by Melanie Arntsen of SqueakyBug Specialties

article by Melanie Arntsen of SqueakyBug SpecialtiesWhere else can we find you on the web?  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Designs-By-LeeAnn/158511584165950

I began woodworking in 1989 with a love of country cupboards. Over the years I have gone from making little cutouts for crafters and rosemaling artists to a wide variety of custom furniture products. About 3 years ago when it seemed like fun to again sell at shows, I wanted to design something small and not so heavy. That's when I designed the cutting boards. The next year I built a playhouse for my girls using reclaimed pine for trim. The huge load of pine that was given to me inspired me to come up with a use for it. Something prompted the memory of a log table I made quite a few years ago which was inspired by Thomas Molesworth's log furniture of the 1940's. That's when Rustic Log Decor came to life.

Although I don't have a formal education in woodworking, my career has been divinely orchestrated. When I started this business, I was doing bear cutouts and sometime back I completed a special commission from the Reverend Roger Patrick Dorcy Cancer Center to build something to house the collections of Father Roger Dorcy. It has been an honor to build small and large special projects which I've only been able to do because my opportunities have stretched and expanded my skills. It is a privilege for me to be in the company of my Christian brothers and sisters on Etsy and do what I love to do.

 






We are a Father & Daughter team from Baldwin City, Kansas. We both love to create new functional items, out of the old abandoned things we find. 8MileCreekDesigns began the day I (Ruth) decided to help Dad clean out his shop. He had 8 hubcap clocks hanging on the wall in his workshop, I photographed and listed them on Etsy. Little did I know what we had started! We have learned more about hubcaps, cars and clock making than we ever thought possible. Working together has been a great blessing. My sons are also interested in helping Grandpa in the workshop. It is wonderful to have three generations working together and having fun!

The idea for this post came about after listening to a sermon in which our pastor threw out the questions: "What would the church look like without men? What if it was just a place where women and children hang out?" That got me thinking about our CAST team and that it would be great to try to identify the CAST shops that are run by men or are husband/wife, father/daughter or father/son partnerships. So far we have been able to identify 15 shops. If you know of any others please Contact Me.


These are the first five shops:



My name is Joel Quiggle and I create Limited Edition art prints of my work. I graduated from Penn State University with a BFA in Drawing and Painting. In the fall I plan on attending Edinboro University to complete my Masters in Art Education and teachers certification.I didn't take much of an interest in drawing until about 10th grade, from then on, I have loved translating my imagination onto paper or canvas. I realize God has given me all of the gifts or talents I have and I want to give God all the glory and honor that may arise from them.God has given me a true passion for Art in general and I just love being able to do what I do. If my artwork ends up in a gallery or in my basement, I am content on what God has done in my life. I am putting all my sales towards an engagement ring, so help me out and get some great artwork with it!


I am Dave Alden owner/operator of Wolf Creek Millworks. We are a small artisan forestry products business that uses the wood found along our roadways, backyards, and other non-traditional locations. This wood often ends up in landfills and/or is allowed to rot. This seems like a waste to us. We hold the Christian belief that we are to be “stewards” of this planet we live on. While we do not espouse radical environmentalism, we do have concerns that we are not doing a very good job taking care of the place God made for us to live on. Our equipment is well suited to operating in suburban back yards, parks or woodlots without leaving a large footprint. Wolf Creek Millworks makes finished home décor items, mantles, bowls, oil-candles etc. from the wood we gather. We also make slabs and blocks available to other wood working craft-persons.

Our shop was started during a period of unemployment. We think that small artisan businesses are the future of the global economy. With the availability of the web and global shipping giants we have the same market as the mega-corporation with the customer service and local flavor of the sole proprietor. We hope you enjoy our work as much as we enjoy making it.