Update

It has come to my attention that some of you are unfamiliar with our career status.  That is only natural, considering our very minimal correspondence on this (or any) issue.

Did you know that:

a)  We had a baby?  Yes--right at a year ago. He's kept me quite busy, and would be the number one reason that I haven't gotten around to letting you know that:

b)  We moved the woodworking business to the back-burner.

You may (or may not) have noticed that there has been no activity in the Poplar Head Woodworks neck of the woods.

Last December Tim was offered a job as an office manager, which he happily agreed to.  With the previously mentioned new baby, there was no time left over for woodworking.  Tim shut down the warehouse, moved his inventory home, and started his new job.

Tim worked at that job for 6 months before he felt it was time to move on.  And that's when:

c)  We started up a new business.  Tim has been enjoying learning about web design for years now, and has made several websites. In August he decided to put his experience and creative energy to work, and created Tim Tolleson Design.  We set up an office at our home, and have really enjoyed this new season of our life.  Tim is keeping very busy doing websites, logos, and other advertising design work.  He's built a sharp website of his own, where you can see some of his work. Click on over to timtollesondesign.com

Thanks for your support of our first creative endeavor--Poplar Head Woodworks was a huge learning experience for us.  We still have inventory that we are eager to share with y'all.  Check out our etsy store or give us a call.

Also, we are excited to see where our new path with Tim Tolleson Design leads us!  If you have any design needs, Tim would love to help you out.  Look him up on Facebook, contact him through his website, or send him an email.

More Twin Beds

Here's the latest bed design!



Some friends commissioned Tim to make another pair of beds for their sons. They sent us a picture of a bed style that they liked, and Tim set to work with what reclaimed wood he had. I'm so impressed with his creativity and adaptivity to make this bed work! The style is very rough and rustic.



Tim used some rough-sawn lumber from that small barn he torn down back in THIS POST. He cleaned it up, and sealed it really well so that it feels smooth and clean.



He made the headboard, footboard, and rails all separately so that it can be easily moved and reassembled. I loved the clean job he did on the slats...


They are dovetailed and fit in the notches so nicely. He used a sealer coat on them, too, and they are so satiny smooth.


Our boys thought the bed Tim brought home to photograph was so cool...I think they are ready for him to build a set for them! I hope our friends love them just as much.

Frames, Shows and Shipping

I had sort of imagined posting on this blog once a week. Ha! It often happens that what I imagine is not realistic. Blogging takes time, which I don't always have. When I sit down to blog I have to think a lot...what I want to write about, what pictures I have to share, why I am blogging in the first place. So now, five or six hours after I initially sat down, I am finally starting to type.

Today I mostly feel like journaling about the business.

We have tackled several hurdles in the last couple months. The first is Picture Frames. Doesn't sound too complicated, does it? Making the frame is the the easy and fun part. The problem was the backing. Of course, we could just make all our frames Wall Frames, with little sawtooth hangers on the back, but we weren't satisfied with that. I spent hours and hours searching the internet to try to find "easle backs" for our frames, so they could sit on a table. Besides that I couldn't find any that I liked, the ones I did find were way too expensive. But we finally settled on a solution that is fun and inexpensive.




Here's a sampling of some of our new frames:

A natural one with wormholes:


A slatted one that is one of our top sellers:


One with a little Coke detail:


And a one-of-a-kind one that we sold for the 4th of July:


We have had a lot of fun with our frames!

Next hurdle: Craft Shows.

I've already shared some pictures of our show at the Farmers Market, but here's another:


We had a great time there. I believe Tim did 6 shows there over the course of the summer. They were definitely a highlight. Our next step is to hit the road and do some real craft shows. Tim's cousin, Bronwyn, has spent the last several years on the craft circuit, and has given us lots of tips and leads. (She has a fun etsy store HERE).

My goal is to hit 3 shows this fall. I'll keep you posted how that goes!

Hurdle #3: Shipping.

The world of shipping has been quite the experience. I love getting online orders for small pieces...I can ship those pretty easily. Learning how to print labels online was a little tricky, but I've got that down. I've begun to get a feel for which carrier will be the cheapest depending on the size of my box. The big problem has been shipping our large pieces, particularly our large bulletin boards. They are so large that I could not find a box large enough, and the shipping charge was outrageous.

It may seem like a silly thing to commit to prayer, but that's what shipping had come down to. My prayer was that God would lead me to a solution. I've learned that he loves to come through for me, and it looks like he has done it again. This summer while we were visiting family, my sister, who is an interior designer, passed along some used boxes that she had. We loaded them up, and I never even really looked at them until we got home. They were art boxes...large and flat and unlike any box I had yet seen. Shortly after that we got our first online order for one of our bulletin boards. I cringed inside, wondering how in the world we would ship it. Low and behold, Tim discovered that it fit almost perfectly inside one of these new boxes. With some minor tweaking, he got it to work. What a relief! But that's not all...the box was sized just right to knock the shipping down to a manageable amount.

Tim photographed the box, including the factory stamp, and sent it on its way.


With a little research I was able to find the company that made the box and get in contact with them to get a quote to have some made for us. I can't wait to seal the deal, and have our own supply of boxes waiting to be filled and shipped. Yes, God cares about cardboard boxes, and he cares about me.

Bit by bit we are learning the ropes of owning our own "hand-made" business...and we are very eager to see where God takes us with it!

What's in a name...

I said I would blog about our business name...but first, I have to share a couple pictures from our morning at the Poplar Head Farmers Market!


It was our first time setting up a booth, and we had a lot of fun!


I visited the market for the first time last week...something I have wanted to do for a long time. I loved it, and while I was there I checked into joining. And after a week-long scramble to get things ready, here were are!


Trevor helped...it was really fun to have him there.


We saw a lot of friends, met a lot of new people, and passed out a lot of business cards and fliers. We'll be there each Saturday in July. I'll add a link on the side of the page so you can see more about the market and read about the other vendors.

And now...

Why Poplar Head Woodworks?

There are 2 main reasons we chose this name. The first is pretty straight forward.

1) It's historical!

In times past, Dothan was called Poplar Head. We think it is a very quaint name. Right behind Poplar Head Farmers Market is a little historical park, called Poplar Head Park, with a monument detailing the history of the city...


2) It's personal.
There is a verse that has really blessed Tim, and it has to do with trees...

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8

For some time, the image of a tree by the water has been an encouragement to us. Tim has been dreaming about going out on his own for at least a couple of years. Last fall he cut back to part time at the family construction company to start playing around with some woodworking ideas he had. In January he left his job and went out on his own.

That was a kind of scary decision to make. At a time when lots of people in America would love to have a job and can't get one, we leave one! It just seems crazy when we look at it with our human eyes. BUT, we really felt that God was calling us to leave the family business. Eight years ago he led us there, and we felt like that time was over. Tim's dad and brother were supportive, and we were very thankful to be able to leave the business with their blessing to try something new. But still...it was scary.

That's why these verses have meant so much to us. Our hope is in the Lord...we are looking to him daily to lead us and provide for us. We are never able to see much more than one step in front of us, but when we keep our eyes on our Father, one step is enough. We want to be that tree planted by streams of water: we will not fear when heat comes, we will not be anxious in the year of drought, and we will trust God to bear fruit in us in due season.

We want to be like the poplars that grew by the spring right here in Dothan...so here we are: Poplar Head Woodworks. We are eager to see where God leads us!

Bookcase and Business Cards

Tim made another special delivery today!


Hopefully this will be a nice place for our friends to stash their books, and decorate.


He made the trim himself...


...as well as the V-groove backing.


I love the finished product! Seems like he whipped this one out...he's getting faster at his work, and is really enjoying it.


Tim's mind is already cranking, thinking how he can adjust the design to make it more contemporary. Darker stain, different trim and I don't know what else. He loves designing.

Speaking of designing, we've finally designed and printed business cards!

Aren't they fun? They're a little serious, and a little playful.

Next post, I'll explain the Poplar Head name...

The Beds! The Beds!

They are Beautiful!


As I type, Tim is delivering this beautiful bed, and its twin, to an eager little boy and his oblivious little sister. Little Boy is 3 years old, and ready to move into a Big Boy bed; Sister is one year old, and most likely has awhile to wait before she enjoys her's. :)

Tim brought the beds home this afternoon to photograph. It was something like 102 degrees outside, but there were no mosquitoes!! I can take the heat.

The frame alone is pretty enough...


...but it was fun to dress it up and see how it looked. The color is very attractive--not too light, not too dark, not too red...


It's just right. And Tim's finishing is so nice. It's not so perfect that it looks factory-made, but it's still very, very fine. I'm so impressed with his handi-work.


It has 3 deep drawers that pull out all the way...


...and they are pretty inside and out.


Tim has learned a ton on this project, and we are happy to have it under our belts.


On to the next project!!!

Beds

This week Tim worked a ton on a pair of beds he's making for some friends. He's got them all built, and is working on staining them. He's been having a good time working on them. The boys and I went out to take some pre-stain photos. They helped him set it up...or, at least some of them helped...


We took the photos in the "meadow" behind the warehouse. I noticed that if I called the plants wildflowers instead of weeds, they looked prettier...


It felt like a National Geographic photo shoot. By the time Tim had the bed set up, the mosquitoes had found us. I smacked and killed no less than 10 on my legs while I was waiting. The kids hid in the car, and Tim fanned me like I was on fire while I clicked away as quickly and calmly as I could. I can't remember every being attacked so heavily by bugs before. I guess they hadn't eaten in awhile. As childish as it is, I came home and counted all my welts (40+) and nursed them with itch cream. When we go back to do the finished photos, I've GOT to remember the bug spray!!!


The beds look terrific. They've got drawers in the bottom...


...and a clean, classic style.


Tim built the V-Groove paneling by hand, which I think is really cool. Of course there's nothing wrong with the sheets of paneling you can get from Lowe's, but hand-made is always special.


I can't wait to see them stained!