Hello! Man, I cannot express my excitement. I have just finished my 6th commissioned name puzzle in just 3 days! I am having so much fun designing and creating these puzzles and I can't wait to see what other things I will get to create! I wanted to make this post to display my most recent YouTube update video and archive some of my most recent projects. I hope to make this space a continuous gallery of my creations. If you see anything that sparks inspiration for a design, feel free to reach out! I'd love to help bring your ideas to life! 

So first off, here is my most recent YouTube video talking about some of my most recent projects. I will also be including the images from the video below along with some which didn't make it into the video. Check it out!

This is a customized chess set. The board can be made of resin only, wood only, or a resin and wood combo. Set comes with resin chess pieces of your color choice and a slide-top storage box which can also be customized. This example set has a UW Huskies theme! A custom set with storage box starts at $65

This puzzle comes with 100 double sided number tiles and a double sided board with lipped edges surrounding the 100 number slots. One side is blank while the other side is numbered making this an excellent scaffolded learning activity! These boards are $45 and can be left natural wood as shown or the base board frame can be painted or stained. 

Here are a couple examples of name signs. One being a monogram style typically used for family names and the second is typically found in a children's room. Of course, either of these can be customized to fit whatever purpose you may imagine! :)  These are 9" rounds and start at $25.

Here are some of the name puzzles I've created this week. Name puzzles start at a $20 base price which includes pieces for each letter and the animal/character and a base that measures approximately 10" x 3" and about 1/4" thick. The Pooh bear puzzle had some add-ons which raised the price a bit. 

Here are a couple examples of ornaments I've made for my Christmas Tree this year! I have some other designs in the works as well. Interested in some custom ornaments this year? Let me know! These start at $5 individually or 5 for $20.

If anything above sparks your interest, feel free to reach out! I would love to make you something special! :) 

​​Well, it's here! I received my Glowforge in the mail and it has been busy working through my first few creations! 

Upon arrival, I unboxed my new baby and got her all set up. The trickiest part for me was getting it connected to my wifi. It requires a 2.4Ghz connection and my provider generally uses both connection levels interchangeably, which caused the Glowforge app not to see my wifi on the system at all. It really only came down to creating separate networks for my two different speeds on the Xfinity account website. It wasn't all that difficult, but I imaging it would be a big hurdle if I wasn't already comfortable navigating these types of tech issues. I recorded and posted a video of my unboxing and initial projects.

Once I got the Glowforge setup, I began with the first recommended project, the Gift of Good Measure. This is a little ruler keychain. As I ran this first project, I noticed some smoke coming out from under the lid. I was so worried that I had made a mistake putting this thing in my house. Then I realized my newbie error... when I set up my ventilation out the window. I used a connector with a sliding door. Silly me, I forgot to open the dang door before I started the print! Lesson learned!! The second run went smooth as butter and I was in love. I featured my second project in my video. It was a small snap-together box with a lid. It turned out great and was my first attempt at adding my own personal logo to a design. Here, I learned how a gray-scale can effect the depth of an engraving - super cool feature as it can help create gradients!

The last project of the night was for a custom order. I will save the details for after the gift is delivered, but I was really excited about it - and I look forward to sharing it soon. ​

​My next creation was completely my own design of a 100 Chart Number puzzle. I have had something similar before, but my design worked out the kinks I have found in other models. The puzzle includes a double-sided board with numbers engraved on one side and blank spaces on the other. The 100 numbered pieces fit onto either side of the puzzle and the board's divided sections allow for accidental bumps or tilts without losing progress. Many similar boards are made or plastics or do not have the section dividers allowing pieces to slip and move around. This puzzle is an excellent tool for building number sense and fine motor skills. I am really pleased with this design and I know you will be too, if you choose to order one of these for a little one in your life! Check out my video showing off the new design:

​Today I updated my ventilation setup with a slide-fitted window insert which houses the ventilation hoses for both my Glowforge and AC unit using my own laser for a custom fit! So cool to be able to create my own solutions for household needs! 

I will be working on some other custom designs over the weekend including some customizable holiday ornaments, home decor items, and some other puzzle activities. If you are interested in any of the designs I have already created, or have ides of your own, feel free to reach out or place an order on my Etsy shop! 

I am sincerely so thrilled with my investment. I know I have only dusted the surface of what I can do with the Glowforge and I am so excited for the future of it all. Remember, if you have any interest in getting your own Glowforge, you can save up to $500 on your own with my referral link. ​