In this #beamies article we would like to introduce you to Jennifer from Baumhauskind. She started her own business through Mr Beam and sells her works on Etsy. - But read for yourself. 🙂
Jennifer introduces herself
Hello Jennifer! First introduce yourself. Who are you, and what are you doing? Which Mr Beam do you currently own?
My name is Jennifer, I am a trained media designer and I love being creative in every way - I sew, crochet and do crafts - and since 2020 I have also been lasering with the Mr Beam.
I actually still have the dreamcut II and the first laser head. Although I only work with wood and vegan leather, my Mr Beam has always served me faithfully and even enabled me to open my own Etsy shop.
In my job as a graphic designer, I have always missed manual work, and the Mr Beam was exactly the right interface between graphics and craftsmanship for me at the time.
With Mr Beam, self-employment pays off
Do you run your Etsy shop part-time or do you do it full-time?
I now run my Etsy shop full-time, I still have two children and therefore always have the opportunity to organize my working hours. After my parental leave, I wasn't hired anymore, and then I thought to myself: "I'll just try it now!" - and it worked!
How did the idea come about, and how did you become aware of Mr Beam?
Mr Beam came first - then came the ideas! And shortly afterwards the Etsy shop. Many items in my shop were created because I needed them myself or my children, and so I made them available to others.
What projects do you implement then? What can customers buy from you?
I mainly sell items for school enrolment, patches for school bags, for example, or accessories for school bag tags and signs. I made the first patch for my son when he started school. But birthday wreaths or decorations for children's rooms can also be found in my shop.
The pumpkin house for Halloween
Now to the pumpkin witch house. How did the idea come about? We have never seen anything like this before, and we were immediately thrilled!
I recently saw the pumpkin house on Instagram, but it was a fairy house. I really wanted to do this too, but for a little witch, suitable for Halloween. Likewise, I built a doll house for my daughter last year, and I love making little miniatures and creating little worlds.
How long did it take you to figure out the file? How exactly did you go about creating it?
I only worked on it for a few evenings, the pumpkin was already at home, and I was a little worried that it would get muddy by the time I finished the files. 🙂 First I made the clothesline and the sign, I immediately imagined that striped stockings must be hanging on the line if the witch Knickebein lives in the pumpkin!
When I create such files, I look at photos of what something looks like, in this case with the leash, how a stocking hangs over it, and then I draw with the graphics tablet. For the doll house back then, for example, I took photos of our plants at home and our daughter's bed so that I could trace it in detail.
Tips for building the pumpkin house
Do you have any tips for our users if they want to recreate your project? Which material is best to use?
I used 3 mm poplar plywood for this. When attaching the door and windows, you should straighten the curves of the pumpkin a little. Mark and cut out the recesses for the windows. I then attached the elements with hot glue (be careful, it no longer sticks so well where you have cut something away, i.e. only on the outer skin).
I pulled the fairy lights in from the outside through a hole in the back. I could have just put them in, but I found that difficult when switching them on and off.
It is important that you hollow out the pumpkin correctly and scrape out as much pulp as possible so that it doesn't get mouldy so quickly.
Creativity arises from impulse
What are you planning next then? Christmas is just around the corner, you must have a cool idea, right?
No, actually not yet, the best ideas always come spontaneously. 🙂 I try to have as much time as possible before Christmas to bake cookies and do crafts with the children. I usually think of ideas for Christmas presents or little things to give away shortly beforehand, which is why it often happens that I come up on December 23rd. I'm still in the workshop and Mr Beam is working overtime.
Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. The pumpkin house definitely caused a stir in our office. By the way, you can find the pumpkin house file on Etsy.
