Guest Designer Interview: Board & Batten Design Co.

Join me as we chat with our Club Chaos featured designer.

We celebrate community over competition in this space and love to showcase designers doing amazing things with their talents.  In this month’s guest designer feature we are highlighting Bethany from Board & Batten Design Co.

 

This featured guest designer graciously provided our members with a bundle of designs that would look great on signs for your home.

Inside Club Chaos, members are exposed to tons of different artists and get to experience a wide variety of styles and tastes.  Club Chaos is a crafting sisterhood and crafting home, not just a place to download files.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links.

Read on to meet our featured designer of the month and learn about Bethany’s creative process, her current projects, and so much more!

Hey Bethany!  Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

In a nutshell, I’m a serial entrepreneur, mom of teens, beekeeper, gardener, homesteader, book lover, Sonic ice addict, primitive skills enthusiast, cooking and baking lover, and of course – SVG designer.

Share a little about the significance of where your business name comes from.

The name “Board & Batten” mostly just comes from the old fashioned board & batten style architecture. I love love love old things in general – am not much of a fan of modern styles and so I named my business after that particular look.

How did you first get into designing?

It was almost on accident – I bought my first Silhouette in 2012, and started selling things on Etsy relatively quickly but I didn’t know anything about design work (so I bought most of the artwork I used). Over time, I learned a little here and there, and then when I got a divorce I got a job at a local sign shop where I had access to Illustrator and started doing more design work and really ramping up my skills.

I never thought I would (or could!) sell designs but my mom kept telling me I should try, and so in January 2017 I started selling my first SVGs and it completely took off. I ended up getting laid off that job when they closed my location, and within 3 months of designing SVGs full time, Board & Batten had replaced my job’s income.

What is your favorite type of design to create?

I really love creating designs for vintage style signs – which is probably why most of my designs are that! Vintage style artwork is my favorite, but sometimes can be a little intricate for cutting – so I just love it when I’ve created a design that has that great vintage style but is still easy to cut.

 

Do you prefer designing or making the actual item?

I don’t even know! I think – in theory – I’d prefer making… but it’s been so long since I had enough time and a space to craft properly! I just love the meditative process of hiding myself away to make something beautiful.

How would you describe your style?

Definitely vintage, old timey. I love to look at books of old vintage style advertisements & design and brainstorm how I can make SVG designs with similar structure, look and feel. I love to use vintage letterhead type fonts and typography, and all of the beautiful swirls and flourishes.

 

Who or what inspires you? 

I have so so many people and things that inspire me in so many different ways. My mom inspires me because she always has such a great outlook on life and like me, always sees a million possibilities in every situation. My grandmother inspired me because she was such a confident woman who knew herself and knew what she wanted out of life. My business coach inspires me because she has shown me that it’s okay to change and flex your business to fit your lifestyle. My cats inspire me and show me that sometimes, it’s necessary to take naps!

What’s something you wish you knew when you first started designing or creating?

Out of all of it, I will say that I wished I had spent some time really deeply learning my software first. I was so limited at what I could make in the beginning because I just didn’t even know everything the machine and software were capable of.

What does a typical day or week look like for you behind the scenes?

I actually don’t design year-round, I usually keep my designing to a few days a month. Most of my days start off with getting the kids off to school, and then I come home and walk on the treadmill or do yoga. After that, I will work for most of the rest of the day until it’s time to go pick up the kids. Once everyone is home, I switch to “home” mode and focus on housework, taking care of livestock, baking the bread for the week, etc.

When I do design work, I prefer to just do ONLY design work so I can keep myself in a creative mindset… so I will often spend a week or two using almost all my work time for designing, and then otherwise I don’t create anything new for a long time – weeks, sometimes even months! Most of my work time is the “un-fun” stuff like admin, marketing, bookkeeping, and whatnot. It takes more time than most people think it would!

What’s your most popular item in your shop or on your blog?

I have one Home Sweet Home design that has sold thousands of times! 

 

When you aren’t designing what can we find you doing? 

Out in my garden! Plants are one of my greatest passions, and I do love to grow a big garden for my family (and lots of flowers for my bee hives).

 

What is your favorite food?

Chicken and dumplings! Oh… and pizza… and the German in me loves a good German dinner with Schnitzel, Rotkohl and Spaetzle!

If you could be any animal what animal would you be?

Definitely a cat. What an easy life they have!

What’s next for you?

I just completed a 2000-mile move across the country – the last year has been so crazy and busy, so I’m really looking forward to settling in and getting a routine back again!

Where can we find you online?

My designs are available for sale in the Cricut Design Store as well as via Etsy at boardbattendesignco.etsy.com.

 

Check out the designs that Club Chaos members get to sample this month from Board & Batten Design Co.

 

Stay tuned for our next Club Chaos featured guest designer!