March Blooms

After sharing the photos of the damage the drought did to our trees, I thought it would be nice to share what the rain has done for our flowers!  Snapped these photos in our front yard today.  Nature's grace in action:

The Perfect White Rose

Meyer Lemon Pollination in Process

Great things keeping happening!

Kandas

How to Care for Your Shaka Studios Furniture

Shipped this beautiful dining set to Kathy in Colorado last week.  The tiger maple dining table has mustard on black primitive painted legs that match the 6 fanback windsor side chairs.

"The table and chairs just arrived.  They are very nice - so different then what I had....  .  I also wondered about the best way to take care of the table top - it is so beautiful." - Kathy in Colorado

Caring for your Shaka Studios handmade furniture is easy.  We seal every piece with 3 or more layers of pre-catalyzed satin lacquer.  You do not need to wax or polish Shaka Studios furniture.  Clean it with a damp rag or dust with a microfiber cloth.  If food gets on the table top, it should lift up with a damp cloth and elbow grease.  Do not use solvents.  We recommend using a trivet or coaster for hot dishes, as steam could get under the finish and leave white marks under the lacquer.  If you do get white marks, a hair dryer on a low setting should dry it out.  You can set cold drinks directly on the finish with no worries.

Enjoy your Shaka Studios handmade furniture, with very little fuss, for decades!

Two Custom Tall Cherry Cannonball Beds

Shane recently completed two custom Tall Cherry Cannonball Beds for clients on opposite ends of the country.   The first went to Sham in Massachusetts.  Sham's tall cannonball bed, shown below, is queen size with 58" head and foot posts and a customized platform mattress support that sits 18" off the ground.

I received the bed and assembled it yesterday. It is gorgeous!!

(assembly was also remarkably smooth).

thanks for all your help!

-Sham

Currently en route to Kent in Washington state is this queen size Tall Cherry Cannonball Bed with 48" head and foot posts and headboard style "B":

Queen Custom Cannonball Bed

The view all your Shaka Studios Custom Bed options download our 

free Custom Bed Design Workbook.

Pine Trees Lost

According to a recent article on Reuters, 10% of urban forests have succumbed to the Texas drought.

We live and work on the outskirts of the Sam Houston National Forest in the Piney Woods of east Texas.  Pine trees seemed abundant  in the densely forested suburbs north of Houston.  Last summer was the driest on record.  It was also the second hottest.  By the end of the summer, dead pine trees lined every road.

Then in January the rain began...  storms...  wind... and downed trees everywhere.  In our own backyard, we had 5 trees fall in less than 2 months.

Yesterday, a work crew began removing 17 pine trees from our back yard.  Many of them dead.  Here is a view from my porch yesterday afternoon:

Same view this morning:

It just occured to me that we now have room for a vegetable garden! I'll post more photos tomorrow. There are still three trees left to come down and a lot of debris to be hauled.

Primitive and Folk Artists on Etsy

We belong to a talented team of primtive and folk artists on Etsy called PAFA. I've invited the team members to post a creation from their store here for your enjoyment:



After you've added the hop to your own blog, leave the link in the comments so I can visit!

Handmade Kitchen Cabinets Houston, Texas

Handmade Kitchen Cabinets

Handmade Kitchen Cabinets

Handmade Kitchen Cabinets

February Handmade in Texas Blog Hop

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