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DIY Monogramed Placemats
Over the holidays we had pretty Christmas placemats on the table and once they were put away the table looked a little bare. So the only practical thing to do was to make some. Now, I have never made placemats, but that never stopped me before. I have made table runners from drop cloths (CanadianTire.ca Bennett Canvas Drop Sheets #049-4818-8) so same steps apply, just a different size. I only have a few pieces of drop cloth left over from when I made drapes with painted stripes, and did a quick measurement to make sure there was enough. Eureka!
Looks like enough -
Being a Secretive Santa
The week before Christmas we were asked by our neighbors to check on Jacob and Frank three different days. You know, to let them out to go potty and even try and get Jacob to burn off some energy. These are the same dogs we dog sit for now and again. We love any chance we get to see them. Jim calls Jacob my boyfriend cause I think I’m in love. That is especially funny since I am afraid of 99% of dogs. We have another neighbor that I wish I could visit but Jim visits alone because you guessed it…they have a dog.
Frank and Jacob -
‘Vintage’ Sled Centerpiece
The title of this post is actually a little misleading. You see, I plan to make my own ‘vintage’ sled and use it in a Christmas centerpiece. You know, a fake ‘vintage’ sled. Here is how it went down. We started with ‘old’ wood.
Measuring for the sled -
Making a Christmas Sign
Earlier in the year I joked that I was quitting Pinterest. It was a joke people, I didn’t actually follow through with it. And I’m glad I didn’t because then I wouldn’t have made this awesome sign. The one I was eyeing was square with a frame and had been aged and sanded. It was nice but we wanted something a little more unique. Enter Jim. His suggestion was one of the ovals we had cut from hemlock last year. Here is the finished sign, then I will show you how I did it.
Christmas sign -
Christmas Must Be Coming…
Usually around this time of year there are a flurry of orders for wood maps. So far this year is no exception. We keep some stock on hand but of course if it is painted black the customer asks for navy. That is just the nature of the beast. We got smart and got a little ahead of things by cutting out the items but not painting or assembling them…just yet. Frames will be added later too.
Cut but not finished -
We Bought A Truck That DUMPS!
The last few years, on countless occasions, one of us has said, “It would be so much easier if we could just dump this.” We considered buying a trailer that dumped, but already having two trailers for different uses, we thought three would be overkill. Then we mulled over the idea of converting our current truck by buying an insert that dumped. Didn’t really want to do that since it is our only vehicle. Like a dog with a bone, Jim searched online and finally came across this truck for sale.
New to us one tonne dump truck -
Making Beach Art Using Wood
We decided to use up some of our scrap wood to make a piece of art for the living room. I saw something similar on Pinterest and followed the link to Etsy. Yikes. I think they were asking around $400. I knew we could put our own spin on it and decided to give it a go. The first step was to start cutting strips of wood into varying widths and thicknesses on the table saw.
This could take a while -
Turtle Lane Sign
Remember Teresa? Sure you do, she is the pottery kiln lady. A couple of weekends ago we delivered the wood for her outdoor kiln. Well, she dropped by this week and had an idea for a sign for the end of her driveway. The story goes that one day she was on her way to work, and lo and behold a turtle was digging at the end of her driveway to lay eggs. Imagine, possible baby turtles. She asked if we could make a sign. First we had to draw something out on the computer.
drafting Turtle Lane -
Making a GPS Sign
We needed one more ‘thing’ to fill out our wall of ‘things’. First we decided on the size and shape. We figured something about 8 x 20 would be best, so a long rectangle. With that information we decided to make a sign with our GPS co-ordinates on it. Here is where we plan for it to go.
Where the red box is -
Making an R for Baby Ruby
Our nephew and his wife had their first baby in July. They named her Ruby and she is so tiny and beautiful. I had asked my brother if we were to make something for her nursery, what color should we paint it. He sent along a picture of the nursery and we were all set to get to work. First we had to determine the size for the letter R and then pick a script for her name.
Designing the project
