Enduring and eternal love ...

We did it! We're married!

And... the rings were beautiful! I've attached some pics of us, the rings, and the ring bearer just for fun! Enjoy! :)

The rings were (and are) absolutely perfect!
Thank you again!!! Jie & Annaliese

What lovely human beings these folks are. From their first email to us back in January 2011,
they have been such a pleasure to work with.
Blossoms on you Annaliese and Jie and Thank You!!

Jie and Annaliese designed their rings with an interest in the metaphysical properties of their stones and woods. Their Touch Wood Rings are a combination of Ancient Kauri wood, Birds Eye Maple Wood and stone inlays combining raw emerald, sapphire and rose quartz.

The Chinese idiom they chose for their inscriptions were also really important and special to them. Jie explained that all four tones of modern Mandarin are represented in this short four word phrase which is the first line of verse seven of the Tao Te Ching.
tiān cháng dì jiǔ

Literally translated: Long-enduring Heaven and Earth ~
Enduring and Eternal Love.

May it ever be thus.

Happy Anniversary to a couple of old friends

We recently received this most welcome email from old friends; a lovely couple from Ohio who we worked with in 2009.

Melanie writes ...
"While David was making our rings, I don't think I ever told you why we opted for wood instead of metal. Getting married was a big stretch for me - I come from a family with close to a 100% divorce rate (on both sides!), and the whole idea really scared me. I finally decided that we could make it work, but I still balked at getting traditional-looking rings. I wanted our marriage to be different from the other marriages I had been around, and so I wanted our rings to look different, too!


For me, they are a visual symbol of the wonderful marriage we have created, and the hope that our lives together will be filled with happiness and love. Every time I look at my ring, it's like a little reminder that we choose our own destinies. The fact that they were handmade by such wonderful, unique people is just a delightful bonus. We are just coming up on our 2-year anniversary this October, but I'm already planning for a 10-year anniversary wood ring! : ) "

Thanks so much Melanie~ And Happy Anniversary to you and Russell!

Sending our love, as ever
and our warmest wishes for your continued happiness.

Gentle Spirits and their Wood Wedding Rings

We began a wonderful, warm correspondence with Henaz and Pradeesh back in January and David created their Purpleheart wood wedding rings in July of this year.

Because of a planned trip to India to visit family, we held onto their rings till August, and while they were able to share photos of their finished rings with family; Henaz and Pradeesh did not see their rings till just recently when they returned home to the US.
On September 9th we received this lovely email.

Dearest Nicola and David.
Our rings are absolutely beautiful. They capture exactly what we wanted our wedding rings to represent--a sense of wholesomeness and well-being.

The color of the Purpleheart wood is incredible. We are so grateful for the love and care you have obviously put in to making them. Your partnership, creativity and nurture through this process mean so much to us. Thank you for not just the product, but the process, too. We could not have asked for more from our wedding ring makers and our wedding rings. Warmest wishes and love, Henaz and Pradeesh : )

Henaz and Pradeesh are now busy with final plans for their wedding celebration on October 9th. David and I will be there ~ in spirit ~ with gratitude, and with warm and loving wishes for a beautiful day and a lifetime of happiness.

Love and Wooden Rings in Denmark

Michael and Ulla of Denmark sent us this sweet photograph when we first started talking in late 2009.  It's the photo that David had on his wall while he created their rings...

The Birds Eye Maple and Hawaiian Koa Wood Rings commissioned and designed by Ulla and Michael in February of 2010.

A few weeks ago, they sent us a lovely email ~ and some great wedding pics !
The last one is my favourite : )

"It has been almost a year since our last contact but what a year! Our wedding obviously came as no surprise to you. We had a fantastic day with lots of friends and close relatives in an old house in the forest. Not too formal and completely in our spirit. Our wedding photos were taken at several locations; some in the urban jungle around the docks and some in the forest.

Besides that wonderful day, Michael finished his master's thesis, which has since been published and, on a Friday afternoon in February Ulla gave birth to our wonderful son, Astor! To allow him grow up with nature around him, we have recently bought a cabin, where we will stay for as long as we can keep warm, before moving back (to the city) for the winter. So a wedding, a master's degree, a son and a house purchase later, we can look back at a wonderful year and we wanted to share some of our experiences with you. "

Thanks very much Ulla and Michael ~ it's so great to hear from old friends! 

Wishing you and your wee lad continued happiness and all good things. As ever, Nicola and David 

This is why we love what we do!

Newlywed with Wooden Rings

Congratulations to Lonnie and Nikki. Happily Wed and kind enough to send us a couple of photos of their celebration and of course; their rings : )

Nikki wrote: "I cannot believe the intricate work that took place to create these rings. They are incredible. We will certainly love them and take good care of them. They are so comfortable and beautiful. Everyone who has seen our rings is astonished by the craftsmanship!"

Thanks Nikki ~ and Lonnie. Our love to you both ~ as ever!

Wooden Rings and Wild Flowers

Welcome back . . .

Summer has arrived in the Cariboo-Chilcotin and it's time to share some recently commissioned Touch Wood Rings ~ and a few photos of the diversity of wildflowers around the meadow this time of year. It's a wetter year than we've seen in about a decade. After 3 summers of drought and the wildfires last year, we celebrate every rainfall and the resulting explosion of wildflowers, mushrooms, mosses and lichens ~ it's a beautiful thing.

These are Jeanette and Robert's Black Walnut wood rings inlaid with sea shells, coral and sea glass that they collected on the shores of the China Sea.

A shot of our Meadow Arinca

Henri's tapered Black Walnut ring inlaid with a center inlay of Koa
with narrow bordering inlays of Maple. With recent congrats to Anne and Henri!

Brandon's Hawaiian Koa wood ring with a three tone juniper heartwood braided inlay. Meredith's braided ring was made a few months earlier and she wrote, "David's craftsmanship and talent added with your personal and warm communication made this experience great. I have rave reviews about Touch Wood - not a single complaint. In fact, everything was a step up from any expectation I had. " Meredith was a ray of sunshine to work with. Another friend made : )

Red Paintbrush on the meadow.

Mitch wanted a ring that really looked like wood showing lots of grain and figure. Dana choose a Darker Koa, Willow and gnarly Birds Eye Maple for Mitch's design.
Another meadow wildflower ... Prairie Smoke aka Old Man's Whiskers

Pyxie Cups (also known as Fairy Cups)

Below are Rob and Kimber's striking Arbutus, Yellow Cedar and Birch Wood Rings.

If you have followed our blog at all, you've heard me say this before but it bears repeating; the people we meet through our work are the most wonderful people! Thank you for coming into our lives.

We have lots of requests from Touch Wood Ring folks who would like to come and visit us here on the meadow. We moving ever closer to realizing our vision of an eco-sanctuary and retreat. It won't be long now till the first of our cabins is ready for visitors and we look forward to it.

Meadow Bunch-berry (above)
and a very special rose petal inlay (below) ...

Kevin designed this pretty wood ring for his sweetheart using Juniper heartwood, Bethlehem Olive wood on the interior, and an inlay of crushed pink quartz combined with a very special rose petal. Special Thanks to Vincent for sharing his photographs for this post.

Till next time ~ thanks for visiting.

A spring sky, a wooden ring and kind words

A Spring sunset over the meadow

and a Touch Wood Ring of Greyed Maple and Ancient Kauri
commissioned by a lovely fellow who was just great to work with and,
who had some very nice things to say! Thanks Sam.

" The ring is just as amazing as I was expecting it to be. The fit is absolutely perfect, and the packaging is a very nice touch :)
I can't explain how in awe I am of you and David's art.
Thank you so much for your help, patience, and flexibility. Your customer service should be a model for how business is supposed to be done; never once did I feel pressured or rushed. Every stupid question was answered with kindness, and in a timely manner. The entire process was painless and ended in my complete satisfaction. I will recommend your service to anyone I know looking for a unique ring. The inscription is beautifully done and very subtle. I could not have asked for a better finished result."

With our very best wishes for your continued happiness Sam and Lynn!
As ever, Nicola and David