I would like you know ahead of time that I am so very grateful for your support, in what ever it may be, a simple share, signing up for my newsletter or purchasing a lantern. Should it be the purchase of a lantern, it is my wish and hope that the end result captures joy in its purest and simplest form.

This end result comes about through a great many often overlooked factors…. I can only best describe this in the way I first heard it, through this example - reaching the summit of a mountain is not by our own efforts alone, we cannot claim to have done it alone, for without the mountain itself having helped us up just as much as we helped ourselves up, we would never have arrived at the summit. In relating this to the lantern and lamps “I” make, know there is a much bigger picture at play, that it is as much all the other things plus my own, and yours, that have helped produce the end result.

I love all things paper lanterns and lamps that have as their light source, real flames, be they candles or other from a natural fuel, such as oil or spirits. It takes many words to even begin to try and capture how they move my heart and soul. If I was to choose one though, I’d say “magical”. I am also very drawn to the deep spiritual aspect associated with lanterns at large. Since you have found your way here, I’m going to assume you can relate to this in some way. On this note, I developed a very special LED light source to safely bring this magic to a closed paper lamp. You can find more on my website/blog.

A part of my soul is present in every lantern and lamp I make. With our collaboration, a part of you too. Weather this is a gift for a loved one, or for yourself, know that what you receive is one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable - a Keepsake.

I look forward to hearing more about your wishes and how together we can help spread more joy, peace, love and harmony.

Please keep in touch, whether you purchase a lantern or lamp or not. If you like, signup for the “In the works” newsletter or blog, more a kind of journal.

Footprints….. I do my best to limit the impact of being a “maker” on our precious planet. I choose not to use plastic in any of my packaging, which adds a notable cost to the already high material cost of each lantern and lamp I make, but in my heart I cannot do anything else.

Finishes….. I prefer not to use any “finishes” on my lanterns and lamps, I love the raw nature of things, but I do give you some choices. My large lantern above never got any finish, it’s just as beautiful as it was at the beginning and I would go so far to say that it’s even more beautiful now… the wood had taken on a natural aging, the cherry has darkened, the maple too a bit. Perhaps in time I will be able to sway more folk away from "finishes”, no matter how natural manufacturers may claim them to be.

Use of sandpaper….. in the way I work, it is the last option I reach for. Everything I make is hand planed and finished that way. It’s labor intensive and takes a lot of time. I do this because it produces such a wonderful finish where nothing more is required. There are unavoidable situations where sandpaper is the only option, these are the only times I use sandpaper.

New designs/collections….. At this time, March 2022, I have 3 designs/collections for you to choose from. There are needless to say, numerous ways to make each look notably different within a specific design/collection, with the options I offer.

I am always working on on new designs… having read this far, I’ll share something with you… in the works is a circle shaped lamp collection, a teepee pyramid shaped lamp collection and a lamp collection based on the the large lantern you see below. I’ve been working towards the latter two collections in stages as they are complex and very labour intensive.

How and when my lantern making journey began…

Along with having always been drawn to eastern philosophies and mysticism, I have always been a “tinkerer”, as far back as I can remember, early childhood. Throughout my life I’ve always found myself wanting to create in some way. This creative spirit has been my guide in all I’ve chosen to do or found myself doing.

I have a background in electronics, this is my trade you could say. I feel it chose me at a very early age, rather than me deciding on it. I have no doubt my parents encouragement helped me along the way too. Out of school I had an easy path knowing what I wanted to study post secondary (South Africa). All my practical knowledge payed dividends once the theory was added.

I am new to woodworking, age 50 at the time — In September 2018 I took my first woodworking course at North Island College in Port Alberni. I was at a place in my life doing my best to move on after a life shattering event in 2015. I took the course without any expectations, or goals.

In February 2019, month 6 of the 9 month course, we were required to make a “small box”, one of three core practicals we had to complete. Typically, this small box would be jewellery box of sorts, something box like no-the-less.

In my hunt online for ideas and inspiration, I stumbled across a picture that was taken at a museum in Japan, of a Japanese lantern made in the late 1800’s. I was not able to find much of anything about it. I dug more and found little else, but at this point I had already been swept up into the stars. This was the turning point for me, a knowing in my heart, that I needed to try and make something just like in the picture, for my “small box” project and run with it beyond that too, if possible. I was fortunate that my lecturer was open to this little unorthodox “small box”, he had an appreciation for Japanese woodworking, something I knew nothing about at the time.

So I set my sights…

Upon completing the course in May of 2019, and with the mostly completed lantern I made in class (I ran out of time to do all the accents I wanted to do), yes, it’s the large one pictured above, I began working towards having a small workshop space.

This next phase of the journey took nearly two years and among many other things, involved building a small stand alone 12x12 workshop space from the ground up, fully sound insulated because of where I live. This aspect alone had a huge learning curve, like everything else it seems I’ve tackled. The workshop build took me 1 year to complete, with the help of a friend at the framing stage and where heavy lifting was required.

At the start of 2021 I began setting up equipment in my new workspace and learning, and learning and more learning… still yet to do any “woodworking” since leaving college.

The months flew by, all too fast, as I began designing and building prototypes, learning at each turn along the way. Slowly but surely things began to take some shape. The lantern I made at school became my beacon of motivation when things would get rough. I decided not to update this lantern with the things I never got to do at school. For me, it’s become a keepsake, a reminder of a very personal time in my life and a reminder of where it all began, a new chapter in my life.

I could never have imagined the amount of time this has all taken, a steep learning curve every step of the way - doing everything myself for financial reasons. It must be 4 times more than even than my best estimate initially and I’ve only just arrived at the beginning of starting this new business, February 2022. I don’t know how things are going to unfold from here, I just know to keep going, one day at a time, just as nature shows us to do. If you’ve read this far, I thank you for letting me share this with you.