My Story:
As a daughter of a father and grandfather with “golden hands,” I grew up contemplating all the mastery of born-to-build carpenters. There is nothing they could not build or create, and the knowledge they had did not come from educational institutions; rather it was passed from generation to generation on the male side. I was raised in Russia, and my mind was set to think a woman does a woman’s chores, and a man--men’s. It never occurred to me to even think that I could build too, but the genes were passed thanks to precious DNA!
I always liked working on my father’s lumber mill with the fresh smell of cut wood and big noisy machinery. It all started when I helped my husband to put the crown molding in one of our bedrooms. I realized that it came easy to me to figure out the cuts without Google search! :-) After this, I started doing other little carpentry projects around our house, and from this developed a nagging thought of “What else can I build and create?”
My first creation was a Jewelry Box Wall Frame that I made with virtually none of the right equipment. I brought it to my work to show it to my first-class builder co-workers for a critical review. “Not bad!” was their reply. Boy! What a great, satisfying answer that was! :-) My boss immediately ordered one for his daughter – I was thrilled!
I’ve harvested the idea for wood arts from my sister-in-law. She is an amazingly creative person. The inspiration for my Leshy Collection goes way back to my childhood. While walking back from school, all the trees on my way home would come alive in my imagination. Most of the time they were high-end birch tree ladies and pine tree gentlemen dancing away at the magnificent ball dressed up accordingly to the season.
So here I am; passionate for wood and nature, creating and building all sorts of things with lots of love and good positive energy for your home, loved ones, and dear friends.
Sincerely,
Olga Applegate
