I love this time of year as you see things coming alive in the garden with new buds and foliage sprouting into life.
Samuel Scampers our siamese is also very chatty on sunny mornings this time of year as we start to leave winter behind and he will often come and join me in the workshop to see what's going on with the latest creations.
The collection of fallen oak also starts around this time of year but its still too early to enter most of the fields here in Devon as the ground is so wet from all the rain fall we have had but there are still oak limbs to be harvested in places we can get too.
We season all our oak for a minimum of two years in our dry shed to remove the moisture content from it, this minimises movement in the grains later on.
We never work with green (unseasoned) oak as it contains 50% moisture and would just crack and split and my all our efforts on our creations would all be in vain.
Oak as most timbers will always have some movement because it takes on the environment both in moisture content and temperature but its nothing to worry about though and it really is quite fascinating.
Oak is incredible strong and generally acknowledged as the hardest wood.
If you would like to know more about oak check out here..
Now for the latest additions to the collection 😻
I have two pieces to offer you this week a Flat cat scratcher and a Papa cat scratcher with Rodney the rat.
Flat Cat ref 11022
I have embedded a dear little oak leaf into resin on this piece with a cute design. I really enjoy working with resin and I think the oak leaf resonates the authenticity of it being oak and its also a great conversation piece to have.
There is a beautiful black resin slice running through the natural crevice of this piece with embedded oak off cuts giving a mesmerising effect, this really is a little beauty.
Of course kitties do not care about ascetics but they have plenty of sisal on this piece to keep them occupied.
Papa Cat Scratcher ref 11022
This piece is also quite special because it has exposed darker heartwood the wood nearer the pith of a stem or branch, different in colour from sapwood the outer.
This gorgeous Papa cat scratcher comes with our good old furry friend Rodney the rat and has hearty 12mm sisal to keep kitties happy
Next week I will be releasing a huge Monster Scratch so if your a big breed owner this one is for you and your lions.
I am also hoping to release a beautiful three tier cat tree, a new design for us and we can't wait to show you.
Thats all for now folks, love those kitties
Di