A New Spin on Old Materials

After my wife and I built our house in 1997, we had some left over materials like pieces of granite, left over wood from our cabinets and for some reason I decided to save a lot of it. I suppose I thought if we needed to repair something, we would have extra material.

I had some Tiek wood left over that we used for our cabinets and decided to start utilizing the material. I started hand carving the pieces of wood. What is really interesting is how each piece turned out just a little different. I didn't use a lathe for any of the carving. I glued pieces of the tiek together with oak and then filed and drilled them down by hand. They turned out really great! 

I think the most important thing to mention is that a portion of the sale of these candle holders goes towards the Commemorative Air Force, Minnesota Wing in South Saint Paul. It's a WWII Museum that is very close to my heart and to my family.

You can purchase them online at www.twilightsoaps.etsy.com  or at a few different stores throughout the Twin Cities: Lost Treasures  and planMYhouse is Stillwater, MN

Thanks for reading!

Casting with our Friend Jim Hunt

Wow, can't believe how long its been since we have done a blog post. So much has happened over the last few months. The line continues to grow with pieces of inspiration from the beaches of Alaska to the lake on Wisconsin (yep, my wife and I had been visiting our family and property in Minnesota and Wisconsin over the summer).

While we were on our trip, I had the pleasure of meeting up with a very creative man named James Hunt of James Hunt Designs (www.jameshuntdesigns.com). He has been custom making wedding rings and jewelry since the late 60s.  His craftmanship is remarkable and his designs are truly unique! After meeting and having a chance to get to know each other, Jim asked if I would like to come and see what he does, how he casts some of his molds, designs some of his rings, etc. I couldn't pass the opportunity up to sit in on this amazing process called Lost Wax casting! My daughter came with and we spent a few hours sitting with Jim, listening to the stories of the people he had designed rings for for various occasions and how many lives he had touched. He had brought Jewelry making to the next level by creating pieces that truly mean something to those who wear it! The process was fascinating, although I won't share too much so I don't give away any trade secrets, hehe!

It has definitely inspired me to go beyond what I see in front of me and to take things to the next level. There is no limit to what you can accomplish or how many lives you can touch with such a simple thing!

Who knew!