Once again we at Ted’s Woodshop are head over heels busy getting ready for two upcoming holiday craft fairs. We’d love to see you in Kenai at the high school Nov. 27 and 28 (Friday and Saturday) for the Peninsula Art Guild’s Kenai Arts and Crafts Fair. We’ll also be at the Homer Nutcracker Faire the following weekend, Dec. 5 and 6 (Saturday and Sunday) at the Homer High School.
Our Booth at the Kenai Arts and Crafts Fair (Half of It, Anyway)
Both fairs offer a great opportunity to support small local businesses and the local economy – and you won’t find a better variety of high-quality, handcrafted gifts. Neither venue charges an admission fee, parking is free and plentiful, and you would be amazed at the craftsmanship and creativity of the artists who exhibit at the fairs.
Cherry and Walnut Acorn Ornaments
For 2015 we’ll have a few new items, as well as the full range of items sold through our Ted’s Woodshop website and locally in Homer at Ptarmigan Arts gallery throughout the year. This year’s new items include:
- Small Spinning Tops — great for little kids and fun for big kids, too
- Turned Christmas Ornaments
- Stainless Vegetable Peelers
- New and Improved Cheese Planes
- Cheese Boards
- Color Grain Salt and Pepper Shaker Sets
- Open Bowls with Food-Safe Finishes — excellent for salads or as fruit bowls
The new vegetable peelers will cut in either direction, making them suitable for either left-handed or right-handed users.
Stainless Vegetable Peelers with Turned Wooden Handles
These two bowls, turned from solid pieces of ambrosia maple and blackline spalted maple, have a food-safe finish on them. While you need to hand wash and dry them, and not even think about putting them in the dishwasher, they are made to be used and enjoyed.
Ambrosia Maple Bowl with Food-Safe Finish
The ambrosia maple bowl is accented with a beaded rim.
Blackline Spalted Maple Bowl with a Food-Safe Finish
Did you have a top when you were a kid? Did yours spin? Mine was a dud and I never had much luck with it. But even I can get these tops to spin. Ted spends a lot of time carefully cutting and balancing these two types of tops, and every one of them works like a charm. This year we have simple spinning tops that are good for little kids, as there are no moving parts and no strings to deal with. We also have larger ball bearing spinning tops that behave like a gyroscope. They are all great fun and make a superb no-tech gift.
Spinning Tops (L and R) and Ball Bearing Top (Center)
This collection of colorful wine bottle stoppers is turned from SpectraPly, a hardwood product made from layers of pigmented birch veneer. Unfortunately our supplier, and everyone else’s, has turned its attention to providing stock for large commercial ventures (like the production of gunstocks) and no longer offers this wonderful product to craftsmen and hobbyists. We don’t know when, if ever, we’ll be able to get this wide variety of colors and patterns so if you see something you like you might want to act now.
SpectraPly Wine Bottle Stoppers with a Silicone Base
We look forward to seeing our repeat customers at the upcoming fairs … and if we haven’t yet met you, stop by and say hello. At the Kenai high school Nov. 27-28, you can find us in our booth in spaces 139-140 in the glass hallway leading from the front entrance and auditorium commons area to the gymnasium. We’re right across from the rest rooms. At the Homer high school Dec. 5-6, we will be in the gymnasium in space 78, right inside the doorway leading from the commons to the gym.
