

Make and Design with Carina Gardner
Carina Gardner
Carina Gardner, Ph.D. unravels the everyday joys and dilemmas of design, making, and business. This inside scoop into fabric design, paper design, die cut design, and crafting will help bring more creativity and joy in your life. Carina Gardner is the founder and CEO of the University of Arts & Design. She was the Creative Director of Cartabella Paper Co. and MiniLou. She has designed everything from dishware, sewing patterns to bracelets under her brand. She currently designs fabric for Riley Blake Designs and die cutting files for Silhouette while teaching other designers how to create meaningful businesses with their design work.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 22, 2021 • 13min
Episode 55 Primrose Hill with Melanie Collette
Carina talks with fellow RIley Blake designer Melanie Collette about her new fabric line Primrose Hill. Watch Carina’s youtube channel to see the fabric samples they discuss during their conversation at www.youtube.com/carinagardner. During their talk, Melanie dives into her inspiration for her new line and reasons she chose certain colors. If you like fabric, you will love this conversation! Find out more about Melanie at https://www.hellomellydesigns.com/. __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc. Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers. Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/ About Today’s Guest Melanie is a fabric designer for Riley Blake and the mother of four children. Find about more about Melanie at the following places: Website: http://www.hellomellydesigns.com Instagram: hellomellydesignsGet my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

Oct 20, 2021 • 20min
Episode 54 3 Questions I Ask Myself When the Panic Sets In
Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed with all of the things on your to do list? Carina gets vulnerable in today’s episode to tell us about a recent experience she had that *really* stressed her out. Tune in to find out the three questions that Carina asks herself to help her sit with her feelings and discover what she needs to do to overcome the onset of panic. __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc. Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers. Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

Oct 18, 2021 • 13min
Episode 53 The 70-20-10 Rule with Emily Taylor
Carina talks again with her friend Emily Taylor about her upcoming books, projects, and her 70-2-0-10 rule. Listen in to find out what 70-20-10 means and why Emily has become known for her beautiful collage quilts and quilting techniques. __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc. Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers. Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/ About Today’s Guest Emily Taylor is the founder and owner of Collage Quilter, a company dedicated to helping quilters learn how to create beautiful, unique collage quilts. Emily’s background includes working as a mural painter and as a fabric designer. Find Emily online at http://www.collagequilter.com or in Facebook groups called “Collage Quilter Academy” and “Collage Quilter.” Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

Oct 15, 2021 • 13min
Episode 52 Finding Creative Time As a Mom with Bonnie and Audrey
Bonnie and Audrey talk with Carina about finding Creative Time as moms. Between the two of them, these women have 19 children so finding time is an impressive feat! Learn some tactical ways to find that time from these two brilliant women. __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc. Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers. Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/ About Today’s Guests Bonnie (10 kids) and Audrey (9 kids) are two amazing moms, bloggers, and podcasters who share their ideas and creations with the world. You can learn more about Bonnie and Audrey at the Outnumbered Podcast. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/outnumbered-the-podcast/id1450317711Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

Oct 13, 2021 • 7min
Episode 51 Get Your Holiday Crafting and Quilting Gifts Done Now
Do you like to give your friends and loved ones crafty creations for birthdays and holidays? On today’s episode of Make + Design, originally published in October 2021, Carina talks about how to map out and plan your projects so that you get them done before the holiday you need them for! Carina loves the holidays and loves getting ready for them with lots of pretty creations! Tune in to see how she structures her holiday season! __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc. Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers. Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

Oct 11, 2021 • 12min
Episode 50 Stardust and Christmas Fabric with Bev McCullough
Fellow Riley Blake designer Bev McCullough joins Carina for some insights on her recent fabric collection. To see some of the samples Carina and Bev talk about in this episode, please visit Carina’s youtube channel at www.youtube.com/carinagarder. Learn more about Bev and her new book at instagram at @flamingotoes. __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc. Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers. Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/ About Today’s Guest Bev McCullough is an expert seamstress who began designing her own clothes as a teenager. She’s also a blogger who loves to share her work at https://flamingotoes.com/. Bev also designs fabric for Riley Blake Designs, has authored books on embroidery and jewelry making (available on Amazon) and can be found on instagram at flamingotoes.Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

Oct 8, 2021 • 7min
Episode 49 What if I Cant Draw?
Do you love the idea of becoming a designer but worry that you don’t draw well enough to make it work? Listen in as Carina debunks some misconceptions about how good you have to be at illustrating in order to make it as a designer. There’s a *lot* more to being a surface pattern designer than being able to draw with pencil and paper. Listen in to find out why you don’t need to know how to draw to become a great designer! __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc. Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers. Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

Oct 6, 2021 • 18min
Episode 48 How She Designs Fabric with Amanda Niederhauser
Have you ever wondered how a fabric designer approaches creating a new fabric collection? Today Carina talks with fellow Riley Blake designer Amanda Niederhauser about her process for designing a new line. Her daughter Ella is involved in the process and they make a great team! Amanda also talks about her love of cats and cat fabric. Settle in for this fun and insightful conversation about fabric and cats! __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc. Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers. Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/ About Today’s Guest Amanda Niederhauser is a quilter, a fabric designer for Riley Blake, and an author. You can find her work in the following places: Instagram: jedicraftgirl Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/JediCraftGirl (patterns) Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

Oct 4, 2021 • 9min
Episode 47 When was the Last Time Someone Told You How Valuable You Are?
When was the last time someone told you how valuable you are? Carina gets real today about how important it is to feel valued. You probably don’t hear it often enough from the people in your life. Carina hints at tough things she experienced in her childhood and tells a very vulnerable story about the first time that her intrinsic value as a human being was described to her in a way that made her believe it. YOU ARE VALUABLE. What you’re doing in this world is important! __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc. Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers. Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

Oct 1, 2021 • 13min
Episode 46 My Halloween Traditions Including the Movie I watch on October 31st
Every Halloween, Carina takes her kids trick or treating and then settles in to watch one movie as she hands out candy. Find out what Halloween movies Carina loves to watch! Traditions can be comfortable, memorable moments and Carina shares some of her favorites for Halloween! __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc. Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers. Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional


