Month: May 2021

These adorable house puzzles were commissioned by a realtor and friend who wanted housewarming gifts made for clients who have small children. These house puzzles were made of plywood and finished with water based latex paint.

What a thoughtful housewarming present, handmade locally, sustainably and with a personal touch. We are so grateful that clients keep coming to us with these wonderful ideas, which we are only too happy to bring to fruition.

These pocket crosses were commissioned by a client who wanted them made from Derecho wood to commemorate graduation from Xavier High School in a year that was a struggle for so many reasons. Each graduating senior received a pocket cross made from various trees that fell during the Derecho, from oak, to cherry, to walnut. We hope these pocket crosses help to remind their recipients that they can and have already overcome a great many obstacles.

This beautifully designed and crafted sliding barn door was handmade for one of our clients. They saw a design online and wondered if we could make something similar. We were only too happy to oblige. This door was made out of locally sourced poplar and painted a stunning flat black. Our client was thrilled with the outcome. Not only were they able to support a local Iowa business, they were provided some peace of mind knowing they were given a fair price and the project was sustainably sourced and made.

The latest edition of things made from the cherry tree that fell through our client’s roof during the Derecho. We have made great use of that tree! 

When we saw the character in these boards we knew we wanted to highlight them as a feature in one of our client’s projects. Unfortunately these beautiful wood characteristics and imperfections aren’t great in terms of structural integrity so we couldn’t incorporate them into the table or the chair seats, so we decided to use them in a personalized cutting board the client ordered. 

To ensure the wood doesn’t crack and split at the imperfections we filled the cracks and gave the underside a finish coat of food safe epoxy. The top side is finished with food grade tung oil. We designed this board so the top side could be used as a traditional cutting board and the bottom side could be used as a charcuterie board or as a centerpiece for the table. It turned out to be a gorgeous multi-functional cutting board.

Along with the Redemption Table we were commissioned to use the same wood from the cherry tree that fell through our client’s dining room during the Derecho to make matching chair seats. Our client ordered the metal chair bases from Etsy and had us make the wooden seats for them. The seats are contoured for comfort and finished with a durable satin polyurethane. This dining room set is bound to be passed down as a family heirloom, with quite the backstory, for generations to come.