Meet the Maker
Hi, I’m Jen. I am the owner and founder of Curio House.
Curio House was born out of the need to find what I really love doing. It’s always been fun to explore the many areas of graphic design. There are more niches than I can count and I’ve tried to find my place in a pretty competitive world.
I landed in promotional marketing right out of college and the niche was sort of applied to me. I spent almost 10 years there. I switched gears, tried some other niches, even went digital to expand my knowledge base further. I knew there was something more for me out there…something in print…something where I could be analytical and creative.
There were risks leaving but I wanted to figure out what I was really capable of. After lots of advice and planning, I said “what do I really want to do?” It took me two years to answer that question. A lot happened.
The Story.
01
It started because of a book. I was on vacation, and of course in a gift shop, and I found an illustrated, gold foiled, beautiful Little Mermaid book by MinaLima. Long story short, I looked them up, found out they were the graphic designers on the Harry Potter movies (what?!) and was just blown away by the idea of these designers making a career for themselves by creating these (literally magical) experiences through their work.
02
I FLEW TO LONDON TO MEET THEM! They were the kindest, most giving people. I asked them how I could be more impactful as a designer and how to feel more fulfilled. Their advice was simple. “Find out what you love, and do it.”
03
I read books on the business of graphic design, talked to small business owners and other designers, started freelancing, hired a business advisor, wrote a business plan — literally did everything I could to educate myself and put myself in a position to grow. After I read my completed business plan… I hated it.
04
It didn’t have that spark of what I set out to do. It didn’t have creating with my hands, paper engineering or printing techniques. It didn’t light a fire under my butt. It didn’t even get me excited. I think after I first read it, front to back, I “uuuggg”-ed out loud. So I scrapped it and started over.
05
I made a list of everything that brings me absolute joy. Things that I could spend hours doing and not even notice time was passing. Practical ways I can use graphic design to deliver happiness, experiences, humor, and creativity.
At the top of that list — gift giving! I have always tried to get really inventive when I give a gift. Something the receiver might not expect. I think about who they are, a random reference to something they like or said; a memory that I can build off of to create an experience for them. Well heck…can I just give gifts as a profession?
06
Creating Curio House has been one of the greatest and hardest things I’ve ever done. It’s a smash up of design principles, conceptual thinking, a love of paper, and trying to create meaningful, grab-the-tissues, laugh-your-ass-off kind of moments.
The goal really is to tap into that child-like imagination we all have when we are kids and hold on to that curiosity and discovery. At one point, I said to myself “I want to be the Willy Wonka of design.” The Gene Wilder version.
Some of my favorite gift ideas
Mermaid Dreams
Giving gifts to someone year after year can sometimes leave you sparse in the idea department, so I decided to go old-school with it and come up with a Little Mermaid theme. (My sister loves the ocean. Jacques Cousteau was her childhood hero.) I made her a layered 3D card that had a tunnel-like effect. It looked like you were looking down into the ocean, into Ariel’s treasure trove. Each layer had different colored paper and was cut with an exacto knife. In the center I put a quote from the movie. I found gold appetizer forks (dinglehoppers) and placed them inside an antique, opal-shell jewelry box. I also got LM sweatpants from the Disney store. I love gifts with many little parts, but when put together, are part of the overall theme. Each piece you unwrap because part of the experience that builds together.
Treasure Hunt
My husband, Nate, is really into historical shows, Josh Gates (the modern Indiana Jones), rockhounding, and gold digging shows. He can be a bit difficult to give gifts for, but I thought I’d go all out one year and make him a treasure hunt. I got a cloth “$” money sack, fill it with gold $1 coins (it was a small sack), and buried it in the backyard. Then I made clues on torn pieces of paper, which I burned the edges of to make it look piratey. The burned edges were not fun to do and made a mess! I put the first clue in his card and sent him off on his hunt. At the last clue, when he realized he had to dig, he asked me if I really did bury the treasure. “Yes, but first you have to find the shovel.” Which, of course, I hid. It was one of the most memorable birthdays!