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Sandy Russell is Crate Big Ideas.   A Southern California native, she lives and creates in the Lake Merritt neighborhood of Oakland, California.    After years of working for others, she decided to give her dream a chance;   time to make crafty accessories for people to enjoy in their homes and offices or to give as a special gift.  She enjoys experimenting with eco-friendly paints, imagining new uses for discarded stuff, and using her hands to sand, polish, paint and stain almost anything.  

Crates begin their lives as original packaging for wine bottles shipped from Argentina, France, Portugal, Spain, and occasionally from the Napa Valley.   The furniture pieces are gently used and have been given an update with exciting colors and cool finishes.   Each crate and furniture piece is hand finished and thus is an original, as no one finish can be replicated exactly.   The paints, stains, and finishes perform differently with each wood piece, resulting in a one-of-a-kind piece.   Custom work is always welcome.

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