Wonderful and Interesting Toys from France

By Rebecca, Shelter Tools Staff

Founded in France in 1972, Moulin Roty began as an experiment in communal living. Thirty friends decided to live and work together to renovate an old, run-down farm. Within 3 years they had converted the barns into workshops and produced their first two toys: a simple wooden car and a soft cloth doll. Growing from these humble roots, Moulin Roty is now an international company offering over 500 different toys. In 1980, they acquired SCOP (Société Cooperative et Participative) status, which means that their 40 employees are also their majority stockholders. Not only do Moulin Roty employees own more than 51% of the company, each stockholder—no matter how much their individual stake—only gets one vote at stakeholder meetings.

The beautiful, timeless toys that Moulin Roty makes can be hard to find on this side of the Atlantic. Because all of their products are designed and made in France, everything has to be imported to the USA. But it is certainly worth the trouble. Moulin Roty’s most popular toys are just like the first two they made in 1975—whimsical cloth dolls and sturdy wooden toys of all sizes. Yet the French toy company has expanded beyond just these two categories and currently makes everything from clothing, rugs and quilts to music boxes, tiddlywinks, and full-size cribs. Indeed, Moulin Roty makes something for children of all ages.

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Low VOC Waterborne Urethane Finish

H. Behlen Waterborne
Urethane Finish

By Rebecca, Shelter Tools Staff
Shelter is lucky to have many thoughtful and engaged customers. They know what they like and what they don’t like. Best of all, they are great at sending us their reviews, so we can pass their thoughts on to others. One such customer from the Virgin Islands recently called us, gushing about the Behlen’s Waterborne Urethane Finish we carry. She couldn’t say enough good things about the stuff—that it was ”really easy to use,” low on VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), environmentally-friendly, dried quickly, and created a harder, more durable finish than other finishes she had used.

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Father's Day is right around the corner . . .

Are you shopping for neckties this weekend for dad? Don't settle for a boring Father's Day gift. Get dad a tool to help him get the job done right. We've got a great selection of tools and products for every dad from woodworkers, builders, boaters, cooks, to dreamers.

The funny thing that happens as we get older is that the people in our life seem to multiply exponentially. Now, as I think about Father's day, I also think of my husband (the father of my two beautiful girls), and my brothers, and my cousins, and my uncles, and some of my great friends who are dads. My Dad is incredibly special to me, but all of those dad's out there who aren't mine are pretty amazing too. Sometimes I end up picking up a bunch of little things just for those other great dads. So if I don't get you on my list this year, type in DAD on your next order by June 20 and we'll take 15% off your online purchase. (We'll apply the discount when we process your order.) 

Here are a few of our favorite new items. Prices start at $8.95! If you don't see the perfect gift here, then please email or call us for ideas. We hand pick and use all of the products we sell, so we are bound to have something that will make your Dad's Day GREAT!

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Environmentally Friendly Milk Paint

By Rebecca, Shelter Tools Staff

We get lots of interesting requests here in the Shelter Tools store for products, but one of the most common items asked for is milk paint. After discovering the Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company at a trade show, the store can now enthusiastically answer, “Yes!” when someone comes in asking for the product. But what the heck is this stuff?

Milk paint—distinguished by its lack of sheen and flat, coarse look—has been around for a very, very long time. It was very commonly used in Colonial America and is called for in many reproduction projects. However, it actually covers the oldest known painted surfaces in the world, including some of the artifacts found in King Tut’s tomb. It is so durable and colorfast that your great, great grandchildren and their kids will be able to enjoy it too. The paint’s two main ingredients—milk and lime—were readily available during the era (many communities had local lime pits). A protein in the milk, casein, reacts with the hydrated lime to create a solution that adheres well to porous surfaces and then hardens. As an added bonus, the alkaline lime works with the acids in the milk to create a chemically neutral mixture.

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Gift Ideas for the Woodstove Family

For the next week on Shelter Blog, we're posting new Holiday Gift Idea entries and republishing entries from last year. Keep an eye on our site for great gift ideas.

The woodstove family likes to heat their home independently and economically with wood. They have eschewed the gym membership, and you can find them in their backyard working out on winter afternoons splitting and stacking wood. When you visit their toasty warm home this holiday season, here are the gifts you should bring:

Felling and Splitting Tools:

At Shelter, we carry the Gransfors Bruks line of hand-forged axes. Their quality and and craftsmanship is apparent the minute you hold one in your hands. For the Woodstove family (or any serious woodsman), the double-bit working axe is a great gift if they fell trees on their own property. When they need to split that wood, the splitting axe is the tool they'll need. (If they're more power tool oriented, we carry Efco chain saws at the store too. Call or stop in for details.)

Woodlot Knowledge:

What's one to do with all of those trees? Before the axe is sharpened, the Woodstove family should gather around with some hot cocoa and read The Woodlot Management Handbook. If you find the family can't seem to part with their favorite arbor, perhaps Home Tree Home, a step-by-step guide to building treehouses, is right for them.

Backwoods Tools:

A bark spud, loading tongs, and pulp hook are essential tools for the Woodstove family. We carry more backwoods tools too, if the family you know has a full collection of Swedish froes.

If It's Not Hot in the House:

Sometimes, even a hot woodstove can't heat the house. Shelter can still help. We all know that heat rises. So it's sometimes helpful to circulate the woodstove heat into living spaces. The Ecofan does just that. Place an Ecofan on top of a woodstove, and without using any electricity, the fan silently moves and circulates heat.

We also sell books on improving the house itself. Efficient Buildings 2 is a good reference for someone wanting to build an air-tight, energy efficient building.

If you are interested in becoming a Woodstove Family, Shelter is the place to begin. We can help you select a wood stove that best fits your home's needs. We sell Vermont Castings wood stoves, which may qualify for an energy tax credit. For more information about wood stoves, energy efficiency, or the Federal tax credit, read our blog posts on energy efficiency, or contact us.

Need more gift ideas? Send us an email at info@shelterinstitute.com or check back soon. We'll post more gift ideas from Shelter.

Can a Saw Fit in a Stocking?

For the next week on Shelter Blog, we're posting new Holiday Gift Idea entries and republishing entries from last year. Keep an eye on our site for great gift ideas.

Everyone likes cash, but it lacks personality. Chocolates are gone in a day. A bottle of 21-year-old-Honduran rum is apt not to fit in the stocking. So what can you find at Shelter that's the perfect stocking stuffer?

Folding Japanese Hand Saws:

A folding saw! Yes, they do exist, and it's not only practical for the stocking, it's enormously handy for home, out in a field, or in the shop. The Gomboy 300 pictured here is 13 inches long (when folded). Maybe not pocket size, but certainly the right size for a toolbox. The blade is coarse, suitable for pruning green limbs perhaps. However, the blade can be replaced with a finer blade that might be used for carpentry. Or you might want a smaller folding saw. I keep a Silky Gomboy in my tool belt. It's a little over eight inches when folded and is classified by Silky Tools as "interior" or "civil" engineering grade, suitable for interior trim work because of its finer tooth configuration. We carry many more folding saws and other Japanese hand saws. Call us, or view our online store for more details.

Hammers and Mallets:

One of our favorite tools in the store is the Wood Is Good mallet. (Hint to my wife: the 20 oz. mallet would fit perfectly in my stocking. I promise it won't be too hard to wrap.) We also carry a 30 oz. Wood Is Good mallet. They fit comfortably in your hand. The urethane head is a wonderful shock absorber and is easy on a chisel handle. Our favorite hammer is the 21-ounce Yamaguchi, available with a smooth or waffle face. (Umm waffles.) It is very durable and capable tool.

Clamps:

I think I heard a joke once that God could have created the world in fewer than seven days, but he didn't have enough clamps. Everybody could use more clamps. Since this is a religious holiday season, perhaps they're apt as well. Feel free to reuse the joke on the card.

Pocket and Kitchen Knives:

Everyone can use a pocket knife, and we carry a wide selection of Leatherman tools in our store. Online, we offer our favorite, the Leatherman Squirt S4. It offers ten functions, and it fits easily in your pocket. (Just make sure you don't leave it in your carry-on bag at the airport. I've seen sad travelers relinquish their favorite Leatherman, and it's not a happy moment.)

We used to have a very dull knife for chopping vegetables in the kitchen. I hated using it. That was my excuse for not helping with dinner prep. Now I have no excuse, because we have a full set of really sharp knives that we received as a Christmas gift. Does Shelter carry kitchen knives? You bet we do! And they're really sharp. Which one should you start with? You can't go wrong with a seven-inch chopping knife. It's tempered and sharpened to a razor edge. It will cut through a melon like it's a tomato.

Last Minute Gift Idea
If you need something at the last minute, a gift certificate always works. A Shelter gift certificate can be used for classes, tools, building supplies, toys, and more. Contact us, and we'll get one out to you as soon as possible.

If the person you're shopping for has all of the above, contact us at info@shelterinstitute.com, and we'll help you find the perfect gift your Holiday needs.

Great Resource

I'll apologize up front for the very geographically specific nature of this post: Midcoast Maine!

Maine is waking up and spring is very much in the air! As we begin to venture out of hibernation and see others venturing out I’ve been given great cause to use my new favorite Maine Coast resource: The SunriseGuide. This a great book that serves as a guidebook to living well in southern Maine. There are articles, tips and ideas that make it easy to be green by connecting consumers with great opportunities and services. But even better than the guide are the COUPONS! There are more than 165 coupons for local and eco-friendly businesses that can save you over $5300. Oakhurst milk, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, the Frontier Cafe, The Downeaster Train and much more. Eat local for less, meditation centers, Tax Credits, Triathlons, Nature-based getaways -- this is a wealth of ideas and knowledge about Maine. If you or a friend are moving to the area or planning to spend any time here this summer this is a must have. The SunriseGuide also has a great web site and newsletter providing excellent opportunities in the Midcoast area for learning about energy efficiency, organic food resources, music and athletic events and much more. And they've got an enewsletter that can alert you to the latest and greatest events.
And of course yours truly offers a discount coupon in it for the retail store of 25% WOW that is a great discount! If you are looking for other Maine products check them out on our website -- we have an entire section of Maine goodies including doormats, books about Maine Homes, books about Maine Cooking by Marjorie Standish, mallets made in Maine by Garland Tool Manuf. and beautiful wood clipboards! And if you have a Maine-made product that you think we should carry let us know!

Gardening and Farming Books

30% OFF ALL BOOKS ON THE GARDENING AND FARMING SHELF NOW THROUGH FEBRUARY 28th. (While supplies last.)

It is that time of year—the snow is flying and it seems like the gardens and fields are all sleeping. It is winter. Actually the snow really is flying outside right now. We have about 18-inches of it on the ground and the skies are full of it. As I sit inside snug and cozy with my cup of coffee flipping through our collection of gardening books, I can't help but wonder if spring will ever arrive.

I happen to be a bit of a brown thumb myself but after reviewing all of the amazing books (over 50 titles) I'm feeling very inspired. And from what I gather, now is the ideal time to plan your garden and get yourself geared-up for a successful growing season! We've got a terrific collection of books, and in the month of February, we're offering a sale on all of the titles on the Gardening and Farming shelf.

Beginning today and running through February 28th, all of the Farming and Gardening Books are 30% 0ff. You can take advantage of this sale in the store or online! I've included cover photos of a few of my favorite titles here to pique your interest.

In our gardening section, you can pick up how-to books on everything from designing your garden to gardening in small spaces, keeping chickens or bees, opening a flower farm for profit, filling your root cellar, or even building houses for your animals! Perhaps you're not into gardening and you just want a nicer lawn. Maybe you have a lot of bugs and pests, or you really just want to know how to compost. We've spent a lot of time hand-picking the best books on all of these and more topics because of their exceptional information or for their excellent writing . . . or both!

With the slow food movement in full swing, this collection is sure to entice even the least likely brown thumbs to get their hands dirty. And these books make great Valentines Day presents for those loved-ones who don't enjoy romantic movies, chocolates, or sweetheart candies. It's like giving flowers, but they'll need some time to bloom.

Woodworker Gift Ideas for the Stocking

Everyone likes cash, but it lacks personality. Chocolates are gone in a day. A bottle of 21-year-old-Honduran rum is apt not to fit in the stocking. So what can you find at Shelter that's the perfect stocking stuffer?

Folding Japanese Hand Saws:

A folding saw! Yes, they do exist, and it's not only practical for the stocking, it's enormously handy for home, out in a field, or in the shop. The Gomboy 300 pictured here is 13 inches long (when folded). Maybe not pocket size, but certainly the right size for a toolbox. The blade is coarse, suitable for pruning green limbs perhaps. However, the blade can be replaced with a finer blade that might be used for carpentry. Or you might want a smaller folding saw. I keep a Silky Gomboy in my tool belt. It's a little over eight inches when folded and is classified by Silky Tools as "interior" or "civil" engineering grade, suitable for interior trim work because of its finer tooth configuration. We carry many more folding saws and other Japanese hand saws. Call or view our website for more details.

Hammers and Mallets:

One of our favorite tools in the store is the Wood Is Good mallet. (Hint to my wife: the 20 oz. mallet would fit perfectly in my stocking. I promise it won't be too hard to wrap.) We also carry a 30 oz. Wood Is Good mallet. They fit comfortably in your hand. The urethane head is a wonderful shock absorber and is easy on a chisel handle. Our favorite hammer is the 21-ounce Yamaguchi, available with a smooth or waffle face. (Umm waffles.) It is very durable and capable tool.

Clamps:

I think I heard a joke once that God could have created the world in fewer than seven days, but he didn't have enough clamps. Everybody could use more clamps. Since this is a religious holiday season, perhaps they're apt as well. Feel free to reuse the joke on the card.

Staff Favorites:

If the person you're shopping for has all of the above, take a look at some of our staff favorites. You'll find kitchen tools, toys, drafting supplies, and more. Or contact us at info@shelterinstitute.com.

In the end, if none of this will fit in your loved one's stocking, a gift certificate always works. A Shelter gift certificate can be used for classes, tools, building supplies, toys, and more. Contact us, and we'll get one out to you as soon as possible.