Family Trees

Posted by Page, Style Director

When I moved to Los Angeles several years ago, all of my friends told me there was a woman named Susan whom I just had to meet. (Susan’s friends were telling her the same thing about me, too.)  Our connections were countless (and a little spooky): We found that our fathers had both worked at the same company for years; both of our fathers raised bees (and let’s face it, it’s pretty hard to find another person with such a quirky hobby!); and both of our fathers enjoyed woodworking -- Susan's so much so that he started a business doing it. The most uncanny similarity is that we were both made by our fathers to load firewood on the weekends in order to heat our rustic homes. Needless to say, Susan and I became friends, and I've enjoyed getting to know more of her incredibly creative family members in the years since: Her grandmother, the talented knitter; her mother, the gifted cook with a green thumb; her sister-in-law, the fabulous clothing designer; and her brother Mark, a tremendous graphic designer and musician. Last but not least, of course, is Susan's own proficiency as a brilliant stylist, gardener, and cook. Over time, Susan’s family has given me wonderful presents, from a jar of their handmade honey and a cozy pair of knitted socks (thanks, Oma!), to a little wooden trinket made by Susan’s father, John.

Grandma's knitted socks.

Now, in response to Susan and Mark’s nudging, John has made his beautiful, hand-crafted wooden spoons, hooks, and napkin rings -- among other things --  available for purchase on his new website, LiveWireFarm.com. The site is divided into three sections: Timber, Honey, and another of John’s specialties, Fence Charger Repair (yes, he fixes electric fences, too).

 

A jar of fresh Vermont honey.

 

Stir up something special with a hand-hewn wooden spoon.

 

Two uses for wooden hooks.

 

A pair of twigs used as surprising shelf brackets.

 

Napkin rings with rustic charm.

The wood John uses in his designs (maple, beech or birch) is grown in Jacksonville, Vermont, then dried, crafted, and left with its natural color and finish. To purchase anything on the website, all you have to do is fill out an online form; every item is created according to individual customer requests. While families as wonderful as Susan and John’s are hard to come by, at least now anyone can bring the fruits of this crew's creativity into her own home.

Comments

[Erica]

Awww...our Oma knits us socks, too!

[Mark R.]

Actually, that lovely honey logo design was my talented friend Laura H. at TsangSeymour.com! - m

[shayna]

oh wow. these are just beautiful. i'll take everything, thank you.

[Courtney Baker]

What beautiful things! Thanks for sharing :) Also: I just love the design for the honey jar (I am guessing Mark did that!)