I go in search of my high quality gems and minerals at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, in Arizona. It is a wonderful experience where you can meet with people from all around the world and buy the gems directly from the mine/miner/lapidary artist etc. I hand pick only the gems that I love and bring them back to Damariscotta, Maine, where I wire wrap them into unique, wearable works of art. My style is generally asymmetric and minimalistic as to accentuate, and not take away from, the natural beauty of the gems.
My line of copper jewelry is also very unique. I’ve mastered the bright blue ammonia patina and have incorporated it into earrings, bracelets and necklaces. The designs are completely random, depending on its exposure to the ammonia throughout the week-long patina process.
Roger’s Copper Creations
Posted by Roger Casey & filed under .
Each item is hand made with great love and attention to detail. Every item is uniquely colored with heat and sealed to help hold the beauty as long as possible. All materials used are bought from local businesses.
LeHay’s Shaker Boxes
Posted by Robert LeHay & filed under .
Since 1993, LeHay’s Shaker Boxes has been a proud member of a group of artisans working in early American crafts. While mass-produced, machine-made items have replaced many traditional products, nothing can replace the individuality of an item that has been created by hand using local, all-natural materials. Instantly recognizable, the Shaker box is an iconic piece of American craftsmanship. By concentrating on the functional aspects of an item and omitting unnecessary ornament the Shakers produced timeless designs. Shaker boxes were traditionally used for cooking and sewing supplies, but they can easily hold anything from mementos to electronics while adding warmth and beauty to your space. I chose to create boxes in the Shaker style not only because of their desirability as an antique but also because of their durability and usefulness. My goal is to remain true to Shaker traditions. My products are created using the same craftsmanship that the Shaker community used for over 200 years.
My materials are either produced here on my property or come from small, American businesses. I mill my lumber on site from raw maple and pine logs to guarantee the highest quality from start to finish, and the tops and bottoms of all except the largest boxes are quartersawn pine, not veneer. For authentic antique colors I use all-natural finishes including milk paint, dyes and Tung oil. The boxes are fastened with copper tacks that have been darkened to provide an aged finish. Every part of the boxes is completed individually by my own hands. I believe the act of creating, and helping others to create, is as important as the finished product itself. That’s why I supply not only the boxes, but materials necessary for others to participate in the craft as well. The Shakers were a society of makers. They built what they needed with their own hands from local resources. LeHay’s continues that tradition, creating a quality product that also benefits the local economy, honors local history and passes along the knowledge to future generations.
Mathews Brothers Co.
Posted by Scott Hawthorne & filed under .
Mathews Brothers is America’s oldest window manufacturer, and today we produce hundreds of thousands of windows, custom-made to architect or builder specifications. Our products are both maintenance-free and highly energy-efficient, among the most energy-efficient in the world. As the north-easternmost window manufacturer in the US, nearly all our products are shipped South, on our own vehicles, throughout New England. Materials to produce our windows come in from Ohio, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania as well as some western states.
Rheta Press–Rhea Cote Robbins, Franco-American Author/Editor
Posted by Rhea Cote Robbins & filed under .
Books offered by Rheta Press:
‘down the Plains’ is a continuation of examining what does it mean to be Franco-American and growing up in Maine. ‘down the Plains’ takes the reader on the literary journey in a geography and landscape of the liminal generation that carries the language and culture toward a modern expression.
“Rhea Cote Robbins’ Wednesday’s Child is beautiful stuff, a defiant and poignant memoir that transcends the personal. It is an important book not only for its immediate content, for the experience of life within its covers, but because it gives us a glimpse of the almost unmined Golconda of literary source material in Franco-American lives.”–E. Annie Proulx
Canuck and Other Stories Rhea Côté Robbins, Editor Canuck, by Camille Lessard Bissonnette, (1883-1970), translated by Sylvie Charron and Sue Huseman, is a book which reflects the French Canadian immigration experience from a young woman’s point of view. Also included, La Jeune Franco-Américaine, The Young Franco-American by Alberte Gastonguay, (1906-1978), translated by Madeleine C. Paré Roy and Françaises d’Amérique, Frenchwomen of North America by Corinne Rocheleau Rouleau, (1881-1963), translated by Jeannine Bacon Roy
Heliotrope–French Heritage Women Create
130 Modern voices of creativity.Memoir, anthology and historical realism, that are about the French heritage woman’s life in Maine that generations have been living on the land since the 1800s and continue to practice their cultural traditions while living modern lives.
Author/Editor, Rhea Cote Robbins
Lola Arts
Posted by Rickie Drake & filed under .
Lola Arts is a home goods lifestyle brand that is based in ceramic kitchenware and is expanding to other home and life accessories. At Lola Arts we believe that functional art makes everyday life a little bit better. We believe that following your heart, being yourself and spreading happiness makes the world a better place. And we are so excited that we get to live these beliefs through our little company!
Our gift line is inspired by our home in Maine. A place where small businesses are thriving, people take care of each other and connection to people and place is important. Our Maine ornaments started as wedding favors when we got married a few years ago. Handcrafted from blocks of clay they are rolled, cut, smoothed, fired, hand painted with our bright color palette and signature design and fired a second time before the ribbon and final touches are added. We pride ourselves in creating products that are handcrafted with the love and happiness that we hope they spread into the world.
Old Bottle Sea Glass of Maine
Posted by Richard Carney & filed under .
As a treasure diver for over 30 years, I have been under water almost as much as I’ve roamed around on land. Most of the sites where I dive are underwater bottle dumps in the lakes, rivers and ocean harbors of New England. I dive year-round in Maine, recovering thousands of items dating from the 1790s to the 1890s.
Just a few years back, I had an epiphany underwater – instead of throwing the shards and broken items over my shoulder, I should bring them home and make things out of them. Though I can’t always count on great visibility, each site typically yields hundreds of whole items and countless broken fragments of glass and pottery that I later use in my artifact art.
Having been a glass collector even longer than I’ve been a diver, I have extensive knowledge of bottles, pottery and crockery, and know the time period most items come from and their general worth in today’s market. I use the “booty” – porcelain doll heads, clay pipes and various antique treasures and artifacts – in my one-of-a-kind glassworks. My latest direction has been creating beautiful, awe-inspiring stained-glass panels, using larger antique window and mirror frames.
Cape Shore Woodworking
Posted by Richard Grieves & filed under .
The Maine Fish Table is a handcrafted wooden folding table in a variety of painted finishes, made from native white pine, or other types of wood such as western red cedar. It’s durable, portable and the folding design makes it easy to carry and store. Take it to the beach, lake, boating, camping, tailgating, patio, or backyard. There is also a cribbage version of the Maine Fish Table.
HeliBars®
Posted by Harry & Cindy Eddy & filed under .
HeliBars® motorcycle handlebars and risers provide the most comfortable riding position possible. Our focus for more than 30 years has been helping motorcyclists find their elusive “comfort zone” for all day riding comfort. Our R&D engineers are riders like you, and they take meticulous care to address all of your handlebar deficiencies before they design the perfect fix for your bike. When you buy HeliBars, you benefit from years of experience in riding comfort and performance.
They’re made with pride in Cornish, Maine by American Craftsmen and women, and shipped worldwide. HeliBars are backed by a one year warranty on all materials and workmanship. All of our products are offered with our 30 day money back guarantee if you’re not completely satisfied.
Carvings by Philip Costello
Posted by Philip Costello & filed under .
Customized wood carvings mostly nautical in theme. Carved from Basswood , Mahogany , Spanish Cedar, Butternut and others.