Make and Design with Carina Gardner
Carina Gardner 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 has a Ph.D. in Design and was the Creative Director of Cartabella Paper Co. and MiniLou. She has designed everything from dishware to bracelets under her brand. She currently designs fabric and die cutting files while teaching other designers how to create meaningful design work while making a residual income online.
Episodes
546 episodes
Episode 519 Dishing the Tea with Event Coordinator Sarah Cannon
In today’s episode, Carina and her event coordinator Sarah have a fun, honest, and laughter-filled conversation about the University of Arts & Design, family, and work. Watch the full episode on youtube at www.youtube.com/carinagardner. ...
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Season 1
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Episode 519
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1:00:44
Episode 518 Pull the Weeds, Water the Roots: How to Grow a Business That Lasts
Pull the Weeds, Water the Roots, and so much more! Carina gives her 10 tips for how to grow a business that lasts. These gardening tips will help you remember what you need to do to help sustain your design business even when things get toug...
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Season 1
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Episode 518
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22:27
Episode 517 The Marketing Dilemma for Designers
Carina explores the tricky balance between creativity and self-promotion. Carina dives into real stories, practical strategies, and expert insights to help designers market themselves without compromising their artistic integrity.
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Episode 517
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12:49
Episode 516 Dishing the Tea with Daughter Felicity
In this heartwarming episode, Carina sits down with her daughter Felicity for a candid chat about growing up with a mom who is a designer and business owner. From behind-the-scenes family moments to design inspiration, this mother-daughter d...
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Season 1
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Episode 516
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37:25
Episode 515 The Grasshopper and The Ant
Right now is the best season for designers to really bulk up their sales. As we prepare for the coming season we need to act more like the ant than the grasshopper in Aesop’s Fable. Learn more about how you can really prepare for winter (lit...
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Season 1
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Episode 515
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10:18
Episode 514 Recap of the Design Business Conference
This is a recap of the Design Business Conference we held at Ashton Gardens in Lehi Utah in March 2025. The original video can be found at youtube.com/carinagardner. Learn more abo...
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Episode 514
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12:01
Episode 513 Drowning in Too Much Too Do
Do you feel like you are drowning in your design business? Carina uses one way to make sure that she doesn’t spend every day putting out fires in her business. Instead she focuses on the things that are the most important. Use her tactic for...
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Episode 513
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18:21
Episode 512 Dishing the Tea with Daughter Felicity
Carina sits down with daughter Felicity to talk about growing up with a creative business household. Learn some of the sassy and sweet things Carina’s 17 year old has to say about design and business. This episode was originally aired on you...
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Episode 512
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17:31
Episode 511 Simple Traffic Tricks with Pinterest with Nadalie Bardo
Carina sits down with Pinterest expert Nadalie Bardo to dive into the powerful strategies she uses to drive traffic and grow a brand through Pinterest. Nadalie shares insider tips on optimizing pins, creating content that gets clicks, and le...
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Episode 511
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16:59
Episode 510 You Were Meant to Fly
In this episode, Carina shares an inspiring quote from Charlie Mackesy’s beloved book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse and explores its deeper meaning. She reflects on the idea that we are all meant to "fly"—to...
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Season 1
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Episode 510
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9:30
Episode 509 5 Tips For Starting Your Design Business with the Design Suite Coaches
In this special episode, Carina sits down with her expert design coaches to share their top five tips for starting a successful design business. They break down the essential steps every new designer should take, from building a strong found...
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Season 1
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Episode 509
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10:22
Episode 508 4 Ways to Gamify Your Design Process
Struggling with the not-so-fun parts of the design process? In this episode, Carina shares four creative ways to gamify your workflow, keeping you motivated and inspired. From tackling design roadblocks to getting those perfect "dopamine hit...
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Season 1
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Episode 508
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13:21
Episode 507 Marketing Hacks with Susan Smith
Carina interviews Susan Smith who teaches quilters. Learn more about her launch methods and running a creative business.Listen to her podcast at Measure Twice Cut Once and visit her
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Season 1
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Episode 507
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21:37
Episode 506 Sweet Life of A Designer
The Sweet Life of A Designer Summit is coming NEXT MONTH! Carina tells you why this summit is different and what you can expect from this awesome virtual event. To get your free ticket, join us at
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Season 1
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Episode 506
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9:49
Episode 505 The Lighthouse Keeper’s Mistake
DescriptionIt is the small things that can add up FOR US and AGAINST US. Carina talks about the Lighthouse Keeper’s Mistake as a cautionary tale for our own design businesses.Episode 505 The ...
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Season 1
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Episode 505
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13:42
Episode 504 The Cobbler’s Shoes
Have you heard the old proverb about the cobber’s shoes? As a designer and artist, we need to be sure and be taking care of the most important things first. Sometimes this is really hard to do as other people ask us for things. Carina talks ...
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Season 1
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Episode 504
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13:01
Episode 503 Quilting with Amy Smart
Carina interviews Amy Smart who is a fellow Riley Blake designer and blogger. Her quilt blog is a popular resource for many sewing enthusiasts. Learn more about Amy’s creative business in this episode. Find more about her at diaryofaquilter....
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Season 1
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Episode 503
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13:21
Episode 502 AI Could Be Your Best Friend
Instead of worrying about AI, what if we took it as a resource that could help us in our businesses? Carina goes over several ways we can be using AI and practical examples of how it can help us build a business faster!Episode 502 AI...
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Season 1
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Episode 502
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16:57
Episode 501 How You Are Losing Creative Power
Your creative power is an important part of who you are as a maker, artist, and designer. But many times things can get in the way of that power. Carina walks you through some of those key things that can bring you down so you can avoid the ...
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Season 1
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Episode 501
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13:40
Episode 500 How to Time Manage Your Life Sustainably with Moda Fabric Designer Vanessa Christensen
Carina’s friend and fellow designer Vanessa Christenson talks about owning two businesses. As a moda designer and coach, Vanessa inspires others to create the life they want.Learn more about Vanessa at
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Season 1
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Episode 500
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24:59
Episode 499 3 Products Your Should Design For in 2025
Wondering what new products you should be considering in 2025? Carina walks you through some of the products she is seeing make a splash on the design scene! Learn more in today’s episode!Episode 499 3 Products Your Should Design For in...
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Season 1
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Episode 499
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10:10
Episode 498 Quilting on the Side with Andi Stanfield
Carina talks to Andi Stanfield about being a quilter and owning a creative business. For all quilters and creative business owners, Andi talks about life lessons and what she is working on now.Learn more about Andi at https://www.quilti...
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Season 1
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Episode 498
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13:38
Episode 497 How Do I Make Money From My Art?
The number one question Carina gets asked is “How do I make money from my art?” The answer is both simple and complicated as Carina talks about making money from artwork.Episode 497 How Do I Make Money From My Art?__________...
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Episode 497
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9:08
Episode 496 New Year's Resolutions To Fill Our Cups
Have you created New Year’s Resolutions that make you a better person? How about creating New Year’s Resolutions that fill your cup? Carina talks about the difference in today’s episode and how she is using goal setting to bring her fulfillment...
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Season 1
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Episode 496
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9:18
Episode 495 I'm Getting My Own Office Space! Updates on the New Barn
Carina has been keeping a secret! For all of 2024, she has been building a new office space called the Barn in her backyard. Learn more about how she plans to use the space and progress on it in today’s episode.Episode 495 I'm Getting M...
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Season 1
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Episode 495
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16:45