Category: Why Handmade Still Matters

Dawn has opinions about this as does Rex. You will read them here.

  • Shopping with Soul Still Beats Shopping with Convenience

    We live in the age of ultimate convenience. Two-day shipping has become same-day delivery. One-click purchasing. Subscribe and save. Shopping has never been easier, faster, or more mindless.

    And maybe that’s exactly the problem.

    When you can buy almost anything without thinking — without considering where it came from, who made it, or how long it will last — shopping becomes a reflex rather than a choice. You accumulate things instead of choosing things. Your home fills up with objects that serve their function but tell no stories.

    Shopping with soul is different. It’s slower, more intentional, and yes, often more expensive. But it’s also more rewarding in ways that go far beyond the transaction.

    When you choose one of our handcrafted pieces, you’re not just buying a Jupiter Pen or a cutting board. You’re investing in Rex’s four decades of skill development. You’re supporting Dawn’s artistic vision and our commitment to giving new life to materials that might otherwise become waste. You’re choosing to surround yourself with objects that carry stories, intention, and human touch.

    There’s something profound about using tools that were made specifically for you — not “you” as a demographic, but you as a person who deserves beautiful, functional things that will last. When Rex turns a pen, he’s imagining the hands that will hold it, the words it will write, the memories it will help create. That intention gets embedded in the piece in ways that mass production can never replicate.

    Shopping with soul also means supporting real people and real communities. When you buy from us, you’re supporting a veteran-owned small business, sustainable practices that give new life to discarded materials, and artisans who’ve dedicated their lives to perfecting their craft. Your purchase has impact beyond your own satisfaction.

    The convenience model is designed to make you forget about your purchases as quickly as possible, so you’ll make more of them. Handmade pieces do the opposite — they make you remember. Remember the festival where you found them, the conversation you had with the maker, the moment you knew something was meant to be yours.

    There’s joy in anticipation too. When you order something handmade, you know it’s being created specifically for you. You wait not because of shipping delays, but because someone is taking the time to make something beautiful. The arrival becomes an event rather than just another delivery.

    We’re not suggesting you purchase handcrafted everything in your life — that’s not realistic for most people and we know it. But what if you chose soul over convenience for the things that matter? The tools you use daily, the pieces you see every time you walk into a room, the gifts you give to people you love?

    In a world optimized for speed and efficiency, choosing beauty, story, and intention becomes a quiet act of rebellion. It’s saying that your life, your home, and your relationships deserve more than whatever’s cheapest and most convenient.

    Shopping with soul beats shopping with convenience every time. Not because it’s easier, but because it’s better.

  • Why Choose Handmade Wood Art Over Mass Produced Items

    Why Choose Handmade Wood Art Over Mass Produced Items

    In a world where you can order almost anything with next-day delivery, talking about “handmade” might sound old-fashioned. But here in our Tucson workshop, as Rex turns another piece of cherry wood on the lathe and Dawn carefully measures resin colors, we’re reminded daily why handmade isn’t just different — it’s better.

    When Rex shapes a block of wood into a crochet hook or transforms a slab of Australian red gum burl into a bowl, he’s not just producing an object. He’s having a conversation with the wood, responding to its grain patterns, working around natural imperfections that tell the story of how that tree lived and grew. You can’t program that kind of intuition into a machine.

    We source our materials thoughtfully — some from suppliers like Cook Woods and Woodworkers Source, others from local businesses clearing out cutoffs that would otherwise become waste. Dawn’s resin work, often using Alumilite products and P-Town Subbie micas, adds colors and effects that are impossible to replicate in a factory setting. Each pour is slightly different, affected by temperature, humidity, even the mood of the artist.

    Mass-produced items can achieve consistency, which has its place. But consistency also means predictability. When you walk into someone’s home and see the exact same cutting board you have, the exact same pen set, there’s no story there. It’s just stuff.

    Handmade carries intention. When you pick up one of our pieces, you’re holding something that exists because Rex or Dawn decided it should exist, in exactly that way, with exactly those wood grains and resin swirls. That’s why people treasure a handcrafted pen for decades while a plastic one gets forgotten in a drawer.

    There’s also the matter of durability. Rex has been perfecting his craft for over 40 years. When he turns a rolling pin or shapes a knife handle, he’s thinking about how it will feel in your hands not just today, but years from now. We’re not interested in planned obsolescence — we want to make pieces that last long enough to become heirlooms.

    Choosing handmade means supporting real people with real skills. When you buy from us, you’re not just getting a product — you’re investing in Rex’s decades of expertise, Dawn’s artistic vision, and our commitment to sustainable practices that give new life to materials that might otherwise be discarded.

    In our convenience-obsessed world, handmade offers something radical: permanence, beauty, and the irreplaceable value of human touch. That’s not old-fashioned. That’s timeless.

  • The Real Story Behind Handmade Wood Art

    The Real Story Behind Handmade Wood Art

    (And Why Your Home Needs It)

    Ever pass by a pile of discarded furniture on the curb and think, “what a waste”?

    Yeah… we don’t either. We think, “Ooh, potential.”

    At Sarkanys Rising, we believe handmade means heart-made — and it starts with materials that others overlook. Our workshop is filled with reclaimed wood, rescued relics, and offcuts from mills that didn’t quite meet factory standards. But to us? They’re treasures.

    Where Sustainable Craftsmanship Really Begins

    We’re lucky to work with two incredible small businesses who see that potential too:

    Cook Woods – especially their “Salvaging What Others Throw Away” philosophy – gives us access to exotic and domestic hardwoods that would otherwise be discarded. These aren’t your typical lumber yard finds; we’re talking about character-rich pieces with stories already written in their grain.

    Woodworkers Source – or as we call it, the Tucson playground of possibilities – has this magical $1.99 bin. (Dawn can’t help but organize it while simultaneously loading up hundreds of dollars worth of wood “for future projects.” Rex has learned to just smile and nod at this point.)

    Together, they help us bring sustainable craftsmanship to life, one rescued piece at a time.

    What Handmade Wood Art Really Means

    Here’s the thing: handmade doesn’t mean slapping a name on something pulled off an assembly line.

    It means starting with the right piece of wood — the one that asks to be something special. It means running our hands (and hearts) across every surface. It means Rex spending hours coaxing a bowl into existence because the grain decided to surprise him mid-turn.

    We do have a laser and a CNC in the shop — but they’re assistants, not artists. The wood makes the difference.

    Custom Craftsmanship vs. Mass Production

    True custom craftsmanship starts before the first cut is made. It begins with understanding the wood’s story – where it came from, how it lived, what it wants to become. Every piece of reclaimed walnut from that Phoenix backyard tree, every salvaged mesquite beam, every “imperfect” mill offcut has its own personality.

    Mass production can’t do that. Factories don’t spend time listening to wood grain or adjusting their process because this particular piece of cherry has a knot that could become a beautiful focal point instead of a flaw to route around.

    Why Reclaimed Wood Makes Better Art

    When you work with reclaimed materials, you’re not just being environmentally conscious (though that’s a beautiful bonus). You’re working with wood that has character, history, and stories to tell.

    That dining table made from barn wood? It remembers decades of harvests and family gatherings. The cutting board crafted from urban lumber? It watched over someone’s backyard for generations before becoming part of your kitchen story.

    New wood is lovely, but reclaimed wood has lived.

    The Handmade Difference in Your Home

    At its core, handmade is about connection. Between wood and maker. Between maker and you. Between your family and the piece that’ll become part of your story.

    When you bring one of our pieces into your home, you’re not just buying décor. You’re giving your house a handmade hug. One that’s warm, storied, sustainable — and a little cheeky, just like us.

    Love the story? Share it with a friend who still thinks “handmade” just means “expensive.” 😉

    As always, we’re here if you have questions or just want to chat about wood. Thanks for being part of our journey.