MEB'S KITCHENWARES

"Just a Spoon" with guest blogger, Fleur

6/7/2017

You did what? They said.

I drove 2 hours, met a woman called Meb, spent 4 hours making 2 wooden spoons, then drove home, 2 hours.
Right......

And yet. When I explain why I did that, and what fun it was, and show off my beautiful spoons, the mockers more often than not confess to having a favourite wooden spoon of which they are really quite fond. They hold and stroke my new and unique spoons, turn them over in their hands, simulate some stirring of an imaginary soup or stew and are taken by how pleasing they are. And all of a sudden it doesn't seem like such a crazy thing to have done. If they choose to think about it, people are sometimes surprised by the strength of their feelings for a humble wooden spoon.

New Craftspeople Book on Kindle!

7/8/2016

Hi everyone, Meb here!

I want to let you know about a book out right now on Kindle called Craftspeople: In Their Own Words. It’s a series of stories written by all sorts of amazing craftspeople, and I’ve written a chapter in it called Sailor’s Net! The piece is a comparison of sailors and craftspeople, highlighting the similarities in temperament and skills needed for an off-the-mainstream lifestyle. Tom and I are even on the cover above the letters PLE of Craftspeople!

This eBook is a labor of love, by jeweler Valerie Hector and metal-smith David Bacharach, to benefit CERF. This amazing organization has saved so many craftspeople, including us, Meb’s Kitchenwares, during Tom’s bout with colon cancer. (You can read the story about that, titled Topping Out on our website.) If you’re not familiar with Kindle, (it’s new to me, too), the authors are listed alphabetically. You’ll find my story under B for Boden!

There are so many fun articles, as well as serious stories—I enjoy just nibbling a few each day. Then, I follow up by going to the craftsperson’s website, listed at the end of the Table of Contents, to see more of their work! Here’s a link to purchase the eBook: Craftspeople: In Their Own Words.

If you’re like me, you enjoy leafing through pages, using sticky notes or (eek!) highlighters or (double eek!) dog-earring… so you’ll be pleased to know that there’s a hardcover version in the works. See the Generosity Page to help make that happen. It’s getting so close to becoming a reality—today, they’ve reached 84% of their goal! Visit Craftspeople Book for Craft Emergency Relief Fund to learn more and pitch in!

You Never Know!

8/24/2015

I’m participating in an interesting show this Sunday—a Kosher Barbeque! Thirty BBQ teams and no pork. I’m salivating already. I asked the organizers if it was in poor taste to bring along our curly-tailed pigs, of which some have recently sprouted wings. She gave us the go-ahead, even before hearing the following story.

Three years ago in Tarrytown

A woman came into my craft show booth, walked directly to a large pig cutting board, stood for a moment, sighed and walked out. Twice more during the day, she repeated the routine.

Near closing time, she came back with her husband and gestured to the pig. The man rolled his eyes. She burst out laughing.

She looked at me and giggled. “I love that pig!” she said. “I’m a rabbi and I keep kosher, but I love that pig!”

They made a sweet picture winding through the closing booths in the sunset: the husband, the rabbi and the kosher pig.

The Longest Winter Ever

4/15/2015

The Longest Winter Ever is finally drawing to a close here in northeastern Connecticut. We still have a few small mountains of snow deep in our home woods—shoulder-deep pockets of winter holding the promise of spring under packed ice, surrounded by delicate snowdrops and daffodil shoots. Tom and I spent a glorious weekend as many of you did, I’m sure—raking, pruning and clearing out debris left by the deep snow. Finally!!

We spent the previous months snowbound in the workshop—creating custom orders (whale tail utensils, monogrammed baby hands and wedding platters), designing great new pieces (trivets, pig-tail spoons), carving many hearts, teaching a fun program for Rectory School and training an apprentice in the woodshop.

After a years-long search for an office assistant, Serendipity stepped in and brought Christina to us—see her fun treatment of my whale tail utensils on our home page. Later when I needed a hand in the shop, dear Christina showed off her exceptional eye-hand coordination and artistry by carving anything I threw at her! It’s truly a pleasure to pass along skills to such a talented young person. The stress level has gone down considerably since her arrival. Make it a point to meet her at shows this year—you’ll see why I’m so happy!

Oasis

2/24/2015

January and now February are nearly gone and still no blog or updated website. What have we been up to, you might wonder?

After the third (or was it the fourth?) storm, we just gave up on going home and moved into the workshop full-time. Which leaves many hours (no need to split firewood) available for carving custom pieces, building up stock for spring shows, breaking in a new office assistant (Mary Jo will soon leave us ): to work full time at the library) AND a spoon sander, ordering supplies, playing with new designs in Tom’s sanding booth and generally catching our breath after our busiest yet holiday season.

In between shoveling, plowing, chipping back ice dams and raking roofs, we’ve managed to get some fine work underway in the workshop. We’ve enjoyed snow-shoeing and visiting friends. We’re still building in an apartment at a friend’s house.

Soon enough, our shows will start. We’ll hit the road and take pleasure from the routine of old friends and feedback from customers and hotels and setting up the booth and a different form of pressure…

But for now, we’re enjoying this “time out” from the rest of the year. Our oasis!

Artists Open Studios

11/18/2014

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Our Favorite Event—Artists Open Studios!

Consider this blog an invitation to my favorite event on our calendar—Open Studios in the workshop!

I hope you can join us to see the unique tools we use to make our fun pieces, check out Tom’s latest innovations in our work spaces, and pick through our wonderful array of New England hardwoods awaiting inspiration.

We’re always grateful for this opportunity to neaten the workshop in preparation for your visits—it’s like our New Year: cleaning out the unused and unnecessary, then spreading out the fresh possibilities that have been hidden by the junk. We dust and clean and decorate the workshop whether it needs it or not! We haul out unfinished work and complete it. We dust off and plane down the boards so you can decide just WHERE you want that special gift placed to accentuate the design and grain. I neaten my scary desk and Tom clears his drawing board.

While you’re on the road, follow the signs to other studios and group shows for an amazing array of talent here in our Quiet Corner of Connecticut: from wall art (paintings and photographs) to exquisite furniture and refinished chairs, quilts and functional wares made of clay, metal, fiber and wood. If you find websites confusing and YOU’D LIKE ONE OF THOSE BEAUTIFUL FLYERS WITH PHOTOS AND A MAP, SEND ME YOUR SNAIL MAIL ADDRESS. Quickly!!

Education is the basis for this event. It’s always satisfying to see light bulbs go on when we show our tools and work methods—from positioning the grain correctly to oiling the finished piece.

As usual, we'll have kindling for those who heat with wood—these are our cutoffs from sawing out spoons and boards, lovely pieces of dry hardwood with pointy bits that are so easy to light (BYOBox!). As usual, we’ll give out Canna bulbs--those tall, red tropical trumpet flowers that hummingbirds love so well—to overwinter inside, then plant in late spring.

And this year, we’ll start a new tradition: bring in your utensils and boards (Meb’s Kitchenwares only please!) for a freshening up on our super-fast workshop tools and a dip in our special oil. Note: Please clean thoroughly beforehand—soap, water and scrubby—so any oils don’t grease up our sandpaper.

We hope you can visit us during this special time.

If you can’t make it, we often have visitors at other times of the year, preferably on rainy days when we can't be working on the homestead. And if you want to try Skyping during the event, give a call on the office phone: 860-974-3504 to see if it’s a good time.

I trust that this year has brought you more good than bad and that you are able to give thanks for the blessings.

All our best, Meb and Tom

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Priorities

9/15/2014

With the fall season already in full crispy swing, we’ve made a startling decision. This year, we told each other, we’re determined not feel the usual pressure of the holidays. We’d like to relax and celebrate a bit ourselves. With that in mind, we’ve cancelled FOUR (EEK!) of our standard fall shows.

For many years now, we’ve traveled to 20 plus shows a year—one nearly every other week! This year, we’ll do only eleven.

We started off smoothly enough, relaxed after no shows from January to May. We’d gone back to our roots—doing construction work and making stained glass panels –satisfying work that paid our rent while we waited for the way to become clear.

Our first show at the Bruce Museum was a fabulous comeback, showcasing some new work and getting an award. Even the first weekend of Lincoln Center was fun. But quickly we fell back into our old ways with a second grueling Lincoln Center, a huge wholesale order and two new, not financially rewarding shows. It’s hard to catch up on rest and serenity.

But we’re making health and happiness our priorities this year. Our hope is that by doing fewer shows, we’ll have more time to devote to website sales and custom orders as well as to the few shops we supply with our wares. And we really MUST put the roof shingles on the house!

Already, we’re feeling less stressed by paying fewer booth fees, hotel and travel costs. I’m confident that we can again find inventive ways to make money. It seems easier when we’re not running frazzled-ly about, putting out fires, constantly on the road and never home in our safe haven.

We feel sure that these changes will help us better spend this one life we have to live. We’ll let you know how it goes…

A Solitary Profession

7/29/2014

Woodworking is a solitary profession. Much of our time is spent alone/together in the workshop: noisy machines blaring, dust spewing, the overworked dust collection system sweeping sand against the tide. Craft shows enlarge our world-- bringing feedback, social interaction and inspiration from other artists.

And then, what fun—after 12+ years creating our woodenwares, we’re winning prizes! Bruce Museum, Greenwich, CT in May--3rd Place in Wood and last weekend in Old Saybrook, CT--First Place in Wood. And in lieu of “Best Booth” at a favorite unnamed show, we’ve been assured of the primo booth location in years to come.

It’s gratifying to be recognized for the work we do as well as our presentation. It reinforces our partnership as artists and solidifies our marriage.

Our work is time-and brain-consuming, though, and we both wish there were more hours in the day for furthering our homestead and writing projects. As well, we wish for more time to just enjoy each other’s company—Life is so short.

So this week, we’ll combine our Vermont wood-purchasing trip with a family reunion and a bit of vacation. We hope to return with fabulous wood, better attitudes and rested souls.

Happy Summer!

Lincoln Center is about Survival!

6/26/2014

We made it through the 2 shows in a row! Fabulous! Grueling! Great people! Arduous! NYC! Heavenly weather! Long! In a word-- BLUR!

Yes, we DO have to break down on the first Sunday night (we finally park the van at midnight). We drive home on Monday and back to the City again on Friday night. Then we set up again Saturday at 5AM and break down—again—on Sunday, finishing at midnight. We spend that time between shows recuperating, paying that 8.875% sales tax (so I don’t have to pay in a lump sum next year) mowing the lawn and making some more pieces.

As usual, I forgot to drink enough water and consistently eat good food, so I went a bit crazy, but got it together enough to play fiddle last weekend at Chelsea’s (logo and photos)* wedding!

I’m trying to apply the good lessons learned from our “sabbatical”, so now that I’m somewhat back on track, I plan to continue the learning this weekend at a new show for us—in Norwalk, CT. Sue Gordon Brown is producer for this show—we figure it’ll be lovely, as she also produces the amazing Bruce Museum show in May.

* Chelsea took most of the professional photos on this site AND drew the fork and spoon logo that defines US—our BRAND on each wooden piece we make, on all of our tags and card and at the top of each page of this website.

Back in the Saddle Again!

5/28/2014

Bruce Museum Fine Craft Show--What a lovely comeback for this, our first show of 2014!

The Bruce staff and volunteers treat the artists like, well, Respected Artists!—a gratifying change from shows where we’re simply background, entertainment or salespeople. A wide range of talent and gorgeous craft was available to the public as usual.

Food and drink was always available to us and booth sitters if we needed to run off for a moment. The Saturday Night Dinner was a banquet of homemade delicacies—Museum Exhibits director, Anne von Stuelpnagel makes a kielbasa dish that I’ve droolingly remembered since last year’s Dinner. This year’s party favor was a luscious book from the Bruce Museum press-- Paris Portraits: Artists, Friends, and Lovers—a new treasure for our bookcases.

And then, the awards ceremony...Sue Brown Gordon, the festivals manager, is the funniest master of ceremonies, besides being a gifted jeweler and the Very Best Show Director. Meb’s Kitchenwares won our first award: a beautiful yellow ribbon for the Wood Category!

I reveled in chatting with friends we haven’t seen since December. I’d forgotten the great pleasure of talking to people about our work. Now, when I’m in the workshop, I re-live those conversations, the feedback comes out through my fingers, the beautiful wood inspires more conversations—and so it goes, round and round.

Tried out an owl which now lives in Hawaii at Puu Pueo (Owl Hill). Tom’s gorgeous tongs live in 20 more homes. One of my favorite customers picked up spoons she’d ordered a year and a half ago—before my stroke! Tom has made a TABLET STAND (check it out in Fresh From the Workshop) All in all, a lovely show!

And since we were also financially successful, we depleted our stock—so now it’s nose-to-the-grindstone as we make many more pieces for our summer shows!

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