Have no fear....

Design Mommy is here!

We have a new contributor to the site- Lindsay Jewell of A wooden nest. I'm excited to have her as part of the team! Of course I forgot to mention Rachel of Camp Smartypants coming on board, and she has already got my brain storming.

Rachel Beyer

Originally uttered the words, "Help me! Design Mommy!" in 2008 while working with Alison at a design company in Seattle, WA. Since then she's always turned to Alison for advice and constructive criticism whenever she's in need of a fresh eye and an honest opinion.

Rachel currently lives in Portland, Oregon where she works as freelance graphic designer and small crafty business owner by day and busser at a fine dining restaurant by night. She is the creator of Camp Smartypants, a line of women's clothing, accessories, and paper goods. She's obsessed with bright colors, thrifting, feathers, crafts, stickers, markers, hosting parties, eating good food, and laughing with friends.

Email : campsmartypants@yahoo.com

Design Portfolio: http://www.rachelbeyer.com

Camp Smartypants: http://www.campsmartypants.com

Blog: http://campsmartypants.blogspot.com

Shop: http://campsmartypants.etsy.com

Tumblr: http://campsmartypants.tumblr.com

Lindsay Jewell

Lindsay was born in Sweet Home, Oregon, but has lived in Portland, Oregon for the last sixteen years. She recently graduated from Portland State University with a BA in English, and is currently building a writing portfolio for her freelance business while dabbling in various arts and crafts. She is obsessed with food, homemade bread, books, films, second-hand linens, paper, pretty thrifted mugs and her fluffy feline.

email - Jewellmc@gmail.com

blog: http://awoodennest.blogspot.com

Adventures in Making is still seeking contributors of all kinds. Even if you aren't up to anything right now, your experience and opinions are all needed.

We have high standards, but I can almost guarantee that you will meet them.

Do you do stuff with your hands/brain?

Do you have experience in anything?

Do you have opinions?

Do you decorate/design/craft/write/doodle/compose?

Do you have some time occasionally to share any of the above things for the betterment of us all?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, we want to hear from you. Email adventures@andosthere.com with your adventures and your questions, and leave comments any and all times the mood strikes you.

Oh, and pass the word on. We'd love to hear from your friends, family, and foe.

(Remember to email if you'd like to become a regular contributor to the site, I'll send you a short application and soon enough you'll be writing articles.)

Toolbox : Corner Rounding Punch

Yesterday we had some people over and I got to catch up with a couple of future contributors. We talked about a few tools we had used and hoped to use, and I thought you might be interested to hear our experiences. With any luck, the new contributors will give us a part 2, and as always, I'd love to hear from the rest of you.

I once watched a plucky design student cut 60 rounded corners with an Xacto knife. This is a painstaking process that I will not illustrate for you because it involves too much work and too many accidents. Although I had not been exposed to all of the crafting materials out there, I knew there must be a better way.

One of the major perks to working in a paper store was that we had access to almost all of the tools we sold, and to the wisdom of the older crafters around us. So when I decided to buy a corner rounder for myself, I bought this one...

It's called the "Corner Adorner - Medium Corner Rounder" by EK Success.

Don't expect too much. It can only handle one piece of cover stock at a time, and after a few years (of abuse) some of the flimsy parts in mine broke. However, compared to the quality of most of the craft corner rounders it worked better from the beginning to the end with less finger strength needed. (Some of the others were just plain tough to use.) I replaced the broken punch with an identical one if that says anything.

A Hint- if you have punches like this (or any punches really) there are a couple of good ways to keep them working smoothly. If you punch through aluminum foil (which I usually fold over a few times) it is said to sharpen the blade. Punching through wax paper makes the whole thing move a little smother.

I think that rounded corners can be the touch that makes a paper project, but if you're working on something with quantity make sure you have the necessary finger strength and time to get it done with this little sucker.

In the meantime I am after a magical mystical professional version of the corner rounder to fulfill all my corner rounding fantasies. I have been told I may find it in the far off realm of Ebay...

(Check out this video for a glimpse of one of the great old-school rounders - around 2:05.)

Material : Tie dye Duck Tape

In the spirit of sharing, I'd like to share new materials and tools as I come across them. Below is my latest find...

We all know how great duct tape is- but check out this tie dye version from Duck Tape. It's groovy. (That's right, I said it.)

Found at Michaels, Issaquah, August 2010.

Question : Making link buttons

Rachel made a great suggestion of adding link to buttons to this site. (Basically little images that people can put on their blogs/etc to link back to the Adventures in Making site.)

Well, that's all fine and dandy- I can design them all day, but...

Does anyone have a resource to tell me the best way to offer these buttons, and how to provide the coding?

I know it's out there...

CRITIQUE: Scrap Feather Headbands

Hi! I am in need of some feedback on a new product I am in the midst of developing for Camp Smartypants. First I'll give some explanation as this particular item has some restrictions/different goals than my other Camp Smartypants product:

- This is a fall/winter product. I've wanted to create some new products that didn't scream tie-dye. Most of my current product is very loud (color). I'm worried that I am narrowing my market. The base of the feather is still created using leftover scraps from my tie-dye shoulder bags, but I wanted to incorporate other elements into the design to make it different enough to appeal to people who aren't necessarily attracted to tie-dye.

- It has to be made from at least 50% recycled materials. I recently became a member of Trillium Artisans, a local nonprofit that supports people with small crafty businesses. So far, the only product they are currently helping me sell are my God's Eye Pins (because they are over 50% recycled). I submitted these headbands to their product review board last week and they did not pass. Below is the feedback they gave me (click on image to enlarge).

The fabric and thread used are all scrap/thrifted. But the suede lace and elastic is new (which they say makes it only 30% recycled). They also didn't like how I finished the leather braid with fabric and glue.

They also didn't like that the edges of the feather are raw, and will eventually fray. I actually like this about the design. I think that some fraying fits with the idea of an actual feather and would still look nice.



So... what do you think? Here are some possible solutions I've been thinking over:
- Change the leather braid to a scrap fabric braid. (I don't have a clue as to how I'd find a source for enough scrap/thrifted suede lace).
- Change the fabric/glue on the ends to string wrapped around tight?
- Use better elastic (also try to find as much thrifted elastic as possible)

Any other suggestions? What do you think of the design as a whole? Would you wear one? Do you think that the fraying of the feather over time would be bad? Any help/feedback would be great! Thanks

♥ Rachel

Critique : What's wrong with this blog?

Welcome! I thought a good way to start this Adventure was a review of the blog design. True to everything I've written here, I am now sick of staring at it. Do you see any bugs, spelling errors, or things that can be improved upon?

While you're looking, send an email to adventures@andsothere.com and apply to be a contributor.

Ready... set... go!

Our Contributors

and growing...

Alison Lang

Adventures in Making stared as the brain-child of a somewhat lonesome designer who missed the critiques of school, and the problem solving of retail. Proclaimed “Design Mommy,” Alison pressed friends to send her projects to look at, and questions to answer. (They didn’t seem to mind.)

Alison is a graphic designer and slave to the letterpress with a background in paper, and an obsession with adhesives. She has a small series of letterpress designs (www.andsothere.com) and a shop on etsy (sothere.etsy.com). Originally from Texas, she now lives under a large white cedar in Issaquah, Washington with her husband and three cats.

email - adventures@andsothere.com

(so, there.) shop - sothere.etsy.com and www.andsothere.com


blog - butyourejustjealous.blogspot.com

design portfolio - alisonlang.net

Rachel Beyer

Originally uttered the words, "Help me! Design Mommy!" in 2008 while working with Alison at a design company in Seattle, WA. Since then she's always turned to Alison for advice and constructive criticism whenever she's in need of a fresh eye and an honest opinion.

Rachel currently lives in Portland, Oregon where she works as freelance graphic designer and small crafty business owner by day and busser at a fine dining restaurant by night. She is the creator of Camp Smartypants, a line of women's clothing, accessories, and paper goods. She's obsessed with bright colors, thrifting, feathers, crafts, stickers, markers, hosting parties, eating good food, and laughing with friends.

Email : campsmartypants@yahoo.com

Design Portfolio: http://www.rachelbeyer.com

Camp Smartypants: http://www.campsmartypants.com

Blog: http://campsmartypants.blogspot.com

Shop: http://campsmartypants.etsy.com

Tumblr: http://campsmartypants.tumblr.com

Lindsay Jewell

Lindsay was born in Sweet Home, Oregon, but has lived in Portland, Oregon for the last sixteen years. She recently graduated from Portland State University with a BA in English, and is currently building a writing portfolio for her freelance business while dabbling in various arts and crafts. She is obsessed with food, homemade bread, books, films, second-hand linens, paper, pretty thrifted mugs and her fluffy feline.

email - Jewellmc@gmail.com

blog: http://awoodennest.blogspot.com

Kat Duke

When Kat was growing up in Texas, her family spent every school holiday making something. In fact, crafts and creating took up all the time that books didn’t.

Now in Seattle, she's a crocheter, knitter, photographer, singer/songwriter, occasional (and optimistic) artist, and general crafter. She has been refinishing tins, crocheting interesting creatures, perfecting patterns for knit and crocheted hats, and trying to figure out what to make for guy friends for the holidays.

email - kathebeth@gmail.com

Scott and Jacqui Scoggin

Scott and Jacqui like to think of themselves as all around makers of cool stuff. They started Slide Sideways, a handmade and graphic design business, in 2008, mostly as an outlet for complete creative freedom. Typically they spend their days at the screen printing press and sewing machine busying themselves by making tea towels, posters, sketchbooks, zip pouches, and more for their shop.

They currently reside in Tacoma, WA, living a simple life and staying happy by drawing, picture taking, food making, bike riding, thrifting/estate saling, playing, watching movies, day dreaming and just all around creating and making stuff.

email: wearesliding@gmail.com

website: www.slide-sideways.com

shop: slidesideways.etsy.com

blog: unitedweslide.blogspot.com

Patrick Lang

Patrick learned how to destroy and build things with electronics and other crafts at an early age by taking everything apart and putting it back together. Growing up, he also spent years in Boy Scouts learning the art of the kludge, how to survive outdoors, and plenty of other skills.

Today he lives near Seattle with his lovely wife, Alison, and work as a software developer. At night, he obsesses over coffee, computers, music, building, and fixing things around the house.

The best that Adventures can bring

Adventures in Design is here to address the fact that…

Sometimes you are too close to see that something is just a tiny bit “off.” Sometimes you might have overlooked a minor detail, or a huge one. Did you misspell a word? Leave out a letter? Miss a stitch? Break your template?

Sometimes you just don’t know how to finish a project. What tool should you use? What’s the best glue? Is there a program or code to do it easier?

Sometimes you are busting to share a finished project with people who can appreciate it. Sometimes you find something great in a place no one would think to look.

You will make this site (and each other) better by-

Sending your questions, problems and inquiries of all sorts.

Sending your projects to be looked at by the group.

Giving your feedback on each of the things above in the comment section of each post.

Sharing your resources for better answers, information, and inspiration.

Whether you are just getting started (with a project, a business, or a concept) or you are already in the throes, we are here to help and support you along the way. Please don’t censor your questions and suggestions– we want to see it all.

As I have said, this blog is an experiment, and it’s the addition of new topics and people that will make it a success.

A little bit about “Design Mommy”

Adventures in Making will always be “Design Mommy” in my head, and it will always be spoken in the voice of Rachel B. It all started long ago (I am an older sister and programmed to give my opinion) but what you really need to hear about is the seedling. I apologize for all the personal pronouns- but until this site it launched it's just an idea in my head. It is y'all who will make it great.

I was an avid critic in my design courses. I don’t think everyone appreciated it. I always got the most excited about projects that had obvious merit and just needed a little tweak. Outside of school I worked in jobs that would allow me to interact with people and give suggestions. I preferred creative outlets - fabric and paper stores for instance.

Finally, I was called “Design Mommy” by coworkers at my design job because of my willingness to give criticism and advice.

All of this implies I’m pretty perfect.

Well, here’s the secret. Every time someone asked me a question, it was like a puzzle. They had the pieces, and all I had to do was put them together properly. They did most of the work, and all I had to do was a little creative thinking, research, or opinion giving. (It’s cheating really.)

The best part: I learned a little something. I got a little inspired.

***

When I left my job about a year ago, I immediately missed the day-to-day interactions with creative people of all sorts. It’s easy to sit at home doing freelance and independent projects and forget that you need that daily infusion of outside help and inspiration. It’s easy to get stuck on those projects and end up with something you really don’t like.

So I came up with the idea of a blog community filled with all kinds of creative minds who are willing to look things over and address challenges while inspiring and supporting each other. Each time we help each other we are helping ourselves become more rounded and more inventive.

This blog is an experiment, but I have a feeling it could be great.