Chair stylist Wendy Conklin joins Editor in Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on the inspiration behind her Taylor Swift-themed chair collection, her entrepreneurial journey, and fun and easy ways to add creativity and color to your home. Wendy is a former educator turned boutique chair decorator helping people around the globe infuse personality, color and whimsy into their surroundings. Through her company, Chair Whimsy , she offers various options to turn a boring and beige room into wow...
Oct 16, 2024•52 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Connecticut-based brand photographer, video storyteller and marketing strategist Nicole Bedard joins Editor in Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on the power of brand photography and crafting a compelling image portfolio for your website, marketing materials and magazine submissions. Nicole specializes in capturing imagery and videos that help creative entrepreneurs step out from behind their work to showcase their unique processes, enhance their visibility, and make their branding irresist...
Sep 25, 2024•50 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Multi-crafter, tutor, sewist, illustrator and designer Paula Milner joins Editor in Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on her passion for crafting and the journey to launching her popular brand, The Crafty Lass. In 2015, Paula established The Crafty Lass with the aim to inspire adults to get creative in their busy lives, and has gone on to work with some of the biggest names in the craft industry. Her hand drawn, nature-inspired fabric ranges and hand-carved woodblock designs can be found fo...
Sep 12, 2024•44 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Die-hard modern fabric fan Chelsea O’Hayre joins Editor in Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on finding a way to turn a passion into a thriving business and how to recognize and seize additional opportunities as they arise. Chelsea is the owner of Pink Door Fabrics and Renaissance Ribbons. She started Pink Door Fabrics in 2011, and recently acquired Renaissance in 2023. A lover of fabrics from an early age, Chelsea taught herself to sew many years ago and has transformed her hobby into a gr...
Aug 14, 2024•41 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Craft ambassador and entrepreneur Isabelle Fish joins Editor in Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on bespoke travel experiences that allow creatives to discover the world through the lens of craft. Having made herself at home in five different countries, including Canada, England and South Africa, Isabelle retains a particularly French attitude towards les métiers d’art, along with her insatiable appetite for travel and cultural discovery. Isabelle’s company Rue Pigalle is a travel and even...
Jul 16, 2024•44 min•Season 2Ep. 14
MillHouse Founder, CEO and Executive Director Beth Beck, PhD, joins Editor in Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on how her career at NASA helped prepare her for a post-retirement role helping creative (micro)businesswomen thrive. MillHouse in the century-old Cotton Mill in McKinney, Texas. Designed as a space for women to collaborate, create and flourish, the nonprofit opened in 2019 with four artist studios. Today, MillHouse hosts 32 studios, plus photography studios, a co-working space, w...
May 21, 2024•44 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Fashion industry veteran, pattern designer and clothing brand founder Christine Lindebak joins Editor in Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on her transition from working in the fast-paced corporate fashion world to building websites and running her very own creative business. Christine Lindebak is an American designer and creator based on the Mediterranean seaside in Valencia, Spain. She’s the force behind Sewing and the City, selling fashion sewing patterns online and in shops around the g...
Apr 18, 2024•31 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Artist Megan Aroon joins Editor in Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on the beauty of living a nomadic life and creating on the go. For the past two years, Megan has traveled the U.S. in her tiny home, aka her van/mobile studio, with her cat Mikee, creating series of artworks along the way — including paintings inspired by the National Parks and other natural wonders. She is a conservation artist, striving to preserve and conserve the natural world, sharing the beauty of our planet as seen ...
Apr 02, 2024•51 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Sewing pattern designer and entrepreneur Sara Lawson joins Editor in Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on building an online community, the importance of using long-form video to support and inspire your customers’ creativity and more! Based in Chicago, Sara started her company Sew Sweetness in 2013, and today her team includes family members and pattern testers. In addition to designing sewing patterns for a wide array of tote bags, purses and pouches, she also produces full-length instruc...
Mar 19, 2024•40 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Internationally renowned surface pattern designer, entrepreneur and award-winning online educator Bonnie Christine joins Editor in Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on how to hit the ground running with pattern designing, methods to improve your productivity and much more! Bonnie has been creating delicate and ethereal artwork for brands and products around the world since 2009. She’s a mama, artist and fabric designer living nestled back in the hills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Her goal ...
Jan 16, 2024•49 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Weaver, spinner, garment designer and entrepreneur Astrid Tauber joins Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on what led Astrid to textile arts, along with her favorite parts of the creative process, the advantages to her family’s unconventional approach to education, and MUCH more! Astrid, whose story was featured in WHAT Women Create in 2023, is the youngest artist to be featured in our magazines. When she was 7 years old, her mom signed her up for a series of craft classes at a loc...
Jan 03, 2024•56 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Master Milliner Jenny Pfanenstiel joins Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on her journey from making hats in her basement as a hobby to founding her couture shop Formé Millinery in Louisville, Kentucky, and acquiring supply companies that provide materials for other milliners and help ensure that the craft of millinery continues to thrive. Jenny is a world-renowned milliner awarded for her skill of creating and sculpting hats by hand using the highest quality and rare materials fr...
Dec 05, 2023•50 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Cara Loffredo and Africa Rubio Pastor join Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on the importance of shopping local woman-founded businesses, especially during the critical holiday selling season. For the past six years, Cara and Africa have been running markets throughout the Boston area and have helped launch the careers of many women entrepreneurs, along with expanding their own business with new initiatives, including a popup brick-and-mortar shop earlier this year and a new seri...
Nov 21, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Artist and Interior Designer Kalen Mehlman of Kalen's Place joins Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on how our “creative selves” can transform over time, tapping into new opportunities and growth as professionals and artistic beings. Kalen shares the importance of recognizing our inner creative journey and how that can serve us professionally and personally. A lifelong “creative”, Kalen Mehlman can be found in Phoenix, Arizona working as an artist and full-time interior designer…a...
Apr 21, 2023•54 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Artist and author Kristina Henson joins Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on the Instagram phenomenon known as the 100-Day Project. Kristina provides insight on how and why she hopped on the trend, where to find inspiration for each day and how you can take your own 100-day project to the next level! Kristina Henson is an artist, author and storyteller living in Central New York, surrounded by the Finger Lakes that provide endless inspiration for her artwork and writing. Her caree...
Mar 10, 2023•48 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Co-founder and President of Craft Industry Alliance Abby Glassenberg joins Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on the benefits of a membership organization and various aspects of building a successful business in the crafts industry, including email marketing campaigns, collaborations and finding a compatible retail marketplace. Abby is a sewing pattern designer, craft book author, teacher and writer. She has an undergraduate degree in history from Johns Hopkins and a master’s degre...
Feb 15, 2023•50 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Artist, author and entrepreneur Jane Pollak joins Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Blot for a conversation on setting aside excuses and doing what you love NOW. An artist throughout her life, Jane took a detour for a couple of decades as a coach for creative entrepreneurs. But she reclaimed her role as an artist at the start of the pandemic when everything shut down and she had just learned a new craft — Penny Rug Pillow-making. She re-created herself at warp speed (though it felt like millennia to her)...
Feb 01, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Welcome to our new podcast series, The WORLD OF WOMEN CREATE! Inspired by the WOMEN CREATE magazines and community, the women featured in these intimate conversations are artists and makers, entrepreneurs, foodies and creators of the unusual and the exceptional. Their personal stories are filled with triumphs, perseverance, inspiration and a love of and commitment to the spirit of creativity. We invite you to join us to get to know these very special women — fellow creators, kindred spirits and ...
Jan 18, 2023•58 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In this episode of FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE, Jo Packham is joined by professional quilter-turned-weight-and-life-coach Dara Tomasson to discuss being weighed down physically and mentally by thoughts in our lives. Dara helps women get to the root of the problem so they can shed the extra weight and start really loving and feeling accomplished with their lives. In Dara's professional quilting life she published free motion quilting books and did custom quilting. Since being certified as a life and we...
Oct 11, 2022•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 30
In this episode of FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE, Ki Nassauer, dubbed the “Martha Stewart of vintage” in media coverage from varied sources such as the Wall Street Journal, NBC’s “Today,” and HGTV, joins Jo Packham for a discussion on the ever-changing vintage scene and her journey as a vintage entrepreneur. She has gained a loyal and engaged audience, with nearly 220,000 followers on social media. Ki has crafted a career from vintage since 1999, scouring antiques shops, flea markets, salvage yards and ...
Aug 31, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 29
In this episode of FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE, Jo Packham invites Wendy Batten to discuss the art of balancing being a creative — and having a vision and dreams — with the reality of being a CEO and all the “unsexy and unfun parts” that come with that role. As a business coach and creative herself, she understands what it takes to turn a hobby and passion into a thriving business. Wendy Batten is on a mission to improve the lives of creative shop owners across the globe. Wendy works with established ...
Aug 23, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 28
In this episode of FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE, Jo Packham and Kelly Rae Roberts join together to discuss elevating your artistic journey and taking what life brings you and running with it! Kelly Rae is an artist, author, guide, and former social worker. She is obsessed with possibility (a Possibilitarian!). She is passionate about creating art that uplifts, encourages, and inspires. I also love helping women nourish their souls and unleash their joy through creativity and self-kindness. As a seasone...
Aug 16, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 27
In this episode of FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE, Monica Michelle, the founder and CEO of BloomTV, joins Jo Packham to discuss "living bold" and letting your big ideas bloom into reality. Monica has a background in digital marketing and entrepreneurship, and has a special passion for bringing beauty to the planet. She is on a mission to help build connections between people, and to the planet, through innovative ideas and initiatives that combine technology with education. Learn more about Monica Michel...
Aug 09, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 26
In this episode of FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE, Leslie Tucker Jenison joins Jo Packham on the mic. The two discuss Leslie's variety of different careers that finally led her down a path of being able to fully embrace a studio practice and her work with surface design on cloth. Leslie is an artist who makes contemporary quilts. Surface design using dye and paint are integral components of her work and photography frequently informs her designs, literally or by way of inspiration. She has been a guest o...
Aug 02, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 25
In this episode of From My Kitchen Table, Jo Packham and Krifka Steffey , the director of merchandise at Barnes & Noble, join forces to discuss finding inspiration and ways to invigorate your every life! Krifka explains how she looks for influence and vision in her day-to-day life, and provides resources and suggestions for those looking to get started in the world of magazines. As Director of Merchandise at Barnes & Noble, Krifka has direct responsibility for all things related to the B...
Jul 26, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 24
