Archive for November 2016
The biggest event of the year for us has, for the last 2 years, been Santa’s Art Shop in Ridgecrest. That event – its 35th annual – is this weekend, so I have been working long hours to get the inventory in shape for the big event.
Long hours.
And, since the inventory is growing again (and during our busiest month, too!), I am pleased to announce my 200th cutting board. This is only the 5th time that I have had that number of boards in inventory … and, as always, the number will be a fleeting memory by Saturday. In the meantime, however, it’s time to celebrate the accomplishment. Here’s the story of this unusual board.
After my years of a Cub Scout being square, I’ve seldom made square boards. It’s an occasional request, though, and I do like to show different kinds of boards to get the customers’ creativity flowing when they visit the booth.
This square, edge grain board features 6 kinds of wood:
- Jatoba – AKA Brazilian Cherry
- Hard Maple – which is in almost every cutting board I make
- Cherry – AKA American Cherry or Black Cherry
- Purpleheart – the # 1 commented upon wood in my booth, and these pieces with quilted grain will continue that tradition
- Bubinga – I love using it because it’s just fun to say
- Bloodwood – delightful fluorescence in these pieces
One of my current challenges in lumber supply is finding one of my favorite cutting board woods, Jatoba, in 8/4 thickness (that’s 1-3/4″ thick, sanded smooth, to you non-lumber types). The wood is commonly available in 4/4 thickness (3/4″), but rarely in the dimension I need for my thickest, big cutting boards. I did find some 8/4 earlier this year, and this board uses the last of it.
Bloodwood is crimson colored, and it’s the most challenging wood that I currently work with. It seems that every piece – every piece – is warped: bowed, twisted, cupped, or some combination of all of those.
Every piece.
It’s been said that woodworking is the art of solving problems, and it’s certainly true that using Bloodwood is one of those challenges that I face. But, I enjoy the work, and I always let the results speak for themselves.
Cutting Board 16 – Edge 029. Jatoba, Cherry, Bubinga, Bloodwood, Purpleheart & Hard Maple. Edge grain. 15″ x 15″ x 1-1/8″.
More
The 200th Cutting Board, 4th Time ‘Round
The 200th Cutting Board, Third Time ‘Round
The 200th Cutting Board, 8 Months Later
The 200th Cutting Board
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Death Valley National Park. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 10/20/16.
Photographer Michael Sprill wanted to capture the Milky Way over the amazing landscape of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. He used a long exposure to capture the night sky and a flashlight to shine on Silex Spring, spotlighting the geothermal pool. He was very excited about the results, “The steam coming off the water really makes the photo look magical!” Photo by Michael Sprill. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 11/20/16.
Another beautiful sunset on the road through California. That funny looking thing is a Joshua Tree, in Joshua Tree National Park. Photo by Ben Pelta-Heller. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 11/25/16.
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This whole magic thing is out of control. With this group of Magic Bottle Openers (I call them MBOs), I have made over 200 of them this year. I anticipate my sales will be … over 200 of them this year.
See the problem?
I’m selling them just about as fast as I can make them, which is a wonderful thing from some perspectives. As long as I don’t want or need to take a day off, that is!
Mrs M has officially been made the first assistant for making these … she lays down the epoxy, and I insert the magic right behind her. That keeps the epoxy from setting before I can place the magic into the MBOs, which can be a terrible problem, I assure you.
I’ve run out of supplies again, so I went to Big Orange and bought more hardware today. I already have more magic bits on order for 2017’s first batch of these Magic Bottle Openers. More bottle openers are on the way as well; it wouldn’t do to have one without the other.
For the explanations of why these bottle openers are magic – and more pictures! – go here. All of these MBOs are approximately 5″ x 11″ x 3/4″. Pricing is simple: $35 for single magic models (wall mount), and $45 for double magic (fridge mount).
Magic Bottle Opener 191. Hard Maple, Cherry, Canarywood, Yellowheart & Purpleheart. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 186. Hard Maple, Jatoba, White Oak & Padauk. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 184. Padauk, Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Red Oak. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 192. Purpleheart, Yellowheart & Hard Maple. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 187. Red Oak, Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Cherry. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 194. Red Oak, Padauk, Black Walnut & Hard Maple. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 193. Black Walnut, Jatoba & Cherry. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 185. Hard Maple, Cherry, Canarywood, Yellowheart & Padauk. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 188. Padauk, Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Red Oak. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 190. Red Oak, Cherry, Teak & Yellowheart. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 174. Hard Maple, Jatoba, White Oak & Padauk. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 189. Black Walnut, Yellowheart & Hard Maple. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 183. Jatoba, Mahogany & Cherry. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 179. Padauk, Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Red Oak. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 180. Hard Maple, Padauk & Canarywood. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 182. Jatoba, Black Walnut & Cherry. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 181. Red Oak, Cherry, Teak & Yellowheart. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 178. Padauk, Purpleheart, Bubinga, Bloodwood & Cherry. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 177. Padauk, Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Red Oak. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 1761. Purpleheart, Jatoba & Cherry. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 176. Purpleheart, Mahogany, Cherry & Hard Maple. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 175. Black Walnut, Yellowheart & Hard Maple. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 173. Hard Maple, Padauk & Canarywood. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 195. Purpleheart, Black Walnut, Cherry & Caribbean Rosewood. Double Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 196. Red Oak, Hard Maple & Black Walnut. Double Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 199. Purpleheart, Mahogany, Cherry & Hard Maple. Double Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 197. Hard Maple, Jatoba, White Oak & Padauk. Double Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 198. Cherry, Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Bloodwood. Double Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 203. Black Walnut, Purpleheart, Canarywood & Yellowheart. Double Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 200. Red Oak, Hard Maple, Purpleheart & Cherry. Double Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 201. Purpleheart, Cherry, Mahogany & Hard Maple. Double Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 202. Black Walnut, Yellowheart & Hard Maple. Double Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 1. Double Magic.
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The Board Chronicles is an ongoing series of articles about the adventures of Mrs M’s Handmade as a vendor at community festivals & craft fairs. Mrs M’s subsidiary, Mr M’s Woodshop, has been approved to create this chronicle for the good of vendorkind.
The Carpinteria Valley Museum of History hosts a monthly swap meet-style event on their grounds in their city. In November, the event transforms into a handmade-only holiday boutique. We’ve done the event for a couple of years, and have thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of this community event.
Here’s the Board Chronicles from last year: Carpinteria Holiday Faire 2015.
OK, so doing an event on a holiday weekend is a bit crazy.
OK, so doing an event on a holiday weekend when we could be making product for next week’s biggest event of the year might be a bit crazy.
But we like the feel of this event! It’s community. It’s handmade. It’s what we do.
We’re in.
New Ideas
- We asked for a booth on the front side of the museum (the city street) instead of our traditional booth on the other side (the parking lot, which is cramped quarters). No double space was available on the street, but the museum director assured us he would help us get the trailer through the unloading/loading process. We’re in.
Observations
- We checked the forecast Friday … and it was bad. Rain was forecast throughout the event. In fact, the forecast said it would rain 10a – 3p … the entire span of the event! Rain would continue through 6pm, so we would not have any respite for the load out.
- I just did a wet event last weekend.
- Velda’s recovering from a bad cold.
- We became 2 of “those people.”
- I learned the phrase when I was running marathons: DNS DNF. Did Not Start, Did Not Finish. We stayed home.
- We made product.
- And the weather was awful; raining as predicted. We made the right call, IMHO.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 0
- Booth cost: $150
- Total sales: 0
- Returning next year? If we continue down the path of not doing one day events….
Boards sold: 0
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Bear in Denali National Park enjoying letting it all hang out. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 11/25/16.
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The last rays of sunlight catch the seedheads of Wyoming big sagebrush on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 11/15/16.
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I display boards at events as large as 16″ x 21″.
Those are large cutting boards, especially when they are 1-1/2″ thick. But do I make bigger boards, people ask?
Of course. And today I delivered 2 of them.
These boards are not for the faint of heart. They are big. They are heavy. They are big enough for the Thanksgiving turkey (and that’s why they were delivered TODAY!). And, importantly, you need a lot of space for a board this big. If your house has an open floor plan, and the kitchen has an island with a 24″ square space … you’re in business.
Just don’t forget that you need a sink big enough to wash these boards in!
One final thought about today’s delivery: each year, I’ve had one board that was delivered horribly late. I missed Christmas for one customer (I thought it was a pickup, not a board to be shipped.), and for 2 customers, I missed an early fall delivery only to barely make a Thanksgiving delivery.
I carefully explain to everyone that it’s just me in the shop … and the boards will get done in the next batch after I get the order. But, when I miss a window, or make a mistake … well, as they say, the wheels come off. And that is never pleasant.
The happy ending is that the new owners of these boards were ever so excited to actually hold them in their hands today. I trust that made the waiting somewhat more tolerable, as they now get to experience the happy ending.
Cutting Board 16 – End 044. Black Walnut, Bloodwood & Hickory. 16″ x 21″ x 1-1/2″. End Grain. Commissioned Piece.
Cutting Board 16 – End 045. Black Walnut, Bloodwood & Hickory. 23″ x 23″ x 1-1/2″. End Grain. Commissioned piece.
Cutting Board 16 – End 046. Jatoba, Yellowheart & Hard Maple. 23″ x 23″ x 1-1/2″. Juice Groove, End Grain. Commissioned Piece, to sit on the griddle between the burners of a Wolf double oven stove.
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Supermoon peers over Mount Herard in this amazing pic at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 11/18/16.
More
Great Sand Dunes National Park
The Dunes And The Rainbows
Gold!
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The Board Chronicles is an ongoing series of articles about the adventures of Mrs M’s Handmade as a vendor at community festivals & craft fairs. Mrs M’s subsidiary, Mr M’s Woodshop, has been approved to create this chronicle for the good of vendorkind.
We decided to take this weekend off.
And then I changed my mind.
We had an opportunity to do a big, highly recommended craft fair in Orange County, but we declined that opportunity. The Lady had to work this weekend at her “job,” and it seemed like a stretch to do another event in November. However, this event popped up and seemed tailor made for my solo act. It’s set in Culver City which is an up-and-coming kind of neighborhood – Sony Pictures is just around the corner. The promoter has done a few of these art shows in this location for a couple of years, it seems.
I decided to take a flyer into the unknown.
New Ideas
- Just me doing a one booth presentation from the woodshop at an art show.
Observations
- Event # 7 of the 11 events we’re doing in the 4th quarter. Countdown mode engaged.
- There were 40 booths (some shared between 2 artists) at this event. Live music. The plaza area we were in was alongside the ArcLight Cinema, Chipotle, a Mediterranean restaurant, an iconic hotel and Cold Stone. Trader Joe’s was across the street, and the event signage & canopies were visible from a very busy street. Traffic seemed to be built in – which is good. Booth traffic seemed to be more happenstance than generated by the event.
- Without Mrs M’s offering there, the number of transactions plummeted. Only 8 transactions on Saturday, spread over 7 hours. (yawn)
- Sooo slow on Saturday. Too slow. Not good.
- And then it rained on Sunday.
- Nothing to be done, of course, so I just sat there, moved the tables closer to the center and the boards away from the front of the booth … and tried to stay warm & dry. Traffic to the movie theater continued, and there continued to be traffic through the booths. Sort of.
- Sunday was busier. And wetter.
- A young boy in rain gear came into the booth and shook his umbrella, getting water everywhere. I immediately went to drying. The father said nothing at all. Thanks, Dad.
- A woman in rain gear kept her umbrella up while accompanying her charge, a senior citizen with mobility issues. Her umbrella dripped all over everything, and she was oblivious. What is it with people? But then, when they left the booth, I noted that the umbrella covered her more than it did the senior citizen. (sigh)
- When it rains, it drains … downhill. I only lost one cardboard box and a lot of packing paper, in the end. No damage to any boards that I was aware of, luckily. I’ll un-pack and re-pack everything – everything – to make sure.
- So, I sat in the rain. It was consistent, but light, through the afternoon. I had a couple with credibility say they were going to a movie and would come back after to buy a Christmas present (never heard that one before) … so I waited, and resolved to pack up in an effort to be gone by 5pm when the rain was supposed to get heavier.
- I waited.
- The couple came back a little before 4pm, on schedule. Booth was closed by 4:05pm.
- 25% of my total sales happened after 3:30pm on Sunday. In the rain.
- Breakdown started at 4:05pm. It’s no fun packing when everything is wet. The only way to pack the side walls and table cloths was to wring them out, put them in plastic bags, and shove them into the car so they could be dried out tomorrow when it stops raining.
- Ever been working, or perhaps camping out in the weather, and just gotten to the point where you gloried in the beauty of the rain and the feeling of doing work and being out in it?
- Not me, not today. I think it was the third time I got water down my front while working on the walls overhead…. Or, maybe it was when the pool of water dumped on me from atop the canopy. All I know is when I finally got in the Jeep to drive home, I was soaked to the skin.
- This is the 5th event I’ve done this year as a solo event with no Mrs M products. Four were one day events, and all 5 were in the bottom 8 for sales net of booth cost this year. I’m pretty sure there’s a lesson there.
- Go big, or go home. Or, more accurately, go big or stay home. That’s my mantra for 2017.
The Food
Saturday Breakfast: Hello, old friend.
Saturday Lunch: A burrito bowl from Chipotle
Saturday Snack: Yes, I know guac is extra
Saturday Dinner: Chicken surprise not cooked in the crock pot, because there was no time.
Sunday Breakfast: I went to Carl’s & learned 2 things: 1) the canopy over the drive thru window is just big enough that the drips from rain run into your open car window, and 2) their breakfast is messier to eat while driving than that from my old friend.
Sunday Lunch: See Saturday
Sunday Snack: See Saturday
Sunday Dinner: Leftovers. And a baked potato. And bourbon.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 162
- Booth cost: $335
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: 2
- Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: a few
- Total sales: $1,230
- # boards available: a Jeep load
- Saturday alarm: 6a
- Sunday alarm: nope
- # transactions: 17
- # soap & lotion vendors: none
- # woodworking vendors: me & a toymaker
- Edge grain vs. end grain: 19:2
- Returning next year? Doubt it.
Boards sold: 21
Magic Bottle Openers: 9
Cheese Boards: 4
Small Boards: 2
Medium Surfboard: 1
Small Surfboard: 1
Large Cutting Board: 1
Cutting Board: 1
Lazy Susan: 1
Cheese & Cracker Server: 1
Cheese Board 16 – 050. Canarywood & Hard Maple. 8″ x 8″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 165. Padauk, Yellowheart, Purpleheart, Canarywood & Hard Maple. Double Magic.
Small Surfboard 16 – 19. Jatoba & Birdseye Maple. 7″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 154. Jatoba, Cherry & Teak. Single Magic.
Cutting Board 16 – Edge 028. Bubinga, Hard Maple, Purpleheart, Jatoba & Bloodwood. Edge Grain. 13″ x 16″ x 1-1/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 172. Red Oak, Padauk, Teak, Goncalo Alves, Hard Maple & Canarywood. Chaos Board. Double Magic.
Medium Surfboard 16 – 16. Padauk, Birdseye Maple & Black Walnut. 8-1/2″ x 20″ x 3/4″.
Small Board 16 – 020. Black Walnut & Cherry. End Grain. 9″ x 12″ x 1″.
Cheese Board 16 – 049. Purpleheart, Bubinga, Hard Maple & Caribbean Rosewood. 7″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 017. Bubinga, African Teak & Black Walnut. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 162. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Yellowheart. Double Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 169. Purpleheart, Yellowheart & Hard Maple. Double Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 155. Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Yellowheart. Single Magic.
Small Board 16 – 022. Yellowheart, Bloodwood, Goncalo Alves, Bubinga & Cherry. 10″ x 10″ x 7/8″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 153. Cherry, Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Buginga. Single Magic.
Lazy Susan 16 – 022. Black Walnut, Cherry, Purpleheart & Hard Maple. 17″ diameter. Commissioned piece.
Cutting Board 16 – End 024. Chaos Board. Purpleheart, Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Cherry, Yellowheart, Jatoba & Padauk. End grain. 14″ x 17″ x 1-3/8″.
Cheese Board 16 – 046. Purpleheart, Birds Eye Maple, Goncalo Alves, Jatoba, Bloodwood & Yellowheart. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese & Cracker Server 16 – 13. Cherry, Hard Maple & Black Walnut. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
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Pronghorns in snowstorm on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS. Posted on Flickr.
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The biggest event of the year for us has, for the last 2 years, been Santa’s Art Shop in Ridgecrest. That event – its 35th annual – is this weekend, so I have been working long hours to get the inventory in shape for the big event.
