Blacksmith Art (Giveaway)

Blacksmithing is a lost art, but it doesn't have to be. When most of us think about blacksmithing, farriers are the first type of people that come to mind. It's a practical use of the skill. Shoeing horses. It has to be done. But what about the artistic aspect of blacksmithing? Where has the art of the skill gone? If you have ever visited Europe (or anywhere other than the US) then you have most likely stepped into buildings with architecture older than our country. Centuries later, some well-crafted buildings still stand. And it wasn't all about function. Beauty was at the helm.

When our family first started selling produce and plants at local events, my husband would often provide blacksmithing demos. He even did a Civil War reenactment. That was my favorite. After over a decade of taking a break from blacksmithing, my husband (and now son, and daughter) have emerged from the ashes to give this lost art new life again. We started our resurgence at our local county fair, and it was well received.

In addition to our regular plant sales, they created leaf pendants that can be used for necklaces, keychains, or as bottle openers for you kombucha lovers out there!

My son also provided some spoon-carving demos, because, why not? We were there for four days and it gave people demonstrations to watch and more inventory for us to sell!

My seed cards were also popular. I make the paper with seeds embedded within, and they are always popular at events like this. People like the recycling aspect. I sold out of this year's inventory and will now be working on my Christmas card line. Those will be up in our NVAble Items Etsy shop by October. Thinking ahead, my spring line will be slightly different. They will look similar but I plan to use native seeds only—per the suggestions several customers. I have been selling these locally at craft fairs, farmer's markets, and a local retailer, and I plan to have the spring line on Etsy come 2026.