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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Wilderness Creations To Be Featured in NASE Magazine

My 11/17/10 post contains interview questions and answers that I provided for an upcoming article in the March/April issue of Self Employed Magazine. Please check out that post to learn more about myself and our business.
For the upcoming article, we recently had a photo shoot with a professional photographer from Portsmouth, NH. I figured that someone would stop by and take a couple photos of the store and the furniture, for the article. It wound up being much more than that. There was a crew of three, including the photographer, an assistant and an intern. The process lasted three hours, with photos outside, and in different parts of the gallery. They had all kinds of equipment. There were lights, computers, back ground materials, light sensors, and on and on. I have never done anything like that. The photographer would tell us to pose in certain ways and adjust us ever so slightly for the next shot. We stood outside with out coats in ridiculous temperatures to get the outdoor shots. It was really a fun time and very interesting to see how much goes into professional photos. Of course we haven't seen any of the pictures, so we are hoping that they choose some good ones, since it will be sent out to thousands of people. We shall see.
The photographer was Bill Truslow of Bill Truslow Photography, based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was really nice to work with and very good at his profession. http://www.truslowphoto.com/
We hope that the article (and photos) comes out well. I will keep you posted and let you know how it goes.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

The feeling of Rustic


As I was organizing some photos the other day I came across a series of pictures that I took last fall. I thought that they really captured the feeling of rustic. We take photos everyday of furniture in the gallery, to use for marketing and websites, and although they show the items well they don't necessarily convey the true feeling of the rustic style. In this photo you see Tasha sitting in an Old Hickory Hoop Rocker that is probably 60+ years old. There is a rustic coffee table and a couple of other old rockers. The field stone fireplace with the nature painting and rustic frame give the perfect place to gather. It looks warm, inviting, comfortable, and relaxing. Reading instead of TV or computers. I thought that this photo really did catch a moment of what rustic is all about. You can put yourself in that moment and feel a sense of calm, with a nice deep breath and the stresses of life being left behind. Try to search out your own times to live rustic, you'll be glad you did.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

In The Workshop



Another custom order that I recently completed is a large armoire. It was made out of rough cut, ship lap Pine. I got the wood from a local mill. Of course this wood had warps and twists that added to the challenge of building. The inside is a smoother side of the wood that I attached with copper head nails. I left the inside natural so that it would be a bit brighter for finding clothes. The top was attached with steel cut nails for an older look. In this case I tried to make it look more like old barn wood, so I stained it. It took a couple of tries to find the stain that looked the best, but in the end I think it does have a nice old barn wood look to it. I used black iron strap hinges on the doors, also to give it a more authentic look. The doors are made from wider (15") Pine, one board for each door. One cool rustic feature on this cabinet was using a natural burl for the door handles. The whole piece was finished with a couple coats of a natural poly whey. I was very pleased with how it came out, let me know what you think.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Rustic Birch Bark Frame


I recently completed this Birch Bark frame for a customer of ours. I made the base of the frame out of rough cut Pine and stained it dark. The corners are at 45 degree angles and joined with biscuits. The customer wanted as much Birch Bark as possible showing on this size frame. In this case I used 1/4" dowels instead of twigs so that more attention would go to the bark and not to natural shaped twigs. I stained the dowels and attached them with brass head nails. It is a great match for this Owl photo and matting.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Rustic Furniture SALE

Wilderness Creations is having it's winter SALE, both in store and online. Save 20% on our website www.RusticFurnitureGallery.com. Your discount will be applied automatically at check out. Visit our Gallery in Dublin, New Hampshire and save up to 40% on in stock items! We've got hundreds of rustic furniture items and Adirondack home accessories in stock. Sale only runs until January 25th, so don't hesitate to take advantage of these large discounts off of our already low prices. Call 603-563-7010 with any questions, or email us at info@rusticfurnituregallery.com

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Stowe, Vermont.


The new lodge at Spruce Peak in, Stowe VT, is quite spectacular. It is huge, and well designed. There are beautiful views and outdoor activities right out the door. The lodge is filled with rustic Hickory furniture and other great rustic accents and furniture. The benches, the chairs, the bar stools and so on. The lighting is high quality and attractive. You know that the designers had great confidence in the furniture if they were willing to put it into that challenging environment. Thousands of people each day pass through there with their wet jackets and rugged ski boots.

I have been visiting Stowe for over 25 years now, and enjoy every visit. We have family that has lived and worked in town for 20 years, which has helped us to know the town and it's people. Our rustic style furniture and home accents are a perfect fit with the Stowe way of life. A natural, outdoor feel with the highest quality. The residents and visitors to Stowe are people who enjoy and respect their natural surroundings, but also understand quality and value. Wilderness Creations offers rustic and Adirondack style furniture that is built to last, so now you can add a touch of the Spruce Peak Lodge at Stowe to your own home.
Call us for more information on great furniture for Stowe and other parts of Vermont,
603-563-7010. Visit us online at http://www.rusticfurnituregallery.com/


Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Rustic Office Furniture



Rustic Furniture = More Creativity


Make your workplace a more beautiful, more creative, and more productive space, with high quality furniture. It's easy and quick to run down to your local office supply store for a new desk, but is it going to last, is it going to inspire? No is the answer. Shouldn't you invest in quality? This is where you and others in the business do their work, all day, everyday. You put great thought into your other business investments, such as marketing, advertising, technology and so forth. The furnishings in your workplace also deserve careful consideration. You and your work team should be comfortable and energized. The natural forms of rustic and Adirondack furniture will help the creativity flow. You don't have to spend your day worrying if your desk is going to collapse if you add one more sliver of paper. Handcrafted and made with pride in the USA, this furniture will last. I recently got this message from a friend: "Work gave me a new desk, the press-wood is so permeated with s*#% my head hurts, nose is dry, and eyes are watering. Nasty s#!*." You get the idea. How is that a good idea for work or home? A pressed board, glued, filled with chemicals, made in China, ugly desk. Give it some thought and take some time to choose a nice desk for your workplace. You spend a lot of time there and want to do your best work. And don't forget a good comfortable chair to go with it.
Questions: 603-563-7010
Many sizes and styles available.