"Timber & Jam"

Anita and I have been friends since we were 16. 

Anita & Tina - 1995/1996

We have known each other more than half of our lifetime. It's pretty incredible to have friends like that and I dare to say that our lives are better because the other one is in it. We have gone our different paths, yet we have made it a point to see each other as often as possible and make those paths cross. 

During these encounters we have always been able to pick up where we left off. 

Those kind of friendships don't come around too often. 

Recently, we have been in the same state and have only been separated by 2 hours, which is a first in a very long time. It has been wonderful. For once there are no continents and oceans between us, and seeing more of each other has truly been inspirational. 

We both love making things from scratch. May it be from rough sawn lumber, stuff that grows in our garden, or simply because it is way better if we make it than if we were to buy it. 

This passion sprung into the form of a new little collaborative endeavor in which we celebrate the handcrafted and homemade. 

We call it "Timber & Jam."

"Timber & Jam" is a collaboration featuring Anita's homemade delights such as jellies, jams, breads and scones and my original handcrafted wooden wares such as cutting boards, spreaders, serving trays, small pieces of furniture, and a few canned goods as well. 

Together, these items are beautiful, fun, cohesive, and complementary and make wonderfully delicious gifts!

Anita's husband Neil designed us a fantastic logo, we threw together a Facebook page you all should check out and "like" and follow us and see where this little project will take us.

We had our debut this past weekend at the "Vintage Lynchburg Spring Market" and it was a big hit. We have had so many people interested in our idea and it was a fabulous event. 

Thank you all for your support, we love making things for you!

dovetailed jewelry box:

a very nice gentleman came to me with a specific request: years ago he had salvaged some very old wormy chestnut out of his uncles dilapidating barn in Maryland. with this wood he wanted me to make his daughter a gift for her upcoming college graduation: 

a jewelry box.

    

he only gave a few guidelines: he gave me certain dimensions, make it rustic, and highlight the natural beauty of the wood. as much as i love these open projects sometime they make me a little nervous, as you never know what kind of an image they already have in their head. 

the chestnut has so many "flaws" that make it unbelievably gorgeous. oxidized nail holes and spots were hinges used to be, worm holes galore, holes from pegs, cracks and splitting that give this wood so much character and beauty. 

to highlight all this, i kept the overall design very simple and minimalist, so that there would not be any competition between design and material.

laying out all the wood, i selected specific sections from the wood for the individual parts and gave them a sort of purpose. a peg hole became the hole to open the box, really beautiful oxidized nail holes the featured top, a huge spot that must have been left by a hinge became a detail on the back, and so forth

it was challenging at times to work with the chestnut, as it get brittle due its cracks etc, but at the same time it was a very fun and fulfilling project to make. 

he loved it, and i hope his daughter will treasure it for years to come.

close call:

yesterday evening i almost lost my sweet Lucretia bird. 

i was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner, when all of a sudden i see my brother in law chasing his dog around our yard. all i could see were feathers flying everywhere. 

he had Lucretia. 

i flew out the door and started yelling and going after him, too.

somehow she got away and was deep inside an azalea bush.

she appeared not to be breathing.

after dog and owner left, i saw her little body starting to heave. up and down. up and down.

she was alive!

after watching her a while i left her to regain her composure. 

within the hour she started stirring. 

i went back outside and started feeding the other chickens hoping this would coax her out.

slowly she started coming across the yard, came up to me and ate some treats out of my hand.

i looked her over, and miraculously, despite missing quite a lot of her tail and hind feathers, she seemed unharmed.

-Lucretia in the snow a few weeks back-

this morning i saw her pacing the fence, as she does before she flies the coop.

i saw a chicken go up to her as if she was trying to tell her: 

"don't do that again....remember what happened yesterday?" 

she attempted it though, yet did not make it up on the ledge.

i wonder how long it will take my spunky, freedom loving girl to recover and break free once more.

guess she will always live life on the edge.

pictures:

my dear friend Anita tore her rotator cuff a few weeks back.

she loves doing pottery, yet due to her injury she has not been able to go to the studio and throw.

therefore, she picked her camera back up and is taking pictures.

this inspired me to go out with and play with my camera also.

here are a few pics from yesterdays walk:

 

looks like spring is finally well on its way!

rib bench:

here are some images of the bench that is on its way to the Lillstreet Gallery in Chicago:

somehow i managed to delete the other pics. not very happy about that. there were some good ones.

adventures in aquaponics: take three:

we got 50 little gold fishys the other day!!

these are to jump start the water and to get the bacteria level right
so we can introduce tilapia into the big tank.

the pumps are all working,
and the weather is looking like its holding up in hopes of being able to plant
 some lettuce, herbs, etc, in the gutters.
this little gut was a little adventuresome and got stuck in the overflow.

a screen has been installed since, so they should be safe now.

yes please!

i love a good brisket.
there is something magical about meet thats is cooked slow and low

and even though i had the pastrami and not the brisket, i am sure it is equally as amazing:
tender, moist, flavorful, delicious!

thank you John for taking us.

i cannot stop thinking about my "sandwich" 

SO GOOD! 

YUM!