Rustic Benches

Sunday Scrumptous!

2012-02-12T12:46:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite foods in the whole wide world is avacado. It is a super food, and it is my super food. There is that moment of perfect ripeness where I can just eat it right out of the skin, buttery and delicious. It can be as simple as that, or mash it up with a teeny bit of sour cream and scoop it with blue corn chips for a midnight snack. I always put avacado in burritos, sushi and sandwiches, as long as I have some around. Recently, I found this great picture online for a grilled avacado sandwich, and while I tweaked the ingredients, the premise was the same. I think the type of bread is super important, so in my version, I had baked some cuban bread the day before, so I sliced a few pieces of it and buttered the outsides.

Then I placed one, butter side down, on a warm fry pan. The fun part, building my sandwich...cheese first, use anything that's tasty, but quick melters are probably best. I've used gouda, mozarella, and marbled cheddar. Then a thin slice of salami, topped with ripe avacado and another thin layer of cheese. On top goes the second slice of bread, butter side up. With flipper in hand, pay attention to the grill, cause it warms the sandwich quickly on medium heat. Once the bottom starts to sear, and you can smell it, flip it.

Be careful not to lose your contents! Give it another few minutes on the other side, and again, do not leave your sandwich for any length of time. Any small distraction and you will have a burnt sandwich; in my case, I will still eat it, but it's not as pleasant as the perfectly grilled alternative. Here I complimented it with some split pea soup that I had made earlier in the week. Talk about comfort food ... heavenly.!

Insight :: RB Studio

Fresh Paint!

2012-02-09T07:23:00.000-08:00

It's the time of year, as the cold penetrates our bones, where most families seek a warmer climate. I know alot of friends have been lucky enough to spend some of January or February travelling to all sorts of beaches, the warm, scenic and southern ones. While your family is travelling, are you ever worried about leaving your house vacant? Do you hire someone to watch it, or do you have friends and family peek in on your place while you're gone. What about your pets? Boarding or placed with the grandparents? But, I digress. This is really about a surprise. A room hi-jacking, if you will. For about three years, I have been entangled with a wonderful family. As an outside observer, I've watched as this family balances multiple sport schedules and family life with their generosity towards the needs of others. They are huge supporters of causes, and especially breastcancer.ca, which has had the audacity to strike them close to home. This, as you may be able to imagine, means nearly 23hrs of their day is devoted to others (and the obligatory function of work, of course), and I would be surprised if even that one hour left in the day, was a selfish one. Long ago, they hatched a plan to re-paint their house, give it a fresh palette, a touch of their own flair. And, over the course of a few years, they've talked alot about these dreams, especially in my ear, and with wistful sighs, how they would eventually get around to re-doing their own master suite into an oasis. Eventually they got around to painting a few rooms here and there, the kids rooms, the family room, the hallways. Each time a more important 'space' took precedence rather than their own. Now, don't get me wrong, they did get started on preparing the master suite, years ago, by removing some 100 year old wallpaper, but it was only partially removed. And, the last time I saw it, they were living in a style of wall paper shredded, blank wall bliss.! So, when last October, they told me about a trip they had planned for Cuba, a whole week in January with the family; kids and grandparents, an evil plan was conceived. A whole seven days to secretly transform their master suite that they'd been dreaming (talking) about for three years.! For months I waited and waited for my moment to pounce, and when finally the week came, it was the worst week possible in the Rustic Benches studio. The six-year old apprentice was sick, there were snow days, freezing rain days, cancelled school buses and a ton of orders to complete. Before I knew it, four of the seven days were gone! Finally the child got well enough to be in school, so I enlisted some help, and off we went to tackle the space.

almost a blank canvas

The first day was dedicated to prepping; protecting furniture, getting everything out of the way, removing the shreds of wallpaper, taping, priming, vacuuming and planning colours.

top color - cream

The next days were spent painting multiple coats, adding new light switch/plug covers and cleaning up. By the time we were done, and even though it was a small space, it made a dramatic impact on the room. And, just in time too, we finished with barely hours to spare until they landed.

That evening, I went home, poured a glass of wine and waited to see if my phone would ring.

bottom color - chocolate

And, ring it did!

:: Insight, RB Studio.

Soup 'ER Sunday!

2012-02-06T18:49:00.000-08:00

Most of the hype in North America yesterday, was either about the NFL or Madonna and the 46th Super Bowl. Neither of which I saw live. I did see the highlights of the NY Giants pulling off yet another upset win over the better team (on paper, at least), New England Patriots .. and there weren't any declared 'malfunctions' in Madonna's creative halftime spectacle (as long as you aren't counting MIA's obscene gesture). So, what was I doing that was soooo important as to miss what 111.3 million people on this planet were tuned in to, you ask? Well, I was making and doing stuff, of course.!

#6 White

The doing :: driving my son across this great land for his timbits hockey game. Literally four hours of my day was devoted to packing, driving, dressing, watching, picture taking, undressing, return driving and unpacking the boy and his gear.

A smile and a big win (7-2), sure made it worth it.

The making :: super sunday sushi snacks! This time I made Avacado, California and Smoked Salmon Dynamite rolls. Again, the big smile was just the perfect reward for the effort.

That was our Super Roll Sunday!

Insight :: the RB studio

Sunday Soup! I promised.

2012-01-29T08:56:00.000-08:00

I did promise to throw this easy recipe out there, so here it is!. The title sounds devine, the array of ingredients sounds overwhelming, but it really is a simple soup. The combination of light broth with hearty bites makes this a studio favorite, with most any kind of bread. So bake some and make some; ...this is true comfort food for wintry days!

Chorizo, kale and winter bean!

2 tbsp     olive oil
1/2 cup   bacon, chopped
1 medium onion finely diced
3 large   carrots roughly chopped
4 pork chorizo sausages sliced into 1 inch chunks (get the cured Spanish chorizo, not the raw Mexican type)
1/2 cup sherry (i used red wine :-)
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp   smoked paprika
1 tbsp    tomato paste
fresh ground pepper
4 cups   chicken stock
1   28 oz can of tomatoes, diced
16 oz can of navy beans, rinsed
1 bunch of kale (i used half the head, washed it, cut it into big bite sizes)
1/4 cup italian parsley roughly chopped

-In a large saucepan, heat oil and saute bacon until lightly browned. Remove from pot, set aside.
-Add chopped onion and saute until softened and golden brown. Remove and reserve.
-If needed, add more oil, add chorizo to pan and saute for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from pan and reserve.
-Deglaze pan with sherry or red wine, gently removing brown bits from bottom of pan with wooden spoon. These are the tasty bits!
-return onion and bacon to pot.
-add chopped carrot and stir in both paprika's, pepper and tomato paste. Cook this for two minutes before adding canned tomatoes and chicken stock.
-Bring soup to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook until carrots are just tender, about 15 minutes.
-Finally add the reserved chorizo and any accumulated juices to the pot, along with parsley, navy beans and chopped kale.
-gently simmer for another 10 minutes to heat through.
-EAT!

We kept it in the pot in fridge all week and kept heating it up. Was delish!!

with some Cuban bread for dippin'

Fresh Food!

2012-01-27T15:23:00.000-08:00

Working out of your home requires a different kind of organization than the usual commuter. Having done the 9 to 5 grind for many, many years, it took some time to come up with a formula that would mimick a professional work setting, but, obviously, in a casual environment. From organizing a schedule that includes a set work day, a few mind mandatory breaks, and ensuring that meals aren't being skipped, BUT then, you're at home, so there is always tackling the : cleaning, the walks with the four-legged creatures, the activities of the two-legged creatures, the shopping, and bill-paying, and SHOVELing, and, and, and, ALL IN between the real "work". Well, "efficiency" is my middle name. Not really, but, let's just pretend it is. So, when something new adds time to my 24 hour day, I have to speak up.

snow day, warm fire!

This past Christmas this household received a gift called the "FoodSaver". Immediately, I took notice. Two of my favorite things : food and saving! I had an inkling as to what it was, but I still mildly doubted the pretty box and all the wonderful things this machine claimed to do. The test would be : how was it in action, in our kitchen, with our food?

using his Java kitchen bench

So, we took it to task. Our last grocery run was a bulk run and so I pulled out the machine and enlisted the help of the six year old apprentice. After a few instructions, and a little extra help - he was merrily sealing and vacuuming every bag I filled. Now, his little six year old hands did have some difficulty pressing down the lever that closes the unit, but true to his nature, he kept at it until he got it. And, nailing down the right size bag took some trial and error, but, what a marvelous machine, cut the bags, seal one end, then suck the air out, and seal the other end. The best part, without all the extra air, it eliminates that dreaded freezer burn. And, it didn't take us very much time to package all the sausages, chicken thighs and ground beef in one shot.

So, I can definitely recommend that if you like to freeze items, especially in the winter, like I do, this is the way to go. Gift or purchased, it is worth the investment : this has proved to be a big time 'saver' around here.

(no promotional consideration was given by Foodsaver to the author for this recommendation. purely my opinion and experience)

:: insight, RB Studio

Inside Job!

2012-01-23T15:46:00.000-08:00

The new head of Quality Control, Pet Feeder division has settled in quite nicely, and has even been instrumental in some of the new designs for 2012. Earlier this week I caught him hard a work, thinking and thinking and thinking ...

zzzzzzzz!


Pffft!

Since he was putting so much effort into it, I thought, maybe I could put some brain cells toward the effort too. So, I went into the shop and had a look at some cut-offs of wood and a cute little design started to take shape. A little hammering, pounding, screwing and glueing, added some color, two shiny new bowls and voila! I was ready to present my creation to him. "Hey Sonney, I want to take your picture with the new pet feeder, okay?" I gave him a few minutes to get his bearings .. and then....begrudgingly he got up for the photo shoot. And, then right back down again! It seems that he was so worn out from all his duties that he just.didn't.have.the.energy.

looks great, can I eat UNDER it?

So, in the end, the new Pet Feeder stands alone. It was approved by the new head of the department, and, maybe next time he'll have the energy to participate!


8" Pet Feeder in Medium Brown

See : http://www.okwari.ca/rpet.html for awesome examples for your family pet!

:: insight, RB studio

More Soup, For YOU!

2012-01-22T10:22:00.000-08:00

Is there any food better than soup? Probably, but the right soup is a hearty meal for a week. Around here soup and "insert a side here" is practically a daily ritual, and it does not get old or boring. I'm always looking for a new soup to add to the favorites. And recently I found a soup to fulfill my kale kick. But, I'll get to that in a minute. First off .. the usual suspects...

Butternut Squash soup
Chicken Noodle soup
Split Pea with Ham
Salmon and Clam Chowder
Chorizo and Winter Bean Soup (with Kale)

Each one is made in a large batch so that it can be reheated for lunches and dinners.. then just add sides, like Cuban bread (that's right, a new favorite), grilled avacado and salami sandwiches, or oven baked tortilla chips. In this studio, the easier the meals are, the more work that gets done along side the constant juggle of the everyday activities and needs of the brood.
And, when the kid is sick, soup is the best way to feed his cold.

So back to the new soup - I haven't tried it out yet, but found the recipe at :
http://cookingontheweekends.com/2012/01/spicy-kale-soup-with-roasted-pepper-and-tomato

And, since reading up on kale, I had to include more of it in our meals, and give this one a try.

Here's a good article about kale:

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-truth-about-kale

Off to the store I go, to find more kale, then back to test out this soup on the staff, the apprentice is still sick, so MORE SOUP FOR HIM!

:: insight, the RB studio

If you can't BEAT them, BAKE them!

2012-01-21T11:10:00.000-08:00

Everyone I know has plans for a winter getaway, somewhere hot. Friends are off to Florida, Mexico and Cuba, to name a few. I dreamed of doing the same, looking up last minute deals, looking up deals for February or March or April .... all with the same sigh at the end of each search. My thoughts were "it would be nice, but, but, but" work, the child, the dogs, the work, the child, the dogs, oh yeah, and that little thing called 'extra moola'. It is fun to dream, though, and to be happy for those going on their trips, because, it will be us again one day .. just not today. So to beat the vacation blues, I found a recipe that, at least, made me laugh and also felt very comforting. It made me laugh because I had never heard of it before ... "Cuban Bread" .. and it made me curious, is there bread specifically made in cuba, because, I don't remember it when I went years ago.? In the end, it was comforting because, when I eventually ate it, I just thought about Cuba and our vacation there, and all the fun in the sun.

I found the recipe here :

luculliandelights

Did I alter it,? No. But, the next time, I will try a few things a little differently to suit my oven's heat. It was very easy, as the recipe says, and is a great tasting quick bread. Excellent with soups, which is the main food around this studio.

So, give it a try, and imagine a sunny destination while you're doing it. It worked for me.

:: insight, the RB studio

Cookies equals Motivation

2012-01-19T10:51:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is long gone, winter is here, and the six year old has been on and off sick for two weeks. If it's not a persistent cough it's the stomach flu (and that's a whole other blog about what it's like to have a child spew from the top of a loft bed!). So, even though it's a new year, it's been a bit difficult to kick start the staff into a consistent working rhythm. When I saw them snoozing it up in the sun this morning, I thought about delivering some motivation. Many Ideas came to mind, but in this studio, food is ALWAYS a motivator. It's a dirty trick to pull out the recipe box, but someone's got to get them back on their feet, and I need some help around here, fast, there's just TOO MUCH TO DO.!

I rolled and cut and docked and baked, and every now and then, I glanced over and saw some fluttering eyelids and running feet. It seemed to be working...albeit slowly, but once the waves of cinnamon and apple began working it's way through the studio, interest peaked...

Sonney Boy came over first, nose in the air.

(mmmmm! that smell..)

And, then Black Dawge thought it would be a good idea to look interested ...

"If I give you guys some, will you get back to work?" I asked.

"You can count on US!" they said enthusiastically. I was mildly skeptical, but I decided to trust them ... I mean really, look into their eyes...do they not look like they're telling the truth??

True to their promises, they got right back to it (does checking their facebook count?). After some lip-smacking goodness, Black Dawge barked orders (as usual, after all, she is the top dog) while Sonney Boy got back into a tap, tap, tap rhythm that was music to my ears.

:: insight, the RB studio ::

New Staff!

2012-01-15T08:33:00.001-08:00

It's been very busy around the studio, so it was time to consider a new staff member to round out the team...someone to help with quality control for the very popular "Pet Feeder" pieces. Someone with a good nose for style and a flair for design and functionality. I scoured the newspaper for potential candidates, and came up with three names that seemed to have the experience and background that would fit in with our existing staff. Our close working environment requires maturity, patience, communication and an ability to work on your own, at times. SO, I was pretty sure I had the next Director of Quality Control, Pet Feeder Department, with these potential candidates, it was just a matter of getting through the interviews - I had it all planned out, the prying questions, the math tests, the observation techniques, the whole works! I was ready...

Okay, Let's be honest... He had me at HELLO!

Meet Sonney!

(Rescued from a local Shelter)

I Never Even Looked at Another Candidate!

A mature boy, at 8 years old, he has the most perfect manners, and dazzling eyes (one brown and one blue, oooh, the girls go ga-ga!). He doesn't speak often, but when he does, you know he's put alot of thought into it.

Now at first, while he was settling in, he had a hard time figuring out where his duties lay. Then, as his confidence grew, and he started getting involved in other staff members business..like overseeing the coffee table department. And, the gathering table department, which is Black Dog's area of expertise, under the table, shnoofer that she is.

But, within days, he had it finally figured out!
I Approve PET FEEDERS!

(and this is my look of approval!)

Now that he's had his first bath (thanks to Doggie Styles), he's taken his show on the road. He visited Paws A Bit Boutique and put his paw of approval on all our existing stock, and even had a chance to sample their baking! mmmmm!

So, please join me in welcoming, Sonney. Rest assured that every one of our pet feeders has been thoroughly inspected by this hard-working, conscientious 'new' staff member, before it is shipped to your family! Enjoy the latest creations at :

Rustic Benches Pet Feeders

2011-01-21T10:02:00.000-08:00

On one fine sunny day, the Vancouver Island aboriginal organization, Surrounded by Cedar (see:http://www.surroundedbycedar.com), approached us to develop a treasure box. This project was to be a welcome gift for the children arriving into their service from across Canada. Many times, these kids in care, go from organization and home to home with their things in garbage bags - so the idea was to create a unique piece where they could store their special things and keep them safe. We were given the sizing that they needed, and then we brainstormed ideas that would encompass aboriginal persons from across the country, and also be true to our [rustic.benches] designs. Firstly, we wanted to be mother nature-friendly and gathered much of it as salvaged materials - discarded cherry, pine, ash and oak. Then shaped them into the boxed pieces. Each one with two hole handles to carry from it's sides. Then we combed the beaches of the westcoast of canada for driftwood and shaped them into unique handles .. no two were even close to the same. Artist, Star Horn, then designed 6 universal symbols to be engraved on the boxes : salmon, feather, sun, moon, tree, and the four directions. For the 60 boxes, I chose our 5 most popular colors : natural, med. brown, java, ebony and maple, and finished them off with a satin, water-based, varathane. 21 days later, the result was stunning, sitting together in their colorful rows made for quite a sight.

The [rustic.benches] trailer was loaded, each one packed carefully in moving blankets and locked up for the voyage across the land and the ocean to Vancouver Island, in beautiful, British Columbia. The trip was not without event, when we arrived at the Big House on the Island, we found out that the keys to the trailer had been lost on the ferry! The treasures were locked inside, and, if not for the resourcefulness of the staff on hand, with a cordless grinder - the boxes would have missed their ceremony.! As it was, it all came together for a perfect ending .. smiles on the faces of each child.

A Contest, A Video and a new Fan!

2010-12-22T10:38:00.000-08:00

One golden morning, a notification from CIRA (Canadian Internet Registry Assocation; cira.ca) was brought to my attention! In it laid the general guidelines for contestants to create a video that 'showed off' their .CA website. I skimmed thru it quickly to find the prizes...macbook, Ipod Touch, Flip Camcorder...who couldn't use one of those...?? I promptly organized a staff meeting, thinking, this was something we could do! What's not to love about rusticbenches.ca?? At the staff meeting, the 4 year old apprentice decided that he would be the star of the show - noone argued and a basic idea was hatched.

To make that part of the story shorter, see the end result here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlCrpPnrb9g

Suffice to say that it took a few hours over a couple of days ... we are amateurs, recorded it on a digital camera, have no knowledge of editing and/or editing software, but crashed the internet and manuals for basic information and put together what we thought was a solid effort for our skills. Clearly, we are woodworking artists and not video artists!

So, we entered the contest and patiently waited to see if we would get on the shortlist....NOT! Probably not even close. Seriously, some of the videos submitted were absolutely beautiful and creative - and some were real DUDS, and I'm not even talking about OURS! We were disappointed, but still went to work the next day....

In looking at all the videos, I came across one in particular - that actually made the shortlist, that I liked (and I didn't like many of the others except dringdring.ca), but for some reason, within a few minutes I saw that the entry was WITHDRAWN. First thought was, "how do we get that spot", and the second thought was, "what happened?" .. so clever, as I am - I asked! (not for the spot, but, what happened?) CIRA and the author both answered, surprisingly, because I thought my question would just hang out there in internet land. And, the answer made sense to me. Why do people have to enter all their information just to vote for the winner - why can't they have a choice : VOTE OR VOTE + ENTRY. The author didn't want to mobilize her troops, requiring them to give over their lifestory just to show support for her video. I praised her for her integrity .. I might not have even thought about it, I was so focused on the PRIZEs! Not soon after, I noticed a new fan on our facebook and twitter spots...very kindly appreciating the work of rusticbenches.ca and telling her friends!

Karma. End of Story. Karma rules.

You can choose to enter the contest here : showusyour.ca

Hibernation is Near

2010-11-08T09:12:00.000-08:00

OH - GWA - REE (Okwari), means bear in mohawk.

So, for that really good reason, open studio visits are closed from November - March. You can still make appointments to visit on the weekends during hibernation months, it just won't be like the summer time...too cold to have all the displays outside! To make your appointment and view examples and works in progress email : info@rusticbenches.ca to setup a date and time.

That being said, this is the busiest month as clients gear up for winter, and are thinking of Christmas Gifts. There have been alot of requests for mudroom sets, coatracks and benches, storage benches and most recently candleholders. This coatrack and storage bench (right), were finished in a light Honey Oak flavor, which looks awesome in their morning light.

New, this year - IF you make an order from December 1 - December 15th, 2009, a surprise gift will be sent to a person on your Christmas List. You will not know what the gift is, and the gift will arrive to your chosen person before Christmas, from Rustic Benches and You! So, dream up your next order, and make someone else happy too :-)

Rustic Benches

Sunny September

2010-09-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

I counted one day of rain in September, so does that make me forget about July? Not really ... but it sure is nice to work in the comfort of fall. This is the time of year where alot of the pieces can be brought outside, and sanded, and stained and finished. With the cool breezes, unlimited sky and long days it really makes for ideal conditions for wood workers. Luckily, there has been plenty of salvaged wood around lately, and if you have a keen eye, it can be turned into something (relatively) new looking. This picture is completed, and used to be pieces of a table - but, they've been redesigned and refinished into a little side table. The finish is unique, and sometimes you need to see these up close to really appreciate the look of the wood. But, since this was a previously stained piece, when it was sanded down and redone, it retained an 'aged' quality that is striking in person. There will be a couple of these pieces on display during the September and October studio dates, so c'mon by and have a look. For November - April, studio visits will be by appointment only. okwari (bear) hibernates in winter, but all you will have to do is drop a line to rustic@okwari.ca to get a special invite to the winter den.

....and so it goes!

Augustus Bringus Sunus!

2010-08-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

After a wet July, it's time to look to the heavens and expect blue skies! We all deserve it...

Studio OPEN dates : 10am - 4pm

August 8,9th
August 15,16th
August 22, 23rd

Email rustic@okwari.ca for directions from your location.

Recently (see photos) a piece was designed and created in a spectacular flavor of butternut. This is a wonderfully natural wood. Similar to pine, but a bit harder, and already with brown undertones. This one was created for a bathroom setting and went home to a very happy customer. Got an idea for a space in your home?

Summer Studio

2010-06-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

June signals the beginning of summer, and just as exciting ... studio tours! Artists come out of hibernation and share their works with the touring public. Local festivals also get their tents up, entertainment organized, and provide another venue for artists to show their crafts.
The Okwari Essentials Studio will be showcasing Artwork by Mohawk Artist, Star Horn; Traditionally Crafted Aboriginal Jewellry by Margaret and Star Horn; and Handcrafted Rustic Furniture by Thahawitha Montour and Tristyn Kaitt.

For the month of June, visitors are welcomed on the following dates :

Saturday and Sunday, June 6, 7 from 10am - 4pm

Sunday June 14th from 10am - 4pm

Saturday and Sunday, June 21, 22nd from 10am - 4pm

Come by, browse our works, enjoy some tea or coffee and some homemade banana bread! That's sure to get a few people into their cars and out for a country drive.

:-)

Email info@rusticbenches.ca for directions to the studio.

A morning in the shop...

2010-05-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

It began with latte's and ended with burnt, chocolate and caramel. Three raw benches, put together yesterday, were going to get their colors today. We chose 'burnt' for the boxed, westwater style, chocolate was requested for the 3 foot bench, and we tested a new caramel flavor for the 4 foot with shelf. Tomorrow, they'll all be in finishing - a series of varathane and sanding layers, and then finally a paste wax finish. In between the colors, we put together a 3'x5' table top, doweling and gluing, mucho fun selecting which boards had the best rustic look. This client was very clear that they wanted LOTS of KNOTS!. After the morning fun, it was off to the hardware gadget store to look over some latches and pulls for a bathroom cabinet design, and some cast iron hooks for a coatrack. Then it was off to find some kiln dried, rough, knotty pine. We were on a quest to find a couple of good rustic boards for a 40" bench and matching coatrack, commissioned the other day. This pleasantly takes rusticbenches to the highest output since it was officially established in January of 2008!

April showers bring.....

2010-04-02T06:34:00.000-07:00

Yes, it did rain on the first day of April, so that means flowers are on their way, right? Rustic Benches had a great March, and thanks to all the interest, there have been some new and interesting designs added to our portfolio. We have also become involved in some of the social networks that are 'abuzz' around the internet. We've joined facebook, twitter, this blog and along with our monthly newsletter seem to be reaching a new audience. Each network is incredibly interesting and meeting up with other small businesses trying to be successful in this uneasy economic time, has been an invaluable experience. I find that people are eager to share their success stories and words of wisdom to avoid pitfalls. April looks to be quite busy as well, keeping up with the social networks is one thing, and keeping up in the shop is another. In the queue we have a gathering table with matching bench, a couch console, a bathroom cabinet and another gathering table. In the design room there is a 'butternut' gathering table, a piano bench, a wine bottle storage box, and the ever popular pet feeders are always being re-invented. Check out our website regularily - we've recenlty updated a section on 'caring' for you rustic piece. Valuable tips on keeping your okwari rustic bench (or other :-) in tip top shape! So, onward into April, and bring out the garden benches ... if you don't have one, you know where to get one!

Rustic Benches
http://www.rusticbenches.ca

Opening Up!

2010-03-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

Since there are so many requests to follow the creations of 'rustic benches' ... here it is, a tiny space to watch, listen and lurk, LOL!
So, first things first, learning how to use this stuff. One of the recent clients suggested that content be included that would reach the social networks on the internet, to drive more interest to the website : http://www.rusticbenches.ca. He's right, of course, having worked at Google in his past.! So, taking his advice, means getting to know these forums - slowly, so to speak.!
So, here is a start, let's see where it goes!

Twitter - search rusticbenches
Facebook - rustic benches
Blog - you're HERE!
Email - info@rusticbenches.ca