I Don’t Make …….!

This past week I’ve been busy making more stuff.  I was thinking today, ( I know, that’s dangerous)  that it’s been kinda a BASF week.  You know their sloan.  “We don’t make the products you use, we make them better.”   Over the last 6 days I’ve made the legs for 4 tables but not the completed table, and 15 mailbox post but not the completed mailbox.  “I’ve not completed them, I’ve just made them better,” I guess.   I would say I can’t wait to see what’s coming next but I already know.  It’s a stage prop balcony and building inventory for my next show.   Never a dull moment in “ye ole shop.”

Here’s a pic of 2 of the leg sets and all 15 mailbox post.

Building Bridges

In my last post, I eluded to the interesting stuff I was working on.  Here is one of the things. 

Not exactly fine woodworking but it’s made of wood.  It’s a stage prop for competition dance.  Dimensions are 5.5’ H x 18’ L

More stuff like this in the works.  I’ve got to get back to work on them.

Getting past the Attack!

It seems like it was just the other day that I blogged about  Craft Attack 2009.  Now it has come and gone.  Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day for the “Attack” despite the weatherman’s forecast for rain.  We saw very little precipitation, had a partly sunny day and sold some arts and crafts.  I got to meet many of the local artisan's that  sell on Etsy.  Quite a colorful group! 

I find myself once again in the busiest time of the year.  The count down to Christmas.  At my very next show I’ll have to pull out the holiday decorations!  Where did 2009 go?

I’ve got some interesting projects going on in the shop right now.  I’m just getting them started but  hope to post some pic’s soon.  So check back.

Craft Attack 2009, Charlotte, NC

The return of the Carolina Craft Attack is almost here! 

What’s a Craft Attack you ask?  It’s 50 craft artisans selling their work for 1 day,  Oct. 10th, in Independence Park, Charlotte, NC.   It’s a function of the Hornet’s Nest Chapter of the Carolina Etsy Street Team.  

This show will be held, rain or shine.  The park is located at 300 Hawthorne Lane, Charlotte, NC 28204

Show hours are 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. 

No resale,  ready made items,  imports, or retail items are permitted.

We’ll be there!  Will you? 

Patricia’s Path

Last Thanksgiving while at a show in the Carolina mountains, I looked at the vendor list and noticed a couple there from the town where my studio is located.  After talking with them we discovered that they live just around the corner from my place.   Since that time we have become good friends and I would like to introduce you to Pat and Al.

Al is a retired college instructor and Pat is a registered nurse working for an insurance company as a case manager.  They have been collaborating  to create the products of Patricia’s Path for six years now.  Al designs and makes  the wood items and Pat hand paints each piece with her colorful creations.  The result is a beautiful, yet functional work of art.   

To see their work and for more about Pat an Al, check out their new Etsy shop. 

 

Can You Believe It?

We are already in the month of September!  The morning air is starting to feel like fall and the Christmas selling season is upon us.  This “Labor Day Weekend” I plan to take a couple days off.  It is the last free time I anticipate having until January.  If getting ready for Christmas is not enough, I need to paint the trim on my house.  I can’t wait for the later!

The past week has been a chance to catch up on some custom orders,  build some office partitions (future gallery/display area), and do some of the repair work that has come in.   I feel like I’ve not done much compared to recent production days but I’ve covered a lot of ground.  Today, I’ve got a couple of salt mills to turn and bore  and start pulling nails from some reclaimed chestnut.  The chestnut will be turned into an outdoor dining table for a client.  I hope to post some pictures of the process.

Here’s a couple of chair repairs I’m finishing up.

A Good Showing Despite the Rain

Maybe,  just maybe, I’ve recovered from this week-end’s show.  It’s seems like it takes longer to recover than it use to :)  

We did pretty good at Lazy Daze Art and Crafts Festival  Saturday.  We got a little wet and had a stream running though our booth the last half of the show.  The rain didn’t seem to affect the patrons much that were at the show.  They kept on buying.  It could have keep some patrons home that would have been there so it’s hard to say that it had no effect on sales.  The show volunteers and staff where extremely kind and helpful.  Over all, I think it is about as good as a one day show can be.  Hopefully we’ll get the opportunity to do it again.

My wife and I took a side trip to Seagrove Friday, on our way to the show.  Seagrove is a town, just off of US Hwy 220 south of Asheboro, NC.   The town has a rich pottery history dating back to the 1700’s.  The area  around town has close to 100 artisans making and selling work from their studios.  Some have as many as three generations working in the family pottery business.  We had seen many Seagrove artist’s work at art shows and were excited to get to see from which they came. 

We started out by stopping by Crystal King Pottery, then on to the NC Pottery Center in downtown Seagrove, where we got a map and an idea where the differ studios were.   From there we visited His Hands Pottery,  Jugtown Pottery,  Owens Pottery and finally Freeman Pottery.    This was an enjoyable way to break up the trip.  Oh, and we did carry away 5 pieces of clay from the region.