Valentine's Day Sale

It's never too early to think about what to get your special someone for Valentines Day. It can be too late though. Don't make my mistake and procrastinate till the day of, and then discover that the only thing you can find at the store is a bag of cookies - OK so I would have liked them, but I still hear about this epic fail every year.


So if you want to do better than I did, don't wait. I need Valentines Day orders placed by January 24th in order to make and ship them (US Only) in time. Here are some suggestions:


Gifts For Him


Manly Bling - Pens - I don't like to wear rings, watches, bracelets, or other "manly" jewelry, but a nice pen in my shirt pocket says "class." Thick pens like the cigar pen, Jr. Gentlemen Pen, and Artisan Rollerball are very masculine and classy. All pens are $5 off the listed price if you email me to place your order.


The Man Bowl - It's been said that a uterus is a homing beacon, and I take advantage of that fact daily: "have you seen my keys? Wallet? Cell Phone?" Well, give the man in your life a man bowl and give your homing beacon a vacation. Wood bowls start at $15 for a 6"x2" maple bowl and go up from there depending on choice of wood, size, and shape. $5 off the listed price if you email me to place your order.


Gifts For Her:

Spice it up with Pepper Mills: Men, it's time to pony up - say thanks for the Ipod, the GPS, the flat screen and get your babe something nice that she can enjoy every day - my hand-made pepper mills add class and distinction to the table, upping the standard for the every day dinner, and impressing guests at special occasions. Plus, spicy foods are supposed to have an aphrodasiac effect so it's win-win, right? Just don't tell her that when you give it to her, ok? Trust me - spoils the effect. All pepper mills are $10 off the listed price if you email me to place your order.


So like I said, learn from my mistake, guys - a bag of cookies just doesn't cut it, and don't wait till last minute or it will be too late. Good luck, and Happy Valentines Day!


p.s. I should mention, all of these can be laser-engraved for an additional $30, but you'll have to add another week to the time to complete the order so you'll want to order by January 17th.

One-Of-A-Kind Segmented Wood Pens

If you've never held a turned wood pen, you really don't know what you're missing. Wood has a natural warmth that you feel - if you don't believe me, try holding your cheap plastic pen, or a metal desk pen, and then switch to a wood pen and you'll see what I mean - it feels natural, warm, organic. And when it's shaped for the way you grip a pen, it's like putting on those comfortable, broken-in, old boots that just fit right. You grow attached to your wood pen, and find yourself finding excuses to carry it in your pocket - and why not? They're cool!

As a gift, a wood pen says a lot - it's something that is truly a unique present - good for the person who seems to have it all and is hard to shop for. It shows personal attention and carries with it meaning - good for any number of occasions - graduation, Fathers Day, birthday, anniversary, wedding, or just so say Thank You in a special way.

I've enjoyed turning pens for as long as I've had my lathe. They're small discrete projects that I can start and finish in a single sitting if they're from solid wood. For a busy working father of five, long processes and detailed projects are few and far between. That's why it took me so long to move into doing segmented pens. It's a move I'm glad I made. I think the results are stunning. Each pen is completely unique. Here you will see three different patterns for segmented pens, each using completely different glue-up techniques, each with its own unique challenges. Shop for segmented pens here, or email me and we'll design something completely unique for you.

If you want to know how to make a segmented pen, email me and I'll be happy to give you a step-by-step. I don't mind sharing trade secrets!

Fathers Day Sale 2010

Well, it's too late to order a unique personalized gift for Mothers Day, but hey, we all have dads too, right? Gifts from department stores or electronics stores, yeah, they're cool, but not so personal, and definitely not unique. Now's your chance to say "Love ya, Dad" in a way that he will treasure.

So here are the terms:
$10 off of any bowl, limit 10 bowls,(place order by May 24 for a segmented bowl, June 1 for other turnings.) This means bowls start at about $15.00.

Seriously, what dad doesn't need a place to put his keys and wallet when he comes home from work - no more "Honey, have you seen my wallet?" Or a candy bowl for his desk at work (my problem is I eat it all myself).

$10 off of any pen from the "Design Your Pen" page (place order by June 1) This means pens start at $15.00. If you've never used a hand-turned wood pen, you don't know what you're missing. The heft of the pen in your hand, the comfort of the wood, the shape designed for your hand, and the smooth writing tip - they're really cool, and it's nice to be the one at the conference table with the classiest pen. And in the shirt pocket, it's subtle bling that a man can be proud of.

For those LDS dads out there, $5 off any Consecrated Oil Vial - so this means that consecrated oil vials start at $20.00. More subtle than a pen, these become a treasured charm on dad's keyring that he will see and feel every day. Not just a utilitarian aluminum cylinder, these are little pieces of natural beauty befitting of the holy purpose for which they are used.

And last, but not least, order a double-shot rubber band gun rifle (including file-folder sized rubber bands) so Dad can go postal without actually getting in trouble - Fathers Day Sale price $12.50.

To cash in on this offer, don't use the "Order Now" buttons on my individual items - email me with your order and I'll send you an invoice. Thanks!!

Mothers Day Sale 2010

Mothers Day is the perfect chance to get the moms in your life gifts that say thanks - I mean, seriously, who do we owe more than the woman that brought us into the world, unless perhaps it's the woman who is the mother of our children. So you can wait till a few days before Mothers Day and then run to Walmart and get some token gift that doesn't really say much except that she was an afterthought (been there, done that, sorry Liz), or you can place an order with me now to make something as unique as she is, that says you appreciate her in a personal way. Plus, these things take time to make, so your forethought will be obvious too.

So here are the terms:
$10 off of any bowl, limit 10 bowls,(place order by Apr. 11 for a segmented bowl, Apr. 18 for other turnings.)






$20 off of a Salt and Pepper Grinder set (Place order by Apr. 11)











$10 off of a Salt and Pepper Shaker Set (Place order by Apr. 18)







$10 off of any pen from the "Design Your Pen" page (place order by Apr. 18)

To cash in on this offer, don't use the "Order Now" buttons on my individual items - email me with your order and I'll send you an invoice. Thanks!!

Corporate Gifts - Hand-Turned Wood Pens

As the holidays approach, businesses often look for a special way to thank key clients, employers wish to thank their staff, and employees often contribute as a group for gifts for their bosses. There are a myriad of companies out there that offer cheap products, mass-produced marked up drastically in order to include a painted company logo. If it is the thought that counts, well, perhaps such gifts represent an opportunity lost. Why not give something unique that shows real thought?

My hand-turned wood pens are all made from natural solid wood, and finished with clear natural shellac for a glossy-finished, one-of-a-kind pen. Parts are the Artisan brand components, for quality and durability. You can choose from one of ten part finishes, and any number of native or exotic wood species. And each one can be shaped differently for comfort and style. The result is a unique, beautiful, personal gift that shows the recipient that what they do maters. I had one client say about his pen, "It's a bit of a conversation starter. Not to mention it looks great, and is an addition to any well organized desk. I also like to think it shows a little something about the person who carries it. Gives off a refined professional touch to any aspiring entrepreneur. Shows class and style. Accents your intentions as a businessman." I couldn't have put it better myself.

So visit my pens page today and design the pens you want. Email or call me for a price quote. Give a gift that they'll appreciate for years to come and show those whose business or service you appreciate that they matter to you. Happy Holidays!

A Bowl of Pens

I've been experimenting with different pen forms for my slimline pens, with different kinds of woods, and different finishes, and several styles of each are shown here. To see the individual pens, see my Pens page. For more bowls, see my Bowls page. I'm trying to build up inventory for a booth in a craft fair this fall - once I get finished turning the pen kits I've got on hand, I'll be making a chess set, a chess board, some shelves, stools, benches, and stuff like that, so don't get too down that all you've seen for a while are my pens.

From top to bottom, the pens are from box elder burl, lignum vitae, bloodwood, maple, purpleheart, oregon myrtlewood, and another purpleheart. The Bowl is ambrosia maple.

Incidentally, I've also lowered my prices - for the basic 24k gold twist pen with base price wood, you're looking at only $25.00. A bowl like that shown is $24.00.