Fabulous Wood Items For the Kitchen and Table

A. Large Cutting Board made from many different woods $50.
B. One-of-a-Kind Salad Bowl with matching salad servers $195.
C. Folding Salad Servers by in cherry wood. $33.
D. Set of four checkered wood coasters with holder $44.
(Set of six for $48.)
E. Cocobolo wine bottle stopper with stainless steel tip $26.
F. Hand Carved Coffee Scoop $32.
G. All Purpose Hand Carved Scoop $28.
H. Tea Caddy Box in cocobolo $180.
I. Checkered Trivets in multiple woods $9. each.
J. Lazy Spoon in cherry $26.
K. Natural bark covered Alder Vase $38.
L. Turned Zebrawood Bottle Stopper $10.

Some reasons why they are fabulous:

Great for grown up stocking stuffers, these smaller items are not only functional but beautiful. Wouldn’t coffee taste better made with a hand carved scoop? And what would be more elegant than to top your favorite wine at Holiday dinner than a hand turned decorative stopper?


Jonathan Spoons makes the best…well, spoons! The folding salad tongs fit neatly in a kitchen drawer and the lazy spoon is a best seller because it’s so darn clever! The little notch lets it sit on the edge of the pot, no sticky pudding on the counter!

I don’t know about you, but I drink a lot of tea. Not only a lot of tea but a lot of different types of teas. Maybe that’s why this would make such a great thing to have in the kitchen- a lovely tea caddy, keeping all those teas in neat little compartments.





Finally, what Holiday dinner is complete without a huge salad? Wouldn’t the in-laws be suitably impressed if you served them out of this hand turned one of a kind maple salad bowl, made from a tree salvaged in Seattle? The bonus is it comes with it’s own matching servers!

These items and other fabulous items for the home and kitchen are now available at Northwest Fine Woodworking. Stop by early for the best selection or call (206) 625-0542.

Selecting the Perfect Jewelry Box

When facing so many choices for wood jewelry boxes out there, selecting the “perfect” box can be a daunting task, especially if you are purchasing the box as a gift for a loved one.

At Northwest Fine Woodworking, we often see shoppers standing in front of our box display with perplexed looks, struggling with the many beautiful options. Hopefully this article will shed some light on the most important things to consider when looking for a wood jewelry box.

Function: What will the box be used for? Well, jewelry seems the obvious answer, but what kind of jewelry? Earrings and rings require individual compartments; necklaces need space to keep from becoming a tangled mess

Size: Size may dictate what a box should be used for. Long narrow boxes make the perfect display container for favorite necklaces or a collection of watches. Smaller boxes with deep open spaces work well for rings, personal items, or the essential jewelry one wears every day. Large jewelry chests with sliding trays provide easy access to a variety of items for that individual who coordinates jewelry with fashion. Keep in mind, people rarely have just one box to store their entire jewelry collection. Choose a box that is slightly larger than the items you envision it containing just to be sure there is room for adding a bit more!

Cost: Size, material, interior compartments, and decorative embellishments all contribute to the cost of a hand-crafted box. For this reason, determine a range for spending and then ask to see boxes in a variety of styles that suit your budget. Expect to find a good selection of medium size jewelry box that offer storage compartments and artistic detail for under $300. For most gift recipients, a medium sized box is perfect for placing on a bedroom dresser – allowing for access and organization of items worn regularly.

For unique, small keepsake boxes that can hold a group of rings or other small treasures, expect to pay around $20 to $50. Moderate size, individual purpose boxes that don’t have a lot of compartments or drawers will range around $60 to $250. Large boxes with many trays, compartments and drawers will generally run higher than $300. Boxes that showcase many exotic woods or time consuming details, like marquetry or inlay, generally run much higher than simpler boxes of the same size.Quality: Buying a well made jewelry box should be considered an investment. Think of it as a functional piece of furniture sitting on your shelf, table top, or dresser; storing and protecting valuable objects; cutting down on clutter; as well as adding to the decor. With proper care, quality boxes can be treasured for generations.

Design: Like furniture, wood jewelry boxes come in all sorts of shapes and designs: from sculptural pieces and Japanese tansu inspired compartmental boxes to contemporary boxes with classic lines and inlayed details. Variety is the key in finding the perfect box, and don’t forget to ask if custom options are available. Like the shape of the box but not the woods or the number of compartments?
Ask if it can be made differently to fit your needs.

Alternative uses: Don’t forget that jewelry boxes aren’t just for jewelry! Large Shaker style boxes are great for holding knitting supplies, sewing kits or a collection of photos, while small long boxes are perfect for storing remote controls and cell phones. Multi compartmental boxes can hold coin or antique fishing lure collections, while some boxes are designed specifically to hold your keys and wallet.

Decorative boxes are an elegant way to sort and store small items to create functional displays in rooms other than the bedroom. Shells, push-pins, business cards – the uses are endless. Multiple keepsake boxes can also be displayed together to hold a variety of single precious items and create a vignette that people will delight in exploring.

Northwest Fine Woodworking has a wide variety of boxes in stock, stop by the gallery soon for the best selection, or call (206) 625-0542.

Pine Needle Baskets

We just got in these fabulous new baskets by local artist Luella Castelda. These beautiful pieces are created using found objects from shells and driftwood to a horseshoe, and woven using traditional techniques and materials. Luella learned basket weaving from her step mother and gradually absorbed the many influences of both Native American and Mexican cultures in her work. Each basket is a unique work of art. Luella's evocative baskets are currently on display at Northwest Fine Woodworking.

For those with interest in the art of basketry, the Bellevue Art Museum will be having a show titled Intertwined: Contemporary Baskets from the Sara and David Lieberman Collection starting in December. You can read more about this show on their website.

Also worth a mention at BAM- this Friday, furniture maker (and former member of NWFW) Ken Richards will be giving a free talk about the creative process and influences of woodworkers such as Emmet Day and Sam Maloof. Click here for time and location.