The maker world can be a stereotypically male-dominated space, so it can be very exciting when you find an opportunity to support a female maker’s business. Here are some innovative and ambitious women makers who have used Etsy to create their own businesses:

1) Greta de Parry

Greta is a furniture maker based out of Chicago who sells her creations through Etsy. After studying Fine Arts in college, she apprenticed with a master woodworker to hone her craft. She’s been working through Etsy for seven years and her best-selling design is the Coleman stool. The minimalist design is made to seat someone comfortably, allowing them the ability to put their feet up on an added bar beneath. Greta was also the winner of the Best Furniture Award from Dwell Magazine at America’s Largest Design Show.

A self-proclaimed specialist in what she called ‘heirloom pieces’, Greta discusses her passion for furniture with Etsy stating, “We interact with furniture everyday. It’s the background of our lives. So, I want it to bring people joy and I want people to look at a piece of mine and love it and know that there’s a story behind it.”

2) Sian Zeng

Grand prize winner of the Etsy Design Award in 2019, Sian Zeng utilizes both artwork and design prowess to create her whimsical magnetic wallpaper. She began her work on her wallpaper designs in 2009 and has gone through the prototyping process in order to create her current design. Her original designs used magnetic paint, until she discovered a magnetic receptive liner which worked much more effectively. The designs come with little magnetic characters that match the wallpaper, allowing users to create messages and patterns all their own and make the wallpaper experience much more interactive.

3) Heidi Girad

This maker, based out of New York, has created her own line of hand-made jewelry called Liesel Love. She began working with jewelry at a young age as her aunt had a jewelry repair shop. In an interview with Etsy, she describes her experience working with jewelry at a young age and how that progressed into owning her own business, “One of my earliest memories was designing a necklace with her for my Mother. I started off with just beading, then I started getting into stained glass, and when I got into stained glass I got really into metalworking which expanded into making jewelry.”

Heidi’s jewelry is designed for everyday wear, with minimalist pieces made with high-quality durable metals and gemstones that are ethically sourced.

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Ancient Origins

The origins of the scarf, much like the origins of many modern items, date all the way back to Ancient Egypt. Queen Nefertiti is said to be the original wearer of a scarf as it is believed that she wore one beneath an extravagant jeweled headpiece.

Another possible origin of the scarf was in Ancient China. Fringed rectangular scarves were discovered on the sculptures of Ancient Chinese soldiers. In addition, during Emperor Cheng’s rule around 230 B.C. scarves were used as part of a military uniform in order to denote military rank.

Finally, for another one of the early iterations of the scarf, one would look at Ancient Rome. Rather than a military accessory, scarves were used as ‘sweat cloths’ by the Ancient Romans. When men were engaged in strenuous physical labor, they would keep a scarf on their person in order to wick away sweat. They would be worn either around the neck, over the shoulder, or knotted around their waist like a belt.

Fashion Accessory

As history progressed, there came a period where the scarf began to be viewed as more of a fashion accessory. Napoleon is said to have sent his first wife, Josephine, a cashmere scarf from India. Right around the same time, the Third Duke of Krakow allegedly created the first knit scarf. The accessory really became popular with Queen Victoria’s ascension in the 1800s. The Queen is said to have worn silk scarves as a fashion accessory, popularizing them among nobility as they were more expensive and differentiated them from the lower class.

Utility

The perception of scarves shifted once again during the First World War. Knitting became perceived as one’s ‘patriotic duty’ rather than a mere hobby and tons of scarves, gloves, and socks were knitted and sent to servicemen during this period. Troops were often battling harsh, wet, and cold conditions and accessories such as scarves were often lifesaving for them during the war. White silk scarves were even worn by pilots who used the soft fabric as a means to avoid neck chafing. During this time, silk began to be produced in the west and was used for many purposes including bags for gunpowder charges as silk leaves no residue when burnt.

Fashion & Functioin

Since silk had started to emerge in the west during wartime, many clothing brands began to produce silk accessories. One of the first groups to produce silk scarves after the war was Liberty of London, who specialized in bright prints which starkly contrasted the melancholy of the wartime.

Most notably, however, was when Thierry Hermes created the first luxury silk scarf in 1937. The company purchased raw silk directly from China, which was spun into yarn and then woven into a fabric that was twice as strong and heavier than any scarves that had preceded it. The designs also included hand-painted details, hand-rolled edges, and an Equestrian feel. These scarves became extremely popular and desirable, truly shifting the perception of scarves and fashion drastically.

With the introduction of Hermes’s designs, scarves were now viewed as a desirable fashion accessory. The problem was that they were purely for the elite as Hermes’s silk designs were very expensive. This changed with the introduction of rayon, also known as viscose. This slippery fiber with a semi-synthetic material was nicknamed the ‘artificial silk’ because it mimicked the look and feel of silk at a fraction of the price. This allowed scarf accessories to become more accessible to the masses.

The shift toward materials such as cotton, linen, and wool happened during World War II when women were encouraged to take up men’s jobs in factories. Instead of wearing scarves around their necks where they could be a possible safety hazard, women were encouraged to tie their hair up in a scarf, keeping themselves warm while preventing their hair from getting tangled into any equipment. From then on, scarves of various materials and styles became a staple of both fashion and function for women and men around the world.

The post The Evolution of the Scarf appeared first on Inventionland.

Legendary Origins

Similarly to most foods that have been around for centuries, their original discovery has become more myth than historical fact. With coffee, a popular Ethiopian legend is that coffee originated with a goat herder named Kaldi. It is rumored that one day he noticed a behavioral change in his goats who were full of energy after eating red fruit off of a coffee shrub. After Kaldi tried the fruit himself, he found a similar reaction in himself.

Kaldi then reported his findings to a monk at the local monastery. Once the monk tried the berries, he found that they also provided him with energy and he was able to stay awake and alert through long hours of evening prayer. He began to spread the news to fellow monks and the word of the ‘energizing berries’ began to spread from there.

After hearing that story you may be thinking- hang on, I thought coffee came from a bean? In coffee’s most basic and unprocessed form, it is a fruit that has a similar appearance to a cherry. The coffee bean, which is used to make the beverages we know and love, is found at the center of the fruit.

13th Century

Between coffee’s early beginnings and the 13th century, the fruit was used in many different forms. At one point it was mixed with animal fat to create a protein snack bar and at another people used the fermented pulp to make it into a wine-like beverage. That was until the 13th century when the modern form of coffee was invented in Arabia.

Coffee was invented by the Muslim community at the time who found that the stimulant abilities were helpful during long prayer sessions. They created the process of parching and boiling coffee beans and began to plant and harvest more coffee crops. Coffee plants were exclusively located in Arabia or Africa from this point until the 1600s.

Spreading the Brews

From there, the beverage began to spread to Europe in the 1600s. After that, the French began to grow coffee in the Caribbean and, before long, Italy and France both began to have their own coffee houses.

It wasn’t until the 18th century that it reached America and it didn’t become popular until the late 18th century. When the famous Boston Tea Party occurred, it was seen as a patriotic symbol to make the switch from tea to coffee. It also gained additional popularity during our Civil War when soldiers would use its energy-boosting abilities to allow them to stay alert during battle.

Boom, Roasted

One of the more recent innovations in the coffee industry is the invention of the coffee bean roaster, which was invented by Jabez Burns. It was then purchased by John and Charles Arbuckle, two brothers from Pittsburgh, who became the first people to sell pre-roasted coffee in paper bags. While their sales focused on American cowboys, they were quickly followed by James Folger who began to sell a similar product to gold miners.

To this day, coffee remains one of the most valuable commodities in the world (second only to oil). A whole latte of you rely on it to get through your days and it beans a lot to people around the world.

The post Invention Spotlight: Coffee appeared first on Inventionland.

1) Design a Treehouse

Whether or not you have kids, treehouses can be a fun and creative place to escape. In this challenge, you’re tasked with designing your perfect treehouse. What type of tree would you use? What type of wood would you use for the construction? What would the design look like and how would you make it sturdy? What would the interior of your treehouse look like? How would you decorate it? You’re tasked to design the exterior and interior of your treehouse. Then make a step-by-step list of how you’d accomplish the design, the supplies you need, and the cost. Not only is your maker mind moving again, but now you have a working design that you can work on anytime.

2) Design a Roller Coaster

For thrill-seekers out there, roller coasters can be addicting. What would your ideal roller coaster look like? What would it be made of? Would the safety bar go over your head or over your waist? Would it start with a super high incline or would you go upside down right away? Close your eyes and picture beat by beat what your perfect ride would look like. This activity does involve a little research. Figure out what you’d build your roller coaster out of, what the car itself would look like and what the ride itself would look like and create a sketch.

3) Remodel a Room in Your Home

You love your home, but there’s always that one room that you have secret dreams of transforming. Perhaps it’s a spare room that currently acts as a storage space that you’d like to transform into a library. Or maybe you think your kitchen would function better with a little tweaking. Once you’ve picked your room, give it a design overhaul. What supplies would you like to store or have in the room? When relocating those items, where could you put them so that the room functions best? If you’re adding or building new pieces of furniture, what will they be made of? Similarly to the treehouse idea, sketch out a design of the room and then write down step by step how to make it happen as well as the cost and supplies you’ll need. Don’t be surprised if you suddenly find yourself inspired enough to start knocking down walls.

4) Remodel a Room in a Friend’s Home

This one is especially fun because you’ll get to work with a friend. Choose a friend and ask if there’s a room in their house that they have dreams of remodeling. If they say yes- ask them more about it. What would they like to do with it? What exact items would their dream room consist of? How big is the room approximately in their house? Would they need to repaint or add/remove carpet? Once they provide you with all of the necessary details, sketch them out a blueprint and a plan the same way you did for your room. Not only have you just flexed some creative muscles, but you’ve made their dream all the more possible.

5) Invent a Social Distance Sport

Another fun one because it may eventually serve as a fun way to stay in touch with your friends. You’re tasked to invent a sport that people can play together while still social distancing. Ask yourself questions like- what is the goal of the sport? Will it include a points system? How many players will you need? Will you need to be physically together or can it be played while everyone is in their respective homes? Will there be teams? What materials are needed? What are the rules? Once you invent your game and flesh it out, test it on some of your friends. Before long you may have some rivalries building and you may be face-timing your friends much more often to keep score.

The post Maker Design Challenge Prompts appeared first on Inventionland.

Squeaky Door

One of the most annoying things you can experience in your day to day home life is an incessantly squeaky door. You’re already being tested by having to stay home all day, the last thing you want is for a repetitive ‘squeaaaaaaaak’ to drive the last bit of sanity you’re clinging to right out the window. The best repair for a squeaky door is some WD-40, but if you don’t have any on hand and want to save yourself a trip to the store- cooking spray is a great substitute. Simply spray the cooking spray onto the door hinge and you’ve bought yourself a few days squeak-free!

Toilet Leak

Worried you may have a leaky toilet? Not only can hiring a plumber to scope out the situation get pricey, but having a stranger in your home doesn’t sound so great right now. Luckily, there’s an easy way to tell if you have a leak without having to bring anyone into your home unnecessarily. Simply take a packet of Koolaid (yes, the kid’s drink) and dump it into the upper compartment in your toilet. You’ll notice right away that the water in the upper compartment should begin to change colors. Now, all you have to do is sit back and wait for a few hours. If in a few hours the toilet water has also changed colors then you have a leak and you’ll need to call a plumber. If not, however, then it was just a false alarm!

Squeaky Floorboard

Similarly to the squeaky door, having a squeaky floorboard can really test you when you’re stuck in the house and have to hear it multiple times every single day. There’s a DIY fix that could save you money and sanity without you having to run to the hardware store. Floorboard squeaking is typically the result of two floorboards rubbing together when they’ve been stepped on. To help this, take some baby powder and pour it in between the floorboards in the area. Use a small makeup brush to press deeper into the cracks and this should cure your house of these unpleasant groans.

Nail Holes

If you’re rearranging pictures or posters in the house (and who isn’t when you’re this bored, right?) that can leave your wall with nail holes scattered about. An easy fix for those involves simply taking a crayon or a bar of soap. Let’s say your wall is white, take a white crayon or bar of soap and rub it over the whole with moderate pressure. This should fill in the hole and allow it to blend in with the rest of your wall.

Tile Crack/Damage

Tile damage can take any bathroom from spa oasis to instant stressor. Luckily, however, there’s an easy DIY fix that you can use with just items from around the house. Start by taking broken eggshells and piling them into the tile hole. Next, pour glue all throughout the hole and wipe it with sandpaper once it dries. Then add another layer of glue and a layer of nail polish on top of that. Finally, finish the trick by wiping it down with acetone and it should blend into your tile fixings almost seamlessly.

Dented Wooden Floor

Dented wooden floorboards can be another home repair that can pile up (especially if you have pets or kids). One easy DIY trick to significantly reduce or eliminate those pesky scratches is to use your iron. Simply lay a thin towel or paper towel on top of the floor area that has taken a beating. Then run your iron over the area a few times and watch as the scratches smooth themselves out.

The post DIY Home Repair Hacks appeared first on Inventionland.

1) Interior Window

Creating an interior window between rooms in your home is a great way to not only to enhance your decor, but also to maximize the light traveling from room to room. We’re sure we all need as much Vitamin D as we can get during these trying times, right? With just a few simple tools, wood, and paneling you can peer at your spouse through your new decorative window space. Plus creating this barrier can help your family practice social distancing between rooms in your home if you need to have a guest over!

2) Meditation Waterfall

Given all of the stress that we’re currently experiencing, taking care of our mental health is important- especially because stress can lower your immune system. Tools like yoga and meditation can be great ways to center yourself and let go of some of your worries. Using leftover water bottles to create this LED Meditation Waterfall can not only enhance your meditating sessions but also give you a time-consuming and useful project to complete as well.

3) Vertical Indoor Garden

We’re all missing the outdoors as we try to stay inside and safe as much as possible. Well, this Maker project can bring some outdoor feel into your own home. Creating a vertical garden requires very few tools and it can be an awesome way to house some plants and breathe some natural air into the house. The rustic wood design further calls to natural elements as well as acting like a sturdy pillar to hold up any plant you’d like to have at home.

4) Deck Couch

When your only outdoor time is being spent on your deck, yelling across the lawn to say hi to the neighbors from a distance, you know how important that time is. Creating a comfortable and rustic deck sofa will not only give you another great project to complete, but it will also give you more space for you and your family to sit outside together. As the weather gets warmer and the desire to spend time outdoors becomes more and more potent, having some extra seating to sit on or even lay out on will be much appreciated.

5) Indoor Climbing Wall

For all the parents out there who are currently quarantined with their children… may the force be with you. We love having our family so close, but being around them 24/7 can drive us up a wall… which is actually a great idea. You’ll kill a lot of hours on this project, but your children will kill many more on the endless fun they’ll have climbing and adventuring on the walls within their own home. Just make sure to lay some cushions or mats on the floor for the more adventurous climbers to have safe landings!

6) Mini Arcade Soccer Game Cardboard

If you’re a Maker parent looking for a quick project that you can finish in a day, but will provide your kids with days of fun- this is it! Create your own mini-arcade soccer game using cardboard, paint, popsicle sticks, and magnets. Not only will your kids get hours of entertainment out of the game, but you could even do this Maker project together as a family- get them started young, right?

7) Dog Brain Game

All the puppy paw-rents out there who are stuck inside with their furry friends are probably wishing they could give their little one the exercise and socialization that they crave. But, since we can’t keep our pups as socialized or exercised as they crave, we can still find a way to give them some mental exercise. This DIY game will give your pup some much-needed exercise and treats while also acting as the perfect use for any extra wood you have lying around your garage.

The post Quarantine-Friendly Maker Projects appeared first on Inventionland.

AMIE CHEN

For gamers, digital artists, and coders alike, there is nothing more satisfying than a well-designed UI (user interface). Amie Chen has had much success with her UIs over the years, helping multiple startups and larger companies appeal to their clientele with an easy-to-understand interface. Among her programs are Pretzel, which shows keyboard shortcuts depending on which app is the current focus. She’s also the mind behind Stitches, an HTML template generator with CSS functions. In an interview with Maker Mag, she told them “making products is a byproduct of getting to a good solution, and getting closer to a good solution is what gets me out of bed every day.”

ARIELE ALASKO

On the opposite end of the spectrum of “digital to traditional” lies Ariele Alasko, a woodworker from Brooklyn. What began as a hobby quickly spiraled into a full-time job, with Alasko dedicating her time to crafting both functional and decorative pieces. One of her specialties? Brushes shaped like a “U” with bristles on both sides. But she’s also made cutlery, tables, mobiles, and wall hangings. Her Instagram is updated regularly with pictures of her woodwork as well, some of it for sale. (Occasionally, the updates are of her dog, Mazie.)

MENGLY HERNANDEZ

Most people find repetition to be… well, repetitive. But Mengly Hernandez relishes in it. According to her website, it’s “a meditation through which she explores and mends traumatic memories.” Beyond personal healing, it results in beautiful patterns and designs full of color. Her craft manifests in art installations and sculptures using a mix of fibers and textiles. She’s even dabbled in performance art. While none of her work is for sale, don’t think she’s just letting it sit in a gallery: much of it adorns her home or her body (or that of her children).

SARA VIEIRA

Hailing from Portugal, Sara Vieira is well-known for her unique, front-end apps and advocacy for mental health. In 2018, she released the popular app “Is There Uber In,” which informs travelers whether there’s a ridesharing service available in a certain location. As for mental health, her presentation “Your Brain Does Not Have a Fix Flag” uses pop culture references and easy-to-understand language to tackle a very serious issue. Her retelling of her own struggles with panic disorder and depression are blunt, but the writing and multitude of GIFs make it enjoyable.

JESS EDDY

Continuing our international tour is Jess Eddy, based out of Sydney, Australia. She’s worked on several projects over the years. Among these are “UI Goodies” and “Get a Room.” The former is a catalog of resources for designers and developers build a user interface. The latter allows users to easily book a conference room. In 2018, she told Maker Mag “to me, indie making is about empowerment. It’s not about waiting for someone else to bring a solution or asking for permission. It’s observing your environment and looking for areas to improve upon or innovate it.”

LAUREN HOM

Here’s a fun motto for you: “work hard, snack often.” These are the words that Lauren Hom has dedicated her life to. You’ve probably seen her lettering before- some of her past clients include Starbucks, YouTube, and TIME Magazine. The McCafé products at McDonald’s? That’s her! And true to her motto, her Instagram frequently features her delectable looking “Hom Noms.” Also worth checking out is her “Flour Crowns” series, where she dons delightful headwear… made of bread. Who says female makers can’t be stylish?

LISA HOLBROOK LEWIS

Lisa Holbrook Lewis is a female maker from Oregon who specializes in handmade goods. Her main passion are stump prints. Using stumps or logs found during hikes, she dips them in ink and stamps them to paper. The result is a one-of-a-kind piece of art. But that’s not all she can do with wood. She’s also crafted stools, candle holders, end tables, and planters from scavenged wood. While her Instagram hasn’t been updated for a while, her website “Light & Ink” still has plenty of prints available for sale.

LIMOR FRIED

Known as “Lady Ada,” Limor Fried is more than just an icon among makers. She’s empowering other makers to bring their creations to life. (Much like Inventionland!) Her company, Adafruit, was founded in 2005 and quickly became a staple for the NYC maker scene. In 2016, she was named a White House Champion of Change. Two years later, Forbes Magazine deemed her one of America’s Top 50 Women in Tech. She’s still proud of her honor with Wired Magazine, however, being the first female engineer to grace the cover.

The post 8 Female Makers You Should Know appeared first on Inventionland.

Pie

You can hardly find a Thanksgiving meal without its most iconic dessert: pie. Whether your family is on team apple, team blueberry, team key lime, or team cherry (we could go on) it’s hard to imagine a Thanksgiving meal feeling complete without one. You may even wonder–how could people live in a world without pie? No? Just us? Well, luckily we haven’t really had to. The origins of pie date all the way back to Ancient Greece when they created the pastry shell by combining flour and water. It made its way through Rome and medieval England all the way down through history until finally landing on our dinner tables. You may be surprised to learn, however, that dessert pie wasn’t served at the original Thanksgiving celebration in 1691. At this time, only the English version of pie had made its way to American which was primarily meat-based. It wasn’t until the early 1800s that dessert pie began appearing on American dinner plates.

Mashed Potatoes

Another big staple of Thanksgiving dinner (and, let’s be honest, the one we most look forward to breaking our diets for) are mashed potatoes. They started out with a bit of a tumultuous history, even once being banned in France because of the fear that vegetables would cause leprosy… yikes. But let’s fast forward to 1887 where the world got its first glimpse into the more automated world of potato mashing. Inventors Jacob Fitzgerald and William H. Silver applied for a patent for the ‘potato-masher and fruit-crusher’ which was designed to crush the potato through a series of small holes, similar to a garlic press. This version was a vast improvement on simply crushing the potatoes on your own as it produced a smoother and more buttery soft potato.

Tinsel

There’s nothing quite like the way tinsel shines among the lights on our Christmas trees. You may be surprised to learn, however, when Tinsel first became a Christmas decoration in the early 1600s it was made of genuine silver which was shredded into thin slivers. There were a few problems with this at the time. The first was that silver eventually tarnishes so you’d only achieve that magnetic shine for a limited amount of time. The second was that, as you could likely guess, silver is expensive so it could only be afforded as a decoration by the very wealthy. This led to the invention of the artificial garland we know today which is typically made of plastic and comes in a variety of festive colors.

Elf on the Shelf

You’ve likely seen this one circulating around quite a bit and there’s a good reason for that- it’s a fairly recent tradition. It derives from a book by the same title written in 2004 by author Carol Aebersold and her daughter Bell Chanda. The book tells the story of how Santa knows if you’ve been naughty or nice because elves will visit children between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. The book reached the bestseller list in 2013 and the plot has caused the tradition we often see of parents photographing these elves hiding or being caught in precarious scenarios.

Gingerbread House

When it comes to the origins of Gingerbread houses, fact and fantasy tend to intertwine. People often attribute the creation of Gingerbread Houses to The Brothers Grimm. The famed fairy tale writers wrote the famous story of Hansel and Gretel in the early 19th century and, suddenly, Gingerbread houses were everywhere and eventually became the Christmas tradition we look forward to every year. But did these fiction writers invent the Gingerbread house? It’s a great story, but it’s sadly false. Gingerbread houses had already been around since the 1600s, a few centuries after Gingerbread cookies were invented. There were even Gingerbread fairs in England and France throughout the middle ages. Though we may not know the original architect of these structures, the Grimm Brothers fairy tale was responsible for popularizing the art, and we can thank them for one of our favorite (and messiest) holiday activities.

Nutcracker

The earliest forms of the Nutcracker started in 15th and 16th century France and England. Though woodworkers were creating intricate designs, they were far from the colorful soldiers that are now a staple of the Christmas season. Standing wooden nutcrackers in the form of soldiers and kings were shown in the Sonnenberg and Erzgebirge regions of Germany by 1800 and 1830 and the term “Nussknacker” appeared in the dictionary of the Brothers Grimm. In 1872 Wilhelm Fuchtner, known as the father of the Nutcracker, made the first commercial production of nutcrackers using the lathe to create many of the same design. Now they’ve gone from being a functional woodworking piece to a colorful Christmas tradition!

The post Holiday Inventions: Thanksgiving & Christmas appeared first on Inventionland.

It makes sense…because of the nature of gunpowder and other ingredients, fireworks can’t be mass-produced by means of automation, as even the tiniest spark from any machine could cause a catastrophic explosion. Before you watch your favorite fireworks display, take a look at how these fascinating little rockets are made:

First, The Main Fuse…

The basic construction of a firework is an exterior shell with several separate compartments. The burning fuse explodes one compartment at a time, creating those staggered bursts you see in the sky. For safety, the naturally colorless glue used throughout production is tinted blue while liquid but dries clear. The first compartment of the firework is the lift charge, a gunpowder bag with a long, fast-action fuse placed at the base of the shell that launches the firework about 1000 feet into the air. While the first compartment dries, the second compartment is built, where a powdered explosive is spooned into the center and then capped. A brown cardboard shock absorber is added to shield this section from the first compartment explosion, followed by a corrugated cardboard disc and a plastic spacer.

These barriers allow approximately one and a half seconds for the fuse to burn through these two components, creating a slight delay between the explosion of the first and the second compartments. Gluing the second compartment together is tricky: if it’s too tight it’ll stifle the explosion, but it also has to be tight enough to withstand the delay.

Next, Stars and Comets…

A sleeve is glued onto a case, then filled with hundreds of stars. Stars are carefully formulated and measured explosives that give the firework its beautiful flashes of color (fitting name, right?). Coloring agents range from magnesium for white, to copper salts for blue, to charcoal for orange. These are very delicate and must be handled carefully, or they could detonate.  Comets (which leave the long trail of sparks) are then added to give another dimension of decoration to the firework.

Finally, the two compartments are assembled and the remaining space is filled with the same combination of ingredients. Once the shell is full, the cover is glued into place. The tighter the seal on the compartments, the more the internal pressure will build…which makes for a more spectacular explosion.

Ready to Launch

The lift charge, which was created first and dried while the other compartments were being built, is now ready to be placed at the base of the shell.  At this point, the fireworks are wrapped in craft paper and a label using international color codes identifies the size and type of shell to the pyrotechnic engineer who will set up the display.

Finally, Thank Your Local Fireworks Pyrotechnician

We know what you’re thinking… “That’s fascinating, but how do all those explosives dazzle the audience?” The actual choreography of the display is thanks to a fireworks pyrotechnician, but the basic delivery is the same: When the computer system sends the electrical pulse that lights the main fuse, it starts a chain reaction. The secondary fuse running down the outside of the shell will ignite the lift charge, sending the firework almost 1,000 feet into the sky. Meanwhile, the time-delayed fuse inside the shell burns a few seconds slower, allowing the firework to reach altitude before detonating the gunpowder, comets, and stars for a bright, sparkling, almost magical display that, upon viewing, can’t help but leave the audience feeling a little more patriotic.

The post Invention Spotlight: Fireworks appeared first on Inventionland.

Debbie Glickman

This innovative Mom created a “Monster Repellent” and other imaginative aromatherapy sprays to help calm various childhood anxieties. She first got the idea for the product when her three-year-old son was moving to his ‘big boy bed’. The transition made him anxious so he’d want to sleep in his parent’s room instead. Knowing that lavender was generally a soothing scent, she found a lavender spray and told him it would keep the monsters away. Seeing how much the spray helped him in this transition period, so she decided to turn her idea into a company. She spent some time researching different childhood fears and pairing them with soothing scents and ended up developing her company- Fairytale Wishes Inc. She first began her company in 2008 and in 2009 she made $10,000 from her products. In 2010 she made $24,000 and today her products are sold in several stores throughout the country.

Pazit Ben-Ezri

Another truly imaginative Mommy, Pazit Ben-Ezri, got the idea for her invention when her three-month-old son couldn’t sleep unless he was in his crib. It became so difficult to put him down for a nap when they were on the go that Ben-Ezri stopped going out at all. So she designed a small cushion with handles that would fit in her son’s crib but could be removed to take him on errands. Once she created her prototype and began using it, lots of other Moms gave her compliments and expressed interest in her product. After sending out test copies and getting feedback, she created her own company called LulyBoo LLC. Not only has she now sold thousands of products, but the company has also developed a whole line of travel-friendly baby products.

Erin Galloway

Erin Galloway, an active mommy-on-the-go, has been working to create a community for moms who want to find time to be more active. As a parent, she empathized with the struggle to make time to exercise when your day is full of cleaning crumbs and changing diapers. With a Master’s Degree in Child Development and Family Science as well as 20 years managing education initiatives for The Ohio State University and Johns Hopkins, she was ready to put her innovative skills to the test by launching two social media communities to help motivate fellow Mom’s – Pump the Bump and Sweaty Mom Survival. Collectively, these platforms have 62,000+ members. She has already shared several activities to help kickstart interactive exercises, but her latest innovation is her very own invention: The Kettlemate. This is a plush kid-sized kettlebell that allows your kids to exercise right along with you. The Kettlemate line will include several characters with different personalities to be used for different types of exercise and health-related activities.

We were able to sit down with Erin so she could tell us a bit more about her revolutionary product, which just launched its own Kickstarter campaign:

Inventionland (IL): What inspired you to invent The Kettlemate?

Erin Galloway (EG): My 3 main sources of inspiration were:

1) The women I met while curating stories and sharing motivation through my Pump the Bump Instagram account. What started out as a fun social account transformed into an inspirational community of women who wanted to maintain an active pregnancy. By the time I was 5 years into managing the community, moms were sharing how they were struggling to stay active and I knew I needed to offer a solution.

2) My degrees and professional background are in child development so I naturally see the ways in which fitness can be an outlet to incorporate early childhood developmental components that could motivate both mom and child. I thought that if I could help moms see how their child was learning, they would be more likely to feel good about fitting fitness into their family routines.

3) My daughter inspired me to launch Pump the Bump during my pregnancy, Sweaty Mommy Survival after she turned 2, and then the Kettlemate as a preschooler. She enjoyed spending time being active together and always cheers me on when I doubt myself. After I created the prototype for the Kettlemate, she wasn’t going to let me back out. She told me to “go be brave mommy” when I said I was scared to create a video and try to sell the Kettlemate to strangers. Her words let me know I was headed down the path I was meant to go down.

IL: What was the hardest part of the inventing process?

EG: The legal aspects intimidate me the most. What documents do I need, what should I apply for first, where is the biggest risk if I don’t put a legal structure in place, etc. I do not have a business background so I am learning as I go and that’s a risky way to learn.

IL: What was the most rewarding part of the inventing process?

EG: The process has taught me about the power of the human connection. I have been consistently amazed by people who offered me a hand when I never expected it. Strangers, friends, friends of friends, etc. who have continued to make my dream possible including:

• Business owners who gave me access to their contacts
• Friends who called in favors on my behalf
• Artists who charged lower fees than they could have
• Childhood friends who helped spread the word about my Kickstarter campaign that I never even knew were paying attention to what I was doing.

I could not be this far in my journey without asking for help and allowing people to support me in the best ways they knew how. The power of paying it forward has come through me and passes on to other women who feel inspired by my story.

IL: What’s your favorite thing about being a Mom?

EG: Rediscovering the world through her eyes. She reminds me to keep things simple, don’t assume adults know the right answers, and to ALWAYS ask more questions.

IL: What’s your favorite activity to do with your daughter and why?

EG: We love baking together. She’s had her own “knife set” since she was 2 and started helping me with weekly meal prep as a Sunday activity. The time in our kitchen, and exploring farmers markets, eventually evolved into a passion for baking. Instead of Saturday morning cartoons, we watch baking shows. Before she was 3, she already started creating her own business, researched about requirements to operate a store, brainstormed what inventory she will have, etc. It gives us something fun to talk about over dinner, research on Google… and of course do lots of taste testing.

IL: What’s your favorite thing to do in your spare time?

EG: I recently moved back to Ohio so spending time with college friends and family is a favorite thing. Watching my friends, and their kids, grow up via FaceTime and Facebook photos thousands of miles away was difficult. Now watching our kids play together while hanging on a back porch with some wine truly brings me joy.

IL: Any advice for fellow inventor parents?

EG: Involve your kids in the process. There is so much a child can learn from hearing your thought process and lessons learned that they could never learn in school. The critical thinking skills required to be an inventor is transferable to every aspect of their life. PLUS on the low days, they are always there to motivate you to keep going because innocence is bliss.

IL: What’s next for you?

EG: I intend to build an entire world of family-friendly fitness products for children 0-12 (books, games, puzzles, etc) and I want to make them available in uncommon places like grocery stores, restaurants, pediatric offices, etc. If I can help families reduce the screen time and increase the “we time,”, families with have tighter bonds and deeper connections that make parenting through all life stages much easier.

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