Rayn Designs Woodwork-Carpentry-Artwork

05/08/2022

Finished the first mini alter last night and I'm incredibly juiced with how it turned out. Are you someone who has some sort of alter or sacred space for your special things or a spiritual practice?
How do you like to setup your alter? For me, the inspiration for making a small, portable, minimalist style piece is directly related to the fact I'm always moving around, sometimes outside, sometimes inside. Sometimes out in nature, or gathering with friends. But also because I love small things, both for their practicality and how brazenly adorable I find them. Have no desire for larger sentiments or use for a larger space.
First photo is about as cluttered as it gets for me. Typically my singing bowl, smudges, and Mala are in my hands or set aside. Incense in their holder etc. But I do enjoy getting creative with what items I use and how I set things up for a given day, week or ceremony. I have fun with it and throw random s**t in whenever possible. How about you? Let me know how you get down! And certainly shoot a message if you're interested in having one made either similar to this or otherwise!!!
Happy Mothers day to All the Mothers! I have the privilege of knowing some unbelievably great Mom's who are also incredibly strong and inspiring woman. As well Im always seeing awesome woman I've known for years becoming Mothers and experiencing that transformation. Makes me happy and happy for them. Go Mom's!

05/08/2022

Designed and made a cool alter out of some old growth vertical grain Douglas Fir I been saving for a rainy day. Pretty stoked with how it looks mocked up. Definitely inspired by eastern and zen traditions, but certainly appropriate for any use, spiritual or otherwise.
I have enough material to make 3 or 4 of these maybe each slightly different. They will be available for purchase or custom variation by request. Feel free to message with any questions.

03/23/2021

I make things, and I'm damn good at it. I took my time making this table. Far more so than one would if they were trying to make money. Many orders of magnitude more. I did that because I love doing it. Not because it's in any way more superior or righteous. It wouldn't be economical or sustainable for the purpose of making money as income. Ive found that I have a deeply spiritual and sacred connection to my craft, to creating with my hands, to the material that nature provides and allows me to work with, the forests from which it comes, and a deeply sacred and spiritual connection to nature itself. of which I am. Duh
The top is one of several unique and gorgeous Ash slabs I have. The base is 3/4" black steel pipe. It measures roughly 5' long, 32" at it's widest, and 16" tall.
I value work that respects and honors these materials. That accentuates, invigorates, and preserves. Great care is taken to preserve the integrity and natural characteristics. If anyone is interested in purchasing this table, or is interested in commissioning their own one of a kind piece of handmade furniture, please feel free to message me with any questions you might have about this piece or otherwise. Thank you for looking!

11/30/2020

Hey! I know, I know. Been a minute. Hope all are as well as can be. Hope all are finding ways to extract potentially useful, insightful, humbling, inspiring, loving, appreciative, empowering, expansive, or transformative lessons wherever and however they can from this collective experience.
I know I've been forced to surrender on a daily basis. Surrender my attempts to control or make sense. Surrender to my discomfort. Surrender to the uncertainty and let go of my attempts to define or understand. Let go of the need to predict how this story plays out. Reminding myself to be as present in my body and on this earth as possible. Coming back to this experience of now.
Giving up all judgments, measures, or values about how I think or feel or believed it should be. Although failing to more often than not, it's only in failure that the true lessons may be learned, the resilience be built, and the mastery be attained.
To quote the truly enigmatic meditation teacher Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, "THE PATH IS THE GOAL."
On a different note, I still love working with Trees and finishing slabs the old fashioned way. Opening up those pours, sealing and sanding until it's glass. So you can still see all that diverse detail and dimension of the grain. Every timber we use is completely unique, but could not survive without the rest of the forest and the whole of nature. For it is interdependent and interconnected. Like all individual organisms, completely inseparable from their environment.
Have 4 of these coffee table sized slabs. Appx. 4ft x 2-3ft. Different leg styles and materials to choose from. Anyone interested get in touch! Thanks!
RayningOnReality.com
Rayning On Reality Podcast!

11/30/2020

02/29/2020

Whipped up some sweet Old-Timey looking table tops for a new all plant based food joint in town.
Super awesome client who picked a wicked cool space with a long bar top to sit at. Stoked she's stoked. We weren't able to fit as many of these tops with chairs in as hoped. But I'd offered to finish one of the smaller live edge slabs I have previously, and as it turns out, will make a perfect high top two person table. Going to modify and finish that guy up over the next couple days. Going to mount one end to the wall and do a single low profile leg.
Can't wait to finish and share. Just picked up new box of epoxy for the fissures and open/unsound knots and a new can of armor seal. I still think its busch league to mix something together, pour it onto wood and call it art or craft. To each their own. Happy weekend!!!




















@ Pure Soul Plant Based Eats

02/27/2020

My dude got some photos to do this little guy some justice. Again, my best client. And some of the best people.
Can anyone really go wrong with the Nut Wood? Sure it could be over done, played out at times. What do you think? Personally I'd make a garbage can out of Walnut if someone asked me. I love the s**t out of it. The diversity of the grain. The way the knots spiral out into infinity and create the most amazing waving patterns. Hmmm. Spiraling into waving patterns you say?
Well did you know what you are? A waving spiral of energy frequencies. Our senses are just good at making patterns in these spirals, fractals, geometric shifting of waves that when consciously observed become particles of energy. Light. No such things as things. Separate things. Just a way of talking. No such things as seperate events either. Last i checked time didn't stop since it all went bang. Here we are. Banging. Spiraling. Walnutting, Ryaning.... Way out here in space. ;)












@ Carmichael, California

01/17/2020

Modern Bathroom Shelving Unit in Walnut with hang below towel bar. Built to match the vanity for .

I'll get down to install it someday. Great clients with great taste. Love working with them.
So who needs a thing made?
@ Sacramento, California

11/15/2019

It's been one of those, "Hey since you're already making me this, would you want to make that too?" Projects.
For My best furniture client and Real Ass Homie. Happy to do it always.
Custom Vanity with walnut frames and birch panels. I really like the full top oversized vessel sink. Originally wanted to make a floater but was voted down. .
Anyone interested in custom furniture, cabinets, millwork, etc. Feel free to inquire. I have some rad ideas for modern floating vanities and other wall mounted millworks!

11/14/2019

It's been one of those, "Hey since you're already making me this, would you want to make that too?" Projects.
For My best furniture client and Real Ass Homie. Happy to do it always.
Custom Vanity with walnut frames and birch panels. I really like the full top oversized vessel sink. Originally wanted to make a floater but was voted down.
Anyone interested in custom furniture, cabinets, millwork, etc. Feel free to inquire. I have some rad ideas for modern floating vanities and other wall mounted millworks!

11/07/2019

Our desk with horrendous lighting. Adding a small raised shelf in the back corner, but otherwise. There's that. Now I'm just trying to finish 's bathroom vanity on top of commuting to San Francisco again. Always burning from all the ends. .
In buddhism we observe the concept of emptiness, or Sunyata in Sanskrit or Suññatā in Pali, says that all things are empty of essence or meaning until we fill ideas ans concepts with meaning based on words and emotions. This is actually, factually accurate at the level of subatomic particles and quantum physics. Nevertheless, we assign meaning to things, most of it total crap. To have people give meaning to the work I do and things I make and create from scratch, is beyond humbling and a true honor of this life for which I am grateful.