Etsy Shop Showcase ~ Wood Elements

We are very excited to share with you the beautiful work of a truly talented artist. Jackie and Sally are the owners of Wood Elements, an Etsy shop that specializes in hand-turned wooden gift items. Jackie creates all of the items in his wood working shop in Nashville, Tennessee. He and Sally travel to local art shows during the year selling their beautiful products. Jackie also teaches wood turning classes at their local Wood Craft store.

We stumbled upon this shop while looking for some seeds and other things for the garden. We found this beautiful hand-turned garden dibble and were instantly hooked on the natural beauty of the wood and the simplistic design.

A garden dibble is an ancient tool used for planting seeds or flower bulbs. The notches that encircle the shaft are spaced 1 inch apart and are helpful for measuring the depth for planting.

Jackie turns each of these heirloom-quality garden dibbles by hand. They are then sanded silky smooth and finished with beeswax. Wood Elements carries these helpful tools in walnut (shown), cherry, and hard maple.

We think these garden dibbles would make a perfect gift for a gardener. Just imagine how great one would look in a gift basket or pot nestled among gardening gloves, seeds, bulbs, and twine.

Jackie's garden dibbles are very reasonably priced at $16.00 each.

We were so impressed with Jackie's work that we asked him to share with us a little about how he got started with wood turning.

Q: What led you to woodworking?

A: I have a life-long passion for creating objects and bringing ideas into reality.

Q: When did you begin wood turning?

A: About four years ago.

Q: When did you start selling your hand-turned wooden gifts?

A: As soon as I learned to turn and had enough work to sell, I began selling at local and statewide craft shows. In August of 2008, I began selling on Etsy.com.

Q: What do you enjoy most about the process of turning wood?
A: The aspect of wood turning that I enjoy most is it's immediacy. You can start with a raw piece of wood and actually watch it take shape before your eyes very quickly.

Q: Do you have a favorite piece you love to create? If so, what is it?

A: My favorite piece is always that new idea I am developing. I am able to put the completed piece into my repertoire.

Q: We know you teach wood turning classes. What advice would you give someone who wants to learn how to turn wood?

A: I would say to either take some classes or find a work turning mentor. Then start out small and develop your skill and build on those skills. After that, find out what aspects of wood turning you are passionate about and move in that direction.

It was really difficult to choose, but here are some of our favorite things from Wood Elements (http://www.woodelements.etsy.com/).

Click on the photo to view the listing or browse the entire shop. There are many more beautiful hand-turned pieces.

If you make a purchase, please let Jackie and Sally know that you found out about their shop here at A Heart For Home.

Interested in having your shop featured in our Etsy Shop Showcase? Leave a comment & find out more here. Do you have products that you'd like us to review, but don't sell on Etsy? Just leave a comment with your e-mail address & I'll contact you about doing a review.

Also, view all of our Etsy Shop Showcases listed under the Reviews tab.

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