos is an engineer, inventor and entrepreneur. When she is not travelling giving inspirational and motivational speeches, you can find her as managing director of her first invention and company, Stairsteady, or building fun things kids have invented for her YouTube channel, Kids Invent Stuff. An accomplished speaker and event host, Ruth is living proof that engineering and science is not boring.
You can follow along with Ruth on her personal Instagram and Kids Invent Stuff Instagram, as well as the YouTube channel.
The duo, Ladies Who Wood, is comprised of Stacy Motte and Eleanor Ingrid Rose. Stacy and Eleanor have known each other since they both lived in San Francisco. They then attended grad school at the same university and have really been a collaborating duo since. Their collaboration currently focuses on the many ways that women have been erased from craft throughout history and they make sculptural pieces that speak to that. This episode will be followed up with individual episodes with each artist.
In the meant time, you can follow along with Ladies Who Wood on Instagram.
Adriana is a wife, mom, and DIYer. She spent her childhood fascinated by watching her Uncle, who was a finish carpenter, use all of his power tools on the weekend. She would later go work for that same Uncle in the office at his finish carpentry business. Adriana spent a few years as a nurse, enjoying her time helping others. Then, with the diagnosis of her oldest being autistic and the birth of her youngest, she decided it best to stay home. That is when her own journey into DIY and building began.
You can find and follow along with Adriana on Instagram.
Karla is a wife, mom, artist and woodworker who says creating and using her hands is her happy place. Karla loved art as a kid and went to school for art. She then went into military and into the corporate world from there. As she was looking at having young ones at home and making things for them, she thought why not try to turn it into a business. That is how Black Poppy Woodworks began. Now she experiments with woodworking and resin, never wanting to make the same thing twice.
You can find and follow along with Karla on Instagram.
Lisa is a traditional wood carver with a strong background in design and painting. She has spent over 15 years carving, in addition to the decades that she has worked as a designer and illustrator. It wasn't until she began exploring wood carving that she realized how much of her earlier, 2D work had been conceptualized in her mind in relief. The years Lisa has spent designing, drawing, and painting on paper have provided a careful preparation for working in wood.
You can follow along with her carving on Instagram and her Website.
You can follow along with her illustrations on Instagram and her additional Website.
Charlotte is a wife, mom of 5, designer and DIYer, fixing up her 100 year old house. She loves color, flea markets and a little mess. She says she spends her days writing, painting, sanding, laughing and negotiating with her 5 kids. Besides running her blog and providing lots of bold and beautiful inspiration, Charlotte has also made appearances on several tv shows such as Flea Market Flip and Rachel and many more.
You can find and follow along with Charlotte on her Blog and Instagram.
Julia has been making things for longer than she can remember, and her parents have the archival evidence to prove it. Announcing that she needed some privacy, she would shut the door to her room and spend silent hours hunched over whatever tools and materials she could get her hands on, trying to figure everything out.
Even after decades of doing it, transforming an idea into reality is still a powerful experience for Julia, a kind of alchemy. And though she still spends a lot of time alone in a silent room, figuring things out with metal and wood, she also gets the satisfaction of sharing her solutions with clients, viewers and students.
You can find Julia and follow along with her on Instagram and her Website.
Today's episode is sponsored by me Katie Freeman. You can sign up for my new Wood Stain Rockstar class here. Use code ROCKSTAR for 10% off.
Aylin is 24 and from Austria. She is currently a multimedia student, graduating in September. Multimedia and animation is a change from starting out in fashion design. Which is a change from taking woodworking all through junior high and high school. I think it is safe to say that Aylin is a maker through and through. Since her school work now is so focused on computer work, she has taken to experimenting with macrame as a means to express herself in a physical manner.
You can find and follow along with Aylin and her work on Instagram.
After years of working in the corporate world, Tamara Harding decided to delve into her creative talents. The inspiring Jamaican creator brought together her love of working with tools, design, and helping the environment to launch the furniture line Mara Made Designs. Her organic and fascinating pieces are all made from salvaged wood which Harding "brings back to life" with the utmost elegance. Her motto, "no wood left behind" has also pushed her to create wearable art, such as necklaces and cuffs.
You can find and follow along with Mara on Instagram.
Bi-national artist, Briana Trujillo, moves between two places: the United States and Mexico. She is inspired by life in both places where people migrate constantly. Her work embraces traditional fine woodworking skills but is infused with a creative and sculptural impulse.
Traveling frequently between the two countries, she draws inspiration from contrasting elements of the routine created by both nations, blending geometric styles and tones into something aesthetically stimulating to engage her viewers. Each of her pieces explores a different image of her understanding of this transborder culture.
You can follow along with Briana both on Instagram and her Website.
One evening Kellie was in need of a bow tie for a special event and decided to design and make her own. Out of pure insanity - and a love for autonomy - she continues to design and create handmade bags, wallets, aprons, ties and other accessories including a handmade all natural fabric wax that is available in retail stores nationwide. Kellie intentionally created a business that doesn't cater to gender, it caters to people.
You can find and follow along with Kellie on Instagram and her Website.
Phoebe is a studio woodworker from San Francisco, CA, currently based in Evanston, IL, who makes site-specific sculpture using traditional furniture making techniques. She was born in California to Taiwanese-American mathematicians, and grew up navigating hybrid identities. She continues to explore hybrid identities as a queer artist of color.
You can find Phoebe and follow along with her on Instagram and her Website.
Pottery by Osa grew out of her kitchen in New Orleans in 2015 and has since expanded to a full sized studio space at her home in Florida. She took her first pottery class at the age of 34 after playing in various punk bands for about 15 years. Punk isn't about longevity or technique, it's about urgency and primal expression. Being in bands and making zines helped her build the confidence to share her creative projects with others without worrying if they were good enough. By the time Osa discovered clay, she feels she was looking for a challenge. She wanted the chance to work on something for a sustained amount of time and become skilled. With her new ceramic practice, she decided she would prioritize pleasure, follow her intuition and avoid overthinking.
You can find and follow along with Osa on Instagram and her Website.
Prior to joining the mainstream maker movement, Tamara spent a decade in corporate engineering where she was pivotal in creating Women in Leadership mentorship programs. During this time she noted a lack of women so in 2015, she transitioned full time to outreach in hopes of inspiring more young women to pursue S.T.E.M. careers. It was during this time that she was given the opportunity to battle it out for a chance to join the Mythbusters legacy where her lifetime as a tinkerer and collector of skills landed her as the only female finalist and 2 x MVP winner. Since then has become one of the leading female science hosts and engineers on the Science Channel lending her talents to Scijinks with Johnny Galecki, Mythbusters 2.0 with Brian Louden and Jon Lung and most recently on Mythbusters Jr. with Adam Savage.
You can find all of the things Tamara is up to and follow along with her here.
Joyce Lin is an artist and designer passionate about making furniture and sculptural objects that deconstruct material, form, and the ever-shifting relationship between humans and their environment. Joyce currently lives and works in Houston, TX and was a 2019 artist in residence at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.
You can follow along with Joyce's work on Instagram and her Website.
Sandy has enjoyed design and making her spaces her own for as long as she can remember. She started Ellee Home with a vision to build a small and mighty community for real people in their real lives. She creates spaces, objects and content to inspire that community with all things home and decor, lifestyle, and anything they are up for talking about.
You can Sandy on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and her Website.
Gourd bowls are an integral part of the culture of the people of the Northern region of Ghana, where Trustina comes from. They are used to serve anything from refreshing water to palm wine. In her work, she views each gourd as a face or a body, taking note of its natural shape, blemishes etc. Trustina then assumes the role of a make-up artist, emphasizing the beauty that already exists through techniques like dyeing, highlighting, shadowing, trimming, carving and impressing. Slowly, the design reveals itself.
You can find Trustina's work and follow along with her on Instagram and her Website.
Karoline is a passionate prop maker working in Berlin, Germany. She started with an apprenticeship position at Deutsche Oper Berlin. Where she had the chance to produce various sculptures and props for different projects such as theater productions, music videos, movies and various private commissions. Karoline learned several sculpting and painting techniques and now works out of her own studio where she collaborates with highly talented and inspiring creatives from painters to composers.
You can find and follow along with Karoline on Instagram, YouTube and her website.
DQ Flowers is a new woodworker and turner living in Florida. DQ grew up expressing her creativity through writing and photography. She stumbled upon woodworking through YouTube. Upon discovering the world of woodworking and makers on YouTube she found herself binging this content until deciding to give it a try herself. She now refers to it as her therapy, where she is learning and healing one cut at a time.
You can find and follow along with this budding woodworker and turner on Instagram.
Amanda grew up in Texas and was influenced by her grandfather and father, who are both woodworkers. Watching them restore antique clocks with the greatest attention to detail, seeing them rebuild antique furniture and create furniture out of the garage while growing up was an inspiration. With her father's guidance, Amanda began trying small projects and soon fell in love with the process of working with her hands. She moved to Austin, to take the woodworking courses at Austin Community College, where she received her Woodworking Certificate. There she had the opportunity to learn under two great craftsman, Michael Colca and Philip Morley. After completing courses with them, Amanda completely fell in love with furniture making and design. It was at that point that she knew she had found her calling.
You can find and follow along with Amanda on Instagram.
Episode 177 - Anna Laxague Raised in the Sierra Nevada, Cascades and Northwest Coast, Anna has always been surrounded by views of massive mountains, big trees, and rushing rivers. A family hobby of carving scenes from the days of fishing, hiking, bikes and adventure onto pieces of found wood eventually morphed into the art work and designs you see here. After a mountain bike crash resulting in a broken shoulder in 2010 rendered her unable to ride for a summer, she gave painting a stab and it's been an awesome journey ever since.
The wood used is primarily salvaged or reclaimed. Anna’s wood shop is home to a lot of saw dust and spent sand paper. Much of it is local timber and barn wood rescued from building renovations, trail projects and carpentry, then meticulously sanded, oiled and cured. There’s a story and history connected to the Pacific Northwest in every piece.
You can find and follow along with Anna and her artwork on Instagram and her website.
Episode 176 - Irene Lin Wei Irene Wei is a pith flower maker and furniture designer whose work is deeply rooted in community and culture. Irene received her BFA in Furniture Design and a Concentration in Nature Culture Sustainability Studies from the Rhode Island School of Design. She has previously worked as a woodworking instructor at a maker space where she also made furniture on commission. In 2019, she was an Emerging Artist winner at the Philadelphia Furniture Show.
You can find and follow along with her furniture work on Instagram. You can find her Pith Flower work here.
Wonder Women 176 - Daej of Daej Designs Based in Toronto, founder and principle designer, Daej Hamilton started this company at 22 years old. Luxuriating in her 11th year of woodworking, her pieces reflect the timeless, mid-century, modern aesthetic. Using some of the finest woods, her work is designed and hand crafted to compliment form and function.
You can find the original episode on YouTube.
You can follow along with Daej on Instagram and her Website.
Wonder Women 175 - Karla Diaz Karla is a Mexican designer and woodworker currently living in LA with her wife. Karla grew up in Mexico City and went to school for business administration. One night, she just started sketching and designing furniture and other items. She had always loved wood and how warm and cozy it is. So, she decided to find a school for woodworking. After school she shared a shop with a friend and eventually found turning. Now she turns bowls and platters, creating collections with texture and color.
You can follow along with Karla on Instagram and her Website.
Wonder Women 174 - Lacey of DIY with Lacey Lacey is a wife, mom of 3, works full time, and now she is DIY-ing her life. During this last year, while spending so much time inside her house, she started noticing things she wanted to change or add. After diving into the school of YouTube, she dove right into the deep end of making and doing it herself for all her projects around home. Now her husband is happily adding to the "honey do list" and she is happy to continue to grow her skills.
You can follow along with Lacey on Instagram and her Website.
Wonder Women 173 - Sylvie Rosenthal Sylvie started building at age six, at the Eli Whitney Museum where she made circuses, catapults, rockets and robots. She actually started working there as well. She did receive a BFA and MFA and spent some time working with a mentor to build a couple of houses from the ground up. She has spent time as a visiting artist, teacher and researcher at many schools and universities. Currently, Sylvie maintains a studio practice making furniture on commission, production work for online sales, and sculptures.
You can follow along with Sylvie on Instagram and her Website.
Wonder Women 172 - Author Laura Morrison Laura lives in the Metro Detroit area with her husband, kiddos, cats, bees, tortoise, vegetable garden, books, and (depending on the season) some monarch butterflies in various stages of development and/or some neonatal kitten fosters. She has a B.S. in applied ecology and environmental science from Michigan Technological University. Before she was a writer and stay-at-home mom, she battled invasive species and researched turtles. It was fun, but writing is better.
You can learn more about Laura and find her work on her Website.
Wonder Women 171 - Camille Finan of Remodel Your Life Host of Remodel Your Life Podcast, Camille Finan talks to women working in the trades and breaking down barriers in non-traditional careers. Her 35 years as a carpenter gives her a unique insight into the world of construction and design. Her goal is to inform and educate people about the wonderful opportunities of working in the trades for women and girls. She also coaches women on how to make a living from doing the work that they love to do.
You can find Camille online on her Website, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Wonder Women 170 - Sarah of Maker Monkey Workshop Sarah is a wife, mom, metalsmith, and entrepreneur. She worked in jewelry design and sculpture for over a decade after graduating from art school. When her first son was old enough, she started letting him play in the studio where he had access to all of her tools. This is where the idea for Maker Monkey Workshop was born. She enjoyed watching her son grow more confident and capable with every strike of the hammer and wanted to give that to other children. In addition to growing confidence, she has a desire to get kids to feel the sensitivity of an artist as much as the strength of a builder without categorizing either as being exclusively masculine or exclusively feminine.
You can follow along with Sarah on Instagram and her Website.
Wonder Women 169 - Leah Aripotch LEAH WAS BORN AND RAISED IN MONTAUK, NEW YORK IN 1987. SHE RECEIVED HER BFA IN FINE ART SCULPTURE FROM ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY IN LATE 2012. WHILE THERE, SHE EARNED THE DISTINCTION OF BEST EMERGING ARTIST. IN FEBRUARY 2013, HER JEWELRY WAS FEATURED ON THE RUNWAY AT MERCEDES BENZ FASHION WEEK IN NEW YORK AS PART OF A COLLABORATION WITH FASHION DESIGNER, TERESA FIELD AND TEXTILES DESIGNER, JAMES THAI. HER WORK HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN METALSMITH MAGAZINE AS WELL AS IN CAST, A COFFEE TABLE BOOK FEATURING ART AND OBJECTS MADE USING HUMANITY'S MOST TRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESS. IN 2016, HER WORK WAS PART OF A FEATURED EXHIBITION AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF METAL. SHE CURRENTLY LIVES IN OAKLAND, AND WELDS OUT OF HER STUDIO IN OAKLAND, CA.
You can follow along with Leah on Instagram and her Website.
Wonder Women 168 - Mariam of Space Dibs Mariam is a wife, mom of 3, construction project manager, interior designer, wooden sign maker, and so much more. I think it is fair to say what drives Mariam is a drive to continue to learn and create. She shares this drive with her children, doing crafts together, and it shines through in her work.
You can follow along with Mariam on Instagram.
Wonder Women 167 - Althea of Riveted Woodworking & Design Althea has a passion for creating that started at a very young age and has only grown. She has a degree and background in sewing and fashion design. Althea eventually found her way to woodworking. She enjoys learning something new almost everyday. She spent a few years refinishing vintage furniture and then eventually branched into designing and making her own furniture pieces and custom large scale built-ins for clients.
You can find and follow along with Althea on Instagram and her Website.
Wonder Women 166 - Karen Ernst Karen is a professor in the art department at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, where she has been teaching all levels of Woodworking and Furniture Design since 2004. She holds a BA in Studio art and an MFA in Furniture Design. The furniture and sculptural objects she designs and builds have been exhibited across the US.
You can follow along with Karen on Instagram and her Website.
Wonder Women 165 - Kelly Parker Kelly Parker is a woodworker and furniture maker whose work is all about transformation and discovery. Kelly first started woodworking when in High School as an art elective. She then went on to get a degree in Biochemistry and spent 18 years as a chemist. Eventually she made the leap out of chemistry and back into woodworking. She is largely self-taught, though she has completed some programs in woodworking and furniture making.
You can follow along with Kelly on her Instagram and Website.
Wonder Women 164 - Consuelo of Latinas Welding Guild Consuelo, a Guatemalan-born functional artist and welder has a goal to empower women personally, creatively and economically through welding. She established the Latinas Welding Guild as a non-profit organization in 2017. Having seen first hand the struggles of the Latino community, she formed the guild to create a space of equal access and education for women, particularly minority women, in what is a heavily male-occupied field. The Latinas Welding Guild exists to help low to moderate income Latinas and non-Latina women gain access to welding skills and certification preparation.
You can follow along with the Guild on the Website and Instagram.
You can donate to the scholarship program here.
Wonder Women 163 - Sophie Glenn Born and raised in New York City, Sophie received her BFA in Sculpture and Drawing from SUNY Purchase College, and her MFA in Furniture Design and Woodworking from San Diego State University. She has exhibited her work across the country, and has been fortunate to receive several grants, fellowships, and residencies to help advance her career. Sophie makes furniture out of steel and wood, but predominately out of steel. In fact she mimics wood to make her steel furniture look like it has been created out of steel.
You can follow along with Sophie on her Website and Instagram.
Wonder Women 162 - Wu of Work in Use Wu worked as a furniture maker for 5 years in New York City prior to receiving her MFA in Furniture Design from Rhode Island School of Design. An injury in the woodshop, hours of reflection, and a passion for both movement and making is what crafted the creation of her company, Work in Use. Wu is also a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Sculpture Department at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
You can find and follow along with Wu on Instagram and her Website.
Wonder Women 161 - Sarah Marriage Sarah is a maker of fine furniture and other wooden objects. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, she studied architecture at Princeton University and fine woodworking at The Krenov School of Fine Furniture. Sarah was the 2015 recipient of the John D. Mineck Furniture Fellowship, through The Society of Arts and Crafts and used the funding to support the creation of "A Workshop of Our Own", WOO for short, a space where women woodworkers and makers can come together in a supportive enviornoment.
You can find and follow along with Sarah on her personal Instagram and Website, as well as the WOO Instagram and Website.
Episode 124 - Amanda of Lovingly Amanda Amanda is a Mom and Apprentice Luthier near Nashville, TN. In her childhood, she did sports and gymnastics. She did not play any instruments. She was introduced to instrument when she decided to learn to play the violin as a way to get one of her children to learn to play the piano. Through playing the violin she learned about luthiers. She was instantly fascinated with the process. A change in her employment allowed her to pursue this new love full time.
You can find and follow along with Amanda on Instagram.
Wonder Women 029 - Rachel of Moody Makes Rachel is a teacher, student and woodworker. Originally from California, she now lives on the East coast with her Wife. Though she was a creative child, she did not have much exposure to woodworking outside of her middle school shop class. She revisited woodworking as an adult as a means to find a hobby that could keep both her mind and body busy. Though it was not necessarily love at first sight, she has grown to really enjoy woodworking, especially the idea of mastering a skill before moving on to the next.
You can follow along with Rachel on Instagram.
Episode 123 - Alicia of Hylton Daniel Design Alicia Hylton-Daniel was a paralegal studying to take the LSATs in the winter of 2002 when a house fire caused by a faulty fireplace to her new Durham home changed everything. The infuriating process of dealing with less than honest insurance claims folks and mostly "good 'ol boys" contractors compelled her to take her career in another direction. She decided interior design would be a perfect fit and went back to college to get a 2nd degree. After college she worked for a design firm, working mostly with commercial clients. During her time within firms, she became a licensed general contractor. She now owns her own design and build company, Hylton Daniel Design. She has been featured in magazines and has even done a couple build-outs for the HGTV show: Love It or List It.
You can find and follow along with Alicia on Instagram and on her Website.
Wonder Women 035 - Taji of Melanated Maker DIY Taji is a wife, project manager, woodworker, carpenter, and DIY enthusiast. She spent her childhood and early adulthood really trying all the things, searching for that "thing" that would be her creative outlet that would feed her soul. Buying her first house with her husband is what really sparked the desire to make things that could furnish their home. She started with a work table and then moved straight into designing and building their dinning room table. She has found that making excites both parts of her, that logical math side, and the creative side.
You can find and follow along with Taji on Instagram, YouTube and her Website.
Episode 122 - Nickole of Repnmyhood Nickole is a wife, mom of four, maker, and soon to be shop owner. While being a stay at home mom, Nickole got her start in the world of making with "Mom with a Saw". That was the first time she got to experience making an income from something she made. It was a sense of freedom. Mom with a saw lasted for a while, but it felt too limiting. From there, Nickole moved on to getting a laser and really being able to work with so many more materials and making so many more things. She has grown that business, Repnmyhood, to a point of being able to open her own gift shop in 2021.
You can find and follow along with Nickole on Instagram.
Wonder Women 034 - Skye of Sawdust & Glitter Skye is a self-taught creative with a DIY spirit and passion for bringing her clients' wildest ideas to life. Sawdust & Glitter is her creative outlet for all things art, craft and design. Skye has always been crafty, and after grabbing an Architecture and Construction Science degree, she hasn't slowed down. She really goes for it all including woodworking, painting, consulting, and custom memorabilia for all occasions. Construction manager by day and DIY crafter by night, she is designing and creating a life she loves.
You can follow along with Skye on Instagram and her Website.
Episode 121 - Lauren Mollica Lauren is a wife, mom, and woodworker making beautiful jewelry displays. Lauren fell in love with the scroll saw in her 7th grade wood shop class. Then after college and working for some years in the financial industry, she felt the pull to get back to more creative work. With the push of a career counselor and a successful experiment of becoming a one income household, she took the full leap into turning her love into her work. Now she is a stay at home parent and she runs her business during the hours her boys are in school.
You can find and follow along with Lauren on Instagram and her website.
Wonder Women 033 - Naomi of Overlook Woods Naomi is the artist, designer and maker behind Overlook Woods. She fell in love with woodworking while studying at Pratt Institute and realized that is what she wanted to do for work. Naomi makes all sort of woodworking goods from furniture to spoons to jewelry and many other home decor items. Through woodworking, she is also continuing a family legacy of industry in New York. Her grandfather was a fashion designer during the Garment District's heyday. She is proud to be carrying on this tradition.
You can find and follow Naomi on Instagram and her Website.
Episode 120 - Alicia of Basilblue Design Company Alicia is a wife, mom, designer and artist. She has really been a designer and artist her whole life. She gained an appreciation for great craftsmanship from her father as a kid. She ended up going to art school and working as a graphic designer for several years. Now you can find her either in her workshop getting covered in sawdust or collaborating with a client on how to enhance their space where they live, work or play.
You can find Alicia on Instagram and her Website.
Wonder Women 032 - Anastasia of Burnt River Wood Co. While working full time and commuting into the city, Anastasia knew she needed an outlet for all of her creative energy. She has been a creator as long as she can remember. From making custom pillow cases at the age of 12, to screen printing movie tees and crocheting bikini tops, she has always had a passion for making things from scratch.
Her love for woodworking started in grade 9 shop class. She left with the dream of being a carpenter but was told it wasn't a job for a girl. After she met her husband, his dad took them into his shop and showed how to use the tools. That was when they created the first Burnt River Wood Co. project and it has just grown from there.
You can find and follow along with Anastasia on Facebook, Instagram and her website.
Episode 119 - Sarah of Morning Glory Woodshop Sarah is a wife, mom, teacher, woodworker, and all around maker. She enjoyed making and being creative as a kid, when she was not diving into sports. She turned again to making as a way to doing something physical and creative as a contrast to all the other things she does. It started with a closet makeover and she has been hooked ever since.
You can follow along with Sarah on Instagram.
Wonder Women 031 - Lexie Moore Lexie is a furniture maker from Tennessee. She has a bachelors of fine are with a concentration in wood. She is currently participating in a residency program. Lexie's work has been featured nationally. The way she approaches furniture design is from a place of curiosity for nature. She sketches her designs with focus on forms and lines that bring her joy, leaving figuring out how to make it work in the furniture until after she is happy with the overall form.
You can find and follow along with her and her work on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and her website.
Episode 118 - Meera Crow Meera is a wife, mother, and former opera singer turned woodworker. Meera's first passion was singing and opera. However, after becoming a mother she realized that the life of an opera singer and one of a mom do not always fit well together. After leaving opera, she soon discovered woodworking after tackling her first project doing an ikea hack. She found a woman owned workshop in Los Angeles and started taking classes, and the rest as they say is HERstory.
You can follow along with Meera on Instagram.
Wonder Women 030 - Sarah of Sarah.Sawdust Sarah is a wife and wood artist living in Idaho. She is a master with the scroll saw, creating huge pieces of landscape art from pictures sent to her by customers. Each piece is hand cut and hand sanded and meticulously put together into a masterpiece. Sarah defines herself as an artist obsessed with power tools.
You can find her and follow along with her on Instagram.
Episode 117 - Emily of Product of Grace Designs Emily is a wife, mom of two (soon to be three), architect, math teacher, and oh, a DIYer and woodworker as well. She is also a self proclaimed power tool enthusiast and always covered in sawdust. Emily has always been creative and into crafting, but it is only recently that she got into home remodeling and woodworking.
You can follow along with her on Instagram and Facebook.
Wonder Women 029 - Kim of Made Mod Kim owns and runs two companies, one is a gym, the other is a business built around making. She predominately makes various types of pegboards for homes and commercial spaces. Though she also enjoys building other things and working to customize her home. Kim has been a diyer since she was a kid and her passion for making really shows.
You can find Kim on Instagram, Facebook, and Etsy.
Episode 116 - Ariana of Nzilani Glass Conservation Ariana is a wife and mother of two. She is also the second person in the world - and the first woman to receive a Master's Degree in Stained Glass Conservation from the Royal College of Art in London. Ariana has over 25 years of experience with art and architectural preservation. In addition to her conservation work she gives presentations at national conferences, public talks and in the classroom.
You can follow along with Ariana and her company on Instagram and her website.
Wonder Women 28 - Sam of DIY Huntress Sam is a psychologist and do-it-yourselfer from New York. She specializes in basic woodworking projects, home improvement ideas, and creative crafts all on a strict budget and while working a full time job. Sam's journey started at 15, working with her dad to rebuild a house. From then on she was hooked on making, doing and creating.
You can find and follow along with Same on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube and her blog.
Episode 115 - Theresa Applegate Theresa is a self described metalsmith, artist and educator. She is also a wife and Mom. Theresa graduated from art school with a BFA and later returned to get a masters degree in art education and currently teaches art at a local high school. Her art is inspired by natural textures, patterns, collected objects, and is hand-crafted in her home studio. She primarily works in metal fabrication and casting but also enjoys exploring different media such as book art, ceramic sculpture and mold making.
You can find and follow along with Theresa on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and her Website.
Wonder Women 027 - Ellen of Crafts with Ellen Besides being a bit of a world traveler, she is also a maker with many disciplines. Sewing is her base from altering almost every piece she purchases to making clothing of her own. Then she sprinkles in some woodwork, upholstery, and whatever else she can get her hands on really. Ellen has a passion for creating, in any form, and always eager to learn. She enjoys sharing what she has learned with others through social media.
You can find her and follow along with her on Instagram and YouTube.
Episode 114 - Christabelle of Bellewood by Design Christabelle is a mom, woodworker and carpenter from the Bahamas. Christabelle was able to take woodworking classes in high school, and then afterwards she spent time at home with her young son. Within the last couple of years, she returned to school to get her degree in carpentry. Now, she works as a carpenter by day and does her own woodworking projects on nights and weekends at home.
You can follow along with Christabelle on her personal Instagram and her business Instagram.
Wonder Women 026 - Annette of 513 Woodworks Annette is an engineer by day and a woodworker by night and weekend. Annette did not grow up with anyone really making or woodworking around her. Still, when it came time to put some raised garden beds in her yard, it took just one look at the cost for her to proclaim she could make them on her own. That is when her journey with woodworking and love of all power tools began.
You can follow along with Annette on Instagram.
Episode 113 - Kat & Danette of Material Curls Kat and Danette have been best friends for almost 9 years and after Danette bought her first home, they decided to get into the DIY world. Or, D.I.Try as they call it. Both of these ladies do not shy away from sharing the mistakes along with the victories, and perhaps that is the secret to their magmatism and fast success. The laughter and fun adds to it as well.
You can follow along with Kat and Danette as they continue to grow their skills on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.
Wonder Women 025 - Boa of Oi Studio Boa is the founder and creative director of OI Studio. She studied graphics at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her passion for all things beautiful led her to the furniture/interiors industry after a past spent working in disparate professions. She has previously been a fashion model, furniture buyer, prop stylist, even producer, furniture sales rep, and importer.
You may follow along with Boa on Instagram and her Website.
Episode 112 - Erika of Madera by Erika Erika is a wife, mom of 4, and fine furniture maker. Erika started her journey with 7th grade shop class in 2002 and has continued since then. She built several furniture pieces that she designed before she even left high school. More recently she completed the Mastery Course at The Northwest Woodworking Studio.
You can find Erika's work and follow along with her on Instagram and Facebook.
Wonder Women 024 - Erica Ehrenbard Erica is a sculptor based in Philadelphia with a practice that spans fine art, design, research, and metal fabrication. Her artwork can be found in galleries as well as public and private spaces, and she has collaborated with architects, artists, and designers to progress creative projects across many scales and industries. After revitalizing an early-20th-centruy carriage house into a metalworking studio, she co-founded Carriage Creative Co., which provides custom fabrication services to fellow artists, designers, and admirers of metal.
You can find Erica on Instagram and her Website.
Episode 111 - Leslie of Cream City Crates Leslie is a Mom and creator of cream city crates. She makes handmade signs, candles and themed gift crates. What started as a fun "survival kit" for her mother for a weekend with the kids turned into a business that allowed her to work from home and manage the hectic day to day as a Mom.
You can follow along with Leslie on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and her Website.
2020 Highlights 04 - Tami, The Girly Shop Teacher GIRLY SHOP TEACHER, LLC IS A CONSTRUCTION EDUCATION CONSULTING FIRM BASED IN DALLAS, TX FOUNDED BY TAMI GAMBLE AND BECKY LEWIS. WITH EMPHASIS ON BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CRAFTSPEOPLE, GIRLY SHOP TEACHER INSPIRES A NEW GENERATION OF BUILDERS WITH CONSTRUCTION EDUCATION PROGRAMMING AND WORKSHOP THAT CONNECTS NEW TALENT WITH CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LEADERS. Tami was one of my absolute favorite interviews of this past year. She is constantly moving and growing and doing more amazing things.
Check her out on Instagram and her Website.
2020 Highlights 03 - Laura Kampf This episode originally aired as episode 011 of the Wonder Women series. If you are a member of the maker community then you are very familiar with this guest, Laura Kampf. Laura has a passion for coming up with ideas and just going for it. Her style of making and her style of video production is something that captures the viewer right from the start. This conversation with Laura was definitely a high point in the year and it is just packed full of so much good stuff!
Follow Laura on YouTube and Instagram.
2020 Highlights 02 - Alma, Char, & Jessie talk about Diversity & Inclusion Another one of my favorites, not just because it is with my #makersquad , Alma, Char, and Jessie, but also because they gave such an amazing gift with sharing their experience as a black or brown woman in the maker space. This originally aired as episode 81.
Follow Alma
Follow Char
Follow Jessie
2020 Highlights 01 - Diedre & Laura Making.A.Seat.At.The.Table The first re-run episode I bring you is episode 56 with Deirdre Visser & Laura Mays who created Making.A.Seat.At.The.Table. Check out:
Deirdre Visser
Laura Mays
Making.A.Seat.At.The.Table
Episode 110 - Danielle of Tuft Interiors Danielle is a wife, mom of two littles, designer and maker. Not too long ago Danielle was running her own brick and mortar store where she showcased and sold her own designs along with others from her community. That store closed shortly before Covid hit. She was feeling burned out and wanted to spend time at home with her two littles, just creating for herself. She may not have a store any longer, but that has not stopped her from creating.
You can follow along with Danielle on Instagram.
Wonder Women 23 - Dana of Herdesk Dana is the founder of herdesk and Positive Equation. Herdesk is a responsibly-made desk designed by and for women, built in the U.S. Prior to COVID, Dana was using a cheaply-made desk that came broken. She found there was no functionality besides setting things on the top. When searching for a better solution that was designed by a female entrepreneur + made in the U.S. + was beautifully designed and functional, she couldn't find anything. So, she decided to create a new kind of desk - herdesk.
You can find Dana and her desk on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and online.
Episode 109 - Conversation with Sami Lee on Inclusion After the initial conversation with Sami for her interview episode, Wonder Women 015, I asked Sami to come back and have a conversation with me around diversity and inclusion in the maker community. That is exactly what this episode is, a conversation. We talk about our favorite resources for learning more about people from marginalized communities and how we can perhaps participate in amplifying their voices and opening doors.
Wonder Women 022 - Katy of Keene Lane Co. Katy designs, builds and sews original, one-of-a-kind furniture and home decor. Her skills grew from a young age. Katy's mother was an artist who instilled creativity as early as she can remember, and her father owned a ranch where she helped with hands on projects around the property. She learned sewing from her grandmother. She was amazed at the transferable sills from sketching and sewing that correlated to building. Katy enjoys bringing all of these together to create unique pieces for meaningful spaces.
You can follow along with Katy on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and her Website.
Episode 108 - Sarah of The Created Home Sarah is a wife, mom of two, and runs her own blog dedicated to woodworking, renovating, and all things DIY. She loves to design lasting, functional, and beautiful pieces, and she is passionate about constantly learning and improving in her methodologies. Sarah's hope is to share with others and play some small role in empowering them to pick up a power tool and get started.
You can find Sarah on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube and her Blog.
Wonder Women 021 - Larissa of LOHR Woodworking Studio Larissa started being trained as a woodworking apprentice under Jeff Lohr in 2012 and has spent every moment since then learning the craft from the ground up. Previously a math teacher, she had no background in woodworking and found a passion in furniture-making. She is constantly working to build on her capabilities and understanding of wood, design, and craft. Paying tribute to the beauty of the natural material is her favorite part of what they do.
You can follow along with Larissa on the LOHR Instagram, her personal Instagram or the Lohr website.
Episode 107 - Monica of House of Esperanza Monica is a wife, mother, crafter and DIYer. With the passing of her first son almost 9 years ago, she found comfort in keeping busy with old and new hobbies. With what started as a way to cope with her loss, she has now turned into a business. She now stays home with her two kids and works on home improvement projects that she shares on her blog and across social media.
You can follow along with Monica on Instagram and her Blog.
Wonder Women 020 - Bronte of Freeman Fabrication Bronte is a trained and certified welder that owns her own custom fabrication and furniture design business. Her journey began with needing to furnish her first apartment. Not wanting any part in the "fast furniture" movement (quick to make, quick to break", she set out to build her own. Soon after, she was fabricating pieces for friends; ultimately sending her down the unexpected path of entrepreneurship.
You can follow along with Bronte on Instagram, Facebook, and her Website.
Episode 106 - Mara of Silverhair & Sawdust Mara is a wife, mom of two grown daughters, and beginner woodworker. Mara has tried a few different hobbies over the years, getting into running at one point. As her and her husband became empty nesters, with both her kids all the way across the country, she started looking for more ways to fill her time. She came across a beer tote design she thought would be fun to make as holiday presents, and the rest is history.
You can find and follow along with Mara on Instagram.
Wonder Women 019 - Monica & Jessy of Cirro Studio Monica and Jessy are business partners and life heart-ners. Together they create wood furniture and housewares, keeping a high focus on detail with an emphasis on design. They serve both residential and commercial markets, combining traditional furniture-making practices with a modern and minimalistic design approach to create heirloom quality wood furniture. In addition to creating wood pieces, they also have a passion for teaching others the craft of woodworking and reducing the barrier of entry into the craft.
You can follow along with Monica and Jessy on Instagram, Facebook and their website.
Episode 105 - Marielle & Lisa Marielle & Lisa are a couple, Moms, working at The Ohio State by day, and making by evening and weekends. Between the two of them, they cover almost every craft from sewing, cooking, woodworking, glass blowing, and blacksmithing. Making is something they enjoy doing as not only a couple, but also as a family with their two children.
You can follow along with Lisa on Instagram here, and Marielle on Instagram here.
Wonder Women 018 - Roxanne of Suite City Woman Roxanne is a maker, restorer, re-imagineer, small business owner and blogger. She makes well-crafted, small-batch, artisanal products such as furniture using scrap leather and natural sustainable fibers. She also creates miniature themed apartment suites that are completed with real miniature furniture and art on the wall.
You may follow along with Roxanne Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and her Website.
Episode 104 - Nicole of Nicole Huppert Design Nicole is a wife, mom, UX designer by day and woodworker by night. Nicole describes herself as being creative even as a child and really being drawn to the arts. She followed her artistic passion and went into UX and product design professionally. Then, when she was six months pregnant she tackled her first woodworking project by making an infinity side table for her daughters nursery. Now she still continues with her professional career by day, and builds her woodworking skills and business by night and weekends.
You can follow along with Nicole on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and her Website.
Wonder Women 017 - Barbie the Welder Barbie the welder is an American metal sculptor. She grew up in New York, learning from her parents the art of being able to make or fix something yourself. She started her career in welding after finding inspiration from the film Cast Away. Barbie started her welding career working for a manufacturer as a sheet metal fabricator and welder. After working there for five years, she quit to start working as an independent artist. She really found her niche through demonstrations and exhibitions at chainsaw sculpture events. Now she has produced sculptures for a number of significant clients, and runs welding exhibitions at trade fairs.
You can follow along with Barbie on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and her website.
Episode 103 - Tiff of Night Carver Designs Tiff is a wife, mom of twins, graphic designer by day and wood designer by night. Tiff has always had a love for the creative and went to school for art and graphic design. She has done several different things creatively in her work and hobbies. She started designing and carving wood creations as an outlet after her twins went to bed. Tiff specializes in bringing to life creatures and characters from horror, sci-fi, or any other fantastical creature that captures the imagination.
Wonder Women 016 - Alicia Butty, Canadian Welder Girl Alicia has been making since she can remember, and welding since she was about 10. When an event took her out of the more traditional university for a while, at the suggestion of family, she took a welding class to keep her hands busy and continue learning. From there she was recruited for her skills into the welding industry. Now, she works with her family's fabrication business welding by day and making more custom art pieces by night.
Episode 102 - Gbeke with Simplicity for Designs Gbeke is a wife, mom of two young kiddos, works fully time in IT and runs a DIY home improvement blog called Simplicity for Designs. Gbeke always had an interest in design and art as a child and that really came in handy after her and her husband built their first home together. Due to budget restrictions, some of the upgrades in design that she wanted, they just could not afford. So she went to YouTube and taught her self how to implement the design elements she wanted in her home. She started the blog because she wanted to share with others like herself who were looking for very detailed instructions on how to do home improvements.
You can follow along with Gbeke on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and her Website.
Wonder Women 015 - Sami of Sami Lee Studio Sami works full time as a content creator for Avid CNC while also running a side business, Maoke Made, a feminist fabrication company, AND designing and making her own furniture. Bored is one thing Sami is not! She grew up in the Silicon Valley and went to art school in Georgia where she studied sculpture with a focus in digital fabrication. After college she worked at a maker space as part of the fabrication team and then eventually found herself at Avid CNC. Making and education are her passions, and that really shows.
You can follow along with Sami on her own Instagram or Website. Check out her feminist fabrication company on their website or even find her on Avid CNC.
Episode 101 - Emily of Emily Joyce Official Emily is a wife, mom, and enamel artist. Though she graduated college with a degree in enamel, Emily actually spent many years after college as an art teacher. Recently though, she made the big leap from being a teacher to running her own art business. Now she spends her time making pieces of enamel artwork that she sells online and through artist galleries.
You can follow along with Emily on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and her website.
Wonder Women 014 - Britt & Shannon of Britt Builds Britt and Shannon are a married couple doing the corporate thing by day and woodworking side hustle by night. Britt's introduction to woodworking came through shop class at school. This really sparked an interest that carried into adulthood. It was Britt's love of woodworking that sparked an interest for Shannon to start learning some skills as well. Their passion for woodworking and making together has led to a business of creating unique pieces of wood artwork.
You can follow along with Britt and Shannon on Instagram and Facebook.
Episode 100 - Lauren of Rasp & File Designs Lauren is a wife, mom, and custom woodworker located in the DC area. Her specialty is working with live edge slabs and metal bases to maker her clients' dreams come true. Lauren grew up being creative and even getting into woodworking a little. She rediscoverd woodworking just a few years ago and really hasn't looked back since. Her dream is to eventually go full time with her woodworking business Rasp & File Designs.
You can follow along with Lauren on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and her Website.
Emilee is a military wife, mom of two, and DIY maker. Emilee started her making journey on a military base in California with her husband. She had wanted to find something they could enjoy doing together. However, it turns out that she has much more of a passion for DIY projects then her husband does. Now, she makes furniture and other pieces and shares about the process on her blog.
You can follow along with Emilee on Instagram and her blog.
Thank you to Tool Mom Bonnie for sponsoring this week’s episode. Visit http://www.toolmomstore.com for all of your tool related merchandise needs and use promo code makermom at checkout for 20% off.
Wonder Women 013 - Sara Bendrick Sara Bendrick is a designer, licensed contractor & T.V. Host for the DIY Network. She has a bachelors in landscape architecture from Cal Poly SLO and when not filming ‘I Hate my Yard’ or her new series “Lawn & Order’ she runs a Landscape design/build company, ‘Sarita Landscape Design’. Sara recently published a book, ‘Big Impact Landscaping’ that breaks down projects on all budgets to help homeowners create spaces that increase value, function and overall aesthetics.
You can follow along with Sara on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and her Website.
Episode 99 - Brook of B.E. Happe Designs Brook is a wife, mom, and handmade goods business owner who is living the RV life and traveling the country with her family. Brook started crocheting hats and donating them to the hospital as a way to keep her hands strong while taking a break from being a doctor of physical therapy to stay home with her two boys and soon to be newborn daughter. After the birth of her daughter and hours of crocheting to perfect the art of creating hats, B.E. Happe Designs was born.
You can follow along with Brook and see all that she makes on Instagram, Facebook, and her Website.
Wonder Women 012 - Ashley Minney Ashley Minney is a self proclaimed jane of all trades, master of none. She really enjoys being able to experiment with different mediums and different ways of making. She produces content around what she makes and puts that content predominately on Instagram and YouTube. No matter what she is making, one thing is certain, she brings a ton of humor with it.
Episode 98 - Angela creator of Move Over Bob Angela is a wife, mom, former barber, and owner of her own design and build business. Angela has really always had a passion about building up trade work and working in industries that involve working with your hands. She started her journey with remodeling with a project in her own home and now she designs and remodels homes and spaces for her clients. She started Move Over Bob as a resource for other women in the construction trade industry better be able to find eachother.
You can follow along with Angela on her personal Instagram and website.
You can follow along with Move Over Bob on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and the brand new website.
Wonder Women 011 - Laura Kampf Laura Kampf is an amazing maker in Germany. She actually went to school and got a design degree for making video and other media content for companies. It took her some time after discovering, or should I say rediscovering making to produce her own video content and put it up on YouTube. Once she did though, she grew rather quickly, and there is no doubt why. Besides the fact that every video is beautifully and meticulously produced, her projects are also amazing.
You can follow along with Laura on Instagram and Youtube.
Episode 97 - Octavia of The Timber Mom Octavia is a wife, Mom of two, and DIY woodworker. Octavia is fairly new to woodworking and DIY. She started teaching herself as a way to make things for her home and give herself a creative outlet. Though it may take her time to build up her confidence with new tools, once she does, watch out! Now she is working on growing the Timber Mom as a thriving business making custom home furnishings for others.
You can follow along with Octavia on Instagram and Facebook.
Wonder Women 010 - Anne of All Trades Anne planted her first seed and used her first tool a little over a year ago. Now she is on a mission to inspire and empower others to learn things that make them a resource to their family and community. She does this by producing content around her growing farm, her woodworking projects, and whatever else she happens to be up to such as working on her golf cart.
You can find Anne on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and her Blog.
Episode 96 - Emilee of Mama Needs a Project Emilee is a military wife, mom of two, and DIY maker. Emilee started her making journey on a military base in California with her husband. She had wanted to find something they could enjoy doing together. However, it turns out that she has much more of a passion for DIY projects then her husband does. Now, she makes furniture and other pieces and shares about the process on her blog.
You can follow along with Emilee on Instagram and her blog.
Wonder Women 009 - Erin of Maker Gray Erin is a DIY furniture maker and home remodeler sharing video tutorials on YouTube. From getting a degree in art, to making music, to becoming a professional photographer, to discovering woodwork, Erin has a passion for creativity. She now builds everything that she can and shares the process as she goes.
You can follow along with Erin on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and her Website.
Episode 95 - Chloe of Wood Couture LA Chloe is a mother of two and woodworker originally from France and now in the LA area. She came to the US in order to learn English and started out building sets in Hollywood. She had no previous experience with tools and simply learned as she went. Now she makes everything from wooden toys to furniture, all with a vintage flair and mid-century modern style.
Wonder Women 008 - EJ of Hurricane Woodwork EJ is a woodworker located in Philadelphia. Their main objective is to provide their clients with full service woodwork design using ethically and sustainably sourced woods. They work predominantly with reclaimed wood. EJ has been woodworking for about 5 years now and is really enjoying honing their craft and making custom products for their customer while working to make woodworking more inclusive.
Episode 94 - Tanda @TandaMadison Tanda is an entrepreneur, maker and founder of Vanguard Tech. As she says, happiness is a shop full of tools and a mind full of ideas. She is fascinated with making and micro-manufacturing. As a child she enjoyed tinkering, taking things apart and figuring out how they worked. That love of tinkering stuck with her into adulthood.
Wonder Women 007 - Eleanor Dewey Eleanor Dewey lives with her spouse and shop cat Alfonso in the Denver, CO area. She is a talented wood turner who is close to completing her degree in fine furniture and turning. She has also worked for years in advocacy work for LGBTQ youth. She brings passion into everything that she does.
Episode 93 - Jennifer with I Wear Many Hats Jennifer is a wife, mom of two, emergency room RN, home DIYer and woodworker. Jennifer's introduction to woodworking came from a need to have furniture for her home on a budget. She also needed a creative outlet that gave her space to be her and not just a wife or mom. Through teaching herself to make, she both got functional pieces of furniture and a creative outlet.
Wonder Women 006 - Alexis Alexis is a craftsperson and woodworker that is currently running a local maker space, Protohaven, in the Pittsburgh area. Alexis has always been creative and went to college for industrial design. After college she had the amazing opportunity to work as a designer at George Nakashima Woodworkers which really cementer her love of the craft and the materials that are a part of furniture. Her dream is to design furniture, specifically chairs, that are specific to the individual she is making them for.
Episode 92 - Michelle of Aqua - n - Gold Michelle is a wife, mom, engineer and maker. She has always had a creative side. At first this creative side came out as a cake decorator, then paper crafts, and finally it is in DIY and woodworking. Though she considers herself a novice, you can see her artistry in every piece.
Wonder Women 005 - Violin Maker Emma Hardy Prior to beginning training as a violin maker in 2017 at Merton College (London), Emma worked as a book cover designer and typesetter where she learned the joy of small details which has translated into her approach to violin making.
During much of her training as a violin maker she worked part time as the manager for Les Aldrich Music, where she developed a particular interest in violins for children and adult learners, wishing to provide access to instruments for players from a wide variety of backgrounds.
Emma even plays violin herself as she has found being able to fully appreciate the art and sound of playing a violin aides her ability to make a high quality violin.
Episode 91 - Katie Thompson of Women of Woodworking Katie Thompson is an independent artist, author, creative consultant and speaker based outside of Charleston, SC. She is a disabled mother of two, and wife. She lives and works out of her home and shop in the swamps of the Lowcountry.
Katie has a passion for people and sharing their stories, and pursues her inclinations as a storyteller through her writing. Her ongoing project the Women of Woodworking series features some of the craft’s most talented artisans from around the globe. Her children’s book Little Beaver Builds a Bed was published in 2016.
It was as a pre-teen, in Junior High School that Kate Duncan was introduced to woodworking. Little did she know, that first shop class would be the beginning of an entire career in furniture making and design. Since her days in Jr. High, Duncan has dedicated the last twenty some years to honing her craft and developing her aesthetic and nowadays, Duncan produces bespoke heirloom-quality furniture out of her Toronto studio.
Not content to just focus on her own practice, in 2014 Duncan founded Address Design Show, an inclusive annual exhibit that promotes both well-established and up-and-coming creatives. Heading into its 8th consecutive year, this widely recognized exhibit has featured hundreds of designers, makers and artists from all across North America.
You can find and follow along with Kate on Instagram and her Website.
Episode 90 - Whitney of That Woodworking Girl Whitney is a wife, mom of 2, woodworker and DIYer. Whitney has always enjoyed being creative, but it was when her and her husband had their first place that she got into woodworking. What started as a need to decorate her own home on a budget has turned into a business.
Wonder Women 003 - Marylou with Made by Marylou Marylou is a designer currently based in Raleigh, NC. She has always had a love for art and design, regardless of the medium. She will never claim to be an expert and any one thing, but she has a hunger for learning. She is an artist, woodworker, musician, content creator, and so much more!
Episode 89 - Lizzy, The House of Timber Rerun Rerun: You may know Lizzy from her amazing wood sign and logo work. Well she recently become a Mom to a beautiful baby girl, Crew. Lizzy found making through a need to find an escape from a rather tough situation. She started with furniture, but found her true passion in making signs, and specifically in making other maker's logos in to large wooden signs.
Since this originally ran as episode 60, Lizzy has started her own line of Crew inspired goods, make sure to check her out.
Wonder Women 002 - Jessie Uyeda of iJessup So one day, Jessie's big brother Ben called her up, said hey, you aren't really doing anything with your life, so come work for me! And that is how Jessie left her 13 years working at a sushi restaurant to start her career as a maker. Eventually Ben even talked her into starting a YouTube channel, as as they say in the movies, the rest is history. Jessie does not have a desire to master any one craft, but to rather experiment and try new things. She shares these trials in her videos on YouTube. From woodworking to metalworking to sewing, she covers it all.
Episode 88 - Julia with DIY Dougherty Julia is a wife, stay at home Mom of two, and woodworker. She really got her first taste of making in high school when she had the chance to help build sets for the theater group. Julia has really always been creative and enjoyed doing creative things. Now she makes things for craft fairs and for her own home. Her skills go beyond woodworking as well, and they include restoring a pinball machine, remodeling a small RV and pimping out a golf cart as a mobile BBQ.
Wonder Women 001 - Daej of Daej Designs Based in Toronto, founder and principle designer, Daej Hamilton started this company at 22 years old. Luxuriating in her 11th year of woodworking, her pieces reflect the timeless, mid-century, modern aesthetic. Using some of the finest woods, her work is designed and hand crafted to compliment form and function.
Episode 87 - Sil of Sil Ralphs Designs Sil is a wife, mom, and woodworker. She is a self proclaimed tomboy from a young age, always wanting to do what the guys were doing. She is originally from Brazil, only being in the states for 4 years now. In Brazil, she found it hard to be taken seriously as a female woodworker. Since moving to the states she has really seen her business take off, building big and small pieces alike. She does both commission and original work.
Jade is a wife, stay at home mom of 3, and DIY home blogger. She has a deep desire to know how to do things and fix things around her home. This is what got her started in DIY home projects. In order to be able to own a home, she had to purchase a foreclosure, which required a great deal of renovation. She started with knowing nothing, but learned so much in that process.
Kalila is a wife, mom of 3 and DIY home renovator. At first Kalila had no interest in helping to renovate her home. Eventually though she decided to give it a try and got hooked. Now, she tackles big projects like renovating her entire kitchen, including making brand new cabinets.
Hello makers. This week will not be the usual podcast episode. This week I am taking a moment. A moment to let the weight of what is going on in our country just sit. To the black members of this maker community, especially the black women of this maker community, I want you to know that I stand in solidarity with you. I know as a white person, with the privilege that being white gives me, I need to do and be better. In the past I have been timid to speak up to fellow white people about their behavior towards black people and other people of color. I will no longer be timid. I will speak out about verbal or physical acts of violence against black and brown people. I will have the tough conversations. I will continue to educate myself. I will fight for justice and the reform of our systems in this country and my local community. This is my personal pledge to you.
Nicole is a wife, mom, engineer, and DIY room renovator. Her interest in how things work together lead her to her career as a mechanical engineer. After purchasing a house that was mid- renovation, her DIY side kicked into gear. Now she is making her house her own, one room at a time.
Belinda and Venise of Simple Goodness Sisters, a garden to glass company, bring us the first series of Maker Mom minisodes. In part three they talk about what to do when you have limited space for growing, how to keep track of what you planted, and how to use your growing zone to plan your garden.
Christy is a wife, Mom, and laser sign maker extraordinaire. That is a bit of a mouthful! Christy was a RN who went to stay at home Mom when her two kids were born. She wanted to find something just for her that could also be a business. So with no previous experience, she bought a $20K laser and jumped into the sign making business. She has been going strong for a year and has no regrets.
Bonnie is a Mom of two, carpenter and cabinet maker by trade, and really a jane of all trades. Even as a kid Bonnie loved to make things and tinker and that never really stopped. She has worked as a cabinet maker for several years while also being a crafter and maker for her own projects like restoring a VW bus. Now she is following her dream of owning her own company and empowering women to make on their own.
Continuing with this miniseries on gardening with kids, Belinda and Venise cover what their favorite things to grow with kids are and how to get them started.
This week's episode is with a panel of amazing Moms: Char (Wooden Maven), Alma (Pink Soul Studios), and Jessie (Built by Jessie). Each of these awesome women have had their own experiences on being women of color in the maker community. I asked them to join me and share their experiences with us as a community.
Belinda and Venise of Simple Goodness Sisters, a farm to bar company, bring us the first series of Maker Mom minisodes. In part one they dive into what you need to make sure you have if you want to start gardening with your kiddos.
Lindsay is a wife, mom, maker and artist. She also used to be an engineer for Nasa in the space program. She has always done and been interested in art since she was a child, probably fueled by her maker mom. She took a brief break from art, starting in college, but after her second child was born she started back up as a way to get in touch with herself again. Now she is an artist across several mediums making unique pieces as commissions for clients.
Lindsay is a wife, mom, maker and artist. She also used to be an engineer for Nasa in the space program. She has always done and been interested in art since she was a child, probably fueled by her maker mom. She took a brief break from art, starting in college, but after her second child was born she started back up as a way to get in touch with herself again. Now she is an artist across several mediums making unique pieces as commissions for clients.
Shankevia is a wife, mom of 3, and furniture maker. She taught herself how to woodwork while homeschooling her oldest and trying to find something to direct their energy to. Though her kids were not that interested, she definitely caught the bug. Now she designs and creates custom furniture pieces for clients.
Tami is a mom of 3 boys and a master maker teaching shop classes to kids and speaking to shop teachers across the country. Basically a maker since she was 7 and working through many different careers as a young adult, she eventually found herself as a high school shop teacher. Now she is working on building her business of teaching people from young to old to make things with their own two hands.
Cara is a wife, mom, and DIY blogger and content creator. After college Cara worked in the oil and gas industry and when she found out she was pregnant, she used that as a perfect time to leave the corporate world. After being home with her daughter for about a year and a half, she looked for ways to bring some additional purpose back into her life. She started a fashion blog, and did that for a few years before transitioning into a home and DIY blog and she has never been happier.
Heidi is a spouse, mom of two, professor, ceramic artist and jewelry artist. Heidi found a love for ceramics and pottery at a young age and that has really just stayed with her. Her family was really creative when she was growing up and she has carried that into her own family. Now she is a professor at the University of Iowa and still creates both ceramics and jewelry.
Michelle is a wife, mom, full-time nurse practitioner and beginner woodworker. Michelle gave woodworking a try when she needed something for her own home and caught the maker bug. She now enjoys doing pieces both for her own home as well as commission work.
Kristen is a wife, mom of 2 girls, a registered nurse, and a woodworker. Kristen started her woodworking career when she wanted certain pieces of furniture for her home, but could not find them for a reasonable price. Eventually she started running out of things to build for her own home and started taking commission work in order to keep making.
Lilly is a wife, mom of two, and party prop maker extraordinaire. Lilly has been creative since she was a kid and she even got to attend a special high school that was for people who enjoyed making and creating and art. She also was introduced to the party planning world as a kid when she started helping her Mom with different party events. She has owned her own creative business since she graduated from college. She has really enjoyed making props for parties and currently uses balloons for her medium the most.
Christy is a full time CPA and Mom of two grown girls. Now she starts off this episode with a bang, talking about how much she actually LOVES accounting. After her oldest daughter went off to college and before her youngest was completely out of the house, Christy got her start with woodworking. It started when a barn on her family farm started to come down and as a way to stay connected to her family story she found a way to repurpose that wood to build a hallway table. Then as they say, the rest is HERstory.
So after lots of messages and asking, it is I, your host, Katie Freeman, back with a second interview on more info on myself. Not really sure why y'all wanted more of my back story, since I'm pretty sure I lead a fairly boring life! Anyway, I answer some of the questions that have been sent in, none of them were covered in the introduction episode, episode 01, of the podcast. In case you missed the intro episode, my name is Katie Freeman. I am a wife and mom of 2. I also make things from wood, and occasionally resin and leather as well.
Halley is wife, mom of a spirited 5 year old boy, full time graphic designer, and ceramic artist. Halley grew up being very creative, even went to art school right out of high school. Once graduating college she dove into being a graphic designer and didn't do any pottery. When her full time job gave the opportunity to apply for a grant to fund her passion, pottery, she went for it and got it. Now she spends nights and weekends creating pottery pieces of her own design.
Kourtni is a wife, mom of two and DIY/Home renovation blogger. Kourtni has only been doing DIY and home renovation projects for just a few short years. It really all started with the birth of her oldest and her decision to no go back to her job after maternity leave. Now she makes beginner to intermediate level projects and shares those through her blog.
Charlee is a wife, mom of 4, and maker/DIYer that lives in Hawaii. She started her journey down the road of DIY when her and her husband were in a house that needed some serious renovating. She has grown from picking up a tool for the first time for her first home project to now being a DIY blogger as well as woodworker. She enjoys both making furniture and making her home more beautiful and functional one project at a time. She also enjoys teaching other women how to use tools in a classroom setting.
Britt is a wife, mom of two, is in the air national guard, and she makes wooden wall art pieces. She gets great inspiration from the mountains and the northern lights. Britt started just by creating a few pieces of wooden wall art for her own home that highlighted the things she is inspired by. She started with nothing more then a hand saw and hammer. Now she works in collaboration with her father, using power tools, to create her beautiful northern lights and mountain art.
Kaylee is a partner, mom of two, house flipper and DIY project maker extraordinaire. Kaylee started out doing DIY projects at home and woodworking at a young age and it has stuck with her ever since. When her oldest was just a toddler, Kaylee completely rebuilt a small RV for the two to live in, while being in college full time. Everything she has learned she has pretty much taught herself, and now she has a passion for sharing that knowledge with others, especially other women.
Jennifer is a Mom of two, flag maker, and better known as Miss Dewalt. Jennifer makes beautiful flags for police officers, fire fighters, people in the armed forces or anyone who enjoys flags really. She had to learn how to be handy after the death of her husband 11 years ago and she hasn't looked back once. Besides flags, Jennifer also has a passion for upcycling and turning others' trash into treasure.
Deserae is a wife, Mom of two, and sports masseuse as well as woodworker. Deserae was introduced to woodworking by her father at a young age. She learned the value of being able to make something you needed or wanted with your own hands and that has carried into adulthood. Now she makes a wide variety of things from signs to furniture.
Katy is a wife, mom to two boys, and fricken hilarious maker of signs and glass ware. Katy started Karter Designs about four years ago. It started as a way to pay for her son's preschool and has just taken off. Katy's sense of humor is one that every Mom can relate to for sure. She says what we all have thought at times.
Timisha is a wife, mom to be, and DIY blogger. Timisha has been making and building since she was a kid. It is her passion. So much so, that she wants to share that passion with others. She shares her projects and plans on her website in addition to teaching classes. Oh, and she also has a full-time job. Though she is constantly on the go, she is learning to listen to her body and take needed rest as she is in the last leg of her first pregnancy.
**Since this originally aired, Timisha gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on August 26th.
Jaime is a wife, mom, artist, editor of Design Milk, and co-host/co-producer of Clever Podcast. Phew, that is a lot! Jaime started both Design Milk and doing artwork in 2006. For Design Milk she shares design trends and designers making a difference in the design world. For art, she paints and draws abstract art.
You may know Lizzy from her amazing wood sign and logo work. Well she recently become a Mom to a beautiful baby girl, Crew. Lizzy found making through a need to find an escape from a rather tough situation. She started with furniture, but found her true passion in making signs, and specifically in making other maker's logos in to large wooden signs.
Kendra is a wife and mom of identical twin boys. After university she started a career in the construction industry. Through hard work she found herself working in the office. Then when her boys were born she transitioned into a stay at home Mom. She rediscovered making and working with her hands through an amazing community of makers in her area. Now she makes awesome works of art from wood.
Katie is a wife and Mom of 1. She got her education in carpentry and was a trim carpenter for years until she decided to be a stay at home Mom with the birth of her daughter almost two years ago. Now she creates content around DIY, carpentry, and remodeling and streams it across Instagram and YouTube.
Cynthia has quite the journey to becoming a maker. She was introduced to woodwork and making as a young child by her father. However, she did not take it up as a hobby until about 3 years ago. Cynthia is a wife and Mom of 6. She is also a dentist by day. And oh, she use to be a professional cyclist and part of the women's nationals team. Though she says her life is boring, it is anything but!
Today's episode is a bit different. I have a chat with Laura Mays of episode 55 and Deirdre Visser about the book they are writing together and the show they curated together called Making a Seat at the Table that is currently running at the Center for Art in Wood in Philadelphia. The show contains the work of 43 woman-identified woodworkers.
Laura is a mother, woodworker, teacher, curator, and author. She has a degree in architecture, but really has a drive to be much more hands on. Through a series of events she found herself in woodworking school, getting a certificate in furniture design and manufacturing. She went into woodworking as a career from there, landing as a teacher at the Krenov School of Fine Furniture in Fort Bragg, CA.
Amanda is a wife and Mom of 4. She also happens to be a chainsaw carver in Alaska. What started as a search for a way to make an income and work while having the flexibility to have a much time with her children as possible, has really exploded as a growing business and way of creating unique pieces of art.
Tammy is a wife and mom of two teenage boys. She has been a maker or creative person from a young age starting with embroidery. Now she still does embroidery in addition to quilting, hand carving spoons and making furniture pieces. Everything she makes ends up being a gift for someone else, whether its for a special occasion or just because someone needs a little pick me up.
This episode contains clips of four different episodes from the first year. It starts with Timisha of Toolbox Divas, then Brandy of Studio Aube, then Alma of Pink Soul Studios, and last but not least Brandi of Eternal Harvest Décor. These four women are amazing makers and amazing moms. Enjoy this best of episode and celebrating 1 year of the Maker Mom Podcast!
Originally ran as episode 19 on February 14, 2019
Char is a wife, Mom of 4, two of which are twins, and a natural born builder and woodworker. Char and her husband were both in the height of their careers when they found out they were expecting twins. After the initial shock wore off, Char realized this was her opportunity to leave the corporate world behind, stay home with her kids and build things. And now she is a work from home Mom who is building her business as a woodworker and maker. She has even landed a spot on TV!
Tamar is a Mom of 3 and woodworker, maker, DIYer, and content creator. Though she claims she wasn't creative as a kid, even though she loved and played music, she has certainly made up for it as an adult. She started with flipping pieces she found at the flea market for her own home and then moved on to her first full build project with a bench. Now she shares her projects across several different channels of social media.
Amy is a wife, mom of 4, and spoon carver. Amy has only been carving spoons for 2 years, but she has already made her mark in the space by creating her infamous sauce spoon. She also loves to cook, so really, the job of a spoon carver is married perfectly with someone who loves to cook!
Sarah, is a wife and Mom of two. Currently the primary focus of the content she produces are tool reviews, but she is also an avid builder and DIYer. As she juggles the busy life of marriage with two kids, one with special needs, she plans to increase what she offers as far as sharing more on the building projects that she is working on.
Elisha is a wife, mom of identical twin boys, furniture maker and content creator. From her start as a hairstylist to making her first projects out of necessity of things for her home to now content creator extraordinaire, Elisha seems to have something for everyone! This episode is packed full of tips and tricks, especially for those looking to grow their business.
Lia is a wife, mom of two with one on the way, former mascot and now woodworker. While staying at home with her kids she manages to squeeze in commissioned builds for her local community. With a third on the way in a few months she is finishing up her commissions and then planning to focus on build projects around the house.
Cecilia is a wife, mom to triplets (that's right, I said triplets), woodworker, and power carver. Before getting into woodworking and carving she was a graphic designer. So, it's fair to say that Cecilia is a creative person to her core. She found woodworking after having troubles finding furniture for her young triplets. She quickly realized that all those years watching her Dad make as a kid had really sunk in and she grew to love woodworking.
Ashley is a single Mom of twin boys and running her own furniture business in Utah. Right from the start Ashley gave it a go at turning her making into a business by starting with painting furniture first. She no long paints or refinishes furniture, but she makes pieces from small to large.
Katie is a wife, boy Mom, and maker of custom onesies, cozies, and tumblers. She is really killing it at her business, so much so, it's hard to believe she has only been in business since May of this year! Katie shares all, including going from someone she didn't think was the type to actually run her own business, to being that person and succeeding at it.
Chiara is a wife, mom of a 16 month old, full time worker, ex bounty hunter, AND crafter and DIYer of all things for the home. Chiara really shines when it comes to taking items found at the Dollar Tree and turning them into super fun home décor items. On top of all this, she is also currently putting out one video a day on her YouTube channel.
Katie is a wife, Mom of twin boys, and maker, carpenter, aspiring plumber. Currently she is remodeling her kitchen which she has turned into a family affair. Though she has done quite a bit of making with different materials, Katie really enjoys wood working.
Celena is a single Mom, works a full time job in the gun industry, and is running her own woodworking business. She is a self proclaimed tinkerer from a young age. She got into woodworking because she needed a piece of furniture for her entryway where she can drop her stuff off at the end of a long day of work. She still has that first table in her home and it serves as a reminder of just how far her skills have come since then.
Kate is a wife, mom to a 3.5 year old, English teacher (dreaded by some, aka me), and wood worker. Kate and really her whole family had an interest in making, or as Kate calls it "doing" when she was a child. Her and her 3 sisters also had a love for music and musical instruments. She talked about wanting to do woodworking for quite some time until the perfect opportunity arose where she had the space and her brother-in-law had the tools, and the rest as they say is herstory.
Emily is a wife, stay at home mom to 3 boys, and leather bag maker extraordinaire. The idea for the leather bag started from wanting to preserve precious memories of her little ones in the form of using a special piece of clothing as the liner for one of her bags. Now she does this for others.
This episode is a flashback to episode 2 - I have the great pleasure of speaking with Ellen Smith of Little Bare Furniture in Ohio. If you aren't following her journey, you need to be! She has a degree in sculpture, is a wife, mom of 2, and absolutely rocking the world of carving and creating sculpted chairs, benches, tables, planters. So sit back, and enjoy this awesome interview to learn more about her journey of being a wood artist and a mom, and managing it all!
Timisha is a wife, mom to be, and DIY blogger. Timisha has been making and building since she was a kid. It is her passion. So much so, that she wants to share that passion with others. She shares her projects and plans on her website in addition to teaching classes. Oh, and she also has a full-time job. Though she is constantly on the go, she is learning to listen to her body and take needed rest as she is in the last leg of her first pregnancy.
Katie is a wife, mom of 2 boys, and DIY blogger. She started making at first out of necessity. Being in a one income home, they simply could not afford to buy the furniture and home décor they wanted, so why not just build it. Katie has come a long way, from at first texting her husband before and after using a tool, to now being fully confident in any build.
Jessie is a wife, Mom of 3, works a full-time job, and fits making and DIY in where she can. She loves being able to completely transform a space all on her own. Though she didn't really start making or doing DIY until she was an adult, expecting child number two, she really enjoys it and shares that joy with the rest of her family, including her sister.
Cortnie is a wife, mom of two, screen printer, and retail shop owner in Iowa City. Making the decision to go into art after three years of studying biology at the University of Iowa seems to be absolutely the right decision for Cortnie. From there, she started making art and showing in small gallery spaces. With some positive feedback, she took the leap into retail. Starting with selling her own pieces as well as other local artists works. Though it wasn't her plan to start, she feels this is exactly what she is meant to do.
Amy is a wife, mom of 3, part-time mechanical engineer, woodworker, and part-time blogger. Phew! That made me tired just writing it! Amy has been working with her hands from the time she was small, working on her family farm. She built her first project when she was six, a table for her kittens. Now she builds things from small to large. The largest being a full house replica playhouse with pop-outs and all.
Carson is a wife, Mom of 3, and beginner woodworking. She is not however a beginner maker. She has enjoyed making in several different areas, including quilting. Her and her husband and oldest child moved just a week before her second was born. Being away from a community she knew she struggled with postpartum depression. With her husbands urging and encouragement she took a couple of classes at a local community college and fell in love with woodworking.
Sarah started Sticks almost by accident. She is a degreed artist who really enjoys creating abstract paintings. A friend of hers aske her to create a nativity set, and basically the rest is history. As a Mom of 3 young girls she built up Sticks from work she was creating on her own, to now a company that employees 50 people, most of them artists continuing that work on. Her daughter Rachel joined sticks first as an events coordinator 16 years ago, and now is the CEO of sticks and has helped get Sticks through the recession and continue to grow the business.
Alma is a wife, stay at home boy Mom, and amazing woodworker. She has always had an interest in art and creativity that eventually became focused on woodworking. She uses those woodworking skills and creativity to create custom mallets, push sticks and other items for other members of the maker community.
Jen is an Army wife and homeschooling mother of two. She and her family call Nashville, Tennessee home, but are currently stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. The House of Wood is Jen’s creative outlet for all things DIY and design, a place where she documents her adventures in designing and building furniture and tackling home renovation projects. A self-taught carpenter with a fearless DIY spirit and a penchant for problem-solving, Jen offers in-depth tutorials that inspire and encourage readers to build their way to a more beautiful home.
Jess is a Mom of 3 and artist extraordinaire. She started her maker journey as a child of humble beginnings who learned very early that if you want something, we have to make it. She has carried that spirit with her and taught her children the same value of handmade items. Originally she gained momentum in the beading world, and then eventually transitioned into furniture as her art.
Brittany, wife, mom, and demolition expert?? She is a DIY blogger, home renovator and house flipper. Brittany got her start working with tools as a young child when her parents renovated their house on their own. So I guess you can say its in her blood. Now she is passionate about spreading knowledge and making sure every woman out there has access to that knowledge to learn to do and make and fix things all on their own.
Dyan is a Wife, Mom of 8, and woodworker. As if it isn't extraordinary enough that she is a Mom of 8 and how that came to be, she has also been woodworking since early childhood thanks to her Dad. Both of her parents are creative people and have shared their love for creativity along with their skills with Dyan and her 6 siblings. Now Dyan gets to share that creativity and passion with her children through making projects for their home.
Charlee is a wife, mom of 4, and maker/DIYer that lives in Hawaii. She started her journey down the road of DIY when her and her husband were in a house that needed some serious renovating. She has grown from picking up a tool for the first time for her first home project to now being a DIY blogger as well as woodworker. She enjoys both making furniture and making her home more beautiful and functional one project at a time.
Jenny is a Wife, Mom of two boys, and a maker. Currently she is a stay-at-home Mom, but with her youngest starting Kindergarten in the fall she is looking forward of entering the workforce again. She mainly makes signs and other home décor out of wood, but she has started venturing into the world of furniture for her own home. What started as a way to keep her sanity as a stay-at-home mom has grown into something she never imagined.
Alicia Jackson is a wife, mom, full time engineer, and woodworker and builder. Alicia grew up exposed to building and construction, but it wasn't until a need for a project at home did she venture into the world of woodworking and building on her own. She concentrates on making projects based on things her and her family need at home and makes video tutorials that she posts on YouTube. She has a 5 year old son and another little boy on the way in about 4 weeks.
Britt is a wife, Mom of 4 and natural born woodworker. She grew up with two parents who were rather crafty. Her Dad had his own shop. It wasn't until she had a need for a large dinning room table that she decided to take the plunge into woodworking herself. Now she makes furniture, home décor, mosaics and mountain art while being a stay at home Mom for her 4 kiddos.
Brad has been the face of Fix This Build That and the co-host of Made For Profit for a few years now. Toward the end of last year his wife, Susan, joined full time into Fix This Build That. During this episode they share about how they both played a part in the journey for creating Fix This Build That, how family has to come first, and how working together all day as a married couple has seemed like a natural fit for them.
Char is a wife, Mom of 4, two of which are twins, and a natural born builder and woodworker. Char and her husband were both in the height of their careers when they found out they were expecting twins. After the initial shock wore off, Char realized this was her opportunity to leave the corporate world behind, stay home with her kids and build things. And now she is a work from home Mom who is building her business as a woodworker and maker. She has even landed a spot on TV!
Anika is a wife, mother of two and DIY blogger living in Southern California. Anika has her doctorate in Electrical Engineering and was succeeding in that career when she started her woodworking journey. It all started with the need for a fun set of table and chairs for her oldest kiddo. She looked everywhere, but just couldn't find what she wanted. With some encouragement from her husband she started on her DIY woodworking journey.
Martina is a woodworker and Mom of two teenage boys. Her and her wife run KNB Designs where they work with clients to create custom designed furniture. Martina has an array of skills from traditional woodworking methods to CNC. An injury caused Martina to go full-time with her custom furniture business sooner then she expected. She shares some of the challenges she has encountered and tips she has picked up along the way of growing her business.
Brandi is a Mom of three, homeschools her kiddos, and makes super awesome tables and other stuff out of wood. Brandi has had quite a journey from phycologist to stay at home Mom and maker. With her background as a phycologist she knows very well the benefits of working with your hands to keep yourself grounded and in the moment. Something she really needed right after making the decision to stay home with her kids.
McKenna is a Mom of two who started refinishing and painting furniture as a way to have something just for herself. As a stay at home Mom its very important to have something that is just for you. She started posting her projects online and before she knew it she was a legit business. Over time her business has transitioned from furniture to homemade candles which are really taking off, though she hopes to get back to furniture some day. Learn all about her journey!
Tiffany is a Mom of 1 and maker extraordinaire. She has done all sorts of making from crafting to stained glass and now woodworking and starting to dabble with welding. She finds that making helps to ground her in a way nothing else has.
Courtney is a Mom of 3, maker, entrepreneur, and author. She truly is doing ALL the things and totally rocking it! Courtney shares with us her journey from make up artist to maker to overnight Etsy success story! She also shares a bit of the highs and the lows of Mom life, including the difficult birth of the latest addition to the family. So much packed into this episode you don't want to miss out on!
Ashley is a Mom of two, a software engineer, a gaming enthusiast and yes, a maker. She enjoys woodworking along with 3D printing. Making allows her to have a hobby that gets her doing things physically and away from a computer screen which is where she spends the majority of her time with work.
Meet Ashley, mom of 2 boys, and USMC spouse, and oh, runs her own custom woodworking business. It all started with the need for a patio table. She needed one, couldn't find one that fit her taste, so hey, she picked up some power tools and made one! Now she is running a successful custom furniture business from her home while getting to also be a stay at home Mom. Don't miss out on her journey!
Meghan, maker, and Mom of three, really discovered the joy of making as a way to occupy herself after her oldest joined the military. Now she is busy managing her making business, working a day job, and the busy schedule of still having two kids at home.
Tiffany (Tiff) with Staying Inside the Grey and I talk about life as a Mom to littles, and the pressures of anxiety and depression that touch so many lives. We chat about how making helps us work through those difficult times and moments. How it can help ground us when nothing else seems to be working.
Michelle is a Mom of 3 girls, two of which she home schools, and an artist and maker. She loves to flex her creativity muscles dabbling in woodworking, painting, and DIY. She also enjoys the therapeutic benefits behind making.
In this episode I talk with Valerie of Old Souls Designs. A mom of 3 boys, military wife, and woodworker extraordinaire. You can often find this busy Mom working hard in the shop she built! That's right, she built her own shop, complete with a clubhouse for her kids.
Wendy Vollans is a Mom of two creative teenage girls and a maker. She does such great projects like small carvings and resin work. She is also well known as one of the most generous people within the maker community. She also seems to step into a Mom role helping others within the community make it through their own struggles. In this episode we dive deep into some personal struggles she has overcome and how making helps make it though many things.
Kay is a maker working with wood and resin and she is also the mom of a young teenager. She has been running her own business, Kay at Home, for two years now. Before that she had another small business that she owned and operated. Kay does amazing things with wood and resin, but the most important part of her life is her daughter, Madison, who is also a blossoming artist.
Brandy Aube is an amazing maker, and the first non-woodworker for the show. She does stunning work with metal, and oh, she's also a Mom and has a day job. Brandy talks about her childhood, growing up in a family of creatives, teaching her there's nothing she cannot do. She has been welding and fabricating for 18 years, plus she can refinish furniture and upholster! Oh, and did I mention her and her husband built their house while she was pregnant with her son? So much fun and inspiration packed into this episode, don't miss out!
Jaclyn started her making journey just two years ago. At the time she was a Mom of 2 just wanting to make a clock as a gift for her Mom. That's all it took and she was hooked. Now she is a Mom of 4 with a thriving business all built on making clocks. Check out this conversation with Jaclyn about being a Mom of 4 littles and managing running a business as well. She shares both the ups and downs and brings along a guest speaker of her own, her son Oliver who is just 3 months old and super adorable!
In this very first episode of the Maker Mom Podcast, I bring you the story of me, your host, Katie Freeman. Things like how I got my start in making and how I juggle a part-time job, my own business, and a family. I answered all of the same questions that I ask all the other maker moms to answer on a weekly basis.
In Episode 02 I have the great pleasure of speaking with Ellen Smith of Little Bare Furniture in Ohio. If you aren't following her journey, you need to be! She has a degree in sculpture, is a wife, mom of 2, and absolutely rocking the world of carving and creating sculpted chairs, benches, tables, planters. So sit back, and enjoy this awesome interview to learn more about her journey of being a wood artist and a mom, and managing it all!