Vermont Hand Crafters

April 17th was an exciting day for us! We had been accepted and invited to the Vermont Hand Crafters jury session. We packed up 8 cutting boards and headed to the queen city. Being newbies, we weren't sure what to expect and we were a bit nervous.  Hoping it didn't show, but it may have!

The Burlington Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center

We arrived early enough for a wonderful lunch at Tuckaway's Pub. Followed by a warm welcoming from the board members, we knew right away that this was a good idea.

All of the artisans, 11 of us, set up our examples of work around the conference table. We were the only woodworker at this session, joined by photographers, painters, jewelry makers and woven fabrics.

Creative Woodworking / Cutting Board Options

To our right:

Ruby Leslie - Woven Scarfs

And to our left:

Jewelry by Judith Giusto

While our items were being looked over and discussed by the Jury members, Elizabeth Boudreau entertained us, literally! Elizabeth is the show directer and explained the processes and answered all of our questions. She also explained that not everyone gets accepted as a member, especially not the first time. Not to be discouraged, take the feedback to heart, accept the constructive criticism and if need be, try again.

Thank you Vermont Hand Crafters, we are IN!! I wish I could have featured everyone at the session, but, all of a sudden it was very busy and I wasn't able to.  Glad to have met you all and we look forward to being a part of the Vermont Hand Crafters!!

Countertop

Our first counter top! 25 1/2" x 26 1/2" x 2" in Rustic Cherry. Due to the size of our planer, this was built in 3 pieces. White cabinet by IKEA, nice contrast, do you agree?

Collecting the cherry pieces, a certain length was needed.  Took a bit longer to source, but not bad. The 2" thickness gives weight, I'm so glad we were able to offer this.

Clamped up!

This is going to be so pretty!

Time for sanding, sanding, sanding, which is the most boring part, but VERY important.

Ready for the mineral oil, we like the butcher block conditioner by Howard.

Love this, so much so, that I think we need one to keep.  Adding a counter piece to our stand alone under-counter fridge? I think so.

Small Splurge

Sometimes "things" just happen!  After a bunch of running around for the day job on Friday, I decided to stop in and say hello to Jack at The Sustainable Farmer. It had been a while since we've seen him and we are hoping, at some point, a few of our beautiful handmade cheese boards will be added to their product offerings.

They were having a wine/cheese tasting, how's that for timing!  I started with the wine and chose this one from The Putney Winery.  According to their website, this sparkling wine sparked the Winery!  How cool is that?  

From the Winery:

"Heirloom Cuvee was the first wine offered by Putney Mountain Winery way back in the 1990's. We still love this sparkling gem that feels like Champagne while incorporating the distinctive flavors of heirloom apples".

Not knowing which cheese to pair it up with, I just asked and was sent to Cabot Clothbound. 

From the Cellars at Jasper Hill

"Cabot Clothbound is a handsome natural-rinded traditional cheddar. Bandaged with muslin and skillfully aged a minimum of 10 months at the Cellars at Jasper Hill. Cabot Clothbound has all the characteristic texture of an English-style cheddar with the sweet caramel and milky flavors that sets it apart from other bandaged cheddars. The flavor profile is at once sweet, savory, nutty, and tangy".

Sold! Being brave and in the moment, I didn't even look at the price.  Luckily, it was only $13 something. 

And, of course, a little something for the girls, $7.99.

We typically don't splurge like this, but I was in the mood. I do have to tell you that when the hubby opened the wine, he didn't realize that it was carbonated. Small explosion and guess what comes out of my mouth? "I paid $17 something for that"! Ooops, but we laughed, what are you going to do?

We also will make a point to attend more of these events. It's fun and important to promote our local businesses. 

In case you are unfamiliar with The Sustainable Farmer, please give them a visit in Windsor, Vermont (online store available). Specializing in Artisan Cheese, Honey & Maple Products, Specialty Meats and Body Care.

You'll be glad you did!