Archive for the ‘personalized’ Tag

Custom Work   1 comment

I get all sorts of odd requests when I’m out rubbing elbows with people at craft fairs.

Ah, memories.

Some of those requests I bring to life, as you can see from the unique projects below. Some are personalized, some are just personal.

Boards can be engraved with names as gifts for yourself, for weddings & anniversaries, for real estate closings ….

If you would like to order a special item for a special someone, email me and we’ll develop the idea. Some projects can be accomplished relatively quickly (like the board with “Hall” on it; that can be delivered in a very few days as I keep the blank boards on hand). Some boards require me to buy specific species of lumber, glue it up, smooth it, carve it, finish it … and when I’m busy that can take weeks. Months, even. But whatever the time frame may be, I’ll give you an estimate in advance and will always keep you informed of where I am in the process.

So, what have you got in mind?

Yes, I Do Custom Work   Leave a comment

Yes, I personalize. Yes, I can customize. But, as the sign in the booth says, “Quickly? Maybe. Or Not.”

I can do things well, or I can do them quickly. It’s my goal to never move quickly if that compromises the work.

One of these pieces required a new technique: the cutting board, that was a wedding gift for Jaclyn & Spencer, had to have the board on the front edge carved on the CNC, and THEN I assembled the board. After the glue-up, I still had to do shaping & smoothing without damaging the personalization. Love the result, but it did take time to get it right. This was not a rush order for a last minute gift!

These pieces range from the aforementioned wedding gift to home decor to business gifts to special gifts for friends that have moved to the other side of the world. These special gifts are often a challenge to make, candidly. They always require special handling. But, I love the smiles on the faces of happy customers when they choose me to be the guy that makes their idea come to life.

Commissioned Pieces   Leave a comment

I do a lot of wedding & anniversary gifts. Here you see several different styles … as well as a couple of other special orders thrown in.

I have a love/hate relationship with special orders, honestly. Keeping track of them, their individual deadlines & extra steps required for the personalization is another record keeping system that I have to maintain to stay on top of these orders. It’s a wonderful thing, truly – who wouldn’t want to be a part of a wedding as a gift supplier? Lots of love there, and that’s a good thing.

A very good thing.

Also shown are a sign for a restored car’s dash (the Beach Bug sign). It’s a carved sign with painted letters. Similar techniques were used with the making of the final piece, that shows the longitude & latitude for the happy couple’s meeting, engagement & wedding.

Cutting, Display or Serving?   Leave a comment

OK, I’m behind.

Way behind.

I’ve been making stuff, and even taking pictures … and then hurriedly going to events so I have to make more stuff. This cycle has been repeating for 3 months now.

3 months.

So, yes, I’m behind. Many of these items were made months ago, and have already sold! … but I’m just now showing them to you here. Sorry about that.

This includes the very latest stuff for the holiday boutiques, as well, so please enjoy the pretties … because they will be gone soon, I trust!

Signs: Trying For Completion   3 comments

Only a couple more new signs this time: the collection of signs for my booth is just about complete.

I’m out of wall space, for one.

And, now that the display is built out, it’s time to see if people really like these signs enough to buy them, or if they just like to point and laugh. Either way, I think I’ve accomplished my original goal of making the booth more attractive and interesting.

This weekend, I head north to do my first-ever Harvest Festival in San Mateo. This series of events is what the serious vendors do in California.

Time to see if I am serious enough.

Nah. Time to see if I’m happy enough. That’s the ticket.

I’ll be taking my indoor booth setup with 4 mesh walls, and I’ll be setting up a 10’x20′ booth. Hope it all works: after a week in the midwest dealing with the death of a loved one, I’m not sure if going a-vendoring will be a relief or another in a long list of really difficult days.

Time will tell.

Meanwhile, these are the signs that are going with me. Some are new, some are replacements for signs I’ve sold … and all hope to be entertaining.

 

 

Yes, You Should Have A Big Heart   Leave a comment

I see it all of the time.

People see my hearts on the table. They smile. They hold one over their own heart, look to their significant other, and smile some more.

Nothing wrong with a big heart. Nothing wrong with showing your heart.

Such is the human drama I inspire when I go a-vendoring. Who wouldn’t love that?

I’m sometimes asked if these are cutting boards. Well, yes, they could be. However, I believe cutting on hearts is not something we should want to do. Surgeons, perhaps. Cooks? Not so much. I think these are serving pieces, not cutting boards. Buy one, and then you’ll get to choose who gets to cut on your heart.

This weekend, I’m going a bit far afield as I go a-vendoring. It will be my first out-of-state solo event for Mr M’s Woodshop! I’ll be at Faire on the Square in Prescott, AZ. I’m leaving Mrs M at home so she can work at her “job,” and I’m doing a holiday weekend road trip.

Pulling the trailer. Putting up the big canopy, solo. Running the booth, solo. Staying at an AirBnB, bachelor style.

Who wouldn’t love that?

 

Custom Orders   2 comments

Yes, I do custom orders!

Special engraving. Unique wood combinations. Oddball requests. You name it.

To be fair, I often turn down oddball requests for special one-time constructions. I have trouble making enough pieces just to keep up with my totally out-of-control hobby, after all. Adding ideas that take extra TLC to make it to the finish line usually doesn’t make sense.

But who said I have to make sense? Adding the occasional odd request does help me use my creativity & expand my skill set. At the right time, doing a unique project can be fun. Since that’s why I’m doing this, I try and help people with fun projects as much as I can.

And, no, I still don’t make backgammon boards. Or rolling pins. Or toaster tongs.

But, apparently, if you want a Fire Pokin’ Stick, then I’m your guy.

Company Gifts   1 comment

Mr-Ms-Logo---LargeI’ve got a growing number of corporate clients that buy boards as presents for their customers or team members. Some have company logos engraved, and some have clients names and information engraved.

One client wanted 8 different boards to give to their executives, so that’s what they got. Another wanted 3 different designs & sizes so they could choose which to give to each client.

You know my answer: No Problem.

Different designs? One design? There’s no wrong answer, really, it’s just what will best communicate your message to your recipient?

Several of my clients work in real estate, and gift a board to clients after they close on their house. For these clients, I make unique designs that are not duplicated with any other client.

Gifts should be personal, and they should be unique. I’m doing my best to help!

Here’s an array of boards that I made recently to help my clients communicate the “right” message to their clients, partners & employees.

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