Granddar's Knotty Creations



People ask her," what is Granddar?" Leslie was annointed "Granddar" by her two and four year old grandsons. She had to ask them what a Granddar was. It is a cross between a grandmother and a super hero action figure. Since she uses power tools instead of knitting needles, they seemed to think she deserved that title.

Growing up in Arizona was what allowed her to sppreciate the wonderful types of wood out there. Although, Leslie has to admit that she did not care for Mesquite as a kid. It has large thorns that tear you up while riding horses, which is what she spent a large part of her childhood doing.

Leslie was actually born in Montana, loved trout fishing in the Yellowstone River, which was across the street from her grandparents house. Her first fishing pole was a small branch off of a tree. She tied string, a small rock and an old rusty hook to it and sat out there for hours. Did not really care if she caught anything, she loved the smell around her.

That pole was Leslie's first introduction to woodworking, not knowing that at the time, of course.

She loves what she does and feels blessed to have the time to do it. She also loves to look at other people's creations, it always inspires her in some way.



Leslie works primarily with Velvet Mesquite, which is indigenous to Arizona. The Honey Mesquite, which is a Texas native, has been introduced into her region and is a more ornamental looking tree.

She does use other woods as she comes across them, and she never knows what that will be. People call her and tell her they have a dead and down tree and Leslie goes to take a look to see if she can salvage wood out of it.

She likes staying true to the wood as much as possible, in other words, the wood dictates what the piece will be. From time to time she uses other material with the wood to add interest and dimension. So take a look at her wonderful pieces, you might see something you like.

Leslie is a mom and a grandmother. Even though she has been woodworking since she was young, she did not take it on full time until later in life.






In her pieces you can see that she loves tools, and what they can do to make her woodworking come to life. She also may add some pieces of marble, flagstone, mirrors, and almost always add turquoise, malachite, onyx, coral, lapis, whatever tickles her fancy at the moment. She likes her pieces to be unique and different.

Woodworking is more a hobby of hers, but she loves selling it online and meeting really wonderful people and artists. You can follow Granddar on Twitter or get in contact with her through her stores. And she is a big fan of handmade soap, which is where the inspiration for soap dishes comes from.

October is here and that means cooler weather for us and yellow leaves on the trees. Soon, we will have brisk air to breathe. Fall is one of her favorite seasons. Christmas is around the corner so if you are planning for holiday shopping, take your time and look for a unique gift in her Granddar's Knotty Creations Etsy shop or visit her Granddar's Knotty Creations Artfire store.

Location: Bisbee, Arizona, USA

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for introducing me to "Granddar" I truly enjoyed reading about her life and seeing her wood work.

audreyscountrycrafts said...

What a great shop!! I love very thing wood, and they have such amazing pieces! Thank-you for featuring them.

EarthRinse said...

Hi Audrey, I love Leslie's pieces too. I assume they smell very nicely... as an additional bonus. :)