The family behind the things.

How it began

Even before Blake could walk, he was drawn to anything with buttons, wires, lights, or a screen. As he grew older, using a gadget wasn't enough. He wanted to understand how it worked. That curiosity followed him into computers, software, and electronics, usually with the rest of the family trying to keep up.

Around Christmas 2021, he began asking for a 3D printer. His parents knew very little about them and assumed they were expensive, complicated machines. They didn't seriously consider buying one.

Then the family visited Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry during a trip for a gymnastics meet. Blake and Brooks found a 3D printing lab and stopped to watch a small printer making a black cat. While they watched it take shape, Jacqueline looked up the model on her phone. It cost just over $300—still a significant birthday present, but far less than she'd imagined.

The following month, Blake received a FlashForge Adventurer for his 10th birthday. He started printing constantly. There were failed prints, wasted filament, and pieces that looked great on a screen but didn't fit in real life. He searched for tutorials, changed settings, and tried again. Nobody at home knew enough to teach him, so he taught himself. Before long, he was explaining the failures to his parents.

A broken Croc became the first product

During the summer of 2022, Blake was riding bikes with friends when a rivet holding the heel strap on one of his Crocs broke. He came home and decided to design a replacement.

It took several attempts to get the fit and strength right. Once he had a working version, his friends wanted them too. Apparently, broken Crocs were a fairly common problem among 10-year-old boys. This time, he wasn't printing something simply because it looked interesting. He had solved a problem, and other people wanted what he'd made.

That November, Blake asked Jacqueline to help him open an Etsy shop. She agreed, thinking it would teach him a little about responsibility and money. Anything he earned could go back into his hobby. His parents pictured a few extra rolls of filament.

The name came from his great-grandpa, Pa Jack, who called just about everything a “thingamajigger.” It felt right for a shop that might make almost anything.

Blake's Thingamajigs opened on November 19, 2022. By Christmas, Blake had fulfilled 78 Etsy orders, along with many local orders. The family was proud, excited, and suddenly learning how to handle shipping labels, packaging, customer messages, and a holiday production schedule—all with that one FlashForge Adventurer. It was a much busier lesson than anyone had planned.

Growing the shop

2023: The craft fair and the dream printer

In 2023, Blake was invited to sell at the O'Fallon Township High School Craft Fair. Making inventory in advance and putting together a booth was a very different challenge from filling Etsy orders as they arrived.

He earned the Best Booth in the Dome award and made enough money to buy the printer he'd been researching and dreaming about: a Bambu Lab X1 Carbon. Watching him earn something he'd worked toward was one of Ryan and Jacqueline's proudest moments.

2024: Making it official

In 2024, Blake's Thingamajigs became an LLC. By then, the shop had expanded beyond replacement parts into personalized gifts, organizers, gaming accessories, sports products, and custom designs.

The paperwork didn't make the family experts overnight. They were still learning how to manage inventory, maintain equipment, schedule production, and fit the business around family life. But the shop was funding its own growth. Equipment and supplies for the business came from money earned selling their creations.

2025: A design at the Illinois State Fair

Blake entered the Illinois State Fair Butter Cow 3D Printing Contest, organized through the Learning Technology Center of Illinois, and his design was selected as the statewide winner.

Miniature versions were shared as collectible keepsakes during the fair. He met fairgoers and signed some of the pieces. A few years earlier, he'd watched someone else's design print at a museum. Now people across the state were holding something he'd designed himself.

By the end of 2025, the family had five Bambu Lab printers. Blake still enjoyed reminding his parents that they'd once thought a 3D printer was too expensive. There have been quite a few “I told you so” moments.

2026: Sharing what he's learned

In April 2026, Blake appeared on the Learning Technology Center's LTC One-to-One podcast in “Student Voices, Part Two: The Middle School Maker.” He talked about the shop, the broken Croc that helped start it, and his interest in student media.

His parents hadn't set out looking for awards or interviews. They were encouraging an interest. Seeing where it has taken him has been a lovely surprise, and the family hopes his experience gives another young maker the confidence to try.

Meet the family

Blake's name is on the business, but keeping the shop running takes all four Sommers. They have different strengths and plenty of different opinions. Fortunately, the tasks one person loves are often the ones someone else would happily avoid.

Blake Sommer

Founder, owner & lead designer

Blake is the reason this business exists. He's the person the family turns to when an idea needs precise measurements, a tricky fit, or a model built from scratch. He taught himself Fusion 360 and has spent years learning how to turn something on a screen into an object that works.

That means thinking about much more than appearance. A wall can be too thin, a connection can be too weak, or a tiny feature can be difficult to print. Blake works through those details, tests the result, and makes changes until he's happy with it. Everyone contributes creatively, but complex modeling in Fusion 360 is very much his territory.

He also has strong opinions about how things should be done. Being his parents doesn't mean Ryan and Jacqueline automatically get the final say at work. Blake can be bossy, and he isn't shy about pointing out something that needs improving. But seeing him take responsibility for the quality of his work means a great deal to them.

Alongside design, he's learning how to answer customers, decide where to reinvest earnings, and handle the disappointment when an idea doesn't work. His parents love seeing him win an award. They also love seeing him go back and fix a stubborn design that nobody else will ever know took so many attempts.

Ryan Sommer

Business strategy, technology & production

Ryan helps the business keep up with the ideas. He has a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, a master's degree in Technology Management, and an MBA. His full-time job as a Director of Innovation fits well with the work he does at home.

He handles the website, finances, technical problems, and many of the systems behind the orders. Customers may never see the time spent figuring out a better workflow, but it helps the family keep track of what needs to be made and get it out the door.

Ryan also handles much of the evening and overnight printing. Long jobs don't necessarily finish at convenient times. Someone has to change filament, remove a finished print, and start the next one. During a busy season, he's often doing that when everyone else is ready for bed.

Because he works from home, he's frequently the family's first call when equipment misbehaves. He and Blake work through problems together, bringing different technical perspectives. And when Jacqueline breaks something—hypothetically, of course—he's usually asked to fix it. The family is still not entirely sure when he sleeps.

Jacqueline Sommer

Operations, customer experience & creative design

Jacqueline, better known around the house as Mom, agreed to help with a little Etsy shop. She expected a few messages and packages. The first Christmas rush changed that plan rather quickly.

Today, she keeps track of customer conversations, Etsy orders, local requests, inventory, reviews, social media messages, and the details of custom projects. She reminds everyone what needs to happen, then reminds them again. She prefers to call that operations management.

Her experience with creativity and technology started long before the shop. With a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and a master's degree in Educational Technology, she taught second and fifth grade, developed digital teaching resources, and helped educators use technology in their classrooms. In 2011, she received the Collinsville Unit School District e-Educator of the Year Award. She also created resources for Teachers Pay Teachers.

Customers asking about personalization, colors, a special request, or an order will often speak with her. She enjoys helping people turn a rough idea into something they can give as a gift or use themselves.

She's a designer too. Her methods aren't always the ones Blake would choose, but she likes reminding him that she was creating digital designs before he ever opened a CAD program. Their different approaches help the family make a wider range of products.

Jacqueline also works as an online running coach. Working from home lets her keep messages, designs, and printers moving during the day. She didn't expect to end up working for her own son, but that's how things turned out.

Brooks Sommer

Content creation & creative media

Brooks is the newest team member. He enjoys making and editing videos, including reels for his gymnastics Instagram account. Watching him develop those skills helped the family realize how much he could bring to the shop.

While Blake might begin with a technical problem, Brooks thinks about how to capture a moment and tell its story. He helps show how a design becomes a finished product through photos, reels, and videos from behind the scenes.

He's learning by planning, filming, editing, and trying new ideas. The family is excited to see him develop a role that's his own. Jacqueline is also delighted that creating content no longer has to wait for her to find a spare afternoon.

What they make

The shop includes playing card holders, trays and organizers, bag tags, keychains, sports accessories, ornaments, and personalized gifts. Some began with a need in the Sommer household. Others started with a customer asking, “Could you make something like this?”

A finished design isn't necessary to start that conversation. Customers might bring artwork and exact measurements, a photo for inspiration, or simply a problem they want to solve. The family enjoys talking through those ideas. Sometimes a design needs adjusting to be strong enough, printable, or practical. Explaining what's possible and working through the options are part of the process.

A personalized order can involve preparing artwork, adjusting a design, choosing colors, scheduling the print, and checking the finished piece before packing it. Even a simple-looking product may have taken hours of testing to get right. The family cares about those details and wants the finished item to be something its owner is happy to use or give.

The local community has helped the shop grow through orders, craft fairs, and recommendations. The family has also used its designs for fundraising and charitable efforts, including products supporting Kellsie's Hope Foundation. They're grateful for the chance to contribute to the community that has supported them.

Life in the studio

There is usually something printing. There is also usually something to design, a message to answer, or an order to pack. A printer doesn't always cooperate simply because there's a deadline.

Long jobs tie up machines for hours. Different projects need different materials. A failed print can change the day's schedule. During busy seasons, one family member may be checking a machine late at night while another prepares the next day's orders.

Working as a family means the conversations follow them beyond the shop. A new product idea comes up at dinner. A quick question turns into a debate about how to design it. Blake focuses on the details, Ryan thinks about the systems, Jacqueline watches the customer requests and deadlines, and Brooks looks for a good way to show what's happening.

They don't always agree, and sometimes they have to remind themselves to stop talking about printers. They've underestimated jobs, spent hours on ideas that went nowhere, and changed processes that stopped working as the shop grew.

Ryan and Jacqueline have watched their boys gain confidence through real responsibilities. Blake has learned what it means when someone depends on his work. Brooks is finding his own creative place. Their parents couldn't have planned every lesson this business has taught the family, but they're glad to be learning together.

The customers who made it possible

By the time the family first shared this story, Blake's Thingamajigs had fulfilled more than 4,000 orders. Behind each one was someone choosing a gift, solving a problem, supporting a team, or trusting the family with an idea.

Orders, reviews, recommendations, and encouraging messages have made the business possible. In the beginning, customers supported a 10-year-old who wanted to see if anyone would buy the things he made. They gave him a reason to keep learning. As the shop grew, that support reached the whole family.

The Sommers are still exploring new equipment, developing products, and finding better ways to work. They don't know what the shop will look like years from now. They do know they want to keep making useful, personal things and taking care of the people who order them.

Some customers have been there since the first Croc rivets. Others discovered the shop at a craft fair, through a friend's recommendation, or while looking for a personalized gift. Each has become part of a story the family never expected to be telling.

Blake, Ryan, Jacqueline, and Brooks are grateful to everyone who took a chance on a kid with a 3D printer—and to everyone continuing to support what they're building together.