Rainshadow Connections - Small Business Partner Feature

Today we are featuring one of our new small business partners Rainshadow Connections. From their website they describe themselves as such: "We design and hand make unique items from a variety of domestic hardwoods and North Olympic Peninsula timber that has been either reclaimed or sustainably harvested." Just from perusing the site briefly I was very impressed with what is obviously very high quality wood and workmanship.

Below is just a small sample of the pieces available on the website. PayPal is accepted and the prices appear very reasonable. Check them out if only to look at some of the neat ideas they have come up with.

Handmade gardening baskets unlike I've ever seen before, perfect for letting the dirt and debris back into the earth...

Classic wood cutting boards...

Fun gaming pieces...

And a sizable collection of handcrafted and customized wooden boxes for jewelry, knick knacks, or whatever!

Rainshadow Connections - Small Business Partner Feature

Today we are featuring one of our new small business partners Rainshadow Connections. From their website they describe themselves as such: "We design and hand make unique items from a variety of domestic hardwoods and North Olympic Peninsula timber that has been either reclaimed or sustainably harvested." Just from perusing the site briefly I was very impressed with what is obviously very high quality wood and workmanship.

Below is just a small sample of the pieces available on the website. PayPal is accepted and the prices appear very reasonable. Check them out if only to look at some of the neat ideas they have come up with.

Handmade gardening baskets unlike I've ever seen before, perfect for letting the dirt and debris back into the earth...

Classic wood cutting boards...

Fun gaming pieces...

And a sizable collection of handcrafted and customized wooden boxes for jewelry, knick knacks, or whatever!

DIY: Making Your Own Jewelry Box Part II - Hardware

Once you have finished painting your jewelry box you are ready to begin jazzing it up with some nice hardware.

If your jewelry box already came with a clasp and hinges, they are easily replaced with styles more suitable with the end product you desire.

1. 1.  Installing the clasp.  You will need a small screw driver, preferably one with a magnetic tip since these parts are small and somewhat difficult to handle.
   
   
   
   The clasp I used for this jewelry box is the Min Snap Catch - Brass Plated; however there are many different options to choose from, another example is the Small Snap Catch - Brass Plated.
2. Next I added a pair of small brass jewelry box hinges.  There are tons of different brass hinges to choose from, some with really unique designs.  Using a non-traditional hinge is a great way to make your jewelry box stand out.  You can browse the DLawless selection by clicking here.
   
   
3. To finish the outer hardware additions I decided to add some brass corners to my box.  Because the box I bought is made of thin wood, it wasn't really feasible to use jewelry box feet (as it requires making holes in the bottom).
   The box corners are a great, easy alternative and they look great!  I decided to put them on the lid of the box to really give it a professional look.  Because of the tiny nature of the hardware, it may be a little tricky to install the corners, what I did was:
   
   I held the corner in place and then with my thumb, pushed really hard into the wood so that the tip of the nail was wedged in there and I didn't have to hold it for it to be in place.
   
   
   
   Once it is like this, it is much easier to use a hammer to install the nail.  A nice bonus is that if you can also avoid hurting your fingers!
   The box corners I used were these beautiful brass ones with an engraved design.  The finished lid product looked lovely!
   
                              
   
   Now last but not least I added box corners on the bottom.  I chose to vary up the design and picked these plain brass corners.  However, you could also choose to have engraved corners and install them facing the front; they will still serve as "feet" for your box and yet add some additional style.
   
   Here is the final product - amazing that such a beautiful little jewelry box started off as a plain little $5 wood box off a Walmart shelf!
   Front:
   
                                
   Back:
   
                                
   Side:
   
                               

   

DIY: Making Your Own Jewelry Box Part II - Hardware

Once you have finished painting your jewelry box you are ready to begin jazzing it up with some nice hardware.

If your jewelry box already came with a clasp and hinges, they are easily replaced with styles more suitable with the end product you desire.

1. 1.  Installing the clasp.  You will need a small screw driver, preferably one with a magnetic tip since these parts are small and somewhat difficult to handle.
   
   
   
   The clasp I used for this jewelry box is the Min Snap Catch - Brass Plated; however there are many different options to choose from, another example is the Small Snap Catch - Brass Plated.
2. Next I added a pair of small brass jewelry box hinges.  There are tons of different brass hinges to choose from, some with really unique designs.  Using a non-traditional hinge is a great way to make your jewelry box stand out.  You can browse the DLawless selection by clicking here.
   
   
3. To finish the outer hardware additions I decided to add some brass corners to my box.  Because the box I bought is made of thin wood, it wasn't really feasible to use jewelry box feet (as it requires making holes in the bottom).
   The box corners are a great, easy alternative and they look great!  I decided to put them on the lid of the box to really give it a professional look.  Because of the tiny nature of the hardware, it may be a little tricky to install the corners, what I did was:
   
   I held the corner in place and then with my thumb, pushed really hard into the wood so that the tip of the nail was wedged in there and I didn't have to hold it for it to be in place.
   
   
   
   Once it is like this, it is much easier to use a hammer to install the nail.  A nice bonus is that if you can also avoid hurting your fingers!
   The box corners I used were these beautiful brass ones with an engraved design.  The finished lid product looked lovely!
   
                              
   
   Now last but not least I added box corners on the bottom.  I chose to vary up the design and picked these plain brass corners.  However, you could also choose to have engraved corners and install them facing the front; they will still serve as "feet" for your box and yet add some additional style.
   
   Here is the final product - amazing that such a beautiful little jewelry box started off as a plain little $5 wood box off a Walmart shelf!
   Front:
   
                                
   Back:
   
                                
   Side: