Border Designs

All my life I have been submerged in nature and feel very lucky. I'm a native of New Mexico and was born in Santa Fe - however, I have been living on the North Shore of Lake Superior for over 30 years and absolutely love the area. I am always inspired by the awesome nature that northern Minnesota provides, especially Lake Superior and all of its' different moods.  I wake up each day and enjoy the wildlife, plants, trees and all the seasons up in the north country. This is what drives and inspires me to be artistic with the signs and furniture I make - letting me create pieces with a touch of the North Shore. I have been doing this kind of art in my shop in Lutsen, Minnesota since 1995 and feel so lucky that I get to work outside in nature a good portion of the year. My shop has produced a great deal of signs over the years beginning with hand painting them and gradually moving to producing more carved cedar signs. My other passion that came a little later was building rustic furniture - I have been doing that for 25 years and absolutely love it because I never know what is next. I love the crazy character of natural wood - the grain, curves, bends, burls and insect markings are all very intriguing to me. Along with the furniture I love to make, I also have been creating rustic accents for homes and local businesses.  Rustic railings, fireplace mantels, store displays, and bars are just a few examples. Looking into the future, I hope to do more of this kind of art - but I still will always enjoy carving a sign or building a classic piece of rustic furniture.