The Heated was not conceived as a design studio. Originally, Cristina Espinosa set out to make music and called it The Heated. But soon enough, she realized her music needed merchandise. She had always wanted to learn how to screen print but now there was a reason to take the plunge.

At first, she hated it. Her kitchen was always soaked with water from spraying the screens. Burning screens properly took many, many, many tries. She didn't have a printing press and she had to have a friend hold the screen down for print runs. These things take time and piece by tiny piece, the methods of screen printing came together and now The Heated churns them out by the dozen, selling on Etsy, at the Renegade Fair and various online and brick-and-mortar retail locations.

In 2007, Espinosa enrolled in a furniture-making class, which she'd also always wanted to learn more about. So far, she's made an ironing board, a printer stand, a desk, several moustaches and a whale. While the woodworking aspect of The Heated is not currently available for sale, her workshop is coming together and production on The Heated's woodworking collection will start in mid-2010.