I never imaged that I would be carving my own spoon out of wood on a Sunday afternoon, but when I saw this workshop (Japanese Wooden Spoon Carving with Melanie Abrantes) by these creative beauties from Moonrise Creative, I was intrigued.
Who is Moonrise Creative? A group of women brought together by a shared passion for fibre arts and creativity. Their creative endeavours incorporate “perfectly imperfect” ideas into creative products and workshops. They design and produce workshops, gatherings and events that evoke creativity and forge community in beautiful and unique places on this earth. They bring together a collaborative community of artists and makers and seek to strengthen and expand their community. To learn more about Moonrise Creative and their inspiring workshops check them out on Instagram @moonrise_creative or visit http://www.moonrisecreative.ca
Photos left to right. Ladies of Moonrise Creative – Stephanie Panigavluk Papik, Pam Lewis, Meta Lazar. Photos by Sara Hembree www.thegritofit.com
I have never done any woodworking and I don’t consider myself creative so I was excited to see if I would indeed leave the 3 hour workshop with my own custom created spoon that looked anything like the beautiful pictures below posted about the workshop.
I was pleasantly surprised that not only did I have an amazing afternoon hanging out with some fun people but I did create a beautiful wooden spoon. Me, Jody Hollis, spoon creator??? Wow! Who would have thought! For someone like me who probably will never be considered artsy or creative, I never felt uncomfortable or like I didn’t belong in the environment. I felt excited, interested and grateful that I had the opportunity to do something new and really out of the box for me. I have to give kudos to the teacher of the workshop, Melanie Abrantes (another beauty with a super relaxed California vibe) for her patience, as I am sure I asked 1000 questions. I was so nervous that I might cut off my finger with the Japanese tools or that I may be the only failure to come out of the workshop, it made me overly inquisitive. Melanie was so cute, lovely and helpful as she answered all my questions with a lightness in her tone that put me at ease and made the learning experience relaxed and enjoyable.
Pictures left to right – my little bag of Japanese tools, the wood I picked to start the project, my finished spoon.
More about the beautiful and talented Melanie Abrantes. This super cool lady is doing some amazing stuff, her cork work was just featured in domino magazine @dominomag. Follow Melanie’s work on Instagram @melanieabrantesdesigns and check out here workshops offered at www.melanieabrantes.com
Melanie in her studio, and her feature in domino magazine. Photos from @melanieabranteddesignes
Melanie Abrantes Designs is a Bay Area-based producer of handcrafted, heirloom objects. Founder Melanie Abrantes believes that in order to create something beautiful, you have to get your hands dirty. She founded her company in 2013 when she realized there was a growing American market for handmade goods. Working with a variety of unique materials, Melanie strives to create products of the highest quality that are equally beautiful and functional. Through the technique of lathing, she turns simple pieces of solid wood and cork into one-of-a-kind bowls, plates, cups and stands. Her passion for woodworking originates from the simple fact that every piece is unique as the material it is made from. Time in the studio is dedicated to researching, testing and adapting the product to its user, resulting in a simple, yet unique object of the highest quality. Moving forward, Melanie plans to broaden her line to include furniture and lighting, maintaining her dedication to handmade.
The most fun group of spoon whittlers ever!
The 3 hours went by so fast and we had lots of laughs and no cuts. I did get a little blister that I was proud of from sanding my spoon. I can’t wait until Melanie comes back to Victoria to teach another workshop. Thanks to Moonrise Creative and Melanie Abrantes Designs for coming together on our little Island and giving me the opportunity to be creative. I love my spoon!
Melanie Abrantes with Moonrise Creative and all of the beautiful spoons we created at the workshop.
