Baublebee Handmade

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During my first winter living in Maine, I found myself craving a new hobby to keep me busy. I have really enjoyed working with clay as a medium in the past (ceramics classes in high school, sculpture class in college), and had been further inspired by a few polymer clay earring tutorials I had seen online. I bought a few supplies and started off making earrings completely just for fun. I figured if any of them turned out well, I could gift them for the holidays. From there – I was hooked! I quickly ended up with a desk drawer full of dozens upon dozens of pairs of polymer clay earrings and decided it may be time to create a business out of this hobby.

I debuted Baublebee Handmade via Etsy on January 20, 2020. Within a few months, I’d sold over 200 pairs of earrings. I’ve been so grateful for the support and consequent ability to continue to have this creative outlet.

KRAKEN Oyster Grip

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“Necessity is the mother of invention.”

We love oysters, but we loathed shucking. All too often we would pass up buying fresh oysters at the fish market. Not anymore!

After much research, we precisely and meticulously designed a shuck assist to make shucking an oyster easier and safer.

Meet the KRAKEN. The KRAKEN Oyster Grip has truly been a game changer as we enjoy oysters every week while supporting our local fish markets and oyster farmers.

Black Dog Ironworks

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THE CRAFT

Tucked away in the woods of Maine, the scorching hot forge of Black Dog Ironworks keeps the winter chill away. It’s warm red glow lights up the workshop for Matthew Foster, the shops owner. Often hard at work, Matthew creates distinctive hand forged objects that challenge the integrity of any store bought substitute. An artist at heart, he considers each of his designs to be reflections of the unique rustic character that defines much of northern Maine. With focus and purposeful action, each piece is thoughtfully crafted with hammer and anvil. Once in hand, the weight and visceral significance of each item defines them as heirlooms.

HANDMADE IN MAINE

Black Dog Ironworks is operated from my home in rural Maine. The name comes from my two black dogs, Dakota, a German Shepard and Henley, a black lab & Catahoula mix. Each of my pieces is handmade using traditional and modern blacksmithing techniques. I honed my craft as an art student at the University of Maine where I studied sculpture. In between sculpture projects and commissions, I work in my tiny garage studio, making functional ironwork for anybody who loves products with character.

Rick Berk Photography

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I’m a photographer based in Freeport, Maine, but I’m originally from New Jersey and spent 21 years living on Long Island, New York. My first love is exploring the landscape around me, across the country, and around the world. There is nothing more satisfying than being awake to witness the sunrise, whether it’s at Quoddy Head State Park in Maine, or from the top of Sentinel Dome in Yosemite National Park. My aim is not to create a literal reproduction of the scene, but to use the tools at hand including my camera and lenses, filters, and tripod, to capture my own personal interpretation of the scene. My goal is to capture the emotion I feel when I witness the scene.

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art degree from Kean University in NJ, am an educator for Hunt’s Photo Adventures, and in the past was a trainer and technical specialist for Canon USA.

Belfast Carving

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Growing up in Maine we spent most of our time outdoors. The daily routine was exploring the coastal beaches, woods or mountains. We hiked, biked, camped and hunted but in all seasons the most important obsession was fishing.
Lure making first started in the summer of ’87. Lots of baitfish came to Saco/Biddeford beaches followed by fierce schools of Bluefish. As you know just one crunch from their powerful jaws and razor sharp teeth Bluefish will destroy most commercial lures, so out of necessity I started carving some crude surface poppers so my sons and I could continue enjoying that summer’s run.
Since then the fun continues at Belfast Carving, creating lures from scratch. During the initial design we judge how a fish will receive the bait accounting for how the lure tracks, dives, wiggles and shimmers. Considering how the presentation fits specific water conditions shoreline foliage and bottom contours.
We believe a good lure will track straight, dive deep, wiggle strong and shimmers bright giving a distressed appearance that gets the predatory fish’s attention.
The rewards of our efforts continue during a new lure’s field trials with the first strike and pursuing fight. Bringing the fish to the surface and landing it proves the lure’s design and durability.
Briefly all our experience goes into each lure at Belfast Carving and we want you to enjoy our lures as much as we do. Please enjoy and be sure to take a kid fishing.

Lori A. Davis, Photographer

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Lori’s love of nature was inspired by her family’s volunteer work as wildlife rehabilitators, while she was growing up on a small farm in northeastern Connecticut. Whether it was bottle feeding an orphaned whitetail fawn or teaching abandoned baby raccoons how to find food in a pond, no matter the task, she was aware how unique her wildlife interactions were. Picking up an old 110 camera, she began documenting her experiences, anxious to share them with others. She didn’t realize at the time how that decision would impact on her life.

Over the years, Lori’s awareness & appreciation for the natural world, combined with her passion for photography, have inspired her to travel the country capturing the amazing wildlife & spectacular scenery each region has to offer. A self-taught photographer published both nationally & internationally, her collection includes images from across America. Using the camera as her tool, she hopes to not only inspire others with her photographs, but also to educate & raise awareness of the fragile natural world that surrounds us.

Morgan McGeehan Designs

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Ever since I was a child I have always loved art. From drawing detailed pictures as a child to pottery and jewelry in my High School years. After High School I went to Maine College of Art. I wanted to become a ceramics major, but after taking metalsmithing and jewelry I was hooked, so I switched my major. I graduated in 1998 with my BFA in Metalsmithing and Jewelry.

I reside in Maine with my husband and son. Being on the coast is an important factor of my work. A lot of my jewelry has sea glass or beach stones in it. My son and I go out hunting a lot. To me hunting for sea glass and beach stones is very therapeutic and relaxing for me. I can spend hours staring at the beach floor looking for the perfect piece. My son and I have our secret hunting spots that we have sworn to never to tell anyone.

I also have a passion for gemstones, they are my addiction. I love setting them with sea glass and beach stones. That way it gives my jewelry a polished and a natural look. I try to keep my designs simple but elegant. I am also always up for a challenge if a client wants a custom piece made.

Amalia Moon

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An avid reader, I came into metalsmithing through browsing in a bookstore. I curiously was thumbing through the craft section and found a book on jewelry making. I had no idea, that it was possible to create such interesting and beautiful objects with some tools and my own hands. I signed up for a weekend course, learned the basics and fell in love with the process leading to lots more tools and classes. Originally from sunny California, I moved to the chilly East Coast to finish my degree in Metalsmithing. After completing my degree I decided to stay in Portland Maine, trading in the Pacific ocean for the Atlantic.

I’ve worked in studio jewelry production for award winning designers and studied with talented goldsmiths for a number of years before finally decided to venture out on my own. I believe that wearing jewelry is personal, intimate and tactile. When jewelry is worn, it travels through the adventures and lives of others, changing and evolving with their experiences. I lovingly handcrafted these objects to connect and evolve with others.

IGNITED Arts & Design

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My name is Jack Windsor. I am a former tradesman, an armchair historian, and a fan of gaming across multiple genres and platforms. Board gaming, and the personal interaction that naturally comes with it, continues to be my absolute favorite. I have also always had a strong interest and affinity for art; as a child, I plastered my bedroom walls with detailed pencil drawings of people, creatures, and maps of fantastic places that only existed in my mind. I was definitely inspired by the fantasy genre, but that genre also opened the door to the world around me, and in particular it’s past – indeed, history is as involving and interesting as the works of Tolkien, Lewis, and Howard, to name a few – who all drew from historical themes for their own stories. My love of classic fantasy and old school gaming led to strong interests in the medieval periods of history, and in particular the Viking Age, but there have been a great many fascinating cultures throughout the ages, and all of them enjoyed not only art but the pastime of gaming. It would eventually become my passion to merge the two and create beautiful handcrafted wood-burned games; functional pieces of art that would not only be pleasing to the eyes but challenging to the mind.

As a young man, I attended art school in Philadelphia, and honed my talents with the methodology and insights of some very gifted people who taught and learned there. Unfortunately, in time I found my chosen curriculum of advertising art to be too restrictive, and my style just didn’t match the current trends, so I entered the trades – carpentry, masonry, and lastly, electrical. During those years I was still very creative and ‘crafty’; but it became a hobby, not a vocation, as I had originally intended. ​

Slowly, the blocks building the foundation of today were laid; as life progressed and time passed, sometimes blocks were torn up and reset in a different pattern; ready to build anew or support an addition. Through it all, my imagination and my creativity continuously found new channels or paths to follow. ​

IGNITED Arts & Design is my outlet for that enduring creativity. Since starting this business from the sale of a Hnefatafl board I crafted several years ago, I have found continuing inspiration from a great many aspects of life – from the storied past, the contemplated future, the fantastic, and my immediate surroundings. Now living in the peaceful lake and forest country of Downeast Maine, just a few miles from the gorgeous north Atlantic coast, I may never in my life create all the things that come to my mind – but I am surely going to try!​

My business name, IGNITED, refers to my chosen medium of heat and fire, of carbonized pyrography art; but more poetically, what I experienced when I undertook this new journey. Surely, I was always imaginative and creative, but given an outlet as well as a goal for all these ideas I have, I set alight my imagination. It is kindled by the world around us, and constantly fed with new ideas.​

It is my continuing goal that I may share that creativity, that brightness and warmth, with those who seek fine handcrafted items and beautiful unique gifts.

Town & Country Cabinets, Inc.

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Town & Country Cabinets was established in 1974 and became a family owned and operated business in 1976 when ownership was assumed by Ronald and Grace Smith. In 2007, Ronald and Grace retired, turning the operation over to their son, David. David, who has been working at the business since 1985, designs and builds custom pieces – ranging from replica furniture to custom cabinets and furniture. We have the capability and experience to produce one-of-a-kind items or literally thousands of the same item.  We recently began offering our very own line of Shaker style furniture, designed and produced at our facility in Gorham, Maine.  This furniture is currently available for purchase through ETSY or directly from our shop.