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 ...
Sep 15, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 197
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...
Sep 10, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 196
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 be...
Sep 08, 2021•58 min•Ep. 195
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 an...
Sep 03, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 194
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 c...
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 193
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 ....
Aug 27, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 192
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 ...
Aug 25, 2021•59 min•Ep. 191
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 al...
Aug 20, 2021•56 min•Ep. 190
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 cu...
Aug 18, 2021•57 min•Ep. 189
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...
Aug 13, 2021•57 min•Ep. 188
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 ...
Aug 11, 2021•53 min•Ep. 187
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 ....
Aug 05, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 186
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 discove...
Aug 04, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 185
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...
Jul 30, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 184
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 .
Jul 28, 2021•58 min•Ep. 183
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 ....
Jul 23, 2021•57 min•Ep. 182
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 r...
Jul 21, 2021•56 min•Ep. 181
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 c...
Jul 16, 2021•58 min•Ep. 180
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 ....
Jul 14, 2021•52 min•Ep. 179
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,...
Jul 09, 2021•58 min•Ep. 178
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 b...
Jul 06, 2021•54 min•Ep. 177
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...
Jul 02, 2021•57 min•Ep. 176
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 ....
May 28, 2021•44 min•Ep. 176
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 collection...
May 26, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 175
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 f...
May 21, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 174
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, produc...
May 19, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 173
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 ...
May 14, 2021•45 min•Ep. 172
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 d...
May 12, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 171
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...
May 07, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 170
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 ...
May 05, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 169