MMSMP Featured Artisan - Phoenix Creations
Social media is awesome because it allows people to connect on a global scale. Without it, we would have never known about our next featured artisans, David and Michelle Rauenbusch of Phoenix Creations Tasmania. Part of the reason why is because they're based out of Cygnet, Tasmania! For those of you who have no idea where that is, allow us to help.
Photo via Google
Everyone knows where Australia is, right? Well Tasmania is an island off the southeast coast of the continent. Cygnet is southwest of the capital city of Hobart. Now can you see why we're so grateful to social media for allowing us to discover David and Michelle?
Photo via Phoenix Creations Tasmania
To be specific, it was David's hand-carved spoons that first caught our eye through Instagram. It was one of those evenings when some clicking around on Instagram totally paid off. Once we saw the feed, we positively drooled over his gorgeous creations!
Photo via Phoenix Creations Tasmania
In his captions, David mentioned that he was using Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint on some of the handles to add pops of color and personality. The more we dug into his feed, the more we fell in love with his craftsmanship and we had to reach out to learn more about what he and Michelle are doing thousands of miles away in the Southern Hemisphere.David and Michelle began making furniture and homewares in 1997 as a response to their own needs. They couldn’t find anything unique or well-made with heart behind it. They have always had a passion for old things and through the years, they had been amassing a mixture of treasures from Sunday drives, garage sales, auctions and dumpsters. They combined their collection with their passion for using recycled materials and their expansive artistic experience and started Phoenix Creations! David makes and Michelle does the behind the scenes work of running a small business. She works on design, marketing, running the business and then keeps their three children on track. She's quite the rock star and David reports that they are a perfect combination!
Photo via Phoenix Creations Tasmania
They took a long time to decide on a name for their work. They specialize in breathing new life into old wood, just like a new phoenix rising from the ashes of an old one. They felt that was an appropriate description of their work, and thus Phoenix Creations had a name!
Photo via Phoenix Creations Tasmania
Every wood piece you see in their online shop is designed and created by hand, from vintage timbers by David.
Photo via Phoenix Creations Tasmania
The love, patience and sheer craftsmanship that goes into each of David's creations has us completely spellbound. It's fascinating to watch![embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BY2yqBEHpu9/?taken-by=phoenixcreationstas[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BYc51R8ny4X/?taken-by=phoenixcreationstas[/embed]So how did David and Michelle come to live in such a unique place? They moved to Cygnet in southern Tasmania in 2003 to be nearer to family and raise their children in a small country town community. The pace of life is much slower, and they live in a family friendly inclusive community where David's work is appreciated. They both love that their children can climb trees, make tree houses, have loads of pets and interact with local wild birds and animals all in their own back yard! It's also a huge plus to be able to work from home while the children enjoy the gorgeous landscape!
Photo via Phoenix Creations Tasmania
David uses wood (or timber as it's called in his neck of the world) from all different sources including vintage buildings, wooden boats, renovations, demolitions, farm clearance sales, garage sales, recycling centers, auctions and sometimes David barters or even gets donations! His local arborist occasionally brings around green logs that have been saved from the chipper too, so there's a true sense of community with how David sources his materials.Each specimen is hand-chosen for its durability and beauty. David's current favorite is Huon Pine with Blackwood and Native Cherry not too far behind. This particular piece of Blackwood was salvaged from an old wardrobe door!
Photo via Phoenix Creations Tasmania
David was first introduced to Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint through the Instagram account of a fellow spoon carver a couple of years back. He purchased some from our amazing retailer in Southern Australia, For The Love Creations, and never looked back! David loves using Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint to accentuate his hand-carved creations because it's so simple to mix, and he enjoys being able to control its thickness. It allows him to create varying degrees of opacity.
Photo via Phoenix Creations Tasmania
Plus, it's safe for him and Michelle to apply and it's safe for his customers on the finished product. David also enjoys the fact that he can mix colors to personalize his creations. Right now, he's enjoying the deep rich navy of Artissimo and the grassy green of Boxwood.
Photo via Phoenix Creations Tasmania
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BdihfDjnx9E/?taken-by=phoenixcreationstas[/embed]We asked David if he and Michelle had any advice for first-time users who may be intimidated to use our paint. Here's what he wrote:
"I was intimidated till I took the plunge and purchased some of the sample sized packets. There's been no looking back. So simple to mix (just add water) apply and seal. When you step back and look at what you have created it is just such a source of pride."
We hope that you will follow along with David and Michelle as they continue to source, create and share their unique creations.
Photo via Phoenix Creations Tasmania
You can follow Phoenix Creations on Instagram, shop through their online store, and follow along on Facebook. We're so thrilled to have been given the opportunity to learn more about their way of life in "Tassie", and we encourage you to fall in love with Phoenix Creations too!
