“Chippin’ Right along …

   I just added 12 more bowls for the current sale that are now on the “Bowls” page. I obtained another tree a little late and it produced some gorgeous bowls. They should be dried, fine sanded and buffed – and on here this summer. 

There’s an easy “Homemade Bread Recipe” at the bottom of this page !!!

 Thank you for your interest in my “Food Safe” Handmade Wooden Bread Bowls. 

   To Buy A Bowl …

   Just send me an email… list the bowl(s) that you want that have prices under them,  BE SURE TO INCLUDE THE ADDESS THE BOWL WILL BE SHIPPED TO. I need to know where it’s going because all bowls with a “ship to” address in North Carolina – will have sales tax added for the county they’re shipped to.

   I PAY All SHIPPING in the lower 48 states (no international sales). My bowls are of the best quality you will find anywhere. Every bowl I sell has been sanded to at least 220 grit smooth, most to 400 grit. 

 “Thank YOU” to the many people who have offered up prayers on my behalf. It really means a lot !!! Old age and health issues are really slowing me up.  There may not be many more bowls made by me as my health continues to decline.

Why would “Someone” want to make Doughbowls?

  There’s right many dough-bowl makers around the country (I’ve taught many myself). But I don’t think there’s many that make bowls simply “for the money”. There are so many other ways to make a lot more money, with a lot less work or risk of injury.

  At 1st glance a “Handmade Wooden Bread Bowl” seems high priced. That’s one reason I learned to make them – I wanted my wife to have one but I honestly couldn’t afford one back then. But before you think I’m getting rich off of them, by being a licensed business here in NC I pay the following: 

28%  for State & Federal Income taxes, Social Security and Medicare –

22% to my business for sand paper, buying trees, food grade mineral oil, property tax, shop and tool supplies, upkeep, internet access and all the fees associated with this website.

Plus I pay the shipping  (in the lower 48). East coast averages around $42 a bowl (Maine and Vermont can be $60+ too) – west coast up to $69.75 (WA and Oregon state). If you chip out a bowl you can easily put 10-14 hours in it by the time it is ready to be sold. My bowls are all fine sanded. Do the math, If I sell a bowl for $300, less than half that ends up in my pocket, and then paying the shipping from that amount … you may get minimum wage for all your efforts.

  For anyone who just makes bowls for the money, that will quickly show up in the quality of their work or the lack there-of.

Why do I still make doughbowls after all these years? I’m simply hooked on the beauty that I’m helping come to life. Seeing what GOD alone put in that tree for me to find … and trying to display for my customers … The letters below they tell it all…

 Here is 3 letters that I recently received from some after receiving their bowls …

Dear JP, 

I don’t remember how I found your web sight, but I’m sure glad I stumbled apon it. I received my bowl today and was like a kid at Christmas. I want to thank you for thinking of me when you found this bowl. I don’t think there could be a more beautiful bowl anywhere. You and God brought out all the beauty in this piece of wood. The grain on the handles couldn’t be more perfect. I’m 74 and I’m not a fancy person, just an old farm girl but I love beautiful hand made pieces such as yours and hand made pottery along with beautiful flowers and amazing sunrises and sunsets. All of theses are treasured gifts from God . I would have a kitchen full of your bowls if I had a place to put them. I’ll keep an eye on your sight and new bowls coming. I love to look at them. THANK YOU SO MUCH and Take care.    Marianne

Hi James,

Just wanted to send you an email to let you know the biscuit bowl arrived safe and sound today, and oh my my…what a beauty it is!! I absolutely love everything about it; the size, the depth, the color, the grain, and the silky-smooth feel of it. Your work is outstanding. And thank you for packaging it with so much care. I am so grateful to own two of your beautiful, unique bowls now. Thank you so much James. You are a gifted craftsman and an incredible person. May God bless you.

Dawn 

A Special Christmas Present

   For Christmas of ’23 – I wanted to do something special for “Katie”, my granddaughter. She worked hard getting her nursing degree and we are so proud of her. She really holds on to memories and family is everything to her.

  When she was small, she loved to play in the leaves each fall. My wife Nancy and I would rake up all the leaves from a big maple in our front yard and go over near the woods and gather even more from all the trees that surround our yard to make her a nice big pile. The two dogs that we had at the time “Sadie and Daisy” would join in the fun and all three of them would have a great time playing in the leaves.

  In May of 2022 a tornado tore up several houses just down the road from us. It also uprooted or broke off over 60 big oaks, maples and other trees around our house and destroyed a building I had recently built. I often wondered how the big maple in our yard seemed fine with no missing limbs when almost all others suffered severe damage. In the summer of 2023 after my first surgery of the year for cancer, I was sitting under the tree watching the Purple Martins flying around the houses we have for them and looked up at the tree admiring its beauty. I was shocked to notice a large crack in the trunk where it split into two trunks. The tornado had damaged the tree after all and if it split further, it would be on our house. I had a tree company come cut all the limbs off of it – leaving only the trunk so that I could preserve it until fall so I wouldn’t lose the log.

    I cut it down in November after the sap went down and made several nice bowls out of it. These were special to me because I actually planted that tree when it was very small – and here I was cutting it down to make bowls from it. Then using one of those bowls as a “canvas” to burn a picture of my granddaughter Katie and the dogs – playing in the leaves beneath the very tree that the bowl was made of. 

Easy Bread Recipe

I get asked for Homemade Bread Recipes from time to time. I’ve never posted one until now. This one is so easy you can’t mess it up !!!

  In your mixer – pour 2 cups warm water (105-110 Deg.) 1/4 cup of honey and 2 packs (1.5 Tbsp.) of quick rise yeast (I used Fleischmann’s). Mix this together well until the honey dissolves. Let set about 5-10 minutes. Then add 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 cup olive oil. Stir this together then add 5 1/2 cups of bread flour. Mix all of this, kneeding it well. Lightly grease your bowl and place the dough in it to rise for one hour covered by a towel. Punch it down and divide it into two loaves – place in your pans, cover with towel and let rise an hour. Place into oven and cook at 350 deg for 25 minutes. I brush mine with butter when they come out.  … Enjoy!