Family Merch for Christmas

I come from a big tight-knit family. My mom is 1 of 10 kids, with all her siblings living close by, so I was fortunate to grow up with my cousins as friends and playmates. My grandparents really helped foster a place for laughter and joy. When they passed away in 2013 and 2014, I felt compelled to remember them through art I could share with my family. Throughout the years, I’ve designed apparel for my aunts, uncles, cousins—for events or special occasions—designing out of family pride or for joy. No one asked me to make anything, I just enjoyed it.

This year for Christmas, I designed some pins to give away at our Christmas party—small nods to how I remember my grandparents, the namesake of which we describe our family, and a festive parol to celebrate the holiday. I created the designs in Adobe Illustrator and used the laser cutter at the library to cut out the designs. Pin backings were then glued onto the backs with super glue, and the pins were given away through a gachapon machine at our family gathering. Shout out to my local library and the volunteers at maker’s night who always help me create my projects. I am grateful for the opportunity to make for the sake of making.