Barb Cappy & Craig Lambert

Barb Cappy and Craig Lambert each found a passion for building things at the side of their artistic fathers over 50 years ago, so woodworking came naturally to them. Hiking the Bloomington forest trails, this woodworking duo gathers cedar to handcraft beautiful heirlooms, much-loved boxes and artful objects.
“Using nature to supply our wood and going out and finding our own rough materials gives us the advantage of knowing each piece intimately from beginning to end,” say Barb and Craig, who are devoted to honoring the inherent beauty of wood so that noble trees might have a second life.

Discovering and gathering their own wood allows them to find snags, the remnants of once-living trees, then harvest and cut them to reveal the hidden beauty within. They search native Indiana red cedar and aged white oak from bourbon barrels for interesting grains, knots, colors, defects and quality, and then strive to enhance it with their distinctive woodworking style.

“As artisans, we approach each project without a preconceived idea of what it will look like or in many cases what it will even be. Each piece takes on a life of its own,” they shared.

Shaping, sanding, polishing with a very soft cotton cloth and finally applying a hand-rubbed wood finish leaves a lustrous natural surface so smooth you want to touch it. In fact, the sign in their booths at art fairs says, “Please touch.”