meet the maker

Hi! I'm Lauren and I'm the wearer of all hats behind the scenes here at Camp Clever. I live in St. Louis, Missouri, USA with my husband Sean, our two little boys, and our geriatric calico cat, Greta.

Camp Clever began as Clever Betty Studio in 2010, when I started it as an Etsy hobby to sell handmade goods. My product line has changed several times over the years and as of now, Fall 2024, I’m currently working on making more art and getting it onto products.

Five years ago when I rebranded to Camp Clever I changed my focus to promoting the importance of play for kids. A few months later the pandemic hit and… I forgot to make time for ME to play. Play isn't just for kids; it should be a lifelong habit! I spent so much of my time multitasking, producing, and getting things checked off the to do list, that I left myself no time for much else. 

The work you’ll find here is the product of allowing myself the freedom to play, create, and explore as I move forward into a new stage of my business. And in order to give myself dedicated time to make art, I don’t plan to make all of my products by hand anymore. You'll start to see some changes to the navigation of the website here at Camp Clever as a reflection of that. Keep up with recent updates by signing up for my monthly email newsletter, Letters From Camp.