Ruth: Soap, lotion, bath and skin-care products John: Wooden wine racks and accessories
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We've got one more event coming up this season, one more opportunity to come out and take a look at our wares, one more chance to get the perfect gift your you loved ones (and maybe even for yourself as well).
Whenever I'm talking to someone about Vulture Fest, I always tell them, "If you never do anything else in Southern Illinois, you have to go to Vulture Fest!" I wish I had the words to explain what makes it such a great time, but I don't. The best thing to do is just go and find out for yourself.
Have you seen our cheese slicers? Solid wood or wood/epoxy, these measure about 5”x 8”. We’ll have them this week at the Murphysboro Apple Festival and at the Crab Orchard Fall Market. Stop by and grab one for your favorite cheese lover!
Wow!
A huge weekend coming up with my first (and last) time at the Cedarhurst Art and Craft Fair. This is the grand finale for this 50 year event and I'm proud to be a part of it. Look for me in space #10 with lots of new woodworking pieces, charcuterie boards, cheese slicers, coasters, and even key chains.
Two weeks from today, John will be a the Midwest Salute to the Arts in Fairview Heights, Illinois, with all of your woodworking favorites. I'm very honored to have been selected for this prestigious event and am looking forward to joining one hundred other artists. I will be in booth #77, so plan now to come out and say hello!
Look what I got?! "Best in Wood" at the Effingham Artisan Fair, 2025!
A map to help you find me and all the other artists who will be at the Effingham Artisan Fair this weekend. This Friday 5:00-9:00 and Saturday, 9:00-4:00. It looks to be great weekend, so come on out and say hello!
A river table with a treadle sewing machine base I just finished. The top is black walnut with cobalt blue epoxy resin, the base is Singer cast-iron. It is 25”w x 18” d x 29 1/2”h. This is just one of the pieces I will have this weekend at the Rusty Truck Vintage Market on the Expo Building at the DuQuoin Fairgrounds.
It’s only May, and we’ve already done six shows! Here is a preliminary list of shows we have coming up. Most of these are ones we’ve been doing for years, but we don’t have the official word yet. And we’re still looking at new shows which may get added later on. Keep an eye out on our Facebook and Instagram for updated information as it becomes available.
Please note that John is doing a number of new shows on his own. Ruth & John will still be together for our usual shows, but we’re adding some events where John can get out with just the woodworking. These will be noted on the list.
Southern Illinois Pride, June 14, Carbondale, IL
Rusty Truck Vintage Market Days, June 27-28, DuQuoin Fairgrounds (John only)
Harvest Festival, Sept. 6, Alto Vineyards, Alto Pass, IL
CedarHurst Art & Craft Fair, Sept. 5-7, Mt. Vernon, IL (John only)
Murphysboro Apple Festival, Sept. 12-13, Murphysboro, IL
Crab Orchard Fall Market, Sept. 13, Crab Orchard, IL (John only)
Wine and Art Festival at Rend Lake, Oct. 11-12, Rend Lake Visitor's Center
VultureFest, Oct. 18-19, Makanda, IL
AutumnFest, Nov. 8-9, John A. Logan College, Carterville, IL
Arts and Crafts Extravaganza, Nov. 22-23, Show-Me Center, Cape Girardeau, MO
Holiday Craft Sale, De. 4-6, SIU Student Center, Carbondale, IL
Again, there will be more shows added as we get word (we hope!), so follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with the latest news. We’re looking forward to seeing you soon!
We're traveling a bit for the next show, the Art Fair & Winefest in Washington MO. This long running event will have 10 local wineries and many fine artists gathered near the Missouri River for three days, May 16-May 18. We will be there with John's woodworking, and would love to see our fans from Southern Illinois in attendance. If you go, be sure and drop by our tent and say hello!
Saturday, on the square in Marion, join us for the Union Street Arts Fair, 10-3.
Honeybees don’t collect just pollen and nectar, they also need water. We put out this re-purposed chicken waterer and put small stones in it to keep the bees from drowning. I think they like it!
Today and tomorrow, the Rusty Truck Vintage Market in the Expo Building at the DuQuoin State Fairground. Today 4:00-8:00 (don't worry, it's before the weather comes), and tomorrow 10:00-4:00. I've got some really neat woodworking pieces for you, and if you're looking for soap at this show, we're set up right next to Meadows Bluff Farm, who have some fantastic goat's milk soap. So stop on by and let me know you're following us on social media. Looking forward to seeing you!
Town Square Market has closed their old space and moved into the same space as Longbranch Coffee Shop. The businesses have reopened as The Branch Cafe & Market. We are still a part of this, and you can find us just inside their back room, immediately to the right as you go through the door. We have a brand new display, the better to show off all your favorite soaps, lotions, lip balms, etc. So stop on by the Branch (I have to get used to saying that now!), 100 East Jackson Street, Carbondale, the other end of the block from where they had been.
Coming up soon, the Maple Syrup Festival at SIU's Touch of Nature in Makanda is always a great time. We'll be back this year with all of your favorite products.
We’re branching out this year as John showcases his woodworking at a number of different shows. Not to worry, Ruth & John will still be together at our usual events (and maybe some new ones!), but it seems a good time to try some new things. Here are the shows we have coming up in March and April.
We begin the year with John going solo to a new show for us, the Rusty Truck Vintage Days at the DuQuoin Fairgrounds. On Friday and Saturday, March 14-15, John will have all his woodworking at the Expo Hall.
On March 22-23, we return to the Maple Syrup Festival at SIU’s Touch of Nature. We will both be there with a full range of all our products. This is a fun show with a pancake breakfast, forestry demonstrations, live music, a climbing wall and more. This is a great chance to get out, enjoy the woods, and stock up on your favorite products.
Another first-time event with the wood products is the Spring Spectacular Craft and Garden Market. This show will be Saturday, April 5 at the Event Center in Murphysboro.
We are delighted that our woodworking will be on display at the Oak Street Art Fair in Murphysboro on April 26. This show gets better every year, and we are looking forward to being a part of it.
These are just the first of what promises to be a very busy season. Keep checking back for more detailed information on each show as we get closer to each date. And we will have more shows added to our schedule as they get confirmed. We’re looking forward to seeing you!
A new wine rack just out of the wood shop, this one is cherry with green epoxy accents. It holds four bottles of your favorite wine. It measures 24”H x 19”W x 6 3/4”D.
We like to feed the birds on our back deck in the winter. We have big glass doors so we can watch them as they feed. A couple of weeks ago we saw this little fellow come up. This is a leucistic cardinal, a cardinal with abnormal pigmentation. It’s not sick, it just has differently colored plumage.
A beautiful charcuterie board of pecan and rich blue epoxy, this one measures 15” x 9 1/4”.
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