SMDM stands for “Stuff My Dad Makes” - the name of the instagram account I started in 2020 during the early days of quarantine to showcase my fathers woodworking. It was mostly a way to show my admiration for the work he creates, but it didn’t take long for others to admire his work enough to request custom builds and purchase his pieces for themselves.

My name is Emily and my dad is Peter Vernon. He is a retired theatre director and food service administrator. He comes from a family of makers - his mother was a weaver and basket maker and his father a carpenter, art framer and photographer. Spoiler Alert! I am also a maker! Most of the quality time my Dad and I spend together revolves around making things, bickering about the best way to make things, and debating about which tools belong to who (they all belong to the dog).

Sometimes we do art markets here in our beloved city of New Orleans, but we decided to make this dedicated website to make ordering existing items he has in stock a simpler task for fans of his creations.

If you know his work, you don’t need to be told, but if you are new here, Pete makes objects with humor and thoughtfulness. His kitchenware is designed with the person holding the tool in mind, and the touch and feel of them have a way of transforming the act of cooking into a more conscious activity.

The spoons and spatulas have an essence unique to themselves, not unlike a wizard’s wand.

Everything you see listed on this site is 100% unique and hand made. No two products are exactly alike- grain variations and quirks abound - that is the nature of hand made objects, and exactly what makes them special. They are quirky and beautiful and built to last you a long joyful time.