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Story by
objecked,
prasseindesignstudio
Published on September 26, 2008 in This Handmade Life |
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Process is a new Etsy video series that features the intimate relationship formed between Etsy sellers and the handmade items that they create and make available to the world through their online shops. Process is not to be confused with a How-To video, as each video is intended to show each seller's unique artistic voice through the process by which their items come to be.
This month, Seattle native Shawn Taylor of prasseindesignstudio is sharing her process of making a wooden wrist cuff with us in conjunction with our themes of woodworking and jewelry making.
As a designer, Shawn works with architects designing spaces, and she applies her knowledge of certified wood and recycled materials in a way that makes her designs both safe for habitation and easy on the environment. Shawn is very passionate about sustainability and has partnered with ecohaus, a sustainable urban building supply company based in the Northwest.
While ecohaus attempts to reuse all of their materials in one way or another, the shipping crates that carry their bulk materials often break in the warehouse and then have to be chipped up to be effectively reused in other building materials. Through her relationship with this building supplier, Shawn has inserted herself into that ecosystem to prevent some of the more exotic woods from being destroyed by upcycling scraps into stunning yet minimal wooden accessories.
Shawn was kind enough to take me to the ecohaus branch in south Seattle, where we met Elliott Kopet, her friend and knowledgeable sales associate who led us through the warehouse, sharing various places for Shawn to scavenge for reusable scraps of wood. Shawn's passion for wood was instantly revealed by her ability to accurately identify a variety of different woods all with varying degrees of weather damage. After gleaning what she could from the scrap pile, we continued to Shawn's home wood shop in north Seattle where she transformed a piece of scrap lumber into a magnificent wrist cuff. The piece, Nature's Barcode no. 1, highlights the sustainably farmed certification stamp that was burned into the wood itself, sharing the story of its origins. As stated in her shop announcements, 25% of Shawn's sales from the Natures Barcode series will be donated to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
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37 comments Login to add your own!
weirdwolf
Thanks for giving us a glimpse of how this gorgeous work is made... Re-purposed tulip wood, I love it!
dogties
lizroca
uncharted
amnashop
emcee
Diffraction
stephaniegibson
I found this video very inspiring. Thank you for putting it together. Shawn's work is beautiful.
Slowshirts
Wonderful camera perspectives, I enjoyed seeing every step of her process, great video!
expressyourself
katelynjane
Such a great idea for Etsy Vids! I love seeing or knowing about the process everyone goes through, this is great!!
BlackStar
mpaperarts
polarity
totally inspiring- Shawn's work is beautiful and meaningful- I just had to grab up a pair of earrings!!
reiter8
silentlanguages
SYFjoolz
Fabulous video... very interesting and the results are stunning!
westcorinthstudio
So glad to see a focus on sustainable and recycled wood sources! Woodworking can be eco-friendly...
WingsDove
Shawn goes through a thoughtful and considerate process when choosing her materials and reusing them, producing lovely simple designs.
LiteArt
nectorgirl
It's amazing what you turned that decking plank into. Beautiful way to use those woods... SUPPORT FSC!
Cattoo
Beautiful, I love wooden jewerly as it seems to go with every outfit :-)
jodieflowers
woodmosaics
curlyfrysc
solidio2
super-cool video prasseindesignstudio
we also salvage wood for our frames and belt buckles.
we take it one step further and salvage whole trunks from trees that were cut down and destined to become firewood or mulch. We take the wood back to our shop, slice it up and dry it ourselves.
It's great because you never really know what your getting!
Beadeviled
There's definitely something different about the feel of wood against your skin -- I appreciate it so much more than metal.
smallwhitepebble
I wish I was minted, I'd buy the lot! Great to see such good work going on and I had no idea pallets were made of such lovely materials (I don't think they care in the UK!) Wishing you many, many sales : )
alpha1001
Loved the video, but was left wanting in that you finished
the bracelet and never showed it to us!!!
arielsdad
WhyCreations
Great to see your work and your dedication to recycling to make beautiful jewellery.Keep up the good work.We need alot more people like you.
betweenthelinez
Your work is magnificent, and your eye for finding such stunning pieces of wood is amazing. I'm still reeling from the fact that Asian companies are using Purpleheart wood for shipping crates! But, I guess without their doing so, we wouldn't be treated to the vast array of eyecandy you have to offer. You're doing such a wonderful thing for our planet and body adornment, as WhyCreations said, keep up the good work!
SANDYSAYLE
woodendoll
2Blue
Merryjo
Thanks for sharing. I wish I could have seen the finished and dried product in the end. Also, how much do your bracelets sell for? Really like the concept!
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This was a lovely story - very inspiring: both as a personal inspiration for myself to look for alternative ways to gather materials for my own craft, but also as what Etsy can stand for. This made my Friday evening.