Before leaving for the Pacific Northwest I wrote a blog post about the Etsy sellers up that way and highlighted a few of the shops in my weekly Miss Eileen’s Etsy Picks. The winner of that weeks picks was Earnest Efforts and their wonderful Weathered Alder Driftwood Box. Their shop is amazing. Here is their inspiring interview.
Tell us a bit about yourself (name, location, affiliations, personal stuff)
Earnie Efforts (aka Rick) has been selling his woodworking wares at the Eugene, Oregon Saturday Market (the longest-running outdoor, handcrafted marketplace in the US) since the 1980's. I, Ellie Efforts (aka Heather), joined the Market in 1994 with my fiber arts and in 1998 we got to know one another, fell in love and married in 1999. We are a community of 300 unique and self-proclaimed "unemployable" individuals who share a common goal of supporting ourselves with our artistic talents.
Earnest Efforts at the Eugene Saturday Market
What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? How and why did you make it?
Earnie & I both love wood. I tell people that I married him because he already had a complete wood shop. I'm kidding of course, but I have wanted to learn woodworking since I was a kid. I was always gathering up the scrap materials and trying to make something. One of the very first, very unsuccessful, items I made was a book with plywood and nails. It just wouldn't open. When Earnie & I met at Saturday Market I was making books from my handmade natural plant fiber papers and they opened very well.
Wood Jewelry Box, Desk Organizer, Salvage Black Walnut Orchard Tree
What are your favorite materials?
Our favorite materials come from the Coquille River near Bandon, Oregon on the coast. We travel 65 miles to the coast to gather our driftwood for the boxes. I would be perfectly content with a table filled with driftwood boxes, but as much as he loves the driftwood, Earnie rightly prefers more variety than this. The driftwood is amazing. There is such an incredible story to tell from each piece we gather.
Wood Box, Treasure Box, Salvaged Oregon-Myrtle wood Wood, Secret Hiding Place
What inspires you?
What is our inspiration? The amazing stories that surround us in nature. The history of a piece of wood found in reading the growth rings bring calm to the mind and takes us on a journey. Running your fingers over the grooves left behind by a beaver is the soundtrack to the story. We can touch and see the lid of a box chewed to a point by a beaver to bring the tree down and the teeth marks remain very obvious in the dark inner bark patches. By enjoying the beaver's teeth marks we are able to make this close connection to a remarkable mammal that only the lucky will ever witness.
Beaver Chewed Alder Driftwood Box
River Driftwood Box, Beaver Chewed Oregon Ash Wood, Salvaged
Apart from creating things, what do you do?
What do we do when we're not working? That is a good question because I think Earnie would agree with me that we don't work very often, but our family & friends would say we work all the time. I guess, when you love what you do with your whole self, "work" is not in your vocabulary. Last night we got to giggling in the garden because we were looking around thinking look at our life - surrounded by sunflowers and the hum of our beehive coming up from behind the divine comfort of our swing that glides softly, hidden beneath the cascading branches of the walnut tree. We're surrounded by trees, creeks, birds, amazing, clean food, Myrtle Efforts, the wonder dog, and one another. We're living the hippy dream - the American dream, the humans of Mother Earth dream...
Natural Baby Rattle, Teether, Madrone Wood, Heirloom Teether, Eco Friendly Infant Toy
What are the Web addresses for your work?
earnestefforts@msn.com
www.earnestefforts.com
www.earnestefforts.etsy.com
www.facebook.com/EarnestEffortsnaturalwoodworking
www.earnesteffortsnaturalwoodworking.blogspot.com
Apart from creating things, what do you do?
Last year we officially announced our promise to plant at least twenty native trees every year. We are serious about caring for Mother Earth and making conscious decisions relevant to social and environmental issues. Earnie was a tree planter in the 1970's and has never stopped planting trees. Maybe by publicly announcing our promise we will inspire others to plant trees as well. We are also committed to using eco-friendly and reusable packaging for shipping our orders, buying products “Made in the USA” whenever possible, and in the last year, we also made a commitment to buying used, making repairs, and buying handmade. Neither of us are big shoppers, but making these conscious decisions reduces impulse purchases and allows us to use our imaginations and support the imaginations of others. Lastly, the materials we use are non-toxic, sustainable, and eco-friendly. Hopefully the choices we make will inspire others and the next generation. Learn more about eco-friendly Etsy shops and eco-friendly lifestyle choices at our Eco Etsy Team's Blog at www.ecoetsy.blogspot.com
Thank you for that incredible interview. I love your commitment to buying used, repairing, and buying homemade. I hope others will feel the same.
Post by Miss Eileen aka Goofing Off
Don’t forget to check out the costume pattern sale going on now at the GoofingOff Etsy and GoofingOff Artfire shops. 40% off all costume patterns!
Etsy shops:
GoofingOff
MissEileen
MetalWoodsnWater
GoofingOff Artfire
