Back to the shop

Four days on the road at the Country Living Fair has me glad to be back to the peacefulness of my shop. All my efforts during the previous few weeks were aimed at preparing to have a successful show and now I am rested and ready to get back to making my handmade rustic willow furniture.

I have a run of large 16x20 and 20x30 frames to which I will glue birchbark. I have a good supply of birchbark and am running low on frames. I also have a large amount of large birchbark stumps thanks to my buddy Paul VanDuyn and his boys. I need to cut them off level so they can be used as plant stands or end tables. I sold several at Country Living and my neighbor Shelly at the Bulldog cafe has used them in decorating the porch of the cabin next door. They do look good with plants on them. She has done a wonderful job on the cabin since purchasing it recently. I am really happy that she has transformed it in such a radical way. I think back to the days when it was a trashy werewolf den.

I will load up to take some handmade rustic furniture to the Houston Brick in Lewisville for their long-running fall bazaar, which will run Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This is always a classy and affordable event in this lovely historical setting. Tom and Sue Saunders make everyone feel welcome and work hard to make it a success. The Houston Brick is a former hotel built by Sam Houston's brother in 1845. It was a hotel along the National road for many years and many famous people have spent the night there. Tom and Sue headed up the effort to restore the building to it's former glory and there efforts have been spectaculary successful. It is a shame that more historic buildings have not had the same attention. It is a treat to see.