Artisans of the Valley's Blog Site

Stearnsy Bears of Stotts City, MO creates heirloom quality hand made custom bears, artistically incorporating vintage and reclaimed materials into every project. These are truly works of art, each is unique including a history and persona.

Eric Saperstein of Artisans of the Valley puts artist and knife maker Jay Fisher’s blade “Artemis” to use for a graduation party pig roast. Eric also show’s off his custom home made pig roaster, made in classic hick style the cooker is a 270 gallon oil tank welded to an old snow mobile trailer.

Eric Saperstein & Theresa Tonte stopped in for a Sunrize Safari’s Pork Slam in November of 2007, on the route back from dropping off a New Wave Gothic Table in St. Paul, MN. We both came home with wild boar over 300lbs, if you’re up for some close quarters boar hunting stop in just outside of Jackson, MI. The event includes a private acoustic concert by Ted Nugent and catered wild game feasts. Fall of 2009 is likely booking up quick, we’d suggest locking in your hunt now to avoid waiting another year.

Alice is a singer songwriter with a big dream and alot to say. Working on 5th CD with The Alice Project, writing songs for TV and film and embracing life every day:

“Lead Singer/writer/acoustic guitarist/piano… sometimes. Alice makes lyric and melodic driven acoustic/alternative/indie rock that will connect with lovers of Carole King, Aimee Mann, Suzanne Vega, Jill Sobule and John Lennon. Songs about faith, armchair warriors, love, botox, and regifting are neatly wrapped in masterful instrumentation. Alice is outspoken, funny…a master story teller…and extremely honest.” – Alice Leon – lead diva, rhythm guitar, keyboards. (Photography by Dan Komoda)

“To me, braiding a rug is a lot like painting a picture. The painter starts with a blank canvas and a palette of colors, and lets his heart and mind tell his hand what to do. The quality of the end product depends on the technical skills of the painter, but more importantly on the feeling that the painter is able to impart to the canvas…a feeling that comes from the inner self. The former can be taught, the latter is a gift. The same is true of braiding. There are certain technical skills that can be taught, but the quality of the end product depends on the creativity of the braider.” – Marge Yonda

Pergamena is the last active tannery producing true skin parchment in the United States as a commercial venture. There are a few individuals I’m sure, but none that we know of that are beyond home made batches used for their own purposes. Pergamena meticulously handcrafts each parchment using carefully researched ancient methods and their own modern ingenuity.

We all want balance in our lives. Eric Saperstein (right) finds it by living in two worlds. While at MetLife, as a member of ESS Enterprise Technology Solutions, Eric is immersed in the hi-tech, highly team-oriented world of a senior software deployment engineer. But on his own time, he practices a more ageless and solitary pursuit: the fine art of hand-carved, custom-made furniture, including reproduction period furniture, original designs and antique restoration and conservation.

Kagen Schaefer: A Colorado based woodworking mathematician creates unique puzzle boxes and furniture with worldwide recognition.

Klise Manufacturing, Artisans of the Valley’s source for over 5,000 unique and high quality machine and hand carved wood products including moldings, corbels, appliques, rosettes, panels, columns, feet, and other unique items recently achieved their first Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certification!

Today Artisans of the Valley formally exceeded 2,000 designer leads received through our membership in The Trade Only Design Library. As part of our ongoing marketing program we arranged for a series of Features and Showcases where TODL broadcasts information about our products and services to their entire membership of over 47,000 designers, architects, corporate purchasing agents, and concierges.