What can you do with a hunk of clay and some splinters of glass? Michelle Hamilton, master artist and owner of Zaximo Studios, has dreamed up some very creative answers.

Michelle loves to design three-dimensional objects inspired by underwater creatures of the sea. One series looks like sea anemones waving with their many undulating arms. Another source of inspiration is botanicals, which may stem from her enjoyment of gardening.

With simple acrylics and an open canvas, Bryan Haynes paints life into Missouri landscapes, awakening an interpretation rooted in both the past and present. After years of travel and education, Haynes moved back to his home state of Missouri and settled in an area surrounded by towering trees in lush forests and an endless stretch of rolling plains. Inspiration beamed through every window and burst through every open door.

When John Beck couldn’t find an elevated dog feeder that would work for his American Boxer, Drama, he took matters into his own hands – literally.

He searched and searched for just the right materials, as he often does, and made the feeder himself out of steel and porcelain bowls.

Nicole (Nikki) Lemkemeier is the equivalent of two artists in one body. She is an accomplished painter, as well as a ceramic artist. She has combined these two arts into one by making painted-tile mosaic installations. Her work is a combination of classic painted tile work, plus the originality of handmaking the tiles and cutting them into small, irregular pieces that fit together almost magically – like a puzzle – into an appealing, intricate work of art.

Everybody knows that smell—that flavorful, permeating, eye-opening aroma wafting through places as diverse as home kitchens, restaurants, cafés, potlucks and weddings. Yes, we're talking about coffee, that ubiquitous drink served at every occasion. But some coffee just tastes better than others. What's the difference? Master roasters Christopher Ruess and Shane Mosby share a few secrets.

For most young people, their parents’ purchase of a disk sander and scroll saw wouldn’t affect their lives too much, if at all. But for David Moore, David Moore Furniture, that was where his love for hand-crafting beautiful furniture all began.

“It showed me I had a passion for making stuff really early on,” David says. He eventually went to Boston to study traditional furniture-making with an emphasis in classical design. He returned to St. Louis in 2007 and has been practicing his skills and developing his furniture business ever since.