Sawdust and Song
Welcome to the virtual home of Tree Of Life Designs! Our names are Ed Dougherty and Dawn Leith. Tree Of Life Designs is our labor of love, and is a true backyard enterprise. I invite you to explore our website, and our selection of hand-crafted Native American-Style and bamboo flutes, flute care products, energetic smudging supplies, wooden tongue drums, hand-carved walking sticks, and a host of other distractions! Each instrument, as well as our signature Everyday Hearth & Home Smudge Blend, is individually hand-crafted, unique, and represents our pride and passion for the craft. Sit back, relax, and enjoy your visit, and please check back often for new offerings or miscellaneous ramblings. I am currently accepting custom work. Please email me at ed [!at] treeoflifedesigns.com to discuss your flute vision!
I have had a love for woodwork since my boyhood days, hanging around my Grandfather's shop smelling the sawdust. The ability to take a piece wood from it's raw form to a functionally beautiful creation has always fascinated me and still, many piles of sawdust later, holds a special appeal. Eventually I started carving walking sticks and Wood Spirits which I still enjoy doing. About 20 years ago, I discovered the Native American Flute, and was drawn to the soulful sound. I first learned how to play and eventually how to craft them in my shop. I am proud to say that my flutes have made their way to many hands and homes across the globe. They are played with satisfaction by enthusiasts and professional musicians alike, many of whom that have become dear friends.
To this day I am honored and humbled by each and every sale, every new customer and the positive feedback that I receive along the way. I look forward to every new day and the opportunity to introduce my work to the world.
The Tree Of Life is a mystical concept, a common motif and metaphor in many varied world theologies, mythologies and philosophies. The branches of the tree reach high into the heavens, while the roots dig deeply into the earth. Both are woven together to signify the connection between all things in the heavens and the earth. Trees provide sustenance and habitat for all creatures great and small. They are a source of healing medicinal extracts. Their wood provides materials to build shelter, fires for preparing nourishing meals, warming the body on a frigid night, as well as engaging in spiritual rites and rituals. Trees also represent the bounty of Mother Earth and the eternal cycle of the seasons. The Tree Of Life is a symbol of the individual's quest for spiritual fulfillment. Tree Of Life Designs is a true backyard business, a cottage industry that represents the fruits of my work. I feel truly blessed to be able to create, and along with my many friends and wonderful family, find it to be an endless source of joy and light in my life. "Metaphorically speaking, you are like a vast tree, a Tree of Life, with many branches and many, many leaves and blossoms, and your current physical existence is just one of these leaves and one of these blossoms." The Hathors
In Sawdust and Song, Ed "Greybeard" Dougherty
*Disclaimer: Some of the flutes that I make are Native American in Style only. My products are not Native made, I am not Native, and make no claims to any Native heritage or Tribal affiliation.
I have had a love for woodwork since my boyhood days, hanging around my Grandfather's shop smelling the sawdust. The ability to take a piece wood from it's raw form to a functionally beautiful creation has always fascinated me and still, many piles of sawdust later, holds a special appeal. Eventually I started carving walking sticks and Wood Spirits which I still enjoy doing. About 20 years ago, I discovered the Native American Flute, and was drawn to the soulful sound. I first learned how to play and eventually how to craft them in my shop. I am proud to say that my flutes have made their way to many hands and homes across the globe. They are played with satisfaction by enthusiasts and professional musicians alike, many of whom that have become dear friends.
To this day I am honored and humbled by each and every sale, every new customer and the positive feedback that I receive along the way. I look forward to every new day and the opportunity to introduce my work to the world.
The Tree Of Life is a mystical concept, a common motif and metaphor in many varied world theologies, mythologies and philosophies. The branches of the tree reach high into the heavens, while the roots dig deeply into the earth. Both are woven together to signify the connection between all things in the heavens and the earth. Trees provide sustenance and habitat for all creatures great and small. They are a source of healing medicinal extracts. Their wood provides materials to build shelter, fires for preparing nourishing meals, warming the body on a frigid night, as well as engaging in spiritual rites and rituals. Trees also represent the bounty of Mother Earth and the eternal cycle of the seasons. The Tree Of Life is a symbol of the individual's quest for spiritual fulfillment. Tree Of Life Designs is a true backyard business, a cottage industry that represents the fruits of my work. I feel truly blessed to be able to create, and along with my many friends and wonderful family, find it to be an endless source of joy and light in my life. "Metaphorically speaking, you are like a vast tree, a Tree of Life, with many branches and many, many leaves and blossoms, and your current physical existence is just one of these leaves and one of these blossoms." The Hathors
In Sawdust and Song, Ed "Greybeard" Dougherty
*Disclaimer: Some of the flutes that I make are Native American in Style only. My products are not Native made, I am not Native, and make no claims to any Native heritage or Tribal affiliation.