Always wanting to try something different, this is the place to see my experiments, my travels, my successes, and my "learning mistakes."

You can see all of my posts by following me on https://www.instagram.com/aliciadietzstudios/

To say this was an incredible week assisting @markmelonas at  @arrowmont_school is an understatement. How amazing what came together in 5 days. Mark is extremely generous with his time and even more so with sharing 20 years worth knowledge. Also, a huge thanks to @buddyrhodes and @buddyrhodes1 for their donation of materials. I'll definitely be ordering some more as soon as I pull in the driveway tonight :-) . . . . . #arrowmont #craftschoolexperience #expecttheunexpected #concrete #concretemolds #moldmaking #handmade #walnut #wallart #woodart #concreteart #buddyrhodes #gfrc #gfrcconcrete #smoothon #bench #concretebench #takeaseat #seating
We went to town last night pouring concrete molds under the care of @markmelonas @arrowmont_school. Now the hard part.... waiting to take them out!!!! The agony :-) . . . . . #arrowmont #craftschoolexperience #expecttheunexpected #concrete #concretemolds #moldmaking #handmade #walnut #wallart #woodart #concreteart #buddyrhodes #gfrc #gfrcconcrete #smoothon
Taking a break from the chairs to play in concrete @arrowmont_school with the incredible @markmelonas. The force is strong with this material! This is a mold for wall hanging... playing with @buddyrhodes concrete mixes and walnut. To say this class is wetting my desire to integrate concrete into my practice is an understatement! . . . . . #arrowmont #craftschoolexperience #expecttheunexpected #concrete #concretemolds #moldmaking #handmade #walnut #wallart #woodart #concreteart #buddyrhodes #gfrc #gfrcconcrete #smoothon
Being traditionally trained in furniture making, I sometimes pause before using technology…. not this time, my friends. The Shaper Origin by @shapertools is a game changer. I’m making a run of 14 dining room chairs. That’s 28 back legs (and of course a few spares). There is a laminated curve back. There are mortises for the crest rail and the back rail. I have the ability to hone each of these to a micrometer, tweaking and tweaking and tweaking until I get a perfect fit for the back splats and my joinery – all skills that I learned when doing all that joinery by hand as well. The concepts remain the same. But the execution evolves – once I hone that first leg with all it’s joinery, then I can repeat it another 28+ times to the same exacting precision. Using these tools to enhance how I imagine and execute custom furniture is an exciting future. These chairs are proving to be a beautiful blend of technology and hand craftsmanship. . . . . . #shaperorigin #shapermade #tech#router #cnc #gamechanger #upscale#tools #handheld #portable #usa #handcrafted #wood#woodworking #cncrouter #OnToolCAD  #digitalfabrication#customfurniture #handtoolthursday #joinery#wip #finelycrafted #furniture #modern #moderndesign
Love hanging with amazing wood women... 😁@sallieplumleystudio is such a good friend - in and out of the wood shop #vcugirlgang #womeninwood #womeninwoodworking #girlsrock #womenownedbusiness #Repost @sallieplumleystudio (@get_repost) ・・・ Here’s to wood shopping with my only woodworking gal pal in RVA @aliciadietzstudios Check her out y’all- she’s amazing, makes beautiful things, and is a super cool friend. We got our hands on a sweet stash of walnut, splinters, and spiders from a pal up in Rockville. . . . . . #sallieplumleystudio #aliciadietzstudios #liveedge #liveedgewalnut #walnutfurniture #woodshopping #designforyou #madeforhome #richmond #richmondmade #rvamade #womenswork #womanmade #woodworkingwomen #richmonddesign #rvadesign
Leg parts, and leg parts, and leg parts, oh my! Wait until you see the magic of cutting the back leg template, exactly the same, time and time again. . . . . #wip #finelycrafted #furniture #modern #moderndesign#boutique #style #bespoke#custommade #personalhome #soul#studiofurniture #fromtreetotable #walnutchair #handmadefurniture #customfurniture#custommade #diningchair#interiorinspiration  #diningroom#diningroomdecor #diningroomchair#madeinrva #benevolent #homedesign
Selecting lumber and laying out parts is one of my favorite steps in the process. It is one that is often overlooked in the final product because flashier aspects like inlay, finish, design are all fighting for attention. But for me, it all starts with the wood. Because the back legs of the chairs are curved, I get live edge slabs – this allows me to use the naturally curved grain of the tree for those parts – greatly adding to the strength of these parts. I am always comparing trees to us, and for good reason. Wood grain is so much stronger when they stick together. Just another life lesson from the wood shop today ☺️ . . . . #wip #finelycrafted #furniture #modern #moderndesign#boutique #style #bespoke#custommade #personalhome #soul#studiofurniture #fromtreetotable #walnutchair #handmadefurniture #customfurniture#custommade #diningchair#interiorinspiration  #diningroom#diningroomdecor #diningroomchair#madeinrva #benevolent #homedesign
You know what this means.... onto a new project - a set of 10 chairs for the dining table I just completed. What I'm loving about this process is the efficiency of scale. These web frames just got dropped off @sgwoodrva - two powerhouse women who I'm so excited to work with!!!! Here we go.... . . . . . . #studiofurniture #fromtreetotable#walnutchair #moderndesign#handmadefurniture #customfurniture#custommade #diningchair#interiorinspiration #vacuumpress #lamination #custom #design #diningroom#diningroomdecor #diningroomchair#madeinrva #benevolent #homedesign #urbanlumber #walnut #solid #craftsmanship #furniture #furnituredesign
More spoons, bowls, and treasures from my hand and power carving class at @Arrowmont last week. I've already gotten emails from students who've started new carving projects after returning home. Mission accomplished - love of carving is spreading. Thanks again to @joegindhart and @cbruffyart for your help! . . . . . #arrowmont #craftschoolexperience #experiencetheunexpected #crafts #spooncarving #kitchenware #kitchencarving #handcarved #powercarved #handmade #madebyhand #spoons #woodenspoons #makingsawdust #arrowmontexperience #arrowmont_school
I am so excited to be joining @markmelonas in September for his concrete bench class. He is a master at his craft - I can't imagine what we're going to unearth during this week. There are still a few seats available, so check out @arrowmont_school for more details. Come join us!!!! #Repost @markmelonas (@get_repost) ・・・ Join me in Gatlinburg, TN this September 16-22 @arrowmont_school of craft. You will design and build a concrete bench; learn mold making techniques, concrete mix design and concrete casting. Full information on the course can be found on Arrowmont.org. And if that wasn’t enough we’ll be joined by @aliciadietzstudios !! It will be an intense and fun time. There are a few spots remaining. #craftschoolexperience #concrete #learn #gfrc #moldmaking #craft #arrowmont #concreteinthesmokys #arrowmont #experiencetheunexpected #crafts #handmade #madebyhand #concrete #bench #makingsawdust #arrowmontexperience #concretecraft #arrowmont_school #concretebench
Thanks to @Arrowmont for allowing me to pass on my love of carving. I'll break this up into two multi-image posts because there's just too much good stuff to show. Save one person, no one in this class had carved before with hand gouges or power tools. I cannot believe how much we produced in one week! Thanks to @joegindhart and @cbruffyart for your help last week! . . . . . #arrowmont #craftschoolexperience #experiencetheunexpected #crafts #spooncarving #kitchenware #kitchencarving #handcarved #powercarved #handmade #madebyhand #spoons #woodenspoons #makingsawdust #arrowmontexperience #arrowmont_school
What an amazing group of people to spend the week with at @arrowmont_school for my hand gouge and power carving class. Spoons, platters, and bowls galore. Thanks to @joegindhart and @cbruffyart for their energy and assistance. It is amazing how much I learned from everyone both in the classroom and from their life experiences. The power of craft was evident. . . . . . #arrowmont #craftschoolexperience #experiencetheunexpected #crafts #spooncarving #kitchenware #kitchencarving #handcarved #powercarved #handmade #madebyhand #spoons #woodenspoons #makingsawdust #arrowmontexperience #arrowmont_school
Rainbow across the woodshop lighting up the Arrowmont sky . . . . . #arrowmont #craftschoolexperience #experiencetheunexpected #crafts #spooncarving #kitchenware #kitchencarving #handcarved #powercarved #handmade #madebyhand #spoons #woodenspoons #makingsawdust #arrowmontexperience #arrowmont_school
Having an amazing experience teaching this week at Arrowmont. We started with carving spoons with hand gouges and then took on power grinding. We are covered in wood shavings, learning from each other, and having a ton of fun. Absolutely could not do it without the help of @joegindhart and @cbruffyart. With the amount of work we're all cranking out, I'll need 5 more posts to show it all :-) . . . . . #arrowmont #craftschoolexperience #experiencetheunexpected #crafts #spooncarving #kitchenware #kitchencarving #handcarved #powercarved #handmade #madebyhand #spoons #woodenspoons #makingsawdust #arrowmontexperience #arrowmont_school
Install photos from the table delivery this weekend. What I absolutely love about custom furniture is the ability to create something that is truly unique... pieces that can reflect the personality of their owners, their houses, and their personal styles. Paired with old world Jacobean furniture, this table bridges 16th century Elizabethian-style with modern touches. . . . . . . #studiofurniture #fromtreetotable#walnuttable #moderndesign#handmadefurniture #customfurniture#custommade #diningtable#interiorinspiration #carving #inlay #custom #design #diningroom#diningroomdecor #diningroomtable#madeinrva #benevolent #homedesign #urbanlumber #walnut #solid #craftsmanship #furniture #furnituredesign
This mark seals the deal (thanks to @makersmark_branding).... the final touch on the underside of the table before delivery. It's aways bittersweet for me when I let go of a big project like this one. It's like saying goodbye to an old friend...one that you sometimes disagree with and who's not afraid to give you a little pushback, but one that love unconditionally. I truly love being a craftswoman... I know that each project carries a little piece of me with it on its journey . . . . #studiofurniture #fromtreetotable#walnuttable #moderndesign#handmadefurniture #customfurniture#custommade #diningtable#interiorinspiration #carving #brand #logo #design #diningroom#diningroomdecor #diningroomtable#madeinrva #benevolent #homedesign #urbanlumber #walnut #solid #craftsmanship #furniture #furnituredesign
Glue up of the base is complete! Putting the final touches on the top for delivery on Saturday. Can't wait to get this table in its new home :-) . . . . #studiofurniture #fromtreetotable#walnuttable #moderndesign#handmadefurniture #customfurniture#custommade #diningtable#interiorinspiration #carving #turning #lathe #design #diningroom#diningroomdecor #diningroomtable#madeinrva #benevolent #homedesign #urbanlumber #walnut #solid #craftsmanship #furniture #furnituredesign
I know I say this every time I hand plane a piece, but I'm passionate enough about it to reiterate... I learned long ago @vt_woodworking that the feel you get from a hand planed surface is more satisfying than any other. Spending several hours with my grandfather's Stanley #8 joiner plane results in one of those subtleties you cannot see, but can certainly feel. This chamfer is on the underside of the dining table top – a quiet detail that makes my heart smile.... . . . . . #studiofurniture #fromtreetotable#walnuttable #moderndesign#handmadefurniture #customfurniture#custommade #diningtable#interiorinspiration #carving #design #diningroom#diningroomdecor #diningroomtable #walnut #inlay #craftsmanship #furniture #furnituredesign #handplane #craftsmanship #stanley8 #stanley  #craftsmanshipyoucantouch #heirloomfurniture