Nash Page: Blacksmith

Today, I'm headed down to the forge to show you some fun pieces from my wonderful Nash who just did of armor for an Avalon Event. While most people know him for his fun wire jewelry, he also teaches blacksmithing as well as doing a fair amount of custom work. Nash is awesomely fun to hang out with and goof around. I hope you get to drop by and create fire with him at the forge. You can watch him at work this Saturday, September 17th from 5-7 pm.

Chuck Frank: Master Jeweler and Woodworker

Jack-of-All-Trades is what pops to mind when you think of Chuck. He is heavily involved in teaching woodworking classes at Techshop as his second career. His first having retired from being a master jeweler after 30 years of hard work.

I am so pleased to have him come talk to us twice at the DIY meeting in a few weeks. The first is about something...frankly...I just agreed to it because it was awesome. Chuck will be demonstrating wood turning on the lathe from Saturday September 17th from 1-2 pm and you may enter the raffle to win one of the bowls he will be giving away on site. Each bowl is made from reclaimed timber from local wrecks right here in North Carolina along the coast.

Because PIRATE WOOD is awesome. (The bowl on left is made of this cool wood.)

You can also drop in on his guest lecture from 4-5 pm on how to make high-end jewelry. This is a 30 min slide show presentation Chuck put together for his masters. If you are familiar with jewelry making or want to learn more, he will be taking questions. I hope you have a chance to learn from this wise elder.

Have a great day and we hope to see you next weekend.

Ruthan Freese: DIY Queen

I've never met a project Ruthan wasn't interested in. There's an amazing variety of DIY out there and if you're looking for an adventure, Ruthan is the friend invite. A good number of our late night schemes overlap as we both have a love of fabric. One of her latest ventures is custom bleached t-shirts.

They're fun, quick, and easy to make. All you need is a t-shirt, some bleach water, and a few minutes. I hope you get a chance to drop by and see her.

She will be guest crafting Sunday, September 18th from 4-5 pm.

You are welcome to drop by. We are asking you to bring $5 to cover the cost of your t-shirt for each one you make.

Have a great day and we look forward to having at the event next weekend.

Mike Natale: Master Brewer

Some people, you know just because they make you smile. Mike is one of those guys for me. While most brewers will tell you about the age, the season, or the complex history of beer, Mike doesn't do this when you walk in the bar. Instead, Mike will smile at you, slide a glass of his Raleigh Red across the table and tell you he makes a beer for people to drink. And that I think is what draws people to ROTH night after night.

A beer made for you to drink.

We're incredibly lucky to have him come talk to us Saturday, September 17th on micro-brewing and hand out free drinks. And you're welcome to wander next door afterwards enjoy the beer, food, and laughter. He's running a special all night just for us of $2 Raleigh Reds. This is probably the point to mention to you that it's my favorite.

To good beer and better friends. Can't wait to see you all next weekend. And if you get a chance to talk to Mike, tell him, "Hi, and that Dara sent you."

Ella Brooks: Assistant Fashion Designer

It is said in business, you should always try to hire people smarter than yourself because they will surprise you. Ella fits this category beautifully for me. She's a rising senior in the textile school at State and a wonderful person. While most days find her creating fabric monsters or commercial accounts for Li Sashay, she occasionally moonlights as the future talent I know she is in the process of becoming. I'm looking forward to following her career and seeing her continue to grow. If you haven't gotten to know her rising talent yet, I encourage you to check out the music video we made of the summer for saving the environment. That's Ella, holding the bag with a smile on her face.

She will be hosting the evening Etsy Berlin streaming event at the DIY Summit Saturday, September 17th from 5-9 pm. I encourage you to come out and talk to her about her upcoming hopes and dreams.

Look forward to seeing you all next weekend.

Evan Daniel: Metalworker

There's something magic about creating metal scultpure out of soft sand. I love watching Evan spin his wizardry. You never know exactly how your piece will turn out. There's an element of surprise in all good creations. The hold your breath moment. Evan has completely mastered it. I love going to his public pours once a month where he takes the rest of us uneducated types who come tottering out with a sculpture to make a mold of in random assortments of wood, clay, or plastic, and in a few minutes you have wonder.

He will be demonstrating pieces for the pour, September 17th from 7-9 pm and telling you how to create items that pour well. I invite you to come watch him and perhaps take home a piece of your own. We will have clay available to craft your own creation. You may come back for the next public pour Tues, October 11th for the Etsy Meet-up when we make them into metal sculptures.

Note: In his spare time when not doing metalwork, Evan is busy teaching and working in the area.

Falling in love with Raleigh

We're having fun this week getting ready for the Etsy DIY Summit and looking towards the fall season. After some bantering back and forth, we've decided we loved doing the 40 days of design with you over summer and want to continue the trend for fall. We're concentrating on refining our looks for you the customer with the holiday season in mind and have boiled it down to 30 unique ready-to-wear creations. You can drop by our online Etsy store as we post each new gift at the beginning of the week. We hope you love wearing them as we did making them for you.
In other news, we've been pleasantly surprised at the huge number of people who signed up this month for the Acorn to Oak Handmade group. We've had over 400 people join in the last month which has been mindblowing. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! And welcome! We love sharing our experience with you.
As an added fun part, we have decided to share with you some of our upcoming guests artists who will be speaking at the DIY Summit. These are wonderful members of our local talent community and a great resource for adding smiles to my day. I hope you get a chance to come hang out with them and see their work in person.