In Touch With Nature

I am a huge fan of the unique.

This is why I love the things that come out of Etsy, vintage finds and limited editions (my favorite words!). But it is also what I look for when adding things to my home.

Yes, I have some furniture from Pottery Barn and my crystal is Lismore (possibly Waterford's most popular pattern) but I get really excited when I see true artisan work. Items that are truly crafted - made with love and a skill that is only acquired by time and experience.

I want to bring a piece of that home with me. I want to hold on to it. I want to have something that showcases that skill for posterity. And I want to encourage others to do the same because that is how we ensure that such skills will keep on.

We go to the Farmer's Market near our town almost every weekend. From Spring to Fall there are amazing vendors. We're also lucky to be surrounded and friends with some very talented people. Next to them (okay just in general) we're total untalented shlubs! Several times a year the farmer's market has a craft show. At one of the earlier shows I met a very lovely older gentleman named Bob Barrett who does amazing hand turned and carved wooden pieces. I instantly feel in love with his work and he is the main vendor we look for each time.

The first time I met him I bought this gorgeous Cherry wood bowl.



The bowl has an amazing color to it and is the perfect size for the pile of fruit that we keep on the counter. I also like how the color warms up our mainly black and white kitchen.



What's also great is the satiny smoothness of this piece. You just want to run your hands all over it. It just glows.



The next time Bob was at the show I bought these two pieces. The first is a large bowl about 6" deep made of red cedar. It's hard to tell from the flash the true depth of color that this piece has but it is just gorgeous in person.



If you enlarge the image you can really see where Bob's skill shines through. He works with each piece of wood and takes into account the unique attributes that it has and plays them up. He preserves the integrity of the wood... in this instance you can see where the edge of the bowl is almost paper thin. At the thickest point the wood is about 1/4". It just amazes me!



We keep this bowl on the mantle in the library where it definitely has a pride of place.



The other piece we have is this Burl Oak Compote.



It would be hard to say I have a favorite but I am seriously in love with this. I just adore the pattern of the wood. When I saw it in his booth I had to have it. The shape of the piece is great too. We keep it out on display as art but it's very functional as well. I like to use it for holding candy during movie nights!



Our new favorite wedding gift is one of Bob's pieces. I think there is a lot of symbolism inherent in giving one of his pieces. Unique, sturdy, functional but beautiful, filled with love and care. What better gift or good wishes could you give?

Bob will also do special orders if you ask him. If you have something in mind - a shape or a kind of wood, he will search around until he finds it for you and then will make it as close to your specs as possible. You don't even have to pay for it up front because he'll sell it regardless. He carves his signature and the date into the underside of each piece. I predict that years from now you see people collecting his work.

Mr. Barrett doesn't have a website but I have his phone number. Drop me an email or leave a comment and I'll get it to you.

Designer Focus - Shompole Collection

I'm not sure if you read the article about her, but Elizabeth Gilbert was featured in the March issue of Domino magazine. The article wrote a lot about her lifestyle and what she does, but it also featured some of the local hand-crafted products and jewelry she is creating a store for to help support the local Maasai and to help preserve their artistry and way of life.

Her site says it better:

At Shompole, luxury is defined by experience, environmental responsibility and individuality. With this in mind, we work with African artisans, women’s groups, independent traders and craftspeople to produce a collection of high quality, unique house wares, jewelry and tribal arts. Our one-of-a kind beadwork, fig wood furniture, African art and jewelry are all environmentally sound, handmade products created by freelance artists who price and determine the fair value of their own products.

The shop and collection were created as an extension of the Shompole Lodge, once again in tandem with the African people with whom we work. The shop at Shompole is our “flagship” store. It is run like an atelier,with art, design and fashion sitting side by side.

What caught my eye were the amazing jewelry pieces that were featured in the issue. I contacted Liz to learn more. Each piece is unique due to the hand-crafted nature and the variations in the natural product they use. I love the heft of this ring.




Emerald Galaxy Ring - $3,500

And look at the colors in this Lamu Shell Ring ($1,500). Shells always have such a glow about them. I have several shell serving pieces, but very little jewelry. This is so simple and elegant.



But my favorite is the Bone Collection -

Our bespoke 18k gold jewelry is made in Africa, by Africans, using African gold, bone, gem stones and other indigenous materials. Each piece is individually crafted by hand and can be made to order.

This horn, gold and garnet ring is modern looking but you can see the origins of the design.



Horn, Gold and Garnet Ring - $1150

Don't these beads just glow? Mafupa Bracelet - $350



This ring is my absolute favorite. I love the treatment of the round stones and the circles. The Little Ox Ring - $275.



As each of these are hand made, they aren't available on the site in a huge variety of sizes, but you can contact them to order your size, I'm sure. What's great is that to order you email info@shompolecollection.com and you will be working with Liz directly. I'm sure you could ask her about the pieces and learn more about their work and the artists they work with.

This is one of the best things about the Internet. Connections with amazing people around the world. Learning about who they are and what they do and being able to bring a piece of that home to you.

A little weird... A lot wonderful

As you know, I am a total Etsy convert and I placed an order not too long ago. I finally got to order some pieces from Paraphernalia, which I think is the coolest store.



How they describe their work is:

We at Paraphernalia design beauteous and wholesome accoutrements for both Ladies and Gentlemen.

We are much inspired by both vintage illustrations and 19th century magicians. We also enjoy the odd, the unusual, the uncanny and the bizarre, in all the aspects of beauty.

If you haven't seen their work, you have to go check them out.

What I love about them is that you can wear them with so many levels - very seriously or you can wear them very tongue-in-cheek. I have chickens, so this Fauna Chicken Claw Necklace can be just weird or, if you know that we have them, it's kind of funny.





I also got this Anatomica Arm Bracelet. I like that you are wearing this on your arm but you are also wearing an image of the musculature of the arm. Okay, so yeah it's a bit weird.



I also got the Anatomica Red Heart Necklace. And I don't think I need to say anything about it, just look how freakin' cool it is.






Would it be too dorky to say I ♥ them?

Yeah, I guess it would.

But I soooo do!