Showing posts with label NH Made Products. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NH Made Products. Show all posts

Monday, November 10, 2008

Sharon Dugan, Basketmaker


NH Trees - Shaker Traditions
NH Made Products

Sharon Dugan is a nationally recognized black ash basketmaker who has been creating baskets for over twenty years.

Initially learning Appalachian type baskets from her mother, Sharon worked in reed and natural found materials. After discovering ash splint and Shaker design in the early 80’s she experimented with that material and in 1987 left the world of advertising and graphic arts to study with local ash basketmakers including the well known Martha Wetherbee.

In 1997, feeling confident enough with the quality of her work, she applied to and was juried into the highly respected League of New Hampshire Craftsmen where she is currently a member of the standards committee and a basket juror.

Sharon’s baskets have been exhibited in many competitions and exhibits across the country winning numerous awards including the Handweavers Guild of America Award for her piece “Fool The Eye” in the Northern Colorado Weavers Guild’s Fiber Celebration 2005 and Best Traditional Design for the piece “Pueblo Tapestry” in the Living with Crafts exhibit at the League of New Hampshire’s annual craft fair in 2006.

Consistently chosen to be included in Early American Life’s Annual Directory of 200 Traditional Craftsmen, Sharon is currently making Shaker and traditional baskets as well as more contemporary pieces with black ash on her own molds with her own birch handles and rims.

She strives, as did the Shakers, for consistent quality and integrity of design and construction.

Sharon Dugan, Basketmaker • 54 Oak Hill Road • Sanbornton, New Hampshire • 03269 •
603 528-5120 • sdugan@metrocast.netThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it www.sharondugan.com

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Botanical Lampshades



NH Made Products

Nature’s Beauty Illuminating Your Home Let the flowers pick you with a Botanical Lampshade; handmade in Sandwich, NH for over 50 years. These one of a kind, hand-crafted shades with pressed flowers come alive with color when illuminated, brightening your home with nature's beauty for years of enjoyment. Jennifer Allen is the fourth “generation” owner of this extraordinary shop featuring technique and design standards that have been passed from one craftsman to another. Custom work is a specialty, and over 200 different sizes are available. Call 284-7468 for an appointment at the Sandwich studio, or visit the League of NH Craftsmen store in North Conway to see an excellent selection of lampshades and bases. Prices range from $28.00 for a nightlight, to about $100.00 for the largest sizes. Lampshades can also be ordered from their website.




Botanical Lampshades is a trademarked name for a small company specializing in creative fiberglass lampshades with pressed flowers and leaves. The art of pressed flower lampshades began in the Victorian era, and lives on in Sandwich, NH, where four generations of artists have continued this craft for 56 years.


Classes & Events

Every lampshade is *handcrafted, and begins with a seed packet, as we organically grow, gather, press, and dry all of our own plant materials. We have hundreds of plant varieties to work with, and chances are good that we have some of your favorites!

Each shade is a unique work of art, individually designed, and constructed with the finest materials and hardware. Custom work is a specialty, and shades can be designed to complement your fabric swatches or wallpaper samples. We can even personalize children's shades and nightlights.

Botanical Lampshades studio is in North Sandwich, New Hampshire. Please call 603-284-7468, if you would like to visit. Bring your lamp if you would like to order a shade. Children are welcome. They can make their own flower press to bring home!

Botanical Lampshades
95 Foss Flats Road
N. Sandwich, NH 03259
603-284-7468
www.botanicallampshades.com

Newfound Woodworks

NH Made Products
For nearly 18 years Michael Vermouth has been building cedar strip boats and providing plans and materials for literally hundreds of homebuilders of canoes, kayaks and rowing boats in the form of “kits”. These “kits” are in reality an assembly of specific materials that allow a first time builder to construct the most beautiful, lightweight, and relatively maintenance free wood boats available today.


The Newfound Woodworks started in 1984 as a custom woodworking business. After four years of building cabinets and furniture, Michael built his first cedar strip canoes based on the designs in a book called “Canoecraft”. This type of boat construction became Michael’s passion and soon the boat building and kit manufacturing overwhelmed the cabinet making. The range of boat designs now includes canoes, kayaks and rowing boats.

-These boats are really wood-cored fiberglass construction. The wood provides beauty and shape; fiberglass and epoxy provide strength, durability, and moisture resistance. Most designs are based on historic designs from years past when people simply paddled or rowed. However, the construction methods utilize sophisticated marine CAD computer programs, CNC routers, and the leading marine epoxies. The Newfound Woodworks is a place where the designs are ageless and the beauty is astounding.

The Woodworks is also the founder and principal organizer of one of NH's best wooden boat events the Newfound Rendezvous.


Newfound Woodworks • 67 Danforth Brook Road • Bristol, New Hampshire 03222-9418 • 603-744-6872 • 603-909-8939 • E-mail: info@newfound.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it • www.newfound.com


Saturday, November 1, 2008

R & R Woodworkers

NH Made Products

Robin Kosstrin and Bob Yanuck started R&R Woodworkers in January of 2002. They decided to make a truly New England product handcrafting their exceptionally comfortable Adirondack furniture from northern white cedar purchased from a small mill in Vermont.
The two comprise the perfect team. Bob, a former carpenter/builder enjoys making furniture with his own personal touch while Robin uses her organizational and social skills on the marketing side of the business.

Both Robin and Bob enjoy research and development, and are very proud of their products, particularly their comfort and classic design.

One ingredient that makes their Adirondacks different from other Adirondacks is the use of 5/4" thick cedar throughout, making them much thicker and sturdier than other similar products. “Northern white cedar is a wonderful wood.” Says Robin, “ It doesn't splinter and is naturally resistant to moisture, decay, and insects!”


Recognizing that these beautiful pieces of craftsmanship are most likely to be used in venues that are exposed to the elements, R&R Woodworkers uses elements that reflect the need for them to stand up to those elements: stainless steel screws, which will not rust, and waterproof glue.

Among their products are chair-sets - one unit with 2 chairs with a table in between; chairs; footrests; rockers - both large and small; end, coffee, and picnic tables, and their new garden bench. The latter is very sturdy, weighing 65 pounds.
If you are an aficionado of Adirondack furniture then you’ll know that not all Adirondacks are the same. Two chairs, side by side that look almost the same can be vastly different in terms of comfort. The angle is a critical factor in the chairs and the bench. We can attest that R&R have the angle right and they are “Spot On” when it comes to comfort. Even the chair backs and seats are shaped for comfort. The bench, while built with a more vertical design, is also extremely comfortable.

According to Bob, one of the most common reactions by a potential customer first sitting in one of their chairs is, "I never knew a wooden chair could be so comfortable!"

One measure of both the quality and the comfort of R & R’s line is the number of local Inns, B&B and other businesses that sport R & R furniture. Of course they know that supporting local folks who are producing a quality product is very important to the New Hampshire economy, but they also know that their customers want comfort. In the classic sense they are thinking globally and acting locally. And the prices are very reasonable.
All the furniture is made in a barn in Jackson, NH – in the heart of the White Mountains. Robin and Bob sell their products at shows such as the Made in NH Expo in Manchester, NH; and the Home, Garden, and Flower Show in Fryeburg, ME, among others. Their show schedule is listed on their website:

They are also available at several gift shops; lumber-yards; and nurseries; and, of course, phone orders and email orders are always welcome. Be aware that the good folks at R & R prize their reputation for producing a high quality line of finished products and for that reason they don’t ship, so you’ll have to make the trip to the White Mountains or one of the retailers that they work with if you are going to be lucky enough to own this line – or they will make a trip on your behalf for a nominal fee.


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The Shop in Jackson, NH


R & R Woodworkers
PO Box 548
Jackson, NH 03846
Tel: 603-383-0890
Toll Free: 866-616-9663
randrwoodworkers@earthlink.netThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.RandRWoodworkers.com

Gak’s Snaks

NH Made Products
Windham, NH
NH Mom Psychologist-Turned Entrepreneur Cooks Up a Line of Treats For Children with Food Allergies.

For the parents of the many children suffering from potentially life-threatening food allergies, finding a snack that their kids can enjoy in social situations with other children can be a challenging task. Just ask Jill Robbins. A clinical psychologist and mother of a nine year-old boy, Robbins had trouble finding snacks that her son could eat after he was found to be allergic to a number of foods at the age 18 months. So she started experimenting in the kitchen.

After many years of trial-and-error, she opened Gak’s Snacks ten months ago, providing a resource for other families like her own. At the Gak’s Snacks website and by phone she offers her cookbook and allergen-tested specialized ingredients for those who want to bake, and ready-to-eat baked goods for convenience. Her cookbook, “The Gak’s Snacks Allergy Cookbook: Baked Treats for All Occasions” contains over 100 recipes. From birthday cakes to snack bars to apple pie, there are recipes whole groups or families can enjoy together. The baked goods Gak’s Snacks currently produces are chocolate chip cookies, brownie chip cookies, and apple coffee cake. The cookbook recipes and baked goods are all peanut-free, tree nut-free, egg-free, and dairy-free. They are also made without wheat, and contain no soy except for soy lecithin. "Kids with food allergies ought to be able to have delicious treats and participate in social events that involve food just like everyone else," says Robbins.


In addition to being available through the Gak’s Snacks web site, Gak’s Snacks products are now on the shelves of several markets in New Hampshire, and are also being offered at schools in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. This summer the cookies were served to all of the campers attending the summer day camp program at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. “It’s been great to see schools and camps providing our cookies to their students and campers. That way all the kids can eat the same food together. It’s about inclusion,” Robbins says. Robbins makes it easy for parents and institutions to be enthusiastic about her products: they are whole grain, Kosher pareve, vegan, certified organic, and contain no cholesterol or trans fat. Gak’s Snacks • P.O. Box 491 • Windham, NH 03087 • www.gakssnacks.com • (603) 425-6613 • (800) 552-7172