Meet Jenn

Hi, I’m Jenn Alvin! My superhero name is Prototype.

Thank you for visiting my crafty blog. My goal is to inspire people to try new things. I’ve been craft-failing forward for years, and I believe that failure isn’t the opposite of success. It is part of it. I believe it is better to plunge ahead than to plan for weeks because learning by doing is a powerful tool. Every craft project I’ve messed up — sometimes with hilarious results — has been a stepping stone to being a better maker.

I’m sharing my projects, warts and all. No production crew. No social media consultants. Just me and the random projects that strike my fancy. My goal is to inspire people to try new things and craft fail forward.

Knitting, spinning yarn, sewing clothing, leather-working, card making, and jewelry creation are some of the disciplines I work in. Many of my projects use all sorts of reclaimed and recycled items. Crafting doesn’t stay in one room. I’ve also branched out into baking, winemaking, cheesemaking, and sausage making.

I live in Portland, Oregon with my geeky comic book writer husband Aaron Duran. We like to help each other out — I’ve lettered a few of his comic-book titles, and he helped me bedazzle a thrift store Christmas tree when I didn’t want to drop several hundred dollars on an off-the-shelf aluminum tree. It’s amazing what 2 cans of silver spray paint and a quarter pound of purple glitter can do for a $10 thrift store artificial tree. Our craft, brewing, and homesteading projects have gotten our home listed on the “Place You Want to Hide Out When the Zombie Apocalypse Hits” for three years running.

Want to place a custom order? Collaborate on a project? Please drop me a line.