Earth Wine & Barrel

In 2011 when visiting my sister in Niagara, perusing artisan fairs and wineries as you do, we stumbled upon a woman who made things out of retired wine barrels. I thought perhaps I could make something like that?' and mentioned this to my sister who, never one to let something go unchallenged as all good siblings do, said 'well why don't you!' So the next thing I knew I had rented a U-haul truck, found a farm that sold retired wine barrels from local wineries, filled the truck up with a dozen wine barrels & headed home to start figuring this whole maker thing out. Through many trials and failures, learning to use saws, sanders and tools that gave me a new fondness & appreciation for places like Lee Valley Tools, I created a small line of items. My sister was a great hand at the beginning and we brainstormed various items. She is also the designer of my logo for which I will always be grateful. I opened my Etsy store on Oct.25th, 2012 which is my Mom's & my sweet little Jack Russell Kara's birthdays. it seemed like a good omen, & I had a sale on my first day! Shoot! I hadn't really thought,much about shipping, packing etc! I've done various craft shows through the years, both big (One of a Kind, Seasons Christmas Show) and small local craft shows. I love interacting with customers, surprising them when they realize that I, not my spouse helping out in the booth, am the carpenter and creator. Over the years I've expanded the range & now include slumped wine bottles, wine cork cheese knives, wine crate coasters and wine cork trays among other items. I enjoy thinking up things, using & re-imagining them with a wine theme. Last year my spouse, our two dogs and I moved to Nova Scotia after a life lived in Ontario but a dream I'd had since I was a child to live in Nova Scotia & be by the sea. So here we reside in the quaint village of Pugwash and my creations continue in a sea side setting.