Our Story

We are Raina & Ruben. We met as deckhands on a tall ship bound for Antarctica, returned to Canadian soil after our high sea adventure and began weaving together a life and family deep in the woods of Nova Scotia. We are inspired daily by our greatest teachers: our two wild and free daughters. We flow between parenting, homesteading and creating in our studio and forge. 

Our intention through R&R Handmade is to passionately contribute to a new economy - one that celebrates creative expression, hand skills and lasting quality while focusing on the regeneration of the earth. We aim to create useful and beautiful pieces to enliven your day-to-day flow.

Ruben is the blacksmith behind all the hammering of hot steel. With over 20 years of experience and a passion for forging, he's really good at it. His work is physically demanding and his process is loud and dirty; he wouldn't have it any other way. 

Raina works with Ruben to fine-tune and create new designs. She is also the photographer behind the scenes and she processes and ships orders.  Her studio is across the driveway from the blacksmith shop with a magical view of their permaculture food forest, blueberry fields and an occasional passing fox.

Thanks so much for finding us here!  

 

For more on our story, check out our cover feature in At Home! magazine: The Permaculture Principle, Fall 2018.