SP Writing Desk - part 1

A new project - taking a simple pine box from Hobby Lobby and turning it into a Neo-Victorian writing desk with a major SP twist.

The starting is staining the pine box with a walnut stain.  Next I'll Dremel a spot for an inkwell and ink pen and the SP touches.

I use this to store my computer/netbook and accessories. Keeps it safe and everything together.

Headboard bookcase - part 2

My sister and Mom came up with the idea for this one (see previous post) - the three of us made it work (with a suggestion from me on the small shelf idea).  We took the backboards (which had been pierced and ruined during the move), split two boards off and considered extending one of the shelves all the way across.  We decided that one board would be better than the two.  My sister and I marked off the curve for the piece and she cut and sanded it down and I came up with the solution on how to attach it firmly.

We attached the small board, continuing the lower shelf all the way across but maintaining the curved lines.

Today Mom and I stained the raw part of the new part and then my sister and I ran a light stain over the top piece for a shined, uniform look.

Ta-Da!

note the curve of the original shelf and the curve of the new one as it connects.

The two shelves are connected to the horizontal piece by L brackets (the original piece needed a repair)

Women with ideas and power tools!!!!

Finished after staining

Next we'll touch up the damage to the wall

Sukkah time!

I couldn't find the longer tarps today so I've got short ones to form the two "walls" - the third wall being the sliding glass door into the house.

My sister and I nailed 2x off the deck railing and ran boards down from the roof and screwed them into place on a cross beam.  I ran clothesline rope across and around the three beams, across and angled and then we cut some branches off the trees that needed cut back in our driveway.  I placed those across the beams and on top of the rope and that worked out really well.

For decorations, I have some wire garlands of maple and oak leaves on the posts, gourds in a shallow bowl on the tray and a beer stein glass of fall flowers.  I'm going to put up purple lights tomorrow - got a bit tired today and its threatening rain.

In progress (note the ladder)

more progress

Mom's Red Door & More

We finished painting the front door from the forest green to a bright red.  For some reason she's always wanted a red front door, now she's got it.

These are photos by our best friends in California. They wanted to give us Yosemite - he is a remarkable photographer.  The center photo is a bird on a log being reflected in the water below.

This is our small cabinet - the figures on top were given by one of our Red Hat group in California.

For Smiles

For those that know us - this picture shouldn't be a surprise

Headboard bookcase

As many of you know quite a few of our furniture pieces arrived broken.  We've attempted to repurpose and repair the majority of them.

One of the pieces that was broken badly was the headboard to my sister's bed.  Now that she has downsized we were at a loss as to what to do with her headboard and footboards.  The headboard was a bookcase headboard.  The back panels were broken badly and one of the small, decorative shelves ripped off.

Mom and my sister had the idea of taking two regular bookcases, setting the headboard on top and repair the small decorative shelf.  I had the additional idea of taking part of the back panel wooden slats and make a center shelf running from the decorative shelf across to the other decorative shelf.  The wood stain already matches and it should look quite interesting when we're done.

One of the cats already loves it!

We took took bookcases and joined them together and then connected the headboard to the bookcases.

new project

Here's a project that will take a few days - an old rocker we have lost the back panel. Instead of trying to repair the splintered back, we've decided on something different.

We decided to work a couple of slats into the back pieces. While we were looking at the rocker, I had a flash of inspiration.  I'm sure everyone knows the rod and slat contraption designed to air dry clothes that can fold up.  We had one that broke recently. I grabbed it off the back porch and held it up for my sister and Mom to see. 

"The dowels are too thin," Mom said.

I held it up again by the slats and her eyes sparkled.  I took a hammer and took it totally apart.

We are going to use the slats as the back piece on the rocker. Our first thought was to fill in the holes where the dowels once went with wood putty.  I then had the idea to wrap twine through the holes, tying them together and making it look like a "fan"