It’s International Day of Forests 2023

March 21, 2023March 20, 2023 Peggy Farabaugh

Vermont Woods Studios is a sustainable furniture company, founded on a mission of forest conservation. To celebrate today’s International Day of Forests, I thought we’d re-visit some related blogs we’ve written over the years. Here’s a list of the Top 10:

You guessed it: we are forest conservation fanatics. Well, I see forest conservation as the #1 environmental issue of our time. Trying to use a sustainable furniture company to make that case is perhaps a stretch but it’s a challenge we’re committed to. It’s definitely been an uphill battle but on the plus side, we’re filling the world with gorgeous, Vermont made furniture that will live forever. It will serve as a constant reminder of how each one of us can do our own small part to conserve our planet’s forests. Here’s to the trees!

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This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

Protecting Your Child from Furniture Tip Overs

March 6, 2023March 8, 2023 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on March 8th, 2023 at 10:27 am

Avoiding Furniture Tip Over — The US Consumer Product Safety Commission CPSC has recently issued additional guidance to help avoid childhood injury due to furniture tip-overs. If you have young children in the house, check out this video for tips and advice on how to anchor your furniture to the wall.

Tip Over Causes and Prevention

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Putting a Face on the Forest

February 25, 2023March 5, 2023 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on March 5th, 2023 at 10:40 am

As furniture makers we use wood. We are committed to not only harvesting trees sustainably but also reforesting vulnerable wildlife habitats where our competitors still harvest timber illegally.

Asian Elephants

Asian Elephant: Conserving my home starts in your home. — Asian elephants are in danger due to unsustainable logging of their forest home. Stay tuned to learn how we’ll partner with Trunks and Leaves to plant trees and help restore their habitat. In the meantime, you can help save Asian elephants from extinction by avoiding forest products (like lumber, furniture, flooring, coffee, chocolate, nuts, paper, etc) that are harvested unsustainably.

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Sustainable Furniture Sale: For the Good of the Woods

January 28, 2023January 28, 2023 Peggy Farabaugh

Save Money and Plant Trees During our Sustainable Furniture Sale

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Happy New Year from Our Family to Yours 🎉

December 30, 2022February 4, 2023 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on February 4th, 2023 at 10:40 am

Dear Customer,

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Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from VWS!

December 24, 2022 Peggy Farabaugh

Happy Holidays from Our Family to Yours

From all of us at Vermont Woods Studios, we wish you and all of your loved ones a very happy holiday season and a wonderful new year. See you in 2023!

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Another Sustainable Furniture Award for VWS!

October 22, 2022October 30, 2022 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on October 30th, 2022 at 11:58 am

Above, Stonehurst is home not only to our Vermont Woods Studios VWS furniture showroom but also to a 109 acre woodland we manage for environmental conservation. Our commitment to forest and wildlife preservation has again been recognized as exemplary by the Sustainable Furnishings Council SFC and National Wildlife Federation NWF. Read more about our sustainable furniture award below.

VWS Earned Top Award on The 2022 Wood Furniture Scorecard

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Making a “Milpa” – An Update on our Edible Landscape

August 5, 2022August 5, 2022 Katrina Moore

Much of the food grown in our edible landscape is perennial. We have fruit trees, nut trees, and long-lived and self-seeding greens: sochan, nettle, wood sorrel and lamb’s quarters, to name a few. Once established as part of the landscape, perennials and self-seeders won’t rely (much) on human hands. Convenient! But annual crops are an important part of the landscape, too. Inter-cropping the annuals with the perennials can be beneficial to both.

This year I wanted to make a “milpa.” This is a term for the ancient practice of interplanting corn and other plants in a way that benefits the ecosystem. It’s commonly called the “three sisters” although we have more than three sisters, and even a few cousins 🙂 Wild raspberries and strawberries, yarrow and goldenrod for the bees, and many greens, including lamb quarters, lady thumb, and sheep sorrel, all play their parts.

Preparations for cornfield. Photo taken last November

We mow the meadow, so creeping perennials with robust root systems tend to win out. Last November, in order to kill the grass we cut a 30′ x 30′ section as low as possible to the ground, and then mulched heavily with grass clippings, leaves, and wood chips from a hardwood we felled nearby. This worked well to delay the emergence of grass in spring, but it didn’t kill it completely.

Later on, loads of compost were added on top to block out sun from the creepers and feed the crops we wanted to encourage. Overplanting, and then thinning, can discourage weeds. It also keeps the ground shady and moist for the young plants.

Corn needs to be planted in dense blocks to encourage pollination. It emerged after Spring rains–no watering needed. The corn is now in the reproductive stage, with tassels releasing pollen daily and cobs thickening as the kernels develop.

Our meadow “milpa” in late July. Winter squash, beans, nettle, and of course corn.

So far so good! Stay tuned and we will see what we get.

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Fourth of July Furniture Sale Celebrates 300 Years of American Craftsmanship

June 21, 2022June 22, 2022 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on June 22nd, 2022 at 01:31 pm

4th of July Furniture Sale

Fourth of July Furniture Sale | Celebrate American Craftsmanship — Vermont furniture making can be traced back over 300 years! Help us celebrate the amazing history of Vermont craftsmanship during our 2022 Fourth of July furniture sale. Enjoy 20% discounts on 100% American made furniture for your bedroom, dining room, kitchen, home office and living room. Shown above is our Classic Shaker Round Dining Table and Lowell Cherry Side Chair with Scooped Wooden Seat.

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Furniture Guide from the Experts

June 15, 2022June 20, 2022 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on June 20th, 2022 at 11:41 am

An Article by Daniela Gonzalez of The Porch

We’re sending thanks out to Daniela Gonzalez of the Porch today. Daniela featured Vermont Woods Studios in her article, Expert’s Furniture Guide: from DIY to home Design.

Solid walnut dining table and chairs | Furniture Guide from the Experts — Vermont Woods Studios was selected for Daniela’s article because of our expertise in sustainable furnishings. All of our furniture is made in Vermont, using sustainably harvested North American wood and local craftsmanship. Shown above is one of our best sellers, the Classic Shaker Dining Table in solid walnut wood with matching walnut dining chairs.

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Peggy Farabaugh	Kelsey Eaton
Riley Farabaugh	Megan Fulton
Marina McCoy	Alexandra Thompson
Dennis Shanoff	Loryn Dion
Katrina Moore	Michelle Rooks
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