Never Come Between a {Crazy} Woman and Her Saw

I know I've already posted these pictures on Facebook, but I also wanted to have them on my blog as well. Since this is a record of our Family, I thought I should include my own dealings, and not just have it be all about the kids. Because seriously, I can only tell you how cute I think my own kids are before I loose your attention, right?
Let me preface this a bit: Many, many years ago, I was in High School. I recall having received the necessary paper work to fill out for our next semester's classes. Sitting amongst a few friends I proposed the idea of adding Workshop to my class schedule.
I was mocked.
A lot.
I get it. Wood shop was probably full of cocaine sniffing, scary guys, who had nothing better to do than to take out their aggression on helpless 2x4s. But still, I was very interested in building things. I LOVE to create things. I don't know if it's all in the thrill of actually using my brain tissue or just keeping my hands busy, but I like to make crap. And sometimes that's all it is....crap. But, sometimes it actually turns out kinda cute, and I really like that part.
So, here, at the fine, who-cares-what-others-think-about-my-lame-hobbies age of 31, I decided to take up wood working. Shortly after we moved to San Antonio, I splurged on a couple of saws and other wood working equipment, and found a great website to guide me. Get ready for it people, because

VOILA!

My creations:

Number One: My first project was a bookshelf. We had just moved into our newer, bigger house, and I needed something to fill it up. Upstairs we have a big open room that is perfect for toys, computer desks, and a big, lonely bean bag chair that was perfect for cuddling and reading. It was begging for books to be placed beside it. This bookshelf has been so great. We've even had to buy more books, just because we have a place for them (besides piles on the floor). It was a fairly simple plan, and I love the beadboard backing and the molding at the bottom.

Number Two: If any smallish children ask, "Santa's Elf" made this. This little picnic table was Maryn's Christmas present. I didn't want to pay to move our cheapo plastic picnic table, so I sold it before we moved. The kids love eating outside, and I love them eating outside. No sweeping up, right? Win-win. Actually, win-win-win because it also feeds the birds and bugs. This wasn't too hard. I did learn a valuable lesson about buying only very very straight boards. Even the slightest twist or warp will throw everything off, and you will spend hours unscrewing and going back to the store for more wood. I think my favorite thing about this table is how big it is. It easily holds 6 kids, and probably even 8. I used a good quality outdoor paint to protect it since it now lives on the back patio.

Number Three: My front entryway was barren. Especially after I took down all the Christmas decorations. It just needed something to bring in a little bit of color and maybe a place to sit down and put on your shoes before you head out the front door. This little bench was perfect! And I do love the color. I spent a solid hour at the store, trying to find the perfect color. I wanted a nice subtle blue, and I can't wait to use this color for other projects in my house.

I love how it looks next to my front door.

Number Four: My most recent, a bed side table for Maryn's room. I'm not big into getting nice furniture for my kids' rooms, but Maryn is getting to an age where she is learning to take care of her things [not draw on them]. She loves to read at night before she goes to bed, and a little lamp next to her bed was just what she needed. Now, I have to confess, the drawer on this table isn't the best handy work. What can I say? I'm a rookie. I even tacked down a little bit of felt to make it slide easier, but it's catching on the top. I didn't take into account that paint would add any thickness when I was putting it together. You live you learn, right? I only need to get after it with the sander, but I'm just going to ignore it for now, and pay attention to the cute little flower knobs instead.
The lamp was a quick project, too. I had the lamp base already, and was just looking for a shade. It's previous shade had gotten cracked and dirty, so it didn't make the move. But cute, inexpensive lampshades are hard to find. One day, as I was browsing through Hobby Lobby's sewing section, I happened upon ready to decorate lampshades. They had a few different shapes, and their best feature: You peeled of the wax paper, and they were sticky. All I had to do was trace the pattern for the shade onto 1/2 yard of cute material, and stick it on. Piece. Of. Cake. The lamp shade was only $6 with my coupon, the material $2, and the shiny ribbon, $1. I was going to give in and buy a whole new lamp for $20. Ha!

There are new projects beginning to stir in this crazy head of mine. I must admit, I really do enjoy making cute things from a couple of pieces of wood. I think I'm ready to move on to using better quality (more expensive) wood for my projects. If only I had more free time to go out and play with my tools....