Let the Plants Have Light!

Another gift I made was to add a shelf to a large picture window in my living room.  We have quite a few plants and at our old house we had an enclosed porch with nothing but windows.  They loved the sun room!  The plants have been placed to try and collect as much light as possible, but it's nothing compared to what they use to have.  So, Heidi asked me to make a shelf to hold plants that could be placed about half way up the widow.  So this is what I came up with...

It gives the plants the sunshine they need and actually provides some privacy at the same time.  They are slowly coming back to life with their new home.

The upcycled part about this gift is that I used an old piece of grey barnwood sitting in the back yard of the cabinet shop I work at.  To achieve this look, I used one of my favorite techniques....skip planning.  I take set the depth of the thickness planer so it just barely shaves the surface so it will reveal some of the raw wood, but still keep some of the original live barnwood surface as well.  I did add a stain to give it some depth, but it is a very beautiful way to bring old grey barnwood back to life!

Upcycled Gifts

So in this tough economy it is always great to have an eye to re purpose or upcycle items that most would consider to be garbage or no longer have life left in it.  This year for Christmas gifts, that is just what I did.  I was driving along and saw these pretty neat chairs setting on the sidewalk on their way to the landfill.  They had some good qualities and some bad qualities....but I saw past the bad and had a vision of what they could potentially be.... 

So this is what the before looks like.  They are a nice wrought iron looking heavy duty chair.  But had really bad vinyl seats.

This is the after result.  The center of the seat is Walnut that is put together in a quilted pattern with the grain alternating.  The outside of the seat is Rustic Cherry.  It takes a long time to get the center of the seat glued up.  I would sit next to the fire for hours and hours and glue the blocks together....it is my version of "knitting" by the fire!

After I got everything all glued together, mitered, and sanded flat...it was time to dish out the material for the, uh, ummm, for the behind- or the sitters "seat".  This takes some imagination, a dust mask, some time, and a very large grinder to get a good dish.  But I had fun transforming these into functional chairs and saving them from taking up space in the landfill.  I didn't quite beat the deadline of Christmas Eve....I was out in my shop late into the night applying the sixth coat of a 3-part oil finish.  They are very smooth to the touch.

The only downside to these chairs now.......There are only 3!

Christmas is Coming....

Christmas is coming!  I am very busy this time of year.  I try to get most of my shopping done earlier to give myself enough time for the hand made gifts.  But no matter how hard I try or how efficiently I work and plan things out, I am always just putting the last coat of finish or final touches on Christmas Eve.  I am trying to avoid that this year, but it is almost a tradition in my household now.  I have some really neat things in the works right now...but I can't post any pictures yet, because those that I build for will read this post and I don't want to spoil any surprises.  I am working on some custom listings for individuals on Etsy and cabinet sales have been amazing this month!  People are excited to remodel-but we have quite a few commitments to get people their new cabinets by Christmas.  So I will try to post as much as I can, but I am stretched very thin this month.  Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season and whether you're the type of person who can't wait for it to end or the type that wishes is was Christmas all the time....you have to admit it is a fun time of year.

Happy Tofurky Day Everyone!

There are lots and lots of vegetarians that look forward to their tofurky every year....and I am one of them!  It isn't hard being a vegetarian at all, and it may seem inconvinient to other people, but once you have figured out what you like to eat-it is a very healthy lifestyle.  I have been a vegetarian for about 8 or 9 years now.  Our Thanksgiving spread consists of lots and lots of side dishes to create the meal.  I am a fan of the Quorn brand of "turkey".  As long as you follow the suggested preperation instructions, you really can't even tell the difference.  Before dinner, we are going to head into the mountains with the dogs and cut down our Christmas tree.  I enjoy this time of year...anyway, just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and hope you have safe travels if you have to travel.

Carhartt for Women

So, last weekend I received all new Carhartt gear.  Just in time for the cold weather!  It was like an early Christmas when I was ripping open the box with my new clothing.  I got 3 pairs of women's pants, 2 shirts, and 1 awesome coat.

                                                                                                       

The first pair of pants on the far left is the Relaxed Fit-Straight Leg Jean.  They have the standard five pockets and the material is a medium weight.
The middle pair of pants is the Easy Fit Sandstone Carpenter Pant with Double Front.  I am very excited to see how these hold up.
The last pair on the right is the Original Fit.  These have the standard five pockets and the material is light weight and has some stretch to them.

These are the shirts that I received....sooo cute!  The one on the left is a women's Roll-Up Sleeve Button-Front Flannel Shirt in winter white.  This is such a cute shirt, very light weight fabric and form fitting.  The shirt on the right is the women's Pointelle Henley in Oatmeal Heather.  This has a great women's cut and will be very warm on Idaho's coldest days. 

 

This is the women's Sandstone Sierra Jacket Sherpa-lined.  This is the Blue Dusk color.  This coat is awesome!  It is so nice to go to the Carhartt website and have so many choices in women's clothing.  There are so many colors, so many styles!  I live in Pocatello, Idaho and most retailers are just starting to carry the women's Carhartt line....it is so great that there is a quality clothing line out there designing clothing for women who still need the heavy duty fabrics and functionality that Carhartt has to offer.  All too often, I still run into women out in the field who are wearing men's Carhartts.  Come one ladies, go and get yourself some women's Carhartts!  Still the same number of pockets, still the same fabrics, still the same price, just better cuts for our bodies, and better colors!  Log onto http://www.carhartt.com/ and click on the Women's tab.  You will be amazed with all the choices, and the customer service on line is impeccable!  I look forward to putting my new gear to the test and giving an update on how they are holding up!

Regional Bowling Action

So six weeks of practice led up to the Special Olympics regional bowling competition in Burley, Idaho.  There were about 6 teams representing each district and there were approximately 150 athletes.  It is such an inspiring thing to witness and be a part of.  Everyone from the volunteers to the athletes are excited and happy to be there.  Nancy was in a very tough group with one teammate from Pocatello and two gals from Twin Falls.  This was during the third and final game, she was trailing by only a few pins......the pressure was on!

She barely missed taking third place and got the fourth place ribbon....but it didn't matter to her what place on the podium she was standing on, she accomplished a goal and had a great time.  It is very funny to attend an event on this scale, because yes, the athletes are pumped up and have team spirit.  But as you meet and introduce yourself to a majority of the group, they usually have one common response...."Hi, my name is ....
and I am from...      .....and we get Pizza when we are done!!"  Besides getting a ribbon or medal, one of the main highlights is the free lunches.  But the Special Olympics organization is one of the greatest groups to ever be formed and I encourage everyone out there to go and volunteer at, or just attend the next event.  Just type in Special Olympics followed by your home state and it will give you information regarding any upcoming events.

Now, we get a little bit of a break until January when the winter olympics begin.  Nancy agreed to do something out of her comfort zone and try downhill skiing!  This will be great....!

Nancy getting her fourth place ribbon..

This is Maggie so graciously accepting her second place ribbon.

                                                                                                                            

Window, What Window?

Some clients came in recently and were ready to rennovate a create a true master suite.  They hooked up with a local contractor and made a plan to sacrifice about 100 square feet of their double car garage to make the perfect on suite.  It included a walk in closet, a walk in shower with dual shower heads, and a vanity with double sinks.  When I arrived to field measure, there was one obstical in the way of making a functional double sink vantiy-a window.  There was only about 65" of space before the window.  Sure, you could fit a 5' vanity with two sinks......but the whole point of this rennovation was to maximize and gain storage.  So I took the measurements and let it absorb overnight, and this is what I came up with.......

First, it is very hard to photograph a vanity....

This is the upper section of the vantiy.  There is a sink centered under each mirror.  The mirror on the right is fixed.  The mirror on the left however....

slides to the right on a low profile track.  (Salice Hardware)

Eventually disappering almost completely behind the center cabinet.  It functions very well and maximizes the storage for the client.  As well as maintaining balance in the room by keeping the mirror on the right exact size and look as the one that reveals the window. 

It is projects like this that make me excited to go to work everyday.  I wonder what I will come up with next?