STOUGHTON - Once Susan Smith had outgrown her craft room on the farm, she and her husband Dennis purchased a house in Stoughton to display her wooden creations and start a business, She Shed Creations.
Smith was born and raised in Kipling with her seven siblings. Dennis was a farm boy and was raised in the Handsworth area with his 11 siblings.
When the couple married, they farmed cattle and grain for 50 years. Now their two sons are interested in farming, and they can slow down.
For the past four years, Susan Smith has enjoyed woodworking. Her first project was not a small one, as she built two playhouses for her grandchildren. One is located in Creelman and the other in Foam Lake. She enjoyed it so much, she began smaller projects and it just grew from there.
Smith loves to take old, framed screens, distress them and stencil the screen with sayings or add colourful flowers. Fancy hooks may be added to give it that extra touch.
The front porch is warm and welcoming, with porch signs and planters. Upon entering her store, people will see how meticulously kept it is, but they will also hear Smith hammering away in the back room, were she does her work. The shelves in her work area have house paints, sandpaper and stencils.
Each room is uniquely decorated with her wooden pieces, which are carefully stenciled with a saying. Not one of her pieces are the same. If someone sees a piece that they like and want a distinct colour, she might make one in the colour of their choice.
Smith’s face lights up when she talks about her art.
“I just love working with wood, and hopefully others love my pieces as much as I do,” she said.
Her sister Sandra Demchuk is the artist in the family, as Smith admits she cannot draw. Smith plans to display her sister’s work, as she paints pet portraits.
At present Smith does not do consignments, but it is something she is thinking about, as long as it is homemade.
Smith is pretty excited about her new business, and she said it is slowly getting busier.
