I’ve been working on a new workshop at home for a few weeks and I’m happy to say it’s finally finished! There are a couple things I’ll do in a few months, but at least I have a workable place to do my crafting. The flooring needs to be changed out, but we’ll get to that eventually. The rotary tool flex shafts are an incredible improvement for intricate wood carving and the rotary tool stands are pretty helpful as well. I have lots of table space as there are two six foot tables set up in the room. As for a dust collector system, I have a canister vacuum under the table with the hose extended over the table to the area where I’m doing the woodworking.

It’s a pretty good setup! All my tools and hardware is within easy reach and easily accessible. I’m looking forward to creating more beautiful, unique items in my new workshop.

We had two shows this month, both were a blast! The first was at Stamford Presbyterian Church for a craft show and the second was at Westhills LTC in St.Catharines. The photos above are my table setup for the final show of the month. I’ve added a digital photo frame to show the process of how the pendants are made and how my stones are polished in the tumblers I run at home. There is a lot of work involved in this creating these pendants from the very beginning of beach collecting of driftwood and stone and sourcing non indigenous stones to the area at local suppliers. The polishing process of the stones takes 6-8 weeks of constant tumbling through 5 stages of grit and soap washes in between. The driftwood collected is cut, carved and hand sanded before a stone is fitted into the perfect spot. At that point, a post is screwed into the wood for the jewelry hardware that is yet to be attached, or a hole is drilled. The driftwood is then treated with multiple coats of a clear protectant over a course of 2-3 days. Once fully dry, the jewelry posts are secured with a clear glue. An epoxy is used to affix the stone to the driftwood and it’s left to dry for at least 24 hours. The final stage is attaching the jewelry hardware and chains, then taking photos of the finished product to showcase on my website and Facebook page.

Stay tuned for our December shows and if you’re in the St.Catharines area, stop by!

All pendants shown below will be available at my upcoming craft shows! If you’d like more photos such as close ups, back side of a pendant or anything else, please email me at susananne@greatlakescreations.ca and I’ll send them to you!