Hello from Somerset!
We hope that you are staying safe and well during May 2020.
This past month we have been enjoying the opportunity to travel a bit further for our exercise, with a lovely quiet morning on the secluded beach at Charmouth in Dorset, to help celebrate our son Arthur’s 10th Birthday.
We are offering a 10% discount off Etsy shop prices (not on delivery) for all direct sales via PayPal or BACS, contact us via email for more info.
Online Shop Now Open
Our key suppliers re-opened mid month and we switched our Etsy shop back on.
We are not yet ready to welcome back the team and our reduced options and extended lead times allow Marc to complete all new orders by himself.
Our classic dovetail mirror with shelf quickly became the month’s bestselling style, the inbuilt shelf is just the right depth for holding a tea light holder or two. Perfect for a relaxing evening at home.
High Street Shop Reopening
After a successful opening night with a visit from the Mayor and a write up in Somerset Life Magazine, unfortunately we only had a few weeks of trade in March.
Along with most of the nation’s high street stores, we felt it best to close just a few days before the official ‘lock down’ and we were all sorry to say goodbye to our new shop space.
Now we can announce that the Ilminster Emporium at 19 Silver Street TA19 0DH, is planning to reopen in mid June, which is great news for us and all the other local traders involved.
We are now working on several new pieces to showcase in the characterful period building and will be operating under reduced hours and social distancing guidelines.
Making the most of our space during the C19 quiet time . . .
Now that his drum kit has been set up in the workshop (no one is about to complain!) Marc has been keeping up with his Drum practice at break-times.
We have also spruced up our home office space by repainting our lovely vintage style desk and our wonderful Jack Russell ‘Marv’ certainly approves of the comfy ‘swingy’ chair.
Family time has been spent up on the local allotment, teaching our son Arthur how to garden and growing our own fruit and veg, which we have all been getting to enjoy at meal times, yum!
(see our Instagram for more pics)
On Google Reviews
We are gaining more excellent reviews outside of our Etsy shop (which has nearly 300!)
Nick kindly added 5 stars and a lovely comment about the bespoke bathroom cabinet which we made for him a few weeks ago, thanks Nick!
Tips & tricks
This month’s very simple woodworking tip is how to use a household iron to remove small dents from wooden surfaces with a combination of heat and moisture, using a household clothes iron.
* Dab the dent with water, just enough to cover the dent and a small part of the surrounding wood. The dent should be completely wet and gathering inside the depression in the wood.
* Place a damp paper towel or piece of cloth over the dent, wring out any excess water first and then lay it directly on top of the dent. This extra moisture also creates a buffer to help protect the wood from being damaged by the heat of the iron
* Give the water time to soak into the wood for a few minutes and as the water seeps into the wood, it will cause it to soften so that when you apply heat to the dent, the wood will expand and the dent should lift out.
* Press the iron into the cloth above the dent and move it around using slow circular motions,gradually widening the area. Keep heating the wood until the cloth is dry, then lift a corner to check your progress.
* You can wet the wood again and repeat if required, while a single ironing might be all you need to deal with minor dents, for more severe depressions or areas with multiple marks you can continue to gently apply the iron and them once finished, allow to dry.
We will be back with another update next month and if you have any questions or if there is anything which we can create for your home, just ask.
Best Wishes,
Handcrafted using traditional woodworking techniques;