It’s impossible to single out one thing that makes Barb Noren’s channel “Barb Makes Things” so delightful. Her videos range from silly to clever. Her projects often involve a whole range of maker skills like woodworking, soldering, 3D printing, and getting crafty. Most of her videos start with a simple title or introduction explaining what she’ll be making following by a speeded up look at the entire process from start to finish.
Okay, maybe there is one thing to single out: this series is just fun to watch.
In a recent project, Barb updated her go-to Halloween costume, a steampunk inventor, by making a cabinet-of-curiosities-esque bag to both display some costume appropriate items and carry necessities like her camera and phone. It’s a neat design and I especially like how she uses wood and leather to create a sturdy and flexible flap.
Many of her projects are done as part of her job at the reDiscover Center, an education space for kids to learn about and practise creative reuse. This playlist covers a number of fun builds like a peg board marble run, a wind tube, giant origami, and more.
This might be a goofy idea, but I love the sense of exploration and experimentation in this video. As she says in video’s description: “Because why not try to make bubble wands out of whatever you can get your hands on? That’s right, there is no reason.” You don’t need a reason to make. You don’t need a reason to experiment or explore or just have fun!
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