Friday, August 28, 2009

handmade...giveaway

Things Men Have Made
Things men have made with weakened hands, and put soft life into
are awake through years with transferred touch, and go on glowing
for long years.
And for this reason, some old things are lovely
warm still with the life of forgotten men who made them.
~ D. H. Lawrence

The winner is Audrey who wrote...
"Our oldest son took 3 years of "Cabinetry" in school as an elective course. Year 2/3 he made us a blanket chest out of oak. This is my favorite handmade item in my home. It's something we will use forever and beable to pass on to him or one of his children."

Thanks to everyone who left comments and shared their most treasured handmade item. Stay tuned...we will be doing some more giveaways in the future. We added one of these natural edge servers to our shop now too. I'll be adding more things over the next week. Again thanks for playing along...


John’s been making cutting boards all week in between working on the bigger projects he has going on in preparation for the show we are doing this weekend in Pittsburgh. It seems to be the year of the cutting board. Many seem to be striving to bring more nature into their lives and in turn peace, even in small ways. I believe when people respond to our furniture or cutting boards, they are really responding to nature. John allows the natural forms and figure of the tree to guide the designs and uses natural finishes that allow the true color and figure of the wood to show through. That gives each piece a shibui nature (i.e., a natural elegance)….even the cutting boards.

There is nothing better than using a wood cutting board. I know I love using the three that I have on a daily basis. They are easy to care for and have natural antimicrobial properties. We just wash ours with warm soapy water and let it dry on end. You cannot put a wooden cutting board in a dishwashing to clean it. Well, you could, but it would end up not being a very functional cutting board and the detergents would bleach out the natural color (and beauty) of the wood. We use a little bit of mineral oil and beeswax to finish these, and every couple of months we wipe them down with more mineral oil.

So my giveaway today is… a one of a kind cutting board. It is sycamore with sliding dovetail feet in walnut. Designed by nature, built with two hands, and shared with our love…


Details: to be entered in this giveaway you need to leave a comment in this post answering this question:

What is your favorite handmade possession and why?

I will select one commenter randomly as the winner next Friday, September 4th.

I'll announce the winner on this post but be sure your email is in your profile if you want to be contacted by me.

And I would be remiss if I did not mention that we have a couple of cutting boards available in our etsy shop, along with some boxes and cabinets.

27 comments:

  1. Thanks for giving me a chance to win this cool cutting board!!
    My favorite handmade possession is probably my scarlet rose choker. I love how it can be very casual and feminine at the same time ^_^
    origamibysisi at gmail dot com

    I will also be posting your giveaway at http://www.hmgiveaways.blogspot.com tomorrow :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. These cutting boards are incredible for so many reasons, the look the positive energy poured forth into making them and the energy of the tree that is still inside of them. What a generous give away, I would certainly be honored to have such a beautiful piece of heirloom art in my home. Using wood throughout our home is important to me wooden bowls to eat from, wooden toys, ect. It makes us feel a connection to those who crafted them and to nature itself. I recently posted about the wooden boxes that my grandfather made and now hold special meaning and places of honor in our home. He was a fine cabinetmaker and also taught woodshop. The furniture and treasures that he made for us is by far the most important hand made in our home. After his passing I scooped up bits of sawdust that I have in a little mason jar as a sweet memory of the energy and love left behind in these shavings...

    ReplyDelete
  3. these are absolutely beautiful! art meant to be touched by a knife! seems a crime to use them!!

    but I totally would should I win one!

    My favorite hand made possession is an antique wall hanging on the inside of our front door, it depicts a lady riding in a horse drawn buggy and the saying beneath her is "Travel East, Travel West, After all home is best" I bought it at a down's syndrome charity fund raiser with the intention of giving it to my stepmother 23 years ago but the minute it came out of the tissue it never left my home and I love how it is so crudely done and mostly in black thread on tightly woven canvas, the backing is ancient looking floral in the tea died roses and the hanger is hand hewn wood with a burlap rope that is frayed to hang it from.....somehow just keeps hanging on all together.....wish I could say it was a family heirloom but it is not!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Can I share a couple? :) First is the handmade wooden chalice and patten that my brother made for use at my wedding. It is one of the most beautiful items in our home and it has so much meaning - we took communion together for the first time as husband and wife while using it.

    Second are the baby blankets that friends have made for our three children. Each child has a handmade blanket that is their very own special one. Each was made by a different friend. I love that our children's most special possesion was made by loving hands especially for them.

    These cutting boards are lovely. I have a wooden board that I use all the time, handmade by my brother, but I could really use another one. Thanks for the opportunity!

    ReplyDelete
  5. pls include me in this, thanx for the nice giveaway!

    my favorite handmade items are my crocheted doilies, the crocheted table runner and the sewing machine cover ( but the last two are still in progress!)

    ReplyDelete
  6. First I have to say that your is amazing. Just beautiful!!

    Probably my most favorite handmade item is a beautiful duster that I own. It is hand painted silk fabric (that is a 6 day process) then the garment is cut from the fabric and handmade. It is sunning - all in swirls of purples.

    Sandie Russo
    zaftig2k at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. My favorite handmade item is a journal full of letters that my father wrote me beginning the day I was born.

    Your cutting boards and other work are just beautiful!!!

    shrimpsaladcircus at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. So interesting giveaway :) Thank you for that.
    I have many favorite handmade idems -some madeby my grandparens, some of my own :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Our oldest son took 3 years of "Cabinetry" in school as an elective course. Year 2/3 he made us a blanket chest out of oak. This is my favorite handmade item in my home. It's something we will use forever and beable to pass on to him or one of his children.

    audreyscountrycrafts at gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. My favorite handmade possession is a snowman I bought at a craft fair YEARS ago. It is a stuffed snowman mounted on wood, with a tree beside him that is lighted and it has glittery stuff on it so that it sparkles when lit. I loved it the minute I saw it and still do, even though it is a little worn by now. I can't part with it.

    lilac88@comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
  11. Very beautiful! My favorite handmade items are the ones I give away. I have lots of friends with children in the 2-5 range right now and it's so fun to make some type of craft to give them and then see how they treasure it. We also have a large outdoor couch/bench that my husband made, modeled after a piece of furniture we saw on our honeymoon, that I adore. Perfect for naps and lazy reading afternoons!
    jj.soapbox@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. my favorite handmade possession is the blankets that my great-aunt crocheted for me. they are the perfect size, weight and warmth!

    ReplyDelete
  13. My favorite handmade item is a skirt that my grandma made for me about 15 years ago, I love it because she made it especially for me and it has lasted this long! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  14. My favorite handmade possession is a sweet pair of booties that were given to my daughter when she was a teeny tiny newborn.

    smrtmouse at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love this giveaway! I like the shape of it and the fact it is homemade. My fav item homemade is a Hopechest. It's in our bedroom and very old and it is pretty good shape. Thanks! jacquecurl1@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. these are beautiful boards. my favorite handmade things (there's definitely more than one) are the quilts made by grandmas and my mom, and the bookshelf and bookends made by my uncle, and a leather handbag made by another uncle. these are just things in the long run, but they make me feel connected to my family, and remember those who have died.

    :)
    sandtneal at mfire dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks for the chance to win!
    My favorite handmade item is my wooden rocking cradle, handmade by my mother's uncle for me when I was a newborn.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Going away to college my aunt made me a quilt/bedspread that must of taken forever! I cherish it =)
    And wow, amazing cutting boards!
    KawaiiNeko2008 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  19. What beautiful craftsmanship! I'd be so honoured to have such a gorgeous piece in my home ^_^
    Fingers are crossed.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love the organic look of these cutting boards. It would be perfect for friends of mine who have just converted the inside of their house to look like a logg cabin. This is something they would display on the wall as well as use.
    My favorite handmade item is a 6 inch crocheted doily that my mother made when she was six years old. She is 83 years old now and her crocheting is loose and uneven. If my house was burning that would be the first thing I would grab.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I am grateful to have found your lovely blog. Thanks for the thoughts. My favorite handmade possession is the collection of pottery I've collected and received over the last 35-40 years from my exhusband. A fine potter with a studio in Winlock, Wa, Richard has an honesty and strength that infuses the beautifully creative ceramic pieces. http://www.grandprairiedesigns.com/

    ReplyDelete
  22. my favorite hand-mades? i have a quilt my mom made for me when i was in college, a beautiful piece of lace my great-grandmother made, an absolutely beautiful woodcut of Jesus, the blankets that i have made for my two kiddos . . . i love handmade. so very much.

    and i would love to be using one of your handmade cutting boards. we shall see. :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Beautiful cutting board, would be proud to have this. My favorite handmade item is a pottery tea set my mother gave me when we were together at a arts festival over 20yrs ago, she purchased it when she saw I loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  24. My favorite handmade possession is a purse I had custom made for me by an Etsy seller.

    ReplyDelete
  25. WOW...great work. Your work is truly amazing.

    As for my favorite handmade posession...I would have to say it is my garden. Although it only lasts for a few months, the enjoyment it gives Tina and I is not measurable. My other favorite handmade piece is a flower painting by my grandmother. Unbeknownst to us, she had a painting for each of her grandchildren and was saving money to get them framed for us. We found them in her closet after she passed away.

    ReplyDelete
  26. My favorite handmade items? crocheted slippers given to me by my grandmother, who died 11 years ago. She made us slippers each year for Christmas ever since my birth, and now, my children's feet are kept warm by that which was once mine...

    ReplyDelete
  27. Oh, Elizabeth, that is just beautiful!! Thank you so much for letting me know about your giveaway:-)

    My favorite handmade item, without question, is my quilt that was started by my grandmother's grandmother ( she made the top), quilted by my grandmother's mother, and bound by my grandmother. I love the thought of six generations of my family snuggling up under that quilt! I actually wrote about it very early on in my blog adventure if you'd like to take a peek:

    http://earthycraftymommy.blogspot.com/2009/04/quilt-love.html

    Enjoy your weekend!!
    ~Michelle

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...