Lifestyle

November is a month of transition. The air turns crisp, the days shorten, and the holiday season quietly takes center stage. It’s a month of gratitude and gathering, of slowing down and reflecting before December’s bustle begins. And for those of us who build, cook, and create, November becomes a canvas for something deeper: traditions crafted by hand. As we close out the month, it’s worth pausing to reflect on what November has taught us—and how gratitude, gatherings, and cr

Returning to the heart of the season — where handmade still matters. Every year, when the holidays roll in, life seems to speed up. Stores get louder, the to-do lists get longer, and somewhere between shopping and schedules, it’s easy to lose the quiet joy of simply making something with your own two hands. This year, at Third Shift Crafts, we wanted to do something different. Something slower. Something meaningful. Something rooted in the reason we fell in love with woodwork

Fall has a way of slowing us down. The air turns crisp, the light softens, and the days shorten just enough to remind us that seasons always shift. For me, fall is also when creativity feels different. It’s not about rushing or checking things off a list—it’s about leaning into the rhythm of the season and letting it guide what I build, cook, and create. Seasonal creativity isn’t about trends or rules. It’s about noticing the colors, flavors, and textures around you and letti

There’s a certain kind of magic that happens when you create with other people. It doesn’t matter if it’s sanding boards side by side, tending a smoker while the conversation drifts, or pouring a glass of wine at the end of the night—when you bring friends into the process, crafting becomes something more than personal. It becomes communal. For me, wood, wine, and fire aren’t just hobbies. They’re ways of connecting. They’re how I build not just projects and meals, but memori

There’s something about the first crisp breeze of October that calls us to slow down, to gather, and to savor. The rush of summer is behind us, and fall invites us to step outside under golden leaves, light the fire, and share good food and drink with the people who matter most. At Third Shift Crafts, we believe that the heart of autumn isn’t just in the flavors or the décor—it’s in the way wood, fire, and wine come together to create a gathering that feels both rustic and re

We live in a world that worships speed. Faster meals. Faster results. Faster everything. But in the workshop, at the grill, or over a bubbling fermenter, you learn something different: the best things don’t come fast, and they don’t come perfect. Crafting—whether it’s shaping wood, tending fire, or making wine—teaches you to slow down. It reminds you that the joy isn’t in flawless results, but in the process itself. The Workshop: Sawdust and Patience When you pick up a piece

Some people measure life in milestones—promotions, birthdays, moves, achievements. I’ve learned to measure it in sawdust, smoke, and the clink of glasses. For me, wood, fire, and flavor  aren’t just hobbies. They’re the heartbeat of how I live. They’re how I connect to myself, to others, and to the simple truth that making is its own kind of joy. This is what I mean when I talk about a crafted life. It’s not about perfection. It’s about presence. It’s about building, cooking,