The 47th Annual Festival of the Arts in Chatham takes place

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
August 17, 18, 19, 2018
Daily 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

We're joining 120 nationally recognized artisans and craftspeople working in a huge variety of mediums, in Chase Park, Chatham, Cape Cod.

There will be a Children's Tent, food and ice cream trucks to keep the whole family energized. 

Parking is available, with a free shuttle to the park entrance - get details here.

See the rest of our 2018 Show Schedule here. Can't wait to see you!

Between 4th of July, weddings, graduations, family reunions, and backyard BBQs, we hope you're looking forward to a fun summer season of cooking, serving, and spending time with loved ones.

With all this cooking, do you know the best way to clean and maintain your wooden utensils and serving pieces?

Watch this short video, where Meb will show you the easy, non-toxic way to keep your woodenwares looking beautiful and working perfectly.

Check out the wonderful video profile put together for us by Mary Ruth Shields, Gallery and Shop Manager at Wesleyan Potters. See all of our cool tools and learn how we make sure your piece is unique and beautiful!

​Thank you to Mary Ruth for visiting us and learning about our process.

You can find our pieces in the Wesleyan Potters Gallery/Shop in Middletown, CT.

This summer we plan to offer our elegant, yet tiny (156 SF) cabin (where we lived for 17 years) as an airbnb! Included is our bathouse/writer's cabin, pictured above.
 
Off-grid 156 SF cabin for 2, with tenting space nearby. Includes bathhouse/writer’s cabin, cooking facilities, linens, water and Solar Electricity. Can provide tents, walks with naturalist, photographer. Spoon-making workshops .

Provided:
2-burner cast iron propane stove
Linens and towels
All kitchenware for cooking, eating and serving
Clothes line
Shelves for clothing
Foot pump for 20-gallon cold water tank
Propane heater if needed
DVD player plus some movies
Ceiling fan
Screen door and windows
Campfire and firewood
Stainless propane grill
Outhouse (or indoor sawdust composting toilet if needed)
Solar-powered Electricity
Fold-out futon couch for 2
                Or 2 comfortable cots
                Or tenting
Plenty of reading material
Can do whatever you require--
We can be here or go away if you want privacy
We will even food shop for you          
Local swimming
Hiking
State parks
Shopping - No Malls!!
Antiques
Tag sales

Available for Extra fees - TBD:
Tent for 4
Tent for 2
Somewhat slow Internet access
Walks with naturalist at their cost
Walks with photographer at their cost
Workshop day—make a spoon (rental fees are reduced)
Personal motocross track next door: rental of bikes and equipment

At the homestead, our first finished wall! Painted wood. Ready for charge controller, large inverter and a box for all the house wiring.  Then we’ll hook up the refrigerator and running water!
 
The "Gorgon's Head" that I sculpted 40 years ago for the Opera Company of Boston, now presides.  

We have insulated south "windows", three weeks of firewood stacked in the sun room, and a temporary kitchen with a real draining sink! 

And happily, a finished ceiling and upstairs floor. 

Thanks to you who have placed orders with Meb’s Kitchenwares and then waited patiently for your pieces to arrive. The oncologist asked for a six-month commitment, so till mid April, I’m looking at chemo as my first job. This is frustrating, but made easier since my fingers aren’t working up to capacity.

We are looking toward spring, however:
Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT will be our first show of 2018.  May 19 to 20.
We hope you will come and see us there.

Hello from Lisa at the Workshop for Meb’s Kitchenwares:

I want to introduce myself to you. I started working with Meb & Tom in October of this year, hand-crafting beautiful New England wooden wares. Under Meb’s guidance, I am learning how to shape blocks of hardwood into finely finished pieces, that invite touch, and seem to nestle into the shape of a hand. I feel privileged to be able to do this creative work, bringing an object of use and beauty out of its raw real material. In today’s throw away world of surface flash with no substance, it is deeply gratifying to produce something of intrinsic and lasting value.

If you are reading this newsletter, you have met Meb. Perhaps it was in her booth at a show, surrounded by gleaming wooden creations. Or you may have become part of the “family” of those who have visited the workshop, or who own a special cutting board, or a curly spoon? You will have perceived a person who is enthusiastic, creative, and warm. I have come to know my friend Meb as
unfailingly positive in the face of difficulties, unbelievably hardworking, and with a hilarious sense of laughter and quickness to joy.

In October, weeks after I started working in the shop, Meb was diagnosed with
breast cancer, and started chemotherapy. We did the 3-day show at St. John the Divine Cathedral in New York city together, me working the booth while Meb snuck off for a nap in the pews from time to time. Two weeks later I went to the shop and found her shaping spoons at the sander with a wool scarf tucked around her head… her hair had fallen out the night before! She made a joke about it and then said “Just keep calm and carry on, right?”, and we both continued working together to get the custom orders out in time for Christmas.

Meb is a trooper, but she is finding her energy and creative thinking are being
severely sapped by the chemotherapy. Together, friends have set up a YouCaring fund raising site, to help her get through this tough time, as the business which relies so much on her hard work and know-how is down.

Please consider taking a look and helping Meb and Tom if you are able.

Many Thanks,
Lisa
 

Dear Friends,

Many of you know I received a diagnosis of breast cancer in November 2017. I am undergoing attentive treatment, and the good news is that I have a positive prognosis (the tumor is actually shrinking!) that this will be but a short blip in an otherwise blessedly healthy life.

For now though, please know that undergoing treatment means that my energy is not quite at its usual high level. Living off the grid certainly gives a unique twist to treatment! I am working (oh, I absolutely must continue my work and holiday orders will go out this week), but my hours are shorter, and my response time to emails is also.

Many have asked what they can do to help. My dear friend Maria has created a fund raising site for me to help wrangle with personal costs and medical bills. If you care to participate in this, the site is: https://www.youcaring.com/mebboden-1034636  Otherwise, please continue your gracious thoughts and prayers for my quick recovery. I can’t tell you how much these mean to me.

I so appreciate the support and encouragement that you all have shown me during this time.  How fortunate I am to have so many friends and fans who send me love throughout the week. Please continue to keep in touch, and let’s look toward 2018 with an artful, crafty spirit.

Happy Holidays to all!
Meb

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!