Derek Smiley Woodworks

Liquid Of Life - from my friends at Country Boy Coffee

Coffee? Yes please and thank you! I’m a fan of good coffee. Maybe you are too?

I became a coffee nerd about 20 years ago and started roasting my own coffee. Roasting is not terribly difficult. Finding good beans is. There are so many different varieties of coffee beans out there and most have some really distinct flavor profiles. It doesn’t take long to discern between a Sumatra and a Columbian coffee bean.

I stumbled onto Country Boy Coffee awhile ago and thought I’d give their coffee a try. I bought a bag of Dirt Road, which is a dark roast. I also bought their Farmers Tan, which is a medium roast. Ordering was efficient and shipping was fast.

What did I think? Over the last two days, I’ve enjoyed both blends very much. Country Boy Coffee is clearly getting some high quality beans to roast. The bags of coffee had a “roasted and package on” date, which impressed me. My coffee was roasted the day before it shipped, so we are talking fresh coffee! Fresh makes a huge difference. Both blends had great body and flavor. The roasting was spot on. Clearly, they are offering the highest quality coffee you’re going to find. I’m a fan!

If you are looking for some excellent coffee from a small business, give Country Boy Coffee a try. You won’t be disappointed!

I shared this a year ago today and wanted to reshare. I believe in this coffee company that much. I will add, my personal favorite is the Farmers Tan Blend. It’s a low acid coffee that is super easy on my stomach….which I need 😅

Happy Saturday, everyone.
Here are a few new creations I started yesterday. Never a dull moment here. Have a wonderful day!

Morning All!

I’m busy working on a pile of new projects. Hearts? 6 are in the works! Crosses! Oh my! Round charcuterie boards? 12” and 16”. Pine cone and resin bowls? 2 are ready to turn! I’ll keep this pace on the resin and wood work until October. Then, it’s all about cutting boards for Christmas. I sold (and made) 164 cutting boards in the three weeks after Thanksgiving. I want to get ahead of that rush. That’s a silly amount of sanding in a short amount of time.

Happy Friday!

This is the “When Disastor Strikes” post.

I was running this beauty through a machine to flatten it. The machine, called a planer, spins a cutting head at a crazy high rate of speed. Well, the wood and the planer did not play well. With loud CRACK, the long portion of the cross shot back at me at a high rate of speed and caught me in the…well…let’s just I’m singing soprano for awhile. Ouch! 😅Totally my bad! IF I was wearing my leather shop apron like I should have been, I wouldn’t be singing soprano. Lessons learned!

Hmmm, should I ice or heat? Never mind! Don’t answer that! 😂

Wow! I’ve been picking up some amazing wood at auction ❤️

https://youtu.be/-cSPKILxv7U?si=ibXbr4-hFyVGGnOq

Good morning all! It is done!

The ancient redwood and resin charcuterie platter is now in my Etsy shop! Is it just a charcuterie board? NO! A serving board? NO! It’s functional artwork that needs to be displayed when not in use. It’s a stunning piece and that ancient redwood, hundreds of years old, has such cool grain patterns.

Here’s a link to this beauty.

https://dereksmileywoodworks.etsy.com/listing/1763895866/art-gallery-quality-charcuterie-board

Have a great day!

Good morning!

What’s going on in the shop? Here’s a quick update. These items just came out of their respective molds and they’re curing for a few days.

This is the stage when you’re looking for that diamond in the rough. They’re unfinished, but you can see the beauty in each piece. Once finished, they’ll be amazing ❤️

Have a great day!

Some of you may remember, a while back I was asked to create a laser engraving for a memorial bench for a young lady that passed entirely too soon in life. I was given the wood to engrave on and they were going to build the bench. The other day, I was able to see the completed bench for the first time. It’s set in a beautiful spot overlooking a pond where you can watch birds all day long. Very appropriate for Sarah, who loved nature ❤️

Happy Monday Friends!

This one is for my process people. I created a YouTube video on how to make a wood and resin piece from start to finish. It’s the video I would have wanted to see two years ago when I started creating these amazing pieces. It’s packed with helpful information.

Knots & Grains Woodworking, this would be a great tutorial for you if you decide to get into resin work.

I hope you all have a great day!

How to Make Unique Wood and Resin Art (DIY Tutorial) Would you like to learn how to create an amazing wood and resin piece? This is a comprehensive tutorial, taking you through every step in the process. If y...

This beautiful heart shaped charcuterie board/art piece is now available in my Etsy shop. It’s a stunning piece ❤️

https://dereksmileywoodworks.etsy.com/listing/1750733776/gorgeous-heart-shaped-serving-platter

Coming soon!
Ancient redwood and resin charcuterie board/art piece. ❤️

A Kathy Smiley Art update.

Yesterday afternoon, Kathy had laser surgery on her left eye. We both were impressed by the process, the staff and, the surgeon. It appears that the surgery was a tremendous success. The surgery will prevent the loss of vision out of Kathy’s left eye. It doesn’t have an effect on her double vision, but this is a quantum leap forward. We will take that as a huge win!

For the next handful of weeks, we have a lot more going on, but we are feeling hopeful.

Kathy and I want to thank each and everyone of you that has wished us well and sent Kathy positive vibes and prayers. It’s making a difference! For that, we are deeply appreciative.

Update! -SOLD!

Here's my newest cross. It's just so pretty!!!!!
dereksmileywoodworks.etsy.com

(I'd sure appreciate it if you would follow my YouTube channel!)

This AMAZING Olivewood Cross Has An Incredible Story Here's my latest cross made from 200 year old Olive Wood and resin. Here's the amazing story about the wood. There was a grove of olive trees planted aroun...

Love this!
This was a fun project for the wonderful and talented Popielownik - art. Thank you for the great review 💙

How about a cool opportunity?

I have some amazing wood that will be made into a charcuterie board/serving board. This is an art gallery quality piece. My customers always display these items as art when not in use.

This rare Golden Burl wood is exceptional. As you can see, it fits nicely in my 16” round mold and it has the COOLEST heart shaped void in the center. There’s live edges all the way around. I imported this magical wood from East Asia, and to say it’s a one of a kind, would be an understatement.

Here’s the opportunity. I can create something just for you. Tell me your favorite colors and I will show you some pigment colors in that color range and also share some suggested highlight pigments that will enhance the artistic value. I typically use four complimentary colors. Based on your input, I’ll work my magic, creating something that’s just breathtaking.

The cost would be $350 and it would include a display stand and shipping. If you’re interested, message me or leave a comment and we can discuss this project privately. The sale would go through my 5 🌟 Etsy store.

I look forward to working with you!

Big shout out to my newest top fans! 💎

Retail Woods, Rustic Timber Woodworks, Sky Ewing, Beth Arndt, Jim Schaeffer, EarthboundandRooted Homestead, Webs Woodworking, Robin Nelmark, Adira Etana, Terry Jackson, Sharon Flavell, Paul Geater

And I thank for joining me on my journey of doing what I love!

Good morning!

This beautiful charcuterie board (sharkcoochie board) is made from a beautiful slab of Olivewood and food grade resin. The wood grain and live edge are accentuated by the translucent opalescent pearl resin. And of course, we can’t forget that beautiful “eye” that you can see through. When not in use, display this as the art that it is. I’m including an acrylic stand for my Facebook friends, which allows you to easily display this gorgeous piece.

I hope you all have a great day!

https://dereksmileywoodworks.etsy.com/listing/1706984386/art-gallery-quality-charcuterie-board

You’ve seen two of my resin and pine cone bowls. I can’t wait for you to see my next one, featuring a unique blend of Turquoise and Black Pearl. The contrast between the colors and the pinecones will be exceptional. Stay tuned! The latest comes out of the mold in Thursday.

This beautiful set is off to a wonderful client in Las Vegas!
I’m thankful for my amazing customers.

Making Kathy Smiley Art happy in 3-2-1.

Sneak Peak!

Happy Monday everyone!

This gorgeous charcuterie board/serving platter will be landing in my Etsy shop this week! It’s so pretty! The food grade resin is blue, green and has some secret highlight colors that really accentuate the beauty. If this tickles your fancy, send me a message so I can hold this for you. It’s a stunning, one of a kind piece that you’d display as art, when not in use 💙

I’ve got a number of cool pieces dropping this week! Stay tuned!

Even bigger news. We’re getting Kathy Smiley Art into an eye specialist this week to book her first surgery’s. Progress!

Have a great day!

Revisiting 2022 - Meet the Artists

Well this isn’t your every day, ordinary photo! Kathy Smiley Art, one of our sons, and I had the privledge of taking part in our police department academy. It was 10 weeks of training, which ran the gamut from identifying gang members, forensics, domestic violence, drugs, dispatch, police dogs (never mess with the K-9s, they always win), driving maneuvers like learning how to PIT another car (so much fun!) and shooting with the SWAT Team. There was more, but all of it was seriously cool stuff! The three officers in the picture were just a few of our instructors. All of them impressed us with their professionalism.

Want to see what a PIT maneuver is in under 20 seconds? Here you go.
https://youtu.be/mo7Qr89LWvY?si=k4gxFHon_PWXY366

How about an update from Kathy Smiley Art herself…

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/sjPoqxopyih9MpJG/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Successes!
26 consecutive months as a Star Seller!

Three more milestones hit this week.
Over 400 sales on Etsy!
Over $30,000 in gross sales.
6400 Facebook followers.

Every penny I’ve earned to date has been put right back into my business, in order to grow. One day, I’ll get a paycheck 😅. Maybe 2025 will be the year?!?

Building a business takes time, effort and preserverance.

Have a great day, friends!

It’s always nice getting rave reviews! ❤️

Good morning friends!
I’m hoping one day soon, Kathy Smiley Art will be able to get her vision back so she can get into her art room and create beautiful pieces like this ❤️‍🩹

Candy was looking for a blue cross and she bought this beauty in a blink of an eye.

The wood is from a 200 year old Olive tree. Think of what this ancient wood has seen. Amazing!

I will be making many more. If you’re interested in a custom piece, you can pick your resin colors.

Have a great day