A whole lot of love

If you've worked with us or follow us on social media you'll have seen a whole lot of love in our correspondence and our posts. That's not a 'marketing ploy'. It's real. 

It's all about the love that David and I have for the work we do and how grateful we are for each and every one of you.

   

In 7th grade, I was fortunate to have had a truly inspirational teacher.  He inspired and encouraged my love of acting and writing and set me on a course that would have a huge impact on my life.  At the end of Grade 7 which was the transition point from Elementary School to Junior High, my beloved teacher, Victor Wilson gave me with a copy of 'The Prophet' by Kahlil Gibran with a personal note of love and encouragement inscribed on the inside cover. I will never forget that marvelous teacher and have always felt The Prophet to be my own personal book of psalms.
When I consider my life and my work, a single phrase from Gibran often comes to mind. 

"Work is love made visible."

Here is an excerpt from Kahlil Gibran
'On Work'
 
"And what is it to work with love?
It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart,
even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth.
It is to build a house with affection,
even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.
It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy,
even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit.
It is to charge all things you fashion with a breath of your own spirit,
And to know that all the blessed dead
are standing about you and watching."


This is how David and I approach our work. 

After almost two decades of Touch Wood Rings and working with folks from all over the world, it is still just the two of us and our hands and hearts committed to you, your beloved and your rings.  That's our guarantee. 

When an individual or couple chooses to work with us ~ we are honoured and humbled.  By the time David is creating a ring for you, we count you among our friends. You become part of our family. That's our promise, With Love. Always.

From a Cedar Log at Whiskey Gulch

In January of this year Peder contacted us saying he would be interested in designing a ring to be made out of a piece of cedar from a full size cedar log that had washed ashore on his family's water front property at Whiskey Gulch near Homer, Alaska.  Peder’s family has owned the land for a long time and decided to never build on it.  Jessica and Peder spend summers there camping and enjoying the beauty!!

Knowing that we like to have a photograph of the folks we're working with, Peder sent a lovely pic of himself and Jessica noting that she's the pretty girl on the left, he's the bearded fellow on the right. : ) 

David and Peder had some back and forthing about how best to cut wood from the log so it that would be workable and beautiful for Jessica's ring.  

After making its journey from Anchorage to William's Lake, in May, David proceeded to craft that chunk of precious log into an inlay with a featured knot on Birch wood. 

 David's initial cuts into Peder's wood showed up some nice workable knots.  

 skipping ahead a bit, here's a pic of Jessica's ring as a work in progress

 and her finished ring .... 

Earlier this month, Peder writes:

I finally gave Jessica the ring and she absolutely loved it! She was totally surprised and completely blown away by the ring, what it was, where it came from, 

the craftsmanship, etc."

And just the other day, this lovely email from Jessica arrived.

"I wanted to reach out and thank you both for helping Peder Reiland create my engagement/wedding ring. It is a perfect reflection of our love and life together. I have attached some photos from the special moment.  Thank you again for helping to create something that means so much."

Thanks so much Peder and Jessica.

David and I wish you both continued happiness and clear, bright Alaskan skies.

New Year coming. New Beginnings

Birch
First month of the Celtic Tree calendar: December 24th - January 20th. First consonant of the Ogham alphabet - Beith  Birch gives the essence of truth. It is considered the 'giving tree'.
Since the dawn of human kind, birch bark has been highly valued and utilized for all manner of things to benefit us 'two legged's'. It is after all, the bark of the giving tree. The birch bark David uses to create his braided inlays is lovingly collected from the ground around the birch trees where we live. Because of the remarkable preservative properties of birch bark, it is possible to use the bark from dead or fallen trees to make all sorts of things.  
Birch wood is a good hard wood which David jokingly calls hammer handle material.  It's serviceable wood but not especially pretty being without any remarkable grain or figure. Having said that, David can create a beautiful ring from almost any wood and there are lots of ways to include a particular wood without having it be the primary focus of a ring.

Birch trees prefer cool, moist areas, including peat bogs, river banks and lake shores. Birch can be found in larger numbers in cool damp woods and forests were the ground does not dry out for most of the year.

Birch wood is often used for fire wood because it burns well without popping, even when frozen. Birch bark can be easily used to start fires and the bark can also be peeled into thin sheets to make a paper like kindling that can be ignited even with sparks. We don't burn birch or the precious bark.

LESSON OF THE BIRCH
The birch tree symbolizes a fresh start and can bring courage and determination to those of us who are treading the path of spiritual growth and development for the first time.
Although the birch does appear fragile, it is in fact extremely hardy. This teaches us that in apparent weakness there is often to be found great strength.
The birch also promises new life and love, and is a potent symbol of purification and renewal, which focuses our attention on our potential for the change and on the consideration of new directions and goals to be experienced in our lives.
It teaches the lesson of unselfishness and of caring for the needs of others in ways that help them to flourish of their own accord.

 

BEGINNINGS are always important, as are the ways we approach any new task. Good preparation and a willingness to lay the ground on which we will build are every bit as valuable as the eventual outcome. The Green Man's wisdom here is specific: make a good start and whatever you are undertaking will end well.  This means paying attention to the moment of inspiration (which the Celts called 'awen') and following this to a satisfactory conclusion.
 
Traditionally birch was used to drive out evil spirits and return to sanity those who had become mad. Its calendrical association is with the beginnings of the year, and with the sacred festival of Samhain, hence its connection with making a fresh start. The birch is also one of the first trees to flower in the spring.

Wishing our new friends and old friends alike a wonderful new beginning this year!
_
________________________________
Sources / Thanks to
www.treenames.net 
www.thegoddesstree.com
Lesson of the Birch. The Wisdom of Trees by Jane Gifford 
Beginnings. The Green Man Oracle by John Matthews and Will Worthington

Falling in love

Ask anyone who has known me since I was about 5 years old.  I fall in love all the time; with people, places, ideas...  It just so happens that the work David and I do has over the years amassed a community of people who are imminently loveable. Here is one small family I had the pleasure of falling in love with this year.

 

Marcie first contacted us in January.  Marcie and Dan make their home in the beautiful Columbia Valley of British Columbia.  Dan makes maps for Kootenay and Yoho Parks so they spend lots of time in the mountains.  Marcie was working on Chinook and Coho salmon projects with DFO but now she's very happy to be the primary caregiver to their beloved son; River.  River is just over a year old now and what a beautiful family they are.

This from Marcie's initial letter:  "My partner Dan and I are getting married this year and were going to forgo rings until I came across Touch Wood Rings.  The rings David creates are absolutely beautiful!  We are excited to find something that resonates with us and fits with our lifestyle and our values.  We hope that you are able to make a couple of rings for us."

And off we went...   Marcie and I talked for a few months about different ideas for their rings, what woods they might want to use and design ideas. And we talked about all sorts of other things too.  Rocks and gardens and children, birds and beavers and the changing seasons; that kind of thing.  Her emails always felt like sitting down and having a coffee together.

In the end, they decided to have David craft them rings of Pacific Yew Wood  with Birch and Walnut.

Dan and Marcie each wrote us beautiful letters after they received their rings.  This first one from Dan:

"Hi Nicola,  Just writing to say Thank you both with all our hearts for the beautiful rings. I picked them up today. The pictures you sent of them were fantastic and got us very excited, but in our hands they are just gorgeous.

David, you have an amazing talent and you both are extremely creative. Thanks for learning your artisan trade so well and providing a perfect option for so many people who don't want the traditional gold and diamond ring. The detail is stunning, the pieces of wood you use are so very interesting. I love that there is a unique grain in the wood, and some distinct markings that I'll get to know, memorize and love over time. By the way, despite the multiple sizings and sizes we received, the rings are a perfect fit!
We feel very lucky to have stumbled across your website, and more-so that you are relatively local.   Nicola, it's been wonderful looking over Marcie's shoulder to read your emails and look at the wonderful pictures you sent as winter unfolded into spring. It would be even more wonderful to meet the two of you in person one day. We look forward to the chance of it happening. Keep us in mind if you ever travel through our area as well. We'd love to have you as visitors.    All the best, Dan"

And from Marcie ...

"Hi Nicola    I just wanted to thank both you and David for our beautiful rings.  I know Dan already sent you a note, but I also wanted to say thanks.
David truly is an amazing artist; we marvel at the skill and craftsmanship of the rings.  He chose the wood very well and we feel they just glow.  He must be a very patient fellow to do such fine work - it seems exceedingly difficult to me.  We will cherish these rings.  Having wood rings is very meaningful to us, but more so because they were made with such obvious love and passion.  I feel the rings will hold the warmth and love that both David and you put into them.
I have truly enjoyed our emails and getting to know you.  We will stay in touch for sure, and will come by to say hi when we get a chance to travel to your area.
Take very good care.  Marcie"

Dan and Marcie are happily married now ~  they were very happily unmarried too :)  Marcie dropped a note just this past week with a few of pics from their summer celebration and a bit of an update.  She tells us it was a lovely at home wedding.  My side note : As anyone who has done an at home wedding knows; while it sounds oh so simple and easy, it really is a tremendous amount of work.  Hats off to you both!!

They had about 40 family and friends join them and had a celebration and feast that lasted two days.  Poor River fell sick though, and was a tad overwhelmed by the deluge of people but he made it through :) 

And Marcie wrote: "Before we exchanged rings, I took a moment to explain the significance of our rings to everyone and told them about you too.  Everyone was very impressed by them.  Our wedding commissioner was impressed too - not only has he never seen wood rings, he said he has never heard anyone talk about their rings before.  Of course I had too, because they are so special.  Thank you!"

 David and I are humbled and honoured to have played a small part in a special moment in your lives together Dan and Marcie and River.  And to work with you to create these symbols of your love for each other. It has been our absolute pleasure dear friends.  

Onward ever onward.