Clumsy Carpenter

We needed new bookshelves in the living room.  The $10 particle board ones we bought when we moved to Casa de Los Monos Voladores five years ago weren't cutting it.  They were never intended to be permanent.  Since Chief and I had done this before, we set out to build some simple shelves as replacements.  Piece of cake!

We made a trip to Lowe's and bought some lumber, screws, sealer, etc.  We took it home and "aged" it with a vinegar and steel wool mixture.  The finish really did turn out nice.  Then came time to build.

We made the mistake of decided to look at some examples and plans to see if we could glean any tips.

One of my favorite sites is Ana-white.com.  She creates plans for furniture, built-ins, toys, etc.  And they are FREE.  I definitely recommend you go look at her website just for inspiration.  We hope to have our project show up in the brag column soon.  They have even built a duplex for their mothers to live in so they can be near them.  No mean feat in Alaska.

We happened on a plan we really liked and it would allow us to try out a new "toy" I had just gotten, a joining jig.  That thing was fun and allowed us to do things we couldn't before.

This wasn't shelves, though.  It was a buffet.  Those of you who have been in my house know I barely have room for my dining table and chairs.  No way will a buffet fit in the dining area.  It would fit perfectly on that huge wall (16 feet wide with the peak of a cathedral ceiling that is about feet tall) in the living room.  Surely, it wasn't as massive as everyone commented.

So, back to Lowe's.  And it begins.  Unfortunately, I was too busy to take pictures as we went.

It went together with only a few minor hitches.  And 5 trips to Lowe's.  And 1 smashed thumb.  Not to mention, trying to finish it during one of the coldest Januarys in a long time in an unheated garage.

Not too bad, if I do say so myself.  

We hit one of those minor hitches with the drawer bottoms.  We were having trouble getting the recommended 1/4" plywood to line up so we could nail it.  This was not going to work.  After some contemplation and taking a look around the workshop (garage), we decided to use planks for the bottom just like we had built the sides and the top.  It turned out to be one of our favorite details.

Add some handcrafted hardware (not by us), and it is done.

Be sure to tell Chief what a nice job he did when you see him, I have some more "little" projects lined up.

Now about that wall...........

It's about that time, again.

Last year we made it onto the naughty list.  Something about painting Dasher blue and mounting him on the wall.  People are SO touchy.

Do you think we can make the naughty list two years in a row?

Who wants to see us try?

How We Made It Onto the Naughty List

It is finally here!  One of those projects that have taken SO long to be completed is finally finished.  Lots of thanks go to Chief Flying Monkey and FM1 for putting the chicken wire on and hanging everything (including the Christmas cards).

Neither idea is original.  I found both, in multiple styles, on Pinterest and other decorating/craft/diy websites.  I have not seen any pictures where they are hung together.  

Yep, it is a blue deer head (Dasher) and a memory board made from an extra large frame.  And, yes, the deer does have lights in his antlers.  You may be wondering where one finds a deer-head lamp.  Well, here in the South, we just check the local garage sales.  One might even show up at your local thrift store, just keep looking.

The frame is off the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby.  If someone had made a video of FM2 and I trying to load this seriously over sized frame into our RAV4, we would be YouTube stars.  It did fit, with some a lot finagling.

After applying primer (from a spray can to get into all the nooks and crannies since neither the deer nor frame were smooth), I applied spray paint to evenly coat the items.  Then Chief and FM1 attached chicken wire from a home improvement store to the back of the frame with a staple gun.  Then they hung it for me while I baked cookies.

The cards are attached to the wire with binder clips.  And it is done!

Pinterest

For those of you who have not already discovered (been sucked into) Pinterest, it is a website that lets you share images, with links to the original sites, that interest you.

One complaint is that no one ever completes any of the projects they "pin". Well, I have. In fact, I completed two. I made some wonderfully rich hand cream and some Rosemary-Mint fabric softener. And I have two more recipes to try. I will let you know how they turn out.

I also have found several ideas for using the boys worn-out jeans and t-shirts they just can't part with. And, if you have a problem, there is probably a solution. I have found several solutions on there. You just need to be willing to alter the original idea to fit your situation.

The second complaint about Pinterest is that it is way too easy to get distracted, waste time, etc. I can't dispute that. Everyone will just have to find their own solution.

Two solutions I have found to help with, not eliminate, this problem are the same ones I use for other "time wasters". I wait until right before bed when I need quiet time. Or, I enjoy it while I am waiting somewhere. It sure makes waiting more enjoyable.

Local Artist

I haven't completed anything new to show you, but I have a wonderful friend, Sharon, who has consented to let me show off some of her art.  She not only creates her own art, she is passing along her passion to students in Pickens county, Alabama.  Judging by the comments her fellow teachers left on her facebook page, she is doing a great job.  She and her husband Steven, who creates jewellry, have taken FM1 under their wings and are helping him to hone his artistic skills and giving him the confidence to do what he loves.

(I admit it, I want her to will me this next one.  Better yet, just sell it to me, she's younger than I am.)

If you have liked this sample of Sharon's artwork, please leave a comment and I will make sure she gets it.  If you would like to know more about her and her work, leave a comment and I will see to it that she gets your information.

Bathroom Update

Chief Flying Monkey was gone for a few days so,
we thought we would surprise him and complete one
of the projects on our list.  We decided we would
update the hall bath since we already had everything.

There wasn't anything structurally wrong with the room.  We just hadn't really done anything besides changing the shower curtain.

I don't have any pictures of the accessories (towel rack, toilet paper holder, etc) but they were all in a rose design.  Don't get me wrong, I love roses.  In fact, we planted one this last year.  The fact is, this bathroom is mainly used by two boys, a teenager and a pre-teen.  Roses just aren't their style.  In addition to the rose decor, the towel rack kept falling off the wall and their was no place to store towels in the bathroom.

We painted the wall with Olympic One paint in Satin finish in Camel.  (Now I wish I had painted the living room this color, but it wasn't available at the time.)  FM1 didn't want an ordinary shelf or cabinet to store towels in so, we installed a Lack shelf from Ikea in red to hold towels.  We had to get a little creative with the installation when we discovered it was too long for the wall.  Instead of the zig-zag it was supposed to form, we hung it as stair steps (would that be considered an "Ikea hack"?).  We finished off that wall with a hook rack from Target.

On the opposite wall, we hung an Ikea spice rack to hold "reading material".  We then hung a simple shower curtain in black and white, the first item chosen for the room. 

A line from a popular song recorded in 1958 by Bobby Darin, tops off the design and adds a little whimsy to the room.  The roses are gone and towels can be hung up without the rack falling off the wall.  No need to worry if you forgot to get a towel before you got in the shower, there is one handy.  Overall, the room now has a bright clean look.  Maybe, just maybe, it will encourage the boys to be a little neater in there.

Still Working

Working on some projects to start posting here.  Maybe I will go ahead and start posting a few in progress shots before long. 

Hope you have been following my "Thirty Days of Thanks" over on houseoftheflyingmonkeys.blogspot.com.

Have a great Thanksgiving weekend and be careful at the Black Friday sales.  I think the only ones I attend will be online.