Meet The Maker - #duhjigsaw
Welcome to the third installment of Meet The Maker. This weeks feature is on my good buddy from up in Greensboro, NC, Maggie Murray. Maggie runs her business Diversified Designs NC. Working out of her garage in a 10x8 space that's expandable when needed, she is churning out some of the best rustic and reclaimed work in the South. An instructional designer at Rockingham Community College by day, Maggie comes home to her shop, cranks up the jigzaw, and gets to work on her Etsy orders and items for craft shows.
Maggie has always had a love for building things with her since she was little, something her parents instilled in her at an early age. Her dad always made sure to provide her with some tools and a place to create, and this is where she found her passion. Diversified Designs NC started with a challenge from her husband. Maggie, an avid hiker, camper, explorer, and all around...outdoorser....wanted a new daypack (she had several already, but we all need more right?), so instead of just spending the money, her husband challenged her to make some projects, sell them, and use the money she made to buy the pack. That was actually January of this year, and from that day on, she hit the ground running. She bought some new tools, expanded her work area, and started making local connections like Jon at Ironwood Designs who could help teach and collaborate with her to help grow her skill set.
Maggie is passionate about repurposing wood, using pallets, and making things out of nothing. Ironically enough, Maggie actually came to us at Southern Woodworkers through me. Back in the spring, I had posted a picture of a recent project and Maggie, a new D.I.Wyatt follower reached out to show some love and asked if it was an Anna White design. I took it as a compliment, because we all know how big that site is, but it was actually my original design so we got to chatting about it. We kept in touch and an insta-friendship was born. We talked regularly about each others projects, advice on growing our brands, and then I mentioned our fantastic Southern Woodworkers community and she jumped right in. She even attended one of our meetups here in Georgia via Facebook Live.
Her favorite piece she has done will be known as "Birds". It was made from some milled lumber her brother gave her is the main back panel, and then she used pallet wood to cut the birds out.
Another favorite are her state cutouts she does with the jigsaw. I personally have a state of Georgia on display in our guestroom. Lots of North Carolina symbols....some...more gigantic than others....but all incredible works of art.
When Maggie is hard at work in the shop, she's jamming out to mainly bluegrass (Unspoken Tradition is her fave), and if she had to choose, her weapon of choice in the shop would be her jigsaw. Her least favorite part of the build process is staining or anything that is overly time consuming. She loves quick projects and repetitive stuff she can churn out quickly. Long, time-consuming projects don't blend with her impetuous habits, but that's not to say she doesn't take the time to make sure the most minute details are perfect when a project is done. If she cut the items out quickly, then she can slow down and take her time with the sanding and other details.
If you want to find Maggie, you can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy.
Thanks for stopping by for everyone….check back every Wednesday for our weekly edition of Meet The Maker
“Show us a man who never makes a mistake and we will show a man who never makes anything. The capacity for occasional blundering is inseparable from the capacity to bring things to pass.” Herman Lincoln Wayland