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 ...
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 ex...
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 ...
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 ...
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.
